Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
5 Even when he lies on his bed,[a]
he is hatching evil plots.
He commits himself to a wicked course
and refuses to reject evil.
6 [b]O Lord, your kindness extends to the heavens;
your faithfulness, to the skies.
7 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep;
you sustain both humans and beasts, O Lord.
8 How precious, O God, is your kindness![c]
People seek refuge in the shadow of your wings.
9 They feast on the abundance of your house,[d]
and you give them to drink from your delightful streams.
10 For with you is the fountain of life,[e]
and by your light we see light.
Chapter 4
1 If you return, O Israel, says the Lord,
if you return to me,
if you banish your loathsome idols from my sight
and do not go astray,
2 and if you swear, “As the Lord lives!”
in truth, in justice, and in uprightness,
then the nations will bless themselves by him
and will glory in him.
3 For these are the words of the Lord to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
Break up your unplowed ground
and do not sow among thorns.
4 For the sake of the Lord be circumcised
and remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath will leap forth like fire
and burn with no one to quench it
because of your evil deeds.
For or against Jesus[a]
14 Jesus and Beelzebul.[b] Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the man who was mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.” 16 Others, to test him, demanded a sign from heaven.
17 However, he knew what they were thinking, and he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a house divided against itself will collapse. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?
“For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now, if it is by Beelzebul that I cast out demons, by whom do your own children cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
21 “When a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone who is stronger than he is attacks and overpowers him, he carries off all the weapons upon which the owner relied and distributes the plunder.
23 No Compromise.“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
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