Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
41 Lord, show me your love,
and save me as you have promised.
42 I have an answer for people who insult me,
because I trust what you say.
43 Never keep me from speaking your truth,
because I depend on your fair laws.
44 I will obey your teachings
forever and ever.
45 So I will live in freedom,
because I want to follow your orders.
46 I will discuss your rules with kings
and will not be ashamed.
47 I enjoy obeying your commands,
which I love.
48 I praise your commands, which I love,
and I think about your demands.
The Command to Love God
6 These are the commands, rules, and laws that the Lord your God told me to teach you to obey in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take. 2 You, your children, and your grandchildren must respect the Lord your God as long as you live. Obey all his rules and commands I give you so that you will live a long time. 3 Listen, Israel, and carefully obey these laws. Then all will go well for you, and you will become a great nation in a fertile land, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
4 Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 Always remember these commands I give you today. 7 Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Write them down and tie them to your hands as a sign. Tie them on your forehead to remind you, 9 and write them on your doors and gates.
20 In the future when your children ask you, “What is the meaning of the laws, commands, and rules the Lord our God gave us?” 21 tell them, “We were slaves to the king of Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt by his great power. 22 The Lord showed us great and terrible signs and miracles, which he did to Egypt, the king, and his whole family. 23 The Lord brought us out of Egypt to lead us here and to give us the land he promised our ancestors. 24 The Lord ordered us to obey all these commands and to respect the Lord our God so that we will always do well and stay alive, as we are today. 25 The right thing for us to do is this: Obey all these rules in the presence of the Lord our God, as he has commanded.”
8 This royal law is found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”[a] If you obey this law, you are doing right. 9 But if you treat one person as being more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God’s law. 10 A person who follows all of God’s law but fails to obey even one command is guilty of breaking all the commands in that law. 11 The same God who said, “You must not be guilty of adultery,”[b] also said, “You must not murder anyone.”[c] So if you do not take part in adultery but you murder someone, you are guilty of breaking all of God’s law. 12 In everything you say and do, remember that you will be judged by the law that makes people free. 13 So you must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.