Rescue the Weak and Needy
A Psalm of lAsaph.
1 mGod nhas taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of pthe gods he qholds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and rshow partiality to sthe wicked? Selah
3 tGive justice to uthe weak and the fatherless;
vmaintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
4 wRescue the weak and the needy;
xdeliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 yThey have neither knowledge nor understanding,
zthey walk about in darkness;
6 cI said, “You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, like men dyou shall die,
and fall like any prince.”1
8 eArise, O God, judge the earth;
for you shall finherit all the nations!
I Will Walk with Integrity
A Psalm of David.
1 I will sing of csteadfast love and justice;
to you, O Lord, I will make music.
2 I will dponder the way ethat is blameless.
Oh when will you fcome to me?
I will gwalk with hintegrity of heart
within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes
anything ithat is worthless.
I hate the work of those who jfall away;
it shall not cling to me.
4 kA perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will lknow nothing of evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor msecretly
I will ndestroy.
Whoever has a ohaughty look and an parrogant heart
I will not endure.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in qthe way that is blameless
shall minister to me.
7 No one who rpractices deceit
shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies
shall scontinue before my eyes.
8 tMorning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
ucutting off all vthe evildoers
from wthe city of the Lord.
Edom’s Violence Against Jacob
10 lBecause of the violence done to your brother Jacob,
shame shall cover you,
mand you shall be cut off forever.
Called to Be Holy
13 Therefore, gpreparing your minds for action,1 and hbeing sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, ido not be conformed to the passions jof your former ignorance, 15 but kas he who called you is holy, you also be holy lin all your conduct, 16 since it is written, m“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you ncall on him as Father who ojudges pimpartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves qwith fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you rwere ransomed from sthe futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but twith the precious blood of Christ, like that of ua lamb vwithout blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but wwas made manifest xin the last times for the sake of you 21 ywho through him are believers in God, zwho raised him from the dead and agave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for ba sincere brotherly love, clove one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 dsince you have been born again, enot of perishable seed but of imperishable, through fthe living and abiding word of God; 24 for
g“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 hbut the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word iis the good news that was preached to you.
