Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 19[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
19 The heavens declare the glory of God;[b]
the sky displays his handiwork.[c]
2 Day after day it speaks out;[d]
night after night it reveals his greatness.[e]
3 There is no actual speech or word,
nor is its[f] voice literally heard.
4 Yet its voice[g] echoes[h] throughout the earth;
its[i] words carry[j] to the distant horizon.[k]
In the sky[l] he has pitched a tent for the sun.[m]
5 Like a bridegroom it emerges[n] from its chamber;[o]
like a strong man it enjoys[p] running its course.[q]
6 It emerges from the distant horizon,[r]
and goes from one end of the sky to the other;[s]
nothing can escape[t] its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life.[u]
The rules set down by the Lord[v] are reliable[w]
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.[x]
8 The Lord’s precepts are fair[y]
and make one joyful.[z]
The Lord’s commands[aa] are pure[ab]
and give insight for life.[ac]
9 The commands to fear the Lord are right[ad]
and endure forever.[ae]
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just.[af]
10 They are of greater value[ag] than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight[ah] than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there;[ai]
those who obey them receive a rich reward.[aj]
12 Who can know all his errors?[ak]
Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of.[al]
13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins;[am]
do not allow such sins to control me.[an]
Then I will be blameless,
and innocent of blatant[ao] rebellion.
14 May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable in your sight,[ap]
O Lord, my sheltering rock[aq] and my redeemer.[ar]
15 A gentle response[a] turns away anger,
but a harsh word[b] stirs up wrath.[c]
2 The tongue of the wise[d] treats knowledge correctly,[e]
but the mouth of the fool spouts out[f] folly.
3 The eyes of the Lord[g] are in every place,
keeping watch on[h] those who are evil and those who are good.
4 Speech[i] that heals[j] is like[k] a life-giving tree,[l]
but a perverse speech[m] breaks the spirit.[n]
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline,
but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.[o]
6 In the house of the righteous is abundant wealth,[p]
but the income of the wicked will be ruined.[q]
7 The lips of the wise spread[r] knowledge,
but not so the heart of fools.[s]
8 The Lord abhors[t] the sacrifice of the wicked,[u]
but the prayer[v] of the upright pleases him.[w]
9 The Lord abhors[x] the way of the wicked,
but he will love[y] those[z] who pursue[aa] righteousness.
10 Severe discipline[ab] is for the one who abandons the way;
the one who hates reproof[ac] will die.
11 Death and Destruction[ad] are before the Lord—
how much more[ae] the hearts of humans![af]
12 The scorner will not love[ag] one who corrects him;[ah]
he will not go to[ai] the wise.
13 A joyful heart[aj] makes the face cheerful,[ak]
but by a painful heart the spirit is broken.
14 The discerning mind[al] seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of fools feeds on folly.[am]
15 All the days[an] of the afflicted[ao] are bad,[ap]
but one with[aq] a cheerful heart has a continual feast.[ar]
16 Better[as] is little with the fear of the Lord
than great wealth and turmoil[at] with it.[au]
17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love[av]
than a fattened ox where there is hatred.[aw]
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises,[a] yet he was ready to offer up[b] his only son. 18 God had told him, “Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,”[c] 19 and he reasoned[d] that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense[e] he received him back from there. 20 By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. 21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff.[f] 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life,[g] mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel[h] and gave instructions about his burial.[i]
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