Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
BOOK 1
The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
1 How blessed is the man who (A)does not walk in the (B)counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the [a](C)path of sinners,
Nor (D)sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his (E)delight is (F)in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates (G)day and (H)night.
3 He will be like (I)a tree firmly planted by [b]streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its [c]leaf does not wither;
And [d]in whatever he does, (J)he prospers.
Promises of God
12 “(A)Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you [a]His covenant and [b]His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers. 13 He will (B)love you and bless you and (C)multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, [c]in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female (D)barren among you or among your cattle. 15 (E)The Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will lay them on all who hate you. 16 You shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will deliver to you; (F)your eye shall not pity them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that would be (G)a snare to you.
17 “If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I (H)dispossess them?’ 18 you shall not be afraid of them; you shall well (I)remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: 19 (J)the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send (K)the hornet against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish. 21 You shall not dread [d]them, for (L)the Lord your God is in your midst, (M)a great and awesome God. 22 (N)The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the [e]wild beasts would grow too numerous for you. 23 (O)But the Lord your God will deliver them before you, and will [f]throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24 (P)He will deliver their kings into your hand so that you will make their name perish from under heaven; (Q)no man will be able to stand before you until you have destroyed them. 25 The graven images of their gods you are to (R)burn with fire; you shall (S)not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be (T)snared by it, for it is an (U)abomination to the Lord your God. 26 You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and like it come under the (V)ban; you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something banned.
7 (A)As to all my affairs, (B)Tychicus, our (C)beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 8 (D)For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may (E)encourage your hearts; 9 [a]and with him (F)Onesimus, our faithful and (G)beloved brother, (H)who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here.
10 (I)Aristarchus, my (J)fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also (K)Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received [b]instructions; (L)if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only (M)fellow workers for the kingdom of God (N)who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. 12 (O)Epaphras, (P)who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always (Q)laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may [c]stand [d](R)perfect and [e]fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has [f]a deep concern for you and for those who are in (S)Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 (T)Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also (U)Demas. 15 Greet the brethren who are in (V)Laodicea and also [g]Nympha and (W)the church that is in [h]her house. 16 (X)When [i]this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part (Y)read [j]my letter that is coming from (Z)Laodicea. 17 Say to (AA)Archippus, “Take heed to the (AB)ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may [k]fulfill it.”
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