Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
22 “For My people are foolish,
They have not known Me.
They are [a]silly children,
And they have no understanding.
(A)They are wise to do evil,
But to do good they have no knowledge.”
23 (B)I beheld the earth, and indeed it was (C)without form, and void;
And the heavens, they had no light.
24 (D)I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I beheld, and indeed there was no man,
And (E)all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a (F)wilderness,
And all its cities were broken down
At the presence of the Lord,
By His fierce anger.
27 For thus says the Lord:
Folly of the Godless, and God’s Final Triumph(A)
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
14 The (B)fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.
2 (C)The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3 (D)They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.
Glory to God for His Grace(A)
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has (B)enabled me, (C)because He counted me faithful, (D)putting me into the ministry, 13 although (E)I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an [a]insolent man; but I obtained mercy because (F)I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 (G)And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, (H)with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 (I)This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that (J)Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. 17 Now to (K)the King eternal, (L)immortal, (M)invisible, to [b]God (N)who alone is wise, (O)be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep(A)
15 Then (B)all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man [a]receives sinners (C)and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4 (D)“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, (E)‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep (F)which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (G)than over ninety-nine [b]just persons who (H)need no repentance.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver [c]coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.