Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
5 Thus says the Lord:
(A)“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes (B)flesh his [a]strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
6 For he shall be (C)like a shrub in the desert,
And (D)shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
(E)In a salt land which is not inhabited.
7 “Blessed(F) is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
8 For he shall be (G)like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not [b]fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
BOOK ONE
Psalms 1–41
The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly
1 Blessed (A)is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
(B)Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But (C)his delight is in the law of the Lord,
(D)And in His law he [b]meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
(E)Planted by the [c]rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall (F)prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are (G)like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For (H)the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Risen Christ, Our Hope(A)
12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, (B)then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because (C)we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; (D)you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have [a]fallen (E)asleep in Christ have perished. 19 (F)If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
The Last Enemy Destroyed
20 But now (G)Christ is risen from the dead, and has become (H)the firstfruits of those who have [b]fallen asleep.
Jesus Heals a Great Multitude(A)
17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples (B)and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude (C)sought to (D)touch Him, for (E)power went out from Him and healed them all.
The Beatitudes(F)
20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:
(G)“Blessed are you poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God.
21 (H)Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you shall be (I)filled.[a]
(J)Blessed are you who weep now,
For you shall (K)laugh.
22 (L)Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they (M)exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man’s sake.
23 (N)Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For (O)in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
Jesus Pronounces Woes
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.