Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
9 I will (A)sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 The One who gives [a]salvation to kings,
(B)Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—
12 That our sons may be (C)as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as [b]pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;
13 That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;
14 That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no [c]breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.
15 (D)Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!
Love Renewed in Lebanon
A Relative
5 (A)Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
Leaning upon her beloved?
I awakened you under the apple tree.
There your mother brought you forth;
There she who bore you brought you forth.
The Shulamite to Her Beloved
6 (B)Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
(C)Jealousy as [a]cruel as [b]the grave;
Its flames are flames of fire,
[c]A most vehement flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can the floods drown it.
(D)If a man would give for love
All the wealth of his house,
It would be utterly despised.
9 He said to them, “All too well (A)you [a]reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, (B)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, (C)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, (D)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
14 (E)When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and (F)understand: 15 There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that (G)defile a man. 16 (H)If[b] anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
17 (I)When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. 18 So He said to them, (J)“Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, [c]thus purifying all foods?” 20 And He said, (K)“What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 (L)For from within, out of the heart of men, (M)proceed evil thoughts, (N)adulteries, (O)fornications, murders, 22 thefts, (P)covetousness, wickedness, (Q)deceit, (R)lewdness, an evil eye, (S)blasphemy, (T)pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.