Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
There Is None Who Does Good
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Mahalath. A Maskil[a] of David.
53 (B)The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,[b]
who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4 Have those who work evil no knowledge,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?
5 There they are, in great terror,
(C)where there is no terror!
For God (D)scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
24 Saul said to Samuel, (A)“I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin and (B)return with me that I may bow before the Lord.” 26 And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. (C)For you have rejected the word of the Lord, (D)and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 (E)As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. 28 And Samuel said to him, (F)“The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29 And also the Glory of Israel (G)will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” 30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet (H)honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, (I)and return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord.
A Tree and Its Fruit
43 “For (A)no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for (B)each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 (C)The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces (D)evil, (E)for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.