Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Teth

² “^(A)If there is found in your midst, in any of your gates of the towns which Yahweh your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of Yahweh your God, by trespassing against His covenant, ³ and has gone and ^(B)served other gods and worshiped them, ^(C)or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, ^(D)which I have not commanded, ⁴ and if it is told to you and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire thoroughly. Behold, if it is true and the matter is confirmed that this abomination has been done in Israel, ⁵ then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil deed to your gates, that is, the man or the woman, and ^(E)you shall stone them, and they will die. ^6 (F)On the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the mouth of one witness. ^7 (G)The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. ^(H)So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Judging Cases

⁸ “^(I)If any case is too difficult for you to judge, between ^[a]one kind of homicide or another, between ^[b]one kind of lawsuit or another, and between ^[c]one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your gates, then you shall arise and go up to ^(J)the place which Yahweh your God chooses. ⁹ So you shall come to ^(K)the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall inquire of them, and they will declare to you the judgment in the case. ¹⁰ And you shall do according to the ^[d]terms of the judgment which they declare to you from that place which Yahweh chooses; and you shall be careful to do according to all that they teach you. ^11 (L)According to the ^[e]terms of the law which they teach you, and according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left. ¹² And the man who acts ^(M)presumptuously by not listening to the priest who stands there to minister to Yahweh your God, or to the judge, that man shall die; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. ¹³ Then all the people will hear and be afraid and will not act ^(N)presumptuously again.

Be Subject to Government

13 Every ^[a](A)person is to be in ^(B)subjection to the governing authorities. For ^(C)there is no authority except ^[b]from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God. ² Therefore ^[c]whoever resists that authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. ³ For ^(D)rulers are not a cause of fear for ^[d]good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of that authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; ⁴ for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword in vain, for it is a minister of God, an ^(E)avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. ⁵ Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of that wrath, but also because of ^(F)conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. ^7 (G)Render to all what is due them: ^(H)tax to whom tax is due; ^(I)custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.