Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Folly and Wickedness of Men.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
14 The fool has (A)said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable [a]deeds;
There is (B)no one who does good.
2 The Lord has (C)looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who [b](D)understand,
Who (E)seek after God.
3 They have all (F)turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is (G)no one who does good, not even one.
Ammon and Aram Defeated
10 (A)Now it happened afterwards that (B)the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son became king in his place. 2 Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of (C)Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent [a]some of his servants to console him concerning his father. But when David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites, 3 the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “[b]Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? (D)Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David’s servants and (E)shaved off half of their beards, and (F)cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. 5 When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, “[c]Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”
9 For this reason also, (A)since the day we heard of it, (B)we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the [a](C)knowledge of His will in all spiritual (D)wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will (E)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [b](F)to please Him in all respects, (G)bearing fruit in every good work and [c]increasing in the [d]knowledge of God; 11 (H)strengthened with all power, according to [e]His glorious might, [f]for the attaining of all steadfastness and [g]patience; (I)joyously 12 giving thanks to (J)the Father, who has qualified us [h]to share in (K)the inheritance of the [i]saints in (L)Light.
The Incomparable Christ
13 [j]For He rescued us from the [k](M)domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of [l](N)His beloved Son, 14 (O)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.