Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord Be Praised

111 Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart where those who are right with God gather together and in the meeting of the people. ² The works of the Lord are great. All who find joy in them try to understand them. ³ His work is great and powerful. And He is right and good forever. ⁴ He has made His great works to be remembered. The Lord shows loving-favor and pity. ⁵ He gives food to those who fear Him. He will remember His agreement forever. ⁶ He has shown His people the power of His works by giving them the land of other nations.

⁷ The works of His hands are faithful and right. All His Laws are true. ⁸ They stand strong forever and ever. They are done by what is true and right. ⁹ He has made a way for His people to be free. He has set up His agreement forever. His holy name is to be honored with fear. ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All who obey His Laws have good understanding. His praise lasts forever.

Miriam and Aaron Spoke against Moses

12 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite woman. ² They said, “Is it true that the Lord has spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. ³ Now Moses was a man with no pride, more so than any man on the earth. ⁴ At once the Lord said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam, “You three come out to the meeting tent.” So the three of them came out. ⁵ Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood at the door of the meeting tent, and called Aaron and Miriam. When both of them had come near, ⁶ the Lord said, “Now listen to Me. If there is a man who speaks for God among you, I the Lord will make Myself known to him in a special dream. I will speak with him in a dream. ⁷ Not so, with My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house. ⁸ With him I speak face to face in ways he understands, and not in ways he does not understand. And he sees what the Lord is like. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

⁹ The Lord was angry with them, and He left. ¹⁰ When the cloud lifted from over the meeting tent, Miriam had a very bad skin disease. She was as white as snow. Aaron turned toward Miriam and saw that she had a bad skin disease. ¹¹ Then Aaron said to Moses, “O, my lord, I beg you. Do not punish us because we have been foolish and have sinned. ¹² Let her not be like one who is dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he is born!”‘ ¹³ And Moses cried to the Lord, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray!” ¹⁴ But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had only spit in her face, would she not carry her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days away from the tents. After that, she may be brought in again.” ¹⁵ So Miriam was shut up away from the tents for seven days. And the people did not travel on until Miriam was brought in again.

Jesus Heals a Man with a Bad Skin Disease ^(A)

¹² While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came to Him with a bad skin disease over all his body. When he saw Jesus, he got down on his face before Him. He begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can heal me.” ¹³ Jesus put His hand on him and said, “I will, be healed.” At once the disease went away from him. ¹⁴ Then Jesus told him to tell no one. He said, “Go and let the religious leader of the Jews see you. Give the gift on the altar in worship that Moses told you to give when a man is healed of a disease. This will show the leaders you have been healed.” ¹⁵ The news about Jesus went out all the more. Many people came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases. ¹⁶ Then He went away by Himself to pray in a desert.