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Psalm 81

¹Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

¹¹“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.

¹²So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.

¹³O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

¹⁴Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes.

¹⁵Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their doom would last forever.

¹⁶I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

12You will be in the right, O Lord, when I lay charges against you; but let me put my case to you. Why does the way of the guilty prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? ²You plant them, and they take root; they grow and bring forth fruit; you are near in their mouths yet far from their hearts. ³But you, O Lord, know me; You see me and test me—my heart is with you. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and set them apart for the day of slaughter. ⁴How long will the land mourn, and the grass of every field wither? For the wickedness of those who live in it the animals and the birds are swept away, and because people said, “He is blind to our ways.” ⁵If you have raced with foot-runners and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you fall down, how will you fare in the thickets of the Jordan? ⁶For even your kinsfolk and your own family, even they have dealt treacherously with you; they are in full cry after you; do not believe them, though they speak friendly words to you.

⁷I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned my heritage; I have given the beloved of my heart into the hands of her enemies. ⁸My heritage has become to me like a lion in the forest; she has lifted up her voice against me— therefore I hate her. ⁹Is the hyena greedy for my heritage at my command? Are the birds of prey all around her? Go, assemble all the wild animals; bring them to devour her. ¹⁰Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have trampled down my portion, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. ¹¹They have made it a desolation; desolate, it mourns to me. The whole land is made desolate, but no one lays it to heart. ¹²Upon all the bare heights in the desert spoilers have come; for the sword of the Lord devours from one end of the land to the other; no one shall be safe. ¹³They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns, they have tired themselves out but profit nothing. They shall be ashamed of their harvests because of the fierce anger of the Lord.

⁷The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. ⁸Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹Be hospitable to one another without complaining. ¹⁰Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. ¹¹Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 112

¹Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments.

²Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

³Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.

⁴They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

⁵It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.

⁶For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.

⁷They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.

⁸Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

⁹They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.

¹⁰The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

⁶A fool’s lips bring strife,
and a fool’s mouth invites a flogging.
⁷The mouths of fools are their ruin,
and their lips a snare to themselves.
⁸The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
⁹One who is slack in work
is close kin to a vandal.
¹⁰The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run into it and are safe.
¹¹The wealth of the rich is their strong city;
in their imagination it is like a high wall.
¹²Before destruction one’s heart is haughty,
but humility goes before honor.