Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord Implored to Defend the Psalmist against the Wicked.
A [a]Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord [b]concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.
7 O Lord my God, (A)in You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and (B)rescue me,
2 Or he will tear [c]my soul (C)like a lion,
Dragging me away, while there is no one to rescue me.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is (D)injustice in my hands,
4 If I have (E)done evil to [d]my friend,
Or have (F)plundered [e]my enemy for no reason,
5 Let the enemy pursue [f]my soul and overtake [g]it;
And let him trample my life to the ground
And lay my glory in the dust. Selah
6 (G)Arise, Lord, in Your anger;
(H)Raise Yourself against (I)the rage of my enemies,
And (J)stir Yourself [h]for me; You have ordered judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the (K)peoples encompass You,
And return on high over it.
8 The Lord (L)judges the peoples;
[i](M)Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
9 Please let (N)the evil of the wicked come to an end, but (O)establish the righteous;
For the righteous God (P)puts hearts and [j]minds to the test.
10 My (Q)shield is [k]with God,
Who (R)saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a (S)righteous judge,
And a God who (T)shows indignation every day.
12 If one (U)does not repent, He will (V)sharpen His sword;
He has (W)bent His bow and taken aim.
13 He has also prepared deadly weapons for Himself;
He makes His (X)arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, an evil person is pregnant with injustice,
And he (Y)conceives harm and gives birth to lies.
15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has (Z)fallen into the hole which he made.
16 His (AA)harm will return on his own head,
And his (AB)violence will descend on the top of his own head.
9 Proclaim on the citadels in (A)Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, “Assemble yourselves on the (B)mountains of Samaria and see the great panic within her and the (C)oppressions in her midst. 10 But they (D)do not know how to do what is right,” declares the Lord, “these who (E)store up [a]violence and devastation in their citadels.”
11 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:
“An (F)enemy, one surrounding the land,
Will take down your fortifications from you,
And your (G)citadels will be looted.”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“Just as the shepherd [b](H)snatches from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,
So will the sons of Israel living in Samaria be [c]snatched away—
With the (I)corner of a bed and the [d](J)cover of a couch!
13 Hear and (K)testify against the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord God, the God of armies.
14 “For on the day that I punish Israel’s offenses,
I will also punish the altars of (L)Bethel;
The horns of the altar will be cut off,
And will fall to the ground.
15 I will also strike the (M)winter house together with the (N)summer house;
The houses of [e](O)ivory will also perish,
And the (P)great houses will come to an end,”
Declares the Lord.
“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me”
4 Hear this word, you [f]cows of (Q)Bashan who are on the (R)mountain of Samaria,
Who (S)exploit the poor, who oppress the needy,
[g]And say to their [h]husbands, “Bring now, that we may (T)drink!”
2 The Lord [i]God has (U)sworn by His (V)holiness,
“For behold, the days are coming upon you
When [j]they will take you away with (W)meat hooks,
And the last of you with (X)fish hooks.
3 You will (Y)go out through holes in the walls,
One in front of the other,
And you [k]will be hurled to Harmon,” declares the Lord.
4 “Enter Bethel and do wrong;
In Gilgal multiply wrongdoing!
(Z)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
5 [l]Offer a (AA)thanksgiving offering also from that which is leavened,
And proclaim (AB)[m]voluntary offerings, make them known.
For so you (AC)love to do, you sons of Israel,”
Declares the Lord God.
The Sin of Partiality
2 (A)My brothers and sisters, (B)do not hold your faith in our (C)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of (D)personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your [a]assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in (E)bright clothes, and a poor man in (F)dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and you [b]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the (G)bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges (H)with evil [c]motives? 5 Listen, (I)my beloved brothers and sisters: did (J)God not choose the poor [d]of this world to be (K)rich in faith and (L)heirs of the kingdom which He (M)promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and [e]personally (N)drag you into [f]court? 7 (O)Do they not blaspheme the good name [g]by which you have been called?
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