Sunday 16 February 2031

5The Lord says:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man,relies on strength of flesh,and whose heart departs from the Lord.6For he will be like a bush in the desert,and will not see when good comes,but will inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,an uninhabited salt land.7“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,and whose confidence is in the Lord.8For he will be as a tree planted by the waters,who spreads out its roots by the river,and will not fear when heat comes,but its leaf will be green,and will not be concerned in the year of drought.It won’t cease from yielding fruit.

1Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked,nor stand on the path of sinners,nor sit in the seat of scoffers;2but his delight is in the Lord’s law.On his law he meditates day and night.

3He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water,that produces its fruit in its season,whose leaf also does not wither.Whatever he does shall prosper.

4The wicked are not so,but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.6For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked shall perish.

12Now if Christ is preached,that he has been raised from the dead,how do some among you saythat there is no resurrection of the dead?· · · verses 13–15 are not read16For if the dead aren’t raised,neither has Christ been raised.17If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;you are still in your sins.18Then they alsowho are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.19If we have only hoped in Christ in this life,we are of all men most pitiable.

20But now Christ has been raised from the dead.He became the first fruit of those who are asleep.

17He came down with them and stood on a level place,with a crowd of his disciplesand a great number of the people from all Judeaand Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon,who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases,

· · · verses 18–19 are not read20He lifted up his eyes to his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,for God’s Kingdom is yours.21Blessed are you who hunger now,for you will be filled.Blessed are you who weep now,for you will laugh.22Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets.24“But woe to you who are rich!For you have received your consolation.25Woe to you, you who are full now,for you will be hungry.Woe to you who laugh now,for you will mourn and weep.26Woe, when men speak well of you,for their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets.