Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
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
6 [a]When the Ammonites realized that they were in bad odor with David, they sent for and hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth-rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and twelve thousand men from Tob.(A)
7 When David heard of this, he sent Joab and his whole army of warriors against them.(B) 8 The Ammonites marched out and lined up for battle at the entrance of their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah remained apart in the open field. 9 When Joab saw that there was a battle line both in front of and behind him, he chose some of the best fighters of Israel and lined them up against the Arameans; 10 the rest of the army he placed under the command of his brother Abishai and lined up to oppose the Ammonites. 11 And he said, “If the Arameans prove too strong for me, you must come and save me; and if the Ammonites prove too strong for you, I will come to save you. 12 Hold firm and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in his sight.”
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,(A) 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.(B) 14 And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.(C) 15 And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.(D) 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.(E) 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.(F)
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.