Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁷ “As for you, human being, I have made you a watchman for Israel. If you hear a message from me, you must warn them for me. ⁸ I might say to the wicked person: ‘Wicked man, you will surely die.’ But you might not speak to warn the evil person to stop doing evil. Then he will die while still a sinner. But I will punish you for his death. ⁹ But you might warn a wicked person to stop doing evil. If he does not stop, he will die while still a sinner. But you have saved your life.

¹⁰ “So you, human being, say to Israel: ‘You have said: Surely our law-breaking and sins are hurting us. They will kill us. What can we do so we will live?’ ¹¹ Say to them: ‘The Lord God says: As surely as I live, this is true. I do not want a wicked person to die. I want him to stop doing evil and live. Turn back! Turn back from your wicked ways! You don’t want to die, people of Israel.’

Loving Others

⁸ Do not owe people anything. But you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has obeyed all the law. ⁹ The law says, “You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not murder anyone. You must not steal. You must not want to take your neighbor’s things.”^[a] All these commands and all others are really only one rule: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”^{[b] 10} Love never hurts a neighbor. So loving is obeying all the law.

¹¹ I say this because we live in an important time. Yes, it is now time for you to wake up from your sleep. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The “night”^[c] is almost finished. The “day”^[d] is almost here. So we should stop doing things that belong to darkness and take up the weapons used for fighting in the light. ¹³ Let us live in a right way, as in the daytime. We should not have wild parties or get drunk. There should be no sexual immorality or evil conduct, no fighting or jealousy. ¹⁴ But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Forget about satisfying your sinful self.

When a Person Sins Against You

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you,^[a] go and tell him what he did wrong. Do this in private. If he listens to you, then you have helped him to be your brother again. ¹⁶ But if he refuses to listen, then go to him again and take one or two other people with you. ‘Every case may be proved by two or three witnesses.’^{[b] 17} If he refuses to listen to them, then tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him as you would one who does not believe in God. Treat him as if he were a tax collector.

¹⁸ “I tell you the truth. The things you don’t allow on earth will be the things God does not allow. The things you allow on earth will be the things that God allows.

¹⁹ “Also, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something, then you can pray for it. And the thing you ask for will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ This is true because if two or three people come together in my name, I am there with them.”