Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Thankful for God’s Care

62 My soul is quiet and waits for God alone. He is the One Who saves me. ² He alone is my rock and the One Who saves me. He is my strong place. I will not be shaken.

³ How long will all of you go against a man to break him down, that you may kill him, like a wall that no longer stands straight, like a fence ready to fall? ⁴ They have talked only about throwing him down from his high place. They find joy in lies. They pray with their mouth that good will come. But inside they hope that bad will come instead.

⁵ My soul is quiet and waits for God alone. My hope comes from Him. ⁶ He alone is my rock and the One Who saves me. He is my strong place. I will not be shaken. ⁷ My being safe and my honor rest with God. My safe place is in God, the rock of my strength. ⁸ Trust in Him at all times, O people. Pour out your heart before Him. God is a safe place for us.

⁹ Men who are not important come to nothing. Men who are important are a lie. When weighed they go up. Together they weigh less than a breath. ¹⁰ Do not get money in a wrong way or be proud in stolen things. If you get more riches, do not set your heart on them.

¹¹ God has spoken once. I have heard this twice: Power belongs to God. ¹² And loving-kindness belongs to You, O Lord. For You pay every man by the work he has done.

² The Lord has a cause against Judah, and will punish Jacob for his ways. He will make him pay for what he has done. ³ Before he was born he took his brother by the heel. And when he was grown he fought with God. ⁴ He fought with the angel and won. He cried and begged for His favor. He met God at Bethel, and God spoke with him there. ⁵ This was the Lord, the God of All. The Lord is His name. ⁶ So return to your God. Show kindness and do what is fair, and wait for your God all the time. ⁷ One who buys and sells and who lies about the weight of things loves to make it hard for others. ⁸ Ephraim has said, “I have become rich. I have found riches for myself. With all my riches they will not find any sin in me.”

⁹ “I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of Egypt. I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your special suppers. ¹⁰ I have spoken to the men who speak for Me. I have given many special dreams. And I gave picture-stories through the men who speak for Me.”

¹¹ Is there sin in Gilead? For sure its people are of no worth. In Gilgal they kill bulls in worship. Their altars are like the many stones laid beside a plowed field. ¹² Jacob ran away to the land of Aram. There he worked for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep. ¹³ By a man who spoke for Him, the Lord brought Israel from Egypt. And by a man who spoke for Him, the Lord cared for him. ¹⁴ But Ephraim has made the Lord very angry. So the Lord will leave on him the guilt of his blood, and make his shame return to him.

Jesus Teaches about Keeping the Law ^(A)

¹⁶ A man came to Jesus and asked, “Good Teacher, what good work must I do to have life that lasts forever?” ¹⁷ Jesus said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One Who is good. If you want to have life that lasts forever, you must obey the Laws.” ¹⁸ The man said to Him, “What kind of laws?” Jesus said, “You must not kill another person. You must not be guilty of sex sins. You must not steal. You must not lie. ¹⁹ Show respect to your father and your mother. And love your neighbor as you love yourself.” ²⁰ The young man said to Jesus, “I have obeyed all these Laws. What more should I do?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have and give the money to poor people. Then you will have riches in heaven. Come and follow Me.” ²² When the young man heard these words, he went away sad for he had many riches.