Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

18 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

² What mean ye, ye who use this proverb of the land of Israel, saying, [The] fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?

³ [As] I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, ye shall not have any more to use this proverb in Israel.

⁴ Behold, all the souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

²⁵ And ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear then, house of Israel. Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

²⁶ When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and practiseth what is wrong, and dieth for it; in his wrong that he hath done shall he die.

²⁷ And when the wicked turneth from his wickedness which he hath committed, and doeth judgment and justice, he shall keep his soul alive.

²⁸ Because he considereth, and turneth from all his transgressions which he hath committed, he shall certainly live, he shall not die.

²⁹ But the house of Israel say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? Is it not your ways that are unequal?

³⁰ Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Jehovah. Return ye, and turn from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your snare.

³¹ Cast away from you all your transgressions wherewith ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit: why then will ye die, house of Israel?

³² For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Jehovah; therefore turn ye and live.

[A Psalm] of David.

25 Unto thee, Jehovah, do I lift up my soul.

² My God, I confide in thee; let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

³ Yea, none that wait on thee shall be ashamed: they shall be ashamed that deal treacherously without cause.

⁴ Make me to know thy ways, O Jehovah; teach me thy paths.

⁵ Make me to walk in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

⁶ Remember, Jehovah, thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses; for they are from everlasting.

⁷ Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to thy loving-kindness remember thou me, for thy goodness' sake, Jehovah.

⁸ Good and upright is Jehovah; therefore will he instruct sinners in the way:

⁹ The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way.

2 If then [there be] any comfort in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of [the] Spirit, if any bowels and compassions,

² fulfil my joy, that ye may think the same thing, having the same love, joined in soul, thinking one thing;

³ [let] nothing [be] in the spirit of strife or vain glory, but, in lowliness of mind, each esteeming the other as more excellent than themselves;

⁴ regarding not each his own [qualities], but each those of others also.

⁵ For let this mind be in you which [was] also in Christ Jesus;

⁶ who, subsisting in the form of God, did not esteem it an object of rapine to be on an equality with God;

⁷ but emptied himself, taking a bondman's form, taking his place in [the] likeness of men;

⁸ and having been found in figure as a man, humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and [that the] death of [the] cross.

⁹ Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and granted him a name, that which is above every name,

¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly and earthly and infernal [beings],

¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord to God [the] Father's glory.

¹² So that, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much rather in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

¹³ for it is God who works in you both the willing and the working according to [his] good pleasure.

²³ And when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him [as he was] teaching, saying, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

²⁴ And Jesus answering said to them, *I* also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, *I* also will tell you by what authority I do these things:

²⁵ The baptism of John, whence was it? of heaven or of men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we should say, Of heaven, he will say to us, Why then have ye not believed him?

²⁶ but if we should say, Of men, we fear the crowd, for all hold John for a prophet.

²⁷ And answering Jesus they said, We do not know. *He* also said to them, Neither do *I* tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁸ But what think ye? A man had two children, and coming to the first he said, Child, go to-day, work in [my] vineyard.

²⁹ And he answering said, I will not; but afterwards repenting himself he went.

³⁰ And coming to the second he said likewise; and he answering said, *I* [go], sir, and went not.

³¹ Which of the two did the will of the father? They say [to him], The first. Jesus says to them, Verily I say unto you that the tax-gatherers and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the tax-gatherers and the harlots believed him; but *ye* when ye saw [it] repented not yourselves afterwards to believe him.