Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Futility of Boastful Wickedness.
For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of David, [b]when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
52 Why do you (A)boast in evil, O mighty man?
The (B)lovingkindness of God endures all day long.
2 Your tongue devises (C)destruction,
Like a (D)sharp razor, (E)O worker of deceit.
3 You (F)love evil more than good,
(G)Falsehood more than speaking what is right. [c]Selah.
4 You love all words that devour,
O (H)deceitful tongue.
5 [d]But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch you up and (I)tear you away from your tent,
And (J)uproot you from the (K)land of the living. Selah.
6 The righteous will (L)see and fear,
And will (M)laugh at him, saying,
7 “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
But (N)trusted in the abundance of his riches
And (O)was strong in [e]his evil desire.”
10 They hate him who (A)reproves in the [a]gate,
And they (B)abhor him who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore because you [b]impose heavy rent on the poor
And exact a tribute of grain from them,
Though you have built (C)houses of well-hewn stone,
Yet you will not live in them;
You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will (D)not drink their wine.
12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great,
You who (E)distress the righteous and accept bribes
And [c]turn aside the poor in the [d]gate.
13 Therefore at [e]such a time the prudent person (F)keeps silent, for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live;
And thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you,
(G)Just as you have said!
15 (H)Hate evil, love good,
And establish justice in the [f]gate!
Perhaps the Lord God of hosts
(I)May be gracious to the (J)remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord,
The Perfect High Priest
5 For every high priest (A)taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in (B)things pertaining to God, in order to (C)offer both gifts and sacrifices (D)for sins; 2 [a](E)he can deal gently with the (F)ignorant and (G)misguided, since he himself also is [b](H)beset with weakness; 3 and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices (I)for sins, (J)as for the people, so also for himself. 4 And (K)no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even (L)as Aaron was.
5 So also Christ (M)did not glorify Himself so as to become a (N)high priest, but He who (O)said to Him,
“(P)You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”;
6 just as He says also in another passage,
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