Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Wisdom Warns
20 (A)Wisdom shouts in the street,
She [a]lifts her voice in the square;
21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:
22 “How long, O [b](B)naive ones, will you love [c]being simple-minded?
And (C)scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools (D)hate knowledge?
23 “Turn to my reproof,
Behold, I will (E)pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 “Because (F)I called and you (G)refused,
I (H)stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you (I)neglected all my counsel
And did not (J)want my reproof;
26 I will also (K)laugh at your (L)calamity;
I will mock when your (M)dread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a (N)whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will (O)call on me, but I will not answer;
They will (P)seek me diligently but they will not find me,
29 Because they (Q)hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30 “They (R)would not accept my counsel,
They spurned all my reproof.
31 “So they shall (S)eat of the fruit of their own way
And be (T)satiated with their own devices.
32 “For the (U)waywardness of the [d]naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 “But (V)he who listens to me shall [e]live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
The Works and the Word of God.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
19 The (A)heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their (B)expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
2 Day to (C)day pours forth speech,
And (D)night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4 Their [a](E)line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has (F)placed a tent for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
6 Its (G)rising is from [b]one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the [c]other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 (H)The law of the Lord is [d](I)perfect, (J)restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is (K)sure, making (L)wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are (M)right, (N)rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is (O)pure, (P)enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are (Q)true; they are (R)righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than (S)gold, yes, than much fine gold;
(T)Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them (U)Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great (V)reward.
12 Who can (W)discern his errors? (X)Acquit me of (Y)hidden faults.
13 Also keep back Your servant (Z)from presumptuous sins;
Let them not (AA)rule over me;
Then I will be [e](AB)blameless,
And I shall be acquitted of (AC)great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and (AD)the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, (AE)my rock and my (AF)Redeemer.
The Tongue Is a Fire
3 (A)Let not many of you become teachers, (B)my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a [a]stricter judgment. 2 For we all (C)stumble in many ways. (D)If anyone does not stumble in [b]what he says, he is a (E)perfect man, able to (F)bridle the whole body as well. 3 Now (G)if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. 4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. 5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it (H)boasts of great things.
(I)See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 And (J)the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which (K)defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our [c]life, and is set on fire by [d](L)hell. 7 For every [e]species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human [f]race. 8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of (M)deadly poison. 9 With it we bless (N)our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, (O)who have been made in the likeness of God; 10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 11 Does a fountain send out from the same opening both [g]fresh and bitter water? 12 (P)Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce [h]fresh.
Peter’s Confession of Christ
27 (A)Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of (B)Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 (C)They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.” 29 And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” (D)Peter *answered and *said to Him, “You are [a]the Christ.” 30 And (E)He [b]warned them to tell no one about Him.
31 (F)And He began to teach them that (G)the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And He was stating the matter (H)plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, (I)Satan; for you are not setting your mind on [c]God’s interests, but man’s.”
34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and (J)take up his cross and follow Me. 35 For (K)whoever wishes to save his [d]life will lose it, but whoever loses his [e]life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For (L)whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, (M)the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He (N)comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.