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Psalm 107

1  O give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, ♦︎
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.
2  Let the redeemed of the Lord say this, ♦︎
   those he redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
3  And gathered out of the lands
      from the east and from the west, ♦︎
   from the north and from the south.
4  Some went astray in desert wastes ♦︎
   and found no path to a city to dwell in.
5  Hungry and thirsty, ♦︎
   their soul was fainting within them.
6  So they cried to the Lord in their trouble ♦︎
   and he delivered them from their distress.
7  He set their feet on the right way ♦︎
   till they came to a city to dwell in.
8  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his goodness ♦︎
   and the wonders he does for his children.
9  For he satisfies the longing soul ♦︎
   and fills the hungry soul with good.
43  Whoever is wise will ponder these things ♦︎
   and consider the loving-kindness of the Lord.

Israel’s Sin and Captivity

10Israel is a luxuriant vine
   that yields its fruit.
The more his fruit increased
   the more altars he built;
as his country improved,
   he improved his pillars.
² Their heart is false;
   now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord ^* will break down their altars,
   and destroy their pillars.

³ For now they will say:
   ‘We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord,
   and a king—what could he do for us?’
⁴ They utter mere words;
   with empty oaths they make covenants;
so litigation springs up like poisonous weeds
   in the furrows of the field.
⁵ The inhabitants of Samaria tremble
   for the calf^* of Beth-aven.
Its people shall mourn for it,
   and its idolatrous priests shall wail^* over it,
   over its glory that has departed from it.
⁶ The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria
   as tribute to the great king.^*
Ephraim shall be put to shame,
   and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.^*

⁷ Samaria’s king shall perish
   like a splinter on the face of the waters.
⁸ The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,
   shall be destroyed.
Thorn and thistle shall grow up
   on their altars.
They shall say to the mountains, Cover us,
   and to the hills, Fall on us.

⁹ Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel;
   there they have continued.
   Shall not war overtake them in Gibeah?
¹⁰ I will come^* against the wayward people to punish them;
   and nations shall be gathered against them
   when they are punished^* for their double iniquity.

¹¹ Ephraim was a trained heifer
   that loved to thresh,
   and I spared her fair neck;
but I will make Ephraim break the ground;
   Judah must plough;
   Jacob must harrow for himself.
¹² Sow for yourselves righteousness;
   reap steadfast love;
   break up your fallow ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
   that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

¹³ You have ploughed wickedness,
   you have reaped injustice,
   you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your power
   and in the multitude of your warriors,
¹⁴ therefore the tumult of war shall rise against your people,
   and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,
as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle
   when mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
¹⁵ Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel,
   because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel
   shall be utterly cut off.

The Rich Man

17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ¹⁸Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.” ’ ²⁰He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ ²¹Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money^* to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ ²²When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.