Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for Help against the Sinful
7 O Lord my God, in You I have put my trust. Save me from all those who come for me, and keep me safe. 2 Or they will tear me like a lion, carrying me away where there is no one to help. 3 O Lord my God, if I have done this, and there is guilt on my hands, 4 if I have done wrong to him who was at peace with me, or without a reason have robbed him who worked against me, 5 let him who hates me come for me and catch me. Let him break me under his feet until I die, and lay my honor in the dust.
6 Rise up in Your anger, O Lord. Rise up against the anger of those who hate me. Awake, my God, and help me. Prove what is right. 7 Let the people gather around You, and rule over them from Your throne. 8 May the Lord judge which people are guilty or not. O Lord, judge in my favor if I am right with You, and if I am without blame. 9 Let the sins of the sinful stop. But build up those who are right with You. For the God Who is right and good tests both the hearts and the minds. 10 I am kept safe by God, Who saves those who are pure in heart.
11 God is always right in how He judges. He is angry with the sinful every day. 12 If a man is not sorry for his sins and will not turn from them, God will make His sword sharp. He will string His bow and make it ready. 13 He takes up His sword and the bow of death. And He makes arrows of fire.
14 See how the sinful man thinks up sins and plans trouble and lies start growing inside him. 15 He has dug out a deep hole, and has fallen into the hole he has dug. 16 The trouble he makes will return to him. When he hurts others it will come down on his own head. 17 I will give thanks to the Lord because He is right and good. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Israel Will Be Punished for Its Sin
9 Say to the people who live in the strong cities of Ashdod and Egypt, “Gather together on the mountains of Samaria. See all the trouble within her and how her people suffer. 10 They do not know how to do what is right,” says the Lord. “They store up in their strong cities what they have fought for and robbed.”
11 So the Lord God says, “Those who hate you will gather around the land. They will pull down your strong-places and rob your strong cities.” 12 The Lord says, “As the shepherd saves from the lion’s mouth just two legs or a piece of an ear, so will the people of Israel living in Samaria be saved, with the corner of a bed and a part of a cover. 13 Hear and speak against the family of Jacob,” says the Lord God, the God of All. 14 “On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will punish the altars of Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. 15 I will destroy the winter house together with the summer house. The houses of ivory will be destroyed, and the beautiful houses will come to an end,” says the Lord.
4 Listen to this, you fat cows of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria. You make it hard for the poor. You crush those in need. You say to your husbands, “Bring us something to drink!” 2 As the Lord God is holy, He has promised, “The days are coming when they will take you away with meat hooks. And the last of you will be taken with fish hooks. 3 You will go out through breaks in the walls. Each of you will go straight out. And you will be sent to Harmon,” says the Lord.
4 “Go to Bethel and sin! Go and sin much more in Gilgal! Bring your gifts in worship every morning. Every three days give a tenth part of what you receive. 5 Give a thank gift of bread made with yeast. And make your free-will gifts known. For this is what you love to do, O people of Israel,” says the Lord God.
The Rich and the Poor
2 My Christian brothers, our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of shining-greatness. Since your trust is in Him, do not look on one person as more important than another. 2 What if a man comes into your church wearing a gold ring and good clothes? And at the same time a poor man comes wearing old clothes. 3 What if you show respect to the man in good clothes and say, “Come and sit in this good place”? But if you say to the poor man, “Stand up over there,” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 are you not thinking that one is more important than the other? This kind of thinking is sinful. 5 Listen, my dear Christian brothers, God has chosen those who are poor in the things of this world to be rich in faith. The holy nation of heaven is theirs. That is what God promised to those who love Him. 6 You have not shown respect to the poor man. Is it not the rich men who make it hard for you and take you to court? 7 They speak against the name of Christ. And it was Christ Who called you.
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