people who are mean

¹A Psalm of David himself. Do not choose to imitate the malicious; neither should you envy those who work iniquity. ²For they will quickly wither away like dry grass, and in like manner to kitchen herbs, they will soon droop. ³Hope in the Lord and do good, and dwell in the land, and so you shall be pastured with its riches. ⁴Delight in the Lord, and he will grant to you the petitions of your heart. ⁵Reveal your way to the Lord, and hope in him, and he will accomplish it. ⁶And he will bring forth your justice like the light, and your judgment like the midday.

²¹But there is no just man on earth, who does good and does not sin. ²²So then, do not attach your heart to every word that is spoken, lest perhaps you may hear your servant speaking ill of you.

²⁷But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. ²⁸Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who slander you.

¹⁷A merciful man benefits his own soul. But whoever is cruel casts out even his close relatives.

¹Unto the end. A Psalm of David. ²O God, do not be silent toward my praise, for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful one have been opened against me. ³They have spoken against me with deceitful tongues, and they have surrounded me with hateful words, and they fought against me over nothing. ⁴Instead of choosing to act on my behalf, they detracted me. But I gave myself to prayer. ⁵And they set evil against me, instead of good, and hatred, in return for my love. ⁶Establish the sinner over him, and let the devil stand at his right hand.

¹⁷But I beg you, brothers, to take note of those who cause dissensions and offenses contrary to the doctrine that you have learned, and to turn away from them.

²³For all have sinned and all are in need of the glory of God.

⁴Charity is patient, is kind. Charity does not envy, does not act wrongly, is not inflated. ⁵Charity is not ambitious, does not seek for itself, is not provoked to anger, devises no evil. ⁶Charity does not rejoice over iniquity, but rejoices in truth. ⁷Charity suffers all, believes all, hopes all, endures all.

²⁷But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.

⁶And as he was crossing before him, he said: “The Ruler, the Lord God, merciful and lenient, patient and full of compassion and also truthful,

¹⁷Whoever possesses the goods of this world, and sees his brother to be in need, and yet closes his heart to him: in what way does the love of God abide in him?

²⁰Whoever keeps step with the wise shall be wise. A friend of the foolish will become like them.

¹And so, I beg you, brothers, by the mercy of God, that you offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, with the subservience of your mind. ²And do not choose to be conformed to this age, but instead choose to be reformed in the newness of your mind, so that you may demonstrate what is the will of God: what is good, and what is well-pleasing, and what is perfect. ³For I say, through the grace that has been given to me, to all who are among you: Taste no more than it is necessary to taste, but taste unto sobriety and just as God has distributed a share of the faith to each one. ⁴For just as, within one body, we have many parts, though all the parts do not have the same role, ⁵so also we, being many, are one body in Christ, and each one is a part, the one of the other. ⁶And we each have different gifts, according to the grace that has been given to us: whether prophecy, in agreement with the reasonableness of faith;

³²And be kind and merciful to one another, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you in Christ.

⁷Cast all your cares upon him, for he takes care of you.