Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 51
A Prayer for Restoration
For the choir director. A psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba.(A)
1 Be gracious to me, God,
according to your faithful love;
according to your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.(B)
2 Completely wash away my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.(C)
3 For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me.(D)
4 Against you—you alone—I have sinned
and done this evil in your sight.(E)
So you are right when you pass sentence;
you are blameless when you judge.(F)
5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.(G)
6 Surely you desire integrity in the inner self,
and you teach me wisdom deep within.(H)
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.(I)
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.(J)
9 Turn your face away[a] from my sins
and blot out all my guilt.(K)
Joshua’s Farewell Address
23 A long time after the Lord had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them,(A) Joshua was old, advanced in age.(B) 2 So Joshua summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers,(C) and said to them, “I am old, advanced in age, 3 and you have seen for yourselves everything the Lord your God did to all these nations on your account, because it was the Lord your God who was fighting for you.(D) 4 See, I have allotted these remaining nations to you as an inheritance for your tribes,(E) including all the nations I have destroyed, from the Jordan westward to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 The Lord your God will force them back on your account and drive them out before you so that you can take possession of their land,(F) as the Lord your God promised you.
6 “Be very strong(G) and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left 7 and so that you do not associate with these nations remaining among you. Do not call on the names of their gods or make an oath to them;(H) do not serve them or bow in worship to them. 8 Instead, be loyal to the Lord your God, as you have been to this day.(I)
9 “The Lord has driven out great and powerful nations before you,(J) and no one is able to stand against you to this day.(K) 10 One of you routed a thousand(L) because the Lord your God was fighting for you, as he promised.[a](M) 11 So diligently watch yourselves! Love the Lord your God! 12 If you ever turn away and become loyal to the rest of these nations remaining among you,(N) and if you intermarry or associate with them(O) and they with you, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out before you. They will become a snare and a trap for you,(P) a sharp stick[b] for your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you disappear from this good land the Lord your God has given you.
14 “I am now going the way of the whole earth,(Q) and you know with all your heart and all your soul that none of the good promises the Lord your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed.(R) 15 Since every good thing the Lord your God promised you has come about, so he will bring on you every bad thing until he has annihilated you from this good land the Lord your God has given you.(S) 16 If you break the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow in worship to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly disappear from this good land he has given you.”
Self-Examination
27 So, then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body[a] and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body,[b] eats and drinks judgment(A) on himself. 30 This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep.(B) 31 If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged, 32 but when we are judged(C) by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned(D) with the world.
33 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another.[c] 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.(E)
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