The Daily Lectionary for THURSDAY, July 18, 2019

The Daily Lectionary

THURSDAY, July 18, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 52

Judgment on the Deceitful
To the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
1  Why do you boast, O mighty one,
     of mischief done against the godly?
     All day long 2 you are plotting destruction.
   Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
     you worker of treachery.
3  You love evil more than good,
     and lying more than speaking the truth.   Selah
4  You love all words that devour,
     O deceitful tongue.

5  But God will break you down forever;
     he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
     he will uproot you from the land of the living.   Selah
6  The righteous will see, and fear,
     and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
7  “See the one who would not take
     refuge in God,
   but trusted in abundant riches,
     and sought refuge in wealth!”

8  But I am like a green olive tree
     in the house of God.
   I trust in the steadfast love of God
     forever and ever.
9  I will thank you forever,
     because of what you have done.
   In the presence of the faithful
     I will proclaim your name, for it is good.

Amos 5:10-17

5:10 They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
     and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
11 Therefore because you trample on the poor
     and take from them levies of grain,
   you have built houses of hewn stone,
     but you shall not live in them;
   you have planted pleasant vineyards,
     but you shall not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your transgressions,
     and how great are your sins—
   you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
     and push aside the needy in the gate.
13 Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
     for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good and not evil,
     that you may live;
   and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
     just as you have said.
15 Hate evil and love good,
     and establish justice in the gate;
   it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
     will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord:
   In all the squares there shall be wailing;
     and in all the streets they shall say, “Alas! alas!”
   They shall call the farmers to mourning,
     and those skilled in lamentation, to wailing;
17 in all the vineyards there shall be wailing,
     for I will pass through the midst of you,
   says the Lord.

Hebrews 5:1-6

5:1 Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; 3 and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 4 And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,

   “You are my Son,
     today I have begotten you”;

6 as he says also in another place,

   “You are a priest forever,
     according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf... And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God...