Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Psalm by Asaph.
82 God presides in the great assembly.
He judges among the gods.
2 “How long will you judge unjustly,
and show partiality to the wicked?” Selah.
3 “Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless.
Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and needy.
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”
5 They don’t know, neither do they understand.
They walk back and forth in darkness.
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I said, “You are gods,
all of you are sons of the Most High.
7 Nevertheless you shall die like men,
and fall like one of the rulers.”
8 Arise, God, judge the earth,
for you inherit all of the nations.
1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2 He said:
“Yahweh[a] will roar from Zion,
and utter his voice from Jerusalem;
and the pastures of the shepherds will mourn,
and the top of Carmel will wither.”
3 Yahweh says:
“For three transgressions of Damascus, yes, for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron;
4 but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael,
and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad.
5 I will break the bar of Damascus,
and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven,
and him who holds the scepter from the house of Eden;
and the people of Syria shall go into captivity to Kir,”
says Yahweh.
6 Yahweh says:
“For three transgressions of Gaza, yes, for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
because they carried away captive the whole community,
to deliver them up to Edom;
7 but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza,
and it will devour its palaces.
8 I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod,
and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
and I will turn my hand against Ekron;
and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,”
says the Lord[b] Yahweh.
9 Yahweh says:
“For three transgressions of Tyre, yes, for four,
I will not turn away its punishment;
because they delivered up the whole community to Edom,
and didn’t remember the brotherly covenant;
10 but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre,
and it will devour its palaces.”
11 Yahweh says:
“For three transgressions of Edom, yes, for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
because he pursued his brother with the sword
and cast off all pity,
and his anger raged continually,
and he kept his wrath forever;
12 but I will send a fire on Teman,
and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah.”
13 Yahweh says:
“For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yes, for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
because they have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead,
that they may enlarge their border.
14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah,
and it will devour its palaces,
with shouting in the day of battle,
with a storm in the day of the whirlwind;
15 and their king will go into captivity,
he and his princes together,”
says Yahweh.
2 Yahweh says:
“For three transgressions of Moab, yes, for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime;
2 but I will send a fire on Moab,
and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth;
and Moab will die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet;
3 and I will cut off the judge from among them,
and will kill all its princes with him,”
says Yahweh.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? 15 And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, 16 and one of you tells them, “Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;” yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. 18 Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe—and shudder. 20 But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected. 23 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness,”(A) and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. 25 In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
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