Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Just Judgment of the Wicked
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David.
58 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones?
Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
2 No, in heart you work wickedness;
You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.
3 (A)The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
4 (B)Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;
They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
5 Which will not (C)heed the voice of charmers,
Charming ever so skillfully.
6 (D)Break[b] their teeth in their mouth, O God!
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 (E)Let them flow away as waters which run continually;
When he bends his bow,
Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.
8 Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes,
(F)Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
9 Before your (G)pots can feel the burning thorns,
He shall take them away (H)as with a whirlwind,
As in His living and burning wrath.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the (I)vengeance;
(J)He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
11 (K)So that men will say,
“Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely He is God who (L)judges in the earth.”
15 And I will give you (A)shepherds according to My heart, who will (B)feed you with knowledge and understanding.
16 “Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and (C)increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ (D)It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.
17 “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, (E)to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they (F)follow[a] the dictates of their evil hearts.
18 “In those days (G)the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of (H)the north to (I)the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.
19 “But I said:
‘How can I put you among the children
And give you (J)a pleasant land,
A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?’
“And I said:
‘You shall call Me, (K)“My Father,”
And not turn away from Me.’
20 Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her [b]husband,
So (L)have you dealt treacherously with Me,
O house of Israel,” says the Lord.
21 A voice was heard on (M)the desolate heights,
Weeping and supplications of the children of Israel.
For they have perverted their way;
They have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, you backsliding children,
And I will (N)heal your backslidings.”
“Indeed we do come to You,
For You are the Lord our God.
23 (O)Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills,
And from the multitude of mountains;
(P)Truly, in the Lord our God
Is the salvation of Israel.
24 (Q)For shame has devoured
The labor of our fathers from our youth—
Their flocks and their herds,
Their sons and their daughters.
25 We lie down in our shame,
And our [c]reproach covers us.
(R)For we have sinned against the Lord our God,
We and our fathers,
From our youth even to this day,
And (S)have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”
The Parable of the Great Supper(A)
15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, (B)“Blessed is he who shall eat [a]bread in the kingdom of God!”
16 (C)Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and (D)sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the [b]maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you (E)that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.