Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 58[a]
The Judge of Unjust Rulers
1 For the director.[b] According to “Do not destroy.” A miktam of David.
2 O you rulers,[c] do you render justice?
Do you judge your people impartially?
3 No! You devise wickedness in your hearts,[d]
and your hands bring about violence on the earth.
4 The wicked have gone astray right from the womb;
from birth these liars have taken the wrong path.[e]
5 Their venom is like that of a serpent;
they are as deaf as an asp that stops its ears
6 so as not to hear the voice of the charmer
no matter how skillful the spells he casts.[f]
7 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of these lions, O Lord.[g]
8 [h]Cause them to vanish like water that drains off;
make them wither like grass that is trampled.[i]
9 Let them melt like a snail[j] that oozes into slime
or like a stillborn child that will never see the sun.
10 Before they sprout thorns[k] like brambles or thistles,
may your whirlwind sweep them away.
11 The righteous will rejoice
when he sees that justice has been done,
and he will bathe his feet
in the blood[l] of the wicked.
12 Then the people will say,
“There is truly a reward for the righteous;
there is a God who dispenses justice on the earth.”
15 Over you I will appoint shepherds after my own heart, and they will direct you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and grown numerous in the land, says the Lord, they will no longer say in those days, “The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.” They will no longer think of it, or remember it, or realize that it is gone, or make another.
17 When that time comes, Jerusalem will be called the throne of the Lord, and all the nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they stubbornly follow their own evil inclinations. 18 In those days the house of Judah will unite with the house of Israel, and together they will come from the land of the north to the land that I gave to your fathers as a heritage.
Call for Conversion
19 [a]I then gave consideration
as to how I would treat you as sons
and give you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful heritage of all the nations.
Further, I thought that you would call me “Father” and never cease to follow me.
20 But like a woman who is unfaithful to her husband,
so you have been unfaithful to me,
O house of Israel, says the Lord.
21 A cry on the bare heights is heard,
the plaintive weeping of Israel’s children,
because they have perverted their ways
and forgotten the Lord, their God.
22 Return, you rebellious children,
and I will forgive your faithlessness.
Here we are! We are returning to you,
for you are the Lord, our God.
23 The hills are truly a delusion,
as is the tumult on the mountains.
Truly in the Lord, our God alone
is the salvation of Israel.
24 Ever since we were young,
Baal has devoured everything
for which our fathers toiled:
their flocks and their herds,
their sons and their daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame
and let our dishonor cover us.
For we have sinned against the Lord, our God,
we and our ancestors,
from our youth even to this very day,
and we failed to obey the voice of the Lord, our God.
15 The Parable of the Great Supper.[a] On hearing this, one of the dinner guests said to him, “Blessed is the man who will dine in the kingdom of God.” 16 Jesus said in reply, “A man gave a sumptuous banquet, to which he invited many. 17 When the hour for the banquet drew near, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited: ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18 “But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have bought a parcel of land, and I must go out to inspect it. Please accept my apologies.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen, and I am on my way to try them out. Please accept my regrets.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have just gotten married, and therefore I am unable to come.’
21 “When the servant returned, he reported all this to his master. Then the owner of the house became enraged, and he said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 Shortly afterward, the servant told him, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out, and some room is still available.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the open roads and along the hedgerows and compel people to come,[b] so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ”
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