Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
4 When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear;
so do people’s faults when they speak.[a]
5 The furnace tests the potter’s vessels;
the test of a person is in conversation.(A)
6 The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had;
so speech discloses the bent of a person’s heart.(B)
7 Praise no one before he speaks,
for it is then that people are tested.
10 [a]Yet just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
11 So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me empty,
but shall do what pleases me,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
12 Yes, in joy you shall go forth,
in peace you shall be brought home;
Mountains and hills shall break out in song before you,
all trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 In place of the thornbush, the cypress shall grow,
instead of nettles,[b] the myrtle.
This shall be to the Lord’s renown,
as an everlasting sign that shall not fail.
12 My eyes look with glee on my wicked enemies;
my ears shall hear what happens to my wicked foes.(A)
13 The just shall flourish like the palm tree,
shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.(B)
14 [a]Planted in the house of the Lord,
they shall flourish in the courts of our God.
15 They shall bear fruit even in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
51 [a]Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed,(A) 52 in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.(B) 53 For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality.(C) 54 [b]And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about:(D)
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”(E)
56 The sting of death is sin,[c] and the power of sin is the law.(F) 57 But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.(G)
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
39 And he told them a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?(A) 40 No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.(B) 41 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.
A Tree Known by Its Fruit.(C) 43 [a]“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. 45 A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.
The Two Foundations. 46 (D)“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command? 47 [b]I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them.(E) 48 That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. 49 But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.