Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

52 Why do you boast of your wickedness, O man of power? The lovingkindness of God endures daily.

² Your tongue imagines mischief, like a sharp razor that cuts deceitfully.

³ You love evil more than good, lies more than to speak the truth. Selah.

⁴ You love all words that may destroy. O deceitful tongue!

⁵ So shall God destroy you forever. He shall take you and pluck you out of your tabernacle, and root you out of the land of the living. Selah.

⁶ Also, the righteous shall see it, and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying,

⁷ “Behold the man who did not take God for His strength but trusted in the multitude of his riches and put his strength in his malice.”

⁸ But I shall be like a green olive tree in the House of God. I trusted in the mercy of God forever and ever.

⁹ I will always praise You because You have done this. And I will hope in Your Name because it is good before Your saints. To him who excels on Mahalath: A Psalm of David to give instruction

¹⁸ Woe to you who desire the Day of the LORD! What have you to do with it? The Day of the LORD is darkness and not light.

¹⁹ As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him.

²⁰ Shall not the Day of the LORD be darkness, and not light; even darkness and no light in it?

²¹ “I hate and abhor your feast days. And I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

²² “Though you offer Me burnt offerings and meat offerings, I will not accept them. Nor will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

²³ “Take away from Me the multitude of your songs (for I will not hear the melody of your viols.)

²⁴ “And let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty river.

²⁵ “Have you offered to Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O House of Israel?

²⁶ “But you have born Sikkuth, your king, and Chiun, your images, and the star of your gods which you made to yourselves.

²⁷ “Therefore, will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose Name is the God of Hosts. Against the princes of Israel living in pleasure.

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁵ (from Whom is named every family in Heaven and on Earth)

¹⁶ so that He might grant - according to the riches of His Glory - that you be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man;

¹⁷ So that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;

¹⁸ so that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend (with all saints) what is the breadth and length and depth and height;

¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge. So that you may be filled with all fullness of God.

²⁰ Now therefore, to the One Who is able to do all things exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us;

²¹ to Him be praise in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, forever. Amen.