Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

To the Overcomer upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph.

¹ ¶ Sing aloud unto God our strength; make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

¹⁰ I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt; open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

¹¹ But my people did not hearken to my voice, and Israel did not love me.

¹² So I gave them up unto the hardness of their heart, and they walked in their own counsels.

¹³ Oh, if my people would hearken unto me and Israel would walk in my ways!

¹⁴ I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their adversaries.

¹⁵ The haters of the LORD would have submitted themselves unto him, and their time would endure for ever.

¹⁶ And God would have fed them also the finest of the wheat, and with honey out of the rock I would have satisfied thee.

12 ¶ Righteous art thou, O LORD, even though I dispute with thee: even so, I will speak judgments with thee; Why does the way of the wicked prosper? All those that completely rebel against thee have peace.

² Thou hast planted them, and they have taken root: they grow, and they bring forth fruit; thou art near in their mouth and far from their kidneys.

³ But thou, O LORD, dost know me; thou hast seen me and tried my heart toward thee; pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and mark them for the day of slaughter.

⁴ How long shall the land be desolate, and the grass of all the field wither, for the wickedness of those that dwell therein? The cattle are lacking, and the birds, because they said, He shall not see our latter end.

⁵ If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, in which thou didst trust, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

⁶ For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee, even they have raised their voice after thee, O congregation; do not believe them, when they speak fair words unto thee.

⁷ ¶ I have forsaken my house, I have left my heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

⁸ My heritage was unto me as a lion in the forest; it cried out against me, therefore I have hated it.

⁹ My heritage is unto me as a speckled bird; the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour her.

¹⁰ Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard; they have trodden my heritage under foot; they have made my precious heritage a desolate wilderness.

¹¹ They have made it desolate; it cries against me, desolate; the whole land was made desolate because there was no man that would see.

¹² The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land; there is no peace for any flesh.

¹³ They have sown bread, but shall reap thorns; they had the heritage, but they did not profit; and they shall be ashamed because of your fruits, by the fierce anger of the LORD.

⁷ ¶ But the end of all things is at hand; be ye, therefore, temperate and watch unto prayer.

⁸ And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover a multitude of sins.

⁹ Lovingly be hospitable one to another without murmuring.

¹⁰ Let each one according to the gift that he has received, administer it unto the others, as a good steward of the diverse graces of God.

¹¹ If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God; if anyone ministers, let them do it according to the virtue which God gives, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus, the Christ, unto whom is glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.