Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
For the director of music. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
85 Lord, you were good to your land.
You blessed the people of Jacob with great success again.
2 You forgave the evil things your people did.
You took away all their sins.
3 You stopped being angry with them.
You turned your great anger away from them.
4 God our Savior, make us new again.
Stop being unhappy with us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you be angry for all time to come?
6 Won’t you give us new life again?
Then we’ll be joyful because of what you have done.
7 Lord, show us your faithful love.
Save us.
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says.
He promises peace to his faithful people.
But they must not turn to foolish ways.
9 I know he’s ready to save those who have respect for him.
Then his glory can be seen in our land.
10 God’s truth and faithful love join together.
His peace and holiness kiss each other.
11 His truth springs up from the earth.
His holiness looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will certainly give what is good.
Our land will produce its crops.
13 God’s holiness leads the way in front of him.
It prepares the way for his coming.
The Lord Brings Charges Against Israel
4 People of Israel, listen to the Lord’s message.
He is bringing charges
against you who live in Israel.
He says, “There is no faithfulness
or love in the land.
No one recognizes me as God.
2 People curse one another.
They tell lies and commit murder.
They steal and commit adultery.
They break all my laws.
They keep spilling the blood of other people.
3 That is why the land is drying up.
All those who live in it
are getting weaker and weaker.
The wild animals and the birds in the sky are dying.
So are the fish in the ocean.
4 “But you priests should not blame the people.
You should not find fault with one another.
After all, your people
could also bring charges against you.
5 You trip and fall day and night.
And the prophets fall down along with you.
So I will destroy your nation.
She is the one who gave birth to you.
6 My people are destroyed
because they do not know me.
“You priests have refused to obey me.
So I will refuse to accept you as my priests.
You have not paid any attention to my law.
So I will not let your children be my priests.
7 The more priests there were,
the more they sinned against me.
They have traded their glorious God for that shameful god named Baal.
8 They live off the sins of my people.
And they want them to keep on sinning.
9 So here is what I will do.
I will punish people and priests alike.
I will judge them because of their sinful lives.
I will pay them back
for the evil things they have done.
10 “My people will eat.
But they will not have enough.
They will have sex with prostitutes.
But they will not have any children.
That’s because they have deserted me.
They have sex 11 with prostitutes.
They drink old wine and fresh wine.
Their drinking has destroyed their ability to understand.
12 My people ask a wooden statue of a god for advice.
They get answers from a stick of wood.
They are as unfaithful as prostitutes.
They are not faithful to their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops.
They burn offerings on the hills.
They worship under oak, poplar and terebinth trees.
The trees provide plenty of shade.
So your daughters become prostitutes.
And your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
14 “I will not punish your daughters
when they become prostitutes.
I will not judge your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery.
After all, the men themselves have sex with sinful women.
They offer sacrifices where temple prostitutes earn their living.
People who can’t understand will be destroyed!
15 “Israel, you are not faithful to me.
But I do not want Judah to become guilty too.
“My people, do not go to Gilgal to offer sacrifices.
Do not go up to Bethel to worship other gods.
When you make a promise, do not say,
‘You can be sure that the Lord is alive.’
16 The people of Israel are stubborn.
They are as stubborn as a young cow.
So how can I take care of them
like lambs in a meadow?
17 The people of Ephraim have joined themselves to other gods.
And nothing can be done to help them.
18 They continue to be unfaithful to me
even when their drinks are gone.
And their rulers love to do shameful things.
19 A windstorm will blow all of them away.
And their sacrifices will bring shame on them.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers. About 120 of them were there. 16 Peter said, “Brothers and sisters, a long time ago the Holy Spirit spoke through David. He spoke about Judas Iscariot. What the Scripture said would happen had to come true. Judas was the guide for the men who arrested Jesus. 17 But Judas was one of us. He shared with us in our work for God.”
18 Judas bought a field with the payment he received for the evil thing he had done. He fell down headfirst in the field. His body burst open. All his insides spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this. So they called that field Akeldama. In their language, Akeldama means the Field of Blood.
20 Peter said, “Here is what is written in the Book of Psalms. It says,
“ ‘May his home be deserted.
May no one live in it.’ (Psalm 69:25)
The Psalms also say,
“ ‘Let someone else take his place as leader.’ (Psalm 109:8)
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