Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked.
For the choir director; set to [a]Al-tashheth. A [b]Mikhtam of David.
58 Do you indeed [c]speak righteousness, O [d]gods?
Do you (A)judge [e]uprightly, O sons of men?
2 No, in heart you (B)work unrighteousness;
On earth you (C)weigh out the violence of your hands.
3 The wicked are estranged (D)from the womb;
These who speak lies (E)go astray from [f]birth.
4 They have venom like the (F)venom of a serpent;
Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,
5 So that it (G)does not hear the voice of [g](H)charmers,
Or a skillful caster of spells.
6 O God, (I)shatter their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord.
7 Let them (J)flow away like water that runs off;
When he [h](K)aims his arrows, let them be as [i]headless shafts.
8 Let them be as a snail which [j]melts away as it goes along,
Like the (L)miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun.
9 Before your (M)pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will (N)sweep them away with a whirlwind, the [k]green and the burning alike.
The Polluted Land
3 God [a]says, “(A)If a husband divorces his wife
And she goes from him
And belongs to another man,
Will he still return to her?
Will not that land be completely [b]polluted?
But you (B)are a harlot with many [c]lovers;
Yet you (C)turn to Me,” declares the Lord.
2 “Lift up your eyes to the (D)bare heights and see;
Where have you not been violated?
By the roads you have (E)sat for them
Like an Arab in the desert,
And you have (F)polluted a land
With your harlotry and with your wickedness.
3 “Therefore the (G)showers have been withheld,
And there has been no spring rain.
Yet you had a (H)harlot’s forehead;
You refused to be ashamed.
4 “Have you not just now called to Me,
‘(I)My Father, You are the [d](J)friend of my (K)youth?
5 ‘(L)Will He be angry forever?
Will He [e]be indignant to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken
And have done evil things,
And you have [f]had your way.”
Faithless Israel
6 Then the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She (M)went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. 7 (N)I [g]thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her (O)treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and (P)given her a writ of divorce, yet her (Q)treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. 9 Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she (R)polluted the land and committed adultery with (S)stones and trees. 10 Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in (T)deception,” declares the Lord.
God Invites Repentance
11 And the Lord said to me, “(U)Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,
‘(V)Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘(W)I will not [h]look upon you in anger.
For I am (X)gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 ‘Only [i](Y)acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God
And have (Z)scattered your [j]favors to the strangers (AA)under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a (AB)master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
And (AC)I will bring you to Zion.’
Salutation
1 Paul, (A)a bond-servant of God and an (B)apostle of Jesus Christ, [a]for the faith of those (C)chosen of God and (D)the knowledge of the truth which is (E)according to godliness, 2 in (F)the hope of eternal life, which God, (G)who cannot lie, (H)promised [b](I)long ages ago, 3 but (J)at the proper time manifested, even His word, in (K)the proclamation (L)with which I was entrusted (M)according to the commandment of (N)God our Savior,
4 To (O)Titus, (P)my true child [c]in a (Q)common faith: (R)Grace and peace from God the Father and (S)Christ Jesus our Savior.
Qualifications of Elders
5 For this reason I left you in (T)Crete, that you would set in order what remains and (U)appoint (V)elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, (W)if any man is above reproach, the (X)husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of (Y)dissipation or (Z)rebellion. 7 For the [d](AA)overseer must be above reproach as (AB)God’s steward, not (AC)self-willed, not quick-tempered, not (AD)addicted to wine, not pugnacious, (AE)not fond of sordid gain, 8 but (AF)hospitable, (AG)loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 9 (AH)holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in (AI)sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.