Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord's Challenge to His People
6 The Lord said to his people:
Come and present your case
to the hills and mountains.
2 Israel, I am bringing charges
against you—
I call upon the mountains
and the earth's firm foundation
to be my witnesses.
3 My people, have I wronged you
in any way at all?
Please tell me.
4 (A) I rescued you from Egypt,
where you were slaves.
I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam
to be your leaders.
5 (B) Don't forget the evil plans
of King Balak of Moab
or what Balaam son of Beor[a]
said to him.
Remember how I, the Lord,
saved you many times
on your way from Acacia
to Gilgal.[b]
True Obedience
6 What offering should I bring
when I bow down to worship
the Lord God Most High?
Should I try to please him[c]
by sacrificing
calves a year old?
7 Will thousands of sheep
or rivers of olive oil
make God satisfied with me?
Should I sacrifice to the Lord
my first-born child as payment
for my terrible sins?
8 The Lord God has told us
what is right
and what he demands:
“See that justice is done,
let mercy be your first concern,
and humbly obey your God.”
(A psalm by David.)
Who May Worship the Lord?
1 Who may stay in God's temple
or live on the holy mountain
of the Lord?
2 Only those who obey God
and do as they should.
They speak the truth
3 and don't spread gossip;
they treat others fairly
and don't say cruel things.
4 They hate worthless people,
but show respect for all
who worship the Lord.
And they keep their promises,
no matter what the cost.
5 They lend their money
without charging interest,
and they don't take bribes
to hurt the innocent.
Those who do these things
will always stand firm.
Christ Is God's Power and Wisdom
18 The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work. 19 (A) As God says in the Scriptures,
“I will destroy the wisdom
of all who claim
to be wise.
I will confuse those
who think they know
so much.”
20 (B) What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish? 21 (C) God was wise and decided not to let the people of this world use their wisdom to learn about him.
Instead, God chose to save only those who believe the foolish message we preach. 22 Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise. 23 But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross. Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish. 24 Our message is God's power and wisdom for the Jews and the Greeks that he has chosen. 25 Even when God is foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak, he is stronger than everyone else.
26 My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn't think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families. 27 But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame.
28 What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important. 29 God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to him. 30 You are God's children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy. 31 (D) So if you want to brag, do what the Scriptures say and brag about the Lord.
The Sermon on the Mount
5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down.[a]
Blessings
(Luke 6.20-23)
Jesus' disciples gathered around him, 2 and he taught them:
3 God blesses those people
who depend only on him.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven![b]
4 (A) God blesses those people
who grieve.
They will find comfort!
5 (B) God blesses those people
who are humble.
The earth will belong
to them!
6 (C) God blesses those people
who want to obey him[c]
more than to eat or drink.
They will be given
what they want!
7 God blesses those people
who are merciful.
They will be treated
with mercy!
8 (D) God blesses those people
whose hearts are pure.
They will see him!
9 God blesses those people
who make peace.
They will be called
his children!
10 (E) God blesses those people
who are treated badly
for doing right.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven.[d]
11 (F) God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. 12 (G) Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.