Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Difference between Good and Sinful People

1 Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. ² But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. ³ This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him.

⁴ Sinful men are not like this. They are like straw blown away by the wind. ⁵ So the sinful will not stand. They will be told they are guilty and have to suffer for it. Sinners will not stand with those who are right with God. ⁶ For the Lord knows the way of those who are right with Him. But the way of the sinful will be lost from God forever.

Good Comes to Those Who Obey

¹² “If you listen to these Laws and keep and obey them, the Lord your God will keep His agreement and loving-kindness as He promised to your fathers. ¹³ He will love you and bring good to you and make you a nation of many. He will bring good to your children and the fruit of your land, your grain, your new wine and your oil. And He will give you many cattle and young ones in your flock, in the land He promised to your fathers to give you. ¹⁴ More good will come to you than to any other nation. There will be no male or female among you or your cattle that is not able to have young ones. ¹⁵ The Lord will take all sickness from you. He will not let any bad diseases come upon you that you have known in Egypt. But He will give them to all who hate you. ¹⁶ You will destroy all the nations the Lord your God will give to you. You will not pity them or worship their gods, for that would be a trap to you.

¹⁷ “You may say in your heart, ‘These nations are stronger than I. How can I drive them out?’ ¹⁸ But you will not be afraid of them. You will remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. ¹⁹ You will remember the hard trials you saw, the powerful works, and the strong hand and powerful arm the Lord your God used to bring you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the nations who make you afraid. ²⁰ And the Lord your God will send the hornet against them. Those who are left will hide themselves from you and be destroyed. ²¹ You will not be afraid of them. For the Lord your God is among you, a great and powerful God. ²² The Lord your God will drive away these nations in front of you one by one. You will not be able to destroy them in a short time, or the wild animals may become too many for you. ²³ But the Lord your God will give them to you. He will bring much trouble upon them until they are destroyed. ²⁴ He will give their kings into your hand. And you will destroy their name from under heaven. No man will be able to stand in front of you until you have destroyed them. ²⁵ You must burn with fire their objects of worship. Do not want the silver or gold that is on them, or take it for yourselves. It would be a trap to you, for it is a hated thing to the Lord your God. ²⁶ Do not bring a hated thing into your house. You would become hated also. But turn from it with fear and hate, for bad will come from it.

Paul’s Helpers Say Hello

⁷ Tychicus will tell you how I am getting along. He is a much-loved brother and faithful helper. Both of us are owned by the Lord. ⁸ This is the reason I have sent him to you. It is so you can know about us. He can also bring joy to your hearts. ⁹ Onesimus is going with Tychicus. He is one of your own people. He is faithful and we love him very much. They will tell you about everything here.

¹⁰ One of the men here in prison with me is Aristarchus. He says hello you. Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, says hello. (You have heard before that if he comes to you, you are to receive him and make him happy.) ¹¹ Jesus Justus says hello also. These are the only Jewish workers helping me teach about the holy nation of God. What a help they have been to me!

¹² Epaphras says hello. He is one of your people and a servant of Jesus Christ. As he prays for you, he asks God to help you to be strong and to make you perfect. He prays that you will know what God wants you to do in all things. ¹³ I can tell you for sure that he works hard for you and for the Christians in the cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. ¹⁴ Luke, the dear doctor, and Demas say hello. ¹⁵ Greet all the Christians in Laodicea. Greet Nympha and the Christians who gather for church in her house.

¹⁶ When this letter has been read to you, have it read in the church in Laodicea also. Be sure you read the letter that is coming from Laodicea. ¹⁷ Tell Archippus to be sure to finish the work the Lord called him to do.