Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Teth.

² “If there is discovered among you, within any of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does evil in the sight of the Lord your God, by transgressing (violating) His covenant, ³ and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, [doing these things] which I have commanded not to do, ⁴ and if it is told to you and you hear about it, then you shall investigate thoroughly [all the charges]. If it is confirmed ^[a]beyond doubt that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, ⁵ then you shall bring that man or that woman who has done this evil thing to the gates [of your city] and you shall stone the man or the woman to death. ^6 [b]On the evidence of two or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of [only] one witness. ⁷ The hand of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

⁸ “If any case is too difficult for you to judge—between one kind of homicide and another, between one kind of lawsuit and another, between one kind of assault and another, ^[c]being controversial issues in your ^[d]courts—then you shall arise and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. ⁹ So you shall come to the Levitical priests or to the judge who is in office at that time, and you shall consult them and they will declare to you the ^[e]verdict in the case. ¹⁰ You shall act in accordance with the terms of the verdict which they declare to you from that place which the Lord chooses. You shall be careful to act in accordance with all of their instructions. ¹¹ You shall act in accordance with the law which they teach you and the judgment which they tell you. You shall not turn aside from their verdict, to the right or to the left. ¹² The man who acts presumptuously and insolently by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve the Lord your God, nor to the judge, that man shall die; so you shall remove the evil from Israel. ¹³ Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will not act presumptuously again.

Be Subject to Government

13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God [granted by His permission and sanction], and those which exist have been put in place by God.^{(A) 2} Therefore whoever ^[a]resists [governmental] authority resists the ordinance of God. And those who have resisted it will bring judgment (civil penalty) on themselves. ³ For [civil] authorities are not a source of fear for [people of] good behavior, but for [those who do] evil. Do you want to be unafraid of authority? Do what is good and you will receive approval and commendation. ⁴ For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, [you should] be afraid; for he does not carry the [executioner’s] sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an avenger who brings punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be subject [to civil authorities], not only to escape the punishment [that comes with wrongdoing], but also as a matter of principle [knowing what is right before God]. ⁶ For this same reason you pay taxes, for civil authorities are God’s servants, devoting themselves to governance. ⁷ Pay to all what is due: tax to whom tax is due, customs to whom customs, respect to whom respect, honor to whom honor.