Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

To the Overcomer, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

¹ ¶ LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land; thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

² Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people; thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

³ Thou hast taken away all thy wrath; thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

⁴ Turn us, O God our saving health and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

⁵ Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou extend thine anger from generation to generation?

⁶ Wilt thou not give us life again that thy people may rejoice in thee?

⁷ Show us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy saving health.

⁸ ¶ I will hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace unto his people and to his saints, that they not turn again to folly.

⁹ Surely his saving health is near those that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰ Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

¹¹ Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from the heavens.

¹² The LORD shall give that which is good, and our land shall bring forth her fruit.

¹³ Righteousness shall go before him and shall set his steps in the way.

4 ¶ Hear the word of the LORD, ye sons of Israel; for the LORD contends with the inhabitants of the land because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the earth.

² By swearing and lying and murdering and stealing and committing adultery, they prevailed, and blood touches blood.

³ Therefore the earth shall mourn, and every one that dwells therein shall be cut off, with the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven; and even the fishes of the sea shall be caught.

⁴ Certainly man does not contend with nor reprehend man; for thy people are as those that resist the priest.

⁵ Therefore thou shalt fall in the day, and the prophet shall also fall with thee by night, and I will cut off thy mother.

⁶ ¶ My people were cut off because they lacked wisdom; because thou hast rejected wisdom, I will cast thee out of the priesthood; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy sons.

⁷ According to their greatness, so did they sin against me; therefore I will change their honour into shame.

⁸ They eat up the sin of my people, and in their iniquity they raise up their soul.

⁹ The people shall become like the priest; and I will visit his ways upon him, and they shall reward him according to his doings.

¹⁰ For they shall eat and not be satisfied; they shall commit whoredom and shall not increase because they have quit showing hospitality unto the LORD.

¹¹ Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

¹² ¶ My people ask counsel of their wooden idol, and their stick declares unto them; for the spirit of whoredoms has caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring under their gods.

¹³ They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, that had good shade; therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your daughters-in-law shall commit adultery.

¹⁴ I will not visit upon your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor upon your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery: for they offer with whores, and they sacrifice with cult prostitutes; therefore the people without understanding shall fall.

¹⁵ Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah be guilty; and do not come unto Gilgal, neither go up to Bethaven, nor swear, The LORD lives,

¹⁶ for Israel has turned away as a wild heifer; shall the LORD now feed them as rams in a large place?

¹⁷ Ephraim is given over to idols; leave him.

¹⁸ Their drink has become corrupted; they have committed whoredom continually; her princes love gifts, shamefully.

¹⁹ The wind has bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

¹⁵ ¶ And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and said (the number of names together were about one hundred and twenty),

¹⁶ Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas, who was guide to those that took Jesus.

¹⁷ For he was numbered with us, and had obtained a lot or inheritance of this ministry.

¹⁸ He, therefore, purchased a field with the reward of his iniquity; and hanging himself, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

¹⁹ And it was known unto all the dwellers of Jerusalem, in such a manner that the field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

²⁰ For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no one dwell therein, and let another take his office.