Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Good Men

15 O Lord, who may live in Your tent? Who may live on Your holy hill? ² He who walks without blame and does what is right and good, and speaks the truth in his heart. ³ He does not hurt others with his tongue, or do wrong to his neighbor, or bring shame to his friend. ⁴ He looks down upon a sinful person, but honors those who fear the Lord. He keeps his promises even if it may hurt him. ⁵ He gives money to be used without being paid for its use. And he does not take money to hurt those who are not guilty. He who does these things will never be shaken.

¹⁰ Now there was no food in the land. So Abram went south to Egypt to stay there, because it was very hard to live in the land with no food. ¹¹ When he was about to go into Egypt, Abram said to his wife Sarai, “I know that you are a beautiful woman. ¹² When the men of Egypt see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ And they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³ Say that you are my sister. Then it may go well with me because of you. And because of you they will not kill me.”

¹⁴ When Abram came into Egypt, the men of Egypt saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ Pharaoh’s rulers saw her and told Pharaoh of her beauty. So the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ And Pharaoh acted well toward Abram because of Sarai. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, and camels, and men and women servants. ¹⁷ But the Lord sent much sickness upon Pharaoh and his house because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸ Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife.’ Take her and go.” ²⁰ And Pharaoh told his men what to do with Abram. They led him away with his wife and all that belonged to him.

The Job of a Religious Leader

5 Every Jewish religious leader is chosen from among men. He is a helper standing between God and men. He gives gifts on the altar in worship to God from the people. He gives blood from animals for the sins of the people. ² A Jewish religious leader is weak in many ways because he is just a man himself. He knows how to be gentle with those who know little. He knows how to help those who are doing wrong. ³ Because he is weak himself, he must give gifts to God for his own sins as well as for the sins of the people. ⁴ A Jewish religious leader does not choose this honor for himself. God chooses a man for this work. Aaron was chosen this way.

Christ Is Our Religious Leader Who Has Made the Way for Man to Go to God

⁵ It is the same way with Christ. He did not choose the honor of being a Religious Leader Who has made the way for man to go to God. Instead, God said to Christ, “You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father.” ^{(A) 6} God says in another part of His Word, “You will be a Religious Leader forever. You will be like Melchizedek.” ^(B)