- The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
- They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
- Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth. - Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
- I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. - The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.
- Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world. - Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
- If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever.
Bible verse of the day
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.