Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Plea for Justice
A Psalm of Asaph.
82 God (A)stands in the congregation of [a]the mighty;
He judges among (B)the [b]gods.
2 How long will you judge unjustly,
And (C)show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 [c]Defend the poor and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and (D)needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They do not know, nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the (E)foundations of the earth are [d]unstable.
6 I said, (F)“You are [e]gods,
And all of you are children of the Most High.
7 But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes.”
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth;
(G)For You shall inherit all nations.
12 “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink,
And commanded the prophets (A)saying,
‘Do not prophesy!’
13 “Behold,(B) I am [a]weighed down by you,
As a cart full of sheaves [b]is weighed down.
14 (C)Therefore [c]flight shall perish from the swift,
The strong shall not strengthen his power,
(D)Nor shall the mighty [d]deliver himself;
15 He shall not stand who handles the bow,
The swift of foot shall not [e]escape,
Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself.
16 The most [f]courageous men of might
Shall flee naked in that day,”
Says the Lord.
Authority of the Prophet’s Message
3 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:
2 “You(E) only have I known of all the families of the earth;
(F)Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?
Will a young lion [g]cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
5 Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no [h]trap for it?
Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
6 If a [i]trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
(G)If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?
16 (A)For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten (B)Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 (C)For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 (D)“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, (E)that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For (F)everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been (G)done in God.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.