Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A

¹ Listen now to what the LORD says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear what you have to say. ² Hear, you mountains, the LORD’s controversy, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. ³ My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me! ⁴ For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage. I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. ⁵ My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.” ⁶ How shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? ⁷ Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? ⁸ He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

¹ The LORD, who shall dwell in your sanctuary? Who shall live on your holy hill? ² He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart; ³ he who doesn’t slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man; ⁴ in whose eyes a vile man is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; he who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn’t change; ⁵ he who doesn’t lend out his money for usury, nor take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be shaken.

¹⁸ For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.” ²⁰ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹ For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe. ²² For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God; ²⁵ because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ²⁶ For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; ²⁷ but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame the things that are strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that don’t exist, that he might bring to nothing the things that exist, ²⁹ that no flesh should boast before God. ³⁰ Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: ³¹ that, as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”