Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 19

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork.^(A)

² Day after day pours forth speech, and night after night shows forth knowledge.

³ There is no speech nor spoken word [from the stars]; their voice is not heard.

⁴ Yet their voice [in evidence] goes out through all the earth, their sayings to the end of the world. Of the heavens has God made a tent for the sun,^(B)

⁵ Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; and it rejoices as a strong man to run his course.

⁶ Its going forth is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the ends of it; and nothing [yes, no one] is hidden from the heat of it.

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes.

⁹ The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb.

¹¹ Moreover, by them is Your servant warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed); and in keeping them there is great reward.

¹² Who can discern his lapses and errors? Clear me from hidden [and unconscious] faults.

¹³ Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then shall I be blameless, and I shall be innocent and clear of great transgression.

¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.

21 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as are the watercourses; He turns it whichever way He wills.

² Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs and tries the hearts.^(A)

³ To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.^(B)

⁴ Haughtiness of eyes and a proud heart, even the tillage of the wicked or the lamp [of joy] to them [whatever it may be], are sin [in the eyes of God].

⁵ The thoughts of the [steadily] diligent tend only to plenteousness, but everyone who is impatient and hasty hastens only to want.

⁶ Securing treasures by a lying tongue is a vapor driven to and fro; those who seek them seek death.

⁷ The violence of the wicked shall sweep them away, because they refuse to do justice.

⁸ The way of the guilty is exceedingly crooked, but as for the pure, his work is right and his conduct is straight.

⁹ It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop [on the flat oriental roof, exposed to all kinds of weather] than in a house shared with a nagging, quarrelsome, and faultfinding woman.

¹⁰ The soul or life of the wicked craves and seeks evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.^(C)

¹¹ When the scoffer is punished, the fool gets a lesson in being wise; but men of [godly] Wisdom and good sense learn by being instructed.

¹² The [uncompromisingly] righteous man considers well the house of the wicked—how the wicked are cast down to ruin.

¹³ Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor will cry out himself and not be heard.^(D)

¹⁴ A gift in secret pacifies and turns away anger, and a bribe in the lap, strong wrath.

¹⁵ When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous (the upright, in right standing with God), but to the evildoers it is dismay, calamity, and ruin.

¹⁶ A man who wanders out of the way of understanding shall abide in the congregation of the spirits (of the dead).

¹⁷ He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

²³ And when He entered the sacred ^[a]enclosure of the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching and said, By what ^[b]power of authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this power of authority?

²⁴ Jesus answered them, I also will ask you a question, and if you give Me the answer, then I also will tell you by what ^[c]power of authority I do these things.

²⁵ The baptism of John—from where was it? From heaven or from men? And they reasoned and argued with one another, If we say, From heaven, ^[d]He will ask us, Why then did you not believe him?

²⁶ But if we say, From men—we are afraid of and must reckon with the multitude, for they all regard John as a prophet.

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, We do not know. And He said to them, Neither will I tell you by what ^[e]power of authority I do these things.

²⁸ What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He came to the first and said, Son, go and work today in the vineyard.

²⁹ And he answered, I will not; but afterward he changed his mind and went.

³⁰ Then the man came to the second and said the same [thing]. And he replied, I will [go], sir; but he did not go.

³¹ Which of the two did the will of the father? They replied, The first one. Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the harlots will get into the kingdom of heaven before you.

³² For John came to you walking in the way of an upright man in right standing with God, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots did believe him; and you, even when you saw that, did not afterward change your minds and believe him [adhere to, trust in, and rely on what he told you].