Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
22 My people are fools,
they do not know me;
They are senseless children,
without understanding;
They are wise at evil,
but they do not know how to do good.(A)
23 I looked at the earth—it was waste and void;
at the heavens—their light had gone out!(B)
24 I looked at the mountains—they were quaking!
All the hills were crumbling!
25 I looked—there was no one;
even the birds of the air had flown away!
26 I looked—the garden land was a wilderness,
with all its cities destroyed
before the Lord, before his blazing anger.(C)
27 For thus says the Lord:
The whole earth shall be waste,
but I will not wholly destroy it.(D)
28 Because of this the earth shall mourn,
the heavens above shall darken;
I have spoken, I will not change my mind,
I have decided, I will not turn back.(E)
Psalm 14[a]
A Lament over Widespread Corruption
1 For the leader. Of David.
I
The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt;
not one does what is good.(A)
2 The Lord looks down from heaven
upon the children of men,(B)
To see if even one is wise,
if even one seeks God.(C)
3 All have gone astray;
all alike are perverse.
Not one does what is good,
not even one.(D)
II
4 Will these evildoers never learn?
They devour my people as they devour bread;(E)
they do not call upon the Lord.(F)
5 They have good reason, then, to fear;
God is with the company of the just.
6 They would crush the hopes of the poor,
but the poor have the Lord as their refuge.
III
12 I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry.(A) 13 I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.(B) 14 Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.(C) 15 This saying is trustworthy[a] and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost.(D) 16 But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life. 17 To the king of ages,[b] incorruptible, invisible, the only God, honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.(E)
Responsibility of Timothy.[c]
Chapter 15
The Parable of the Lost Sheep.(A) 1 [a]The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, 2 but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”(B) 3 So to them he addressed this parable. 4 (C)“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one(D) until he finds it?(E) 5 And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy 6 and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.(F)
The Parable of the Lost Coin. 8 “Or what woman having ten coins[b] and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ 10 In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.