Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Praise for the Lord’s Mercies.

A Psalm of David.

⁴⁴ “Behold, everyone who quotes ^(A)proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, ‘^[a]Like mother, ^[b]like daughter.’ ⁴⁵ You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the ^(B)sister of your sisters, who ^(C)loathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. ⁴⁶ Now your ^(D)older sister is Samaria, who lives ^[c]north of you with her ^[d]daughters; and your younger sister, who lives ^[e]south of you, is ^(E)Sodom with her ^[f]daughters. ⁴⁷ Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were ^(F)too little, you acted ^(G)more corruptly in all your conduct than they. ⁴⁸ As I live,” declares the Lord God, “Sodom, your sister and her daughters have ^(H)not done as you and your daughters have done. ⁴⁹ Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had ^(I)arrogance, ^(J)abundant food and ^(K)careless ease, but she did not ^[g]help the ^(L)poor and needy. ⁵⁰ Thus they were haughty and committed ^(M)abominations before Me. Therefore I ^(N)removed them ^[h]when I saw it. ⁵¹ Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. Thus you have made your sisters appear ^(O)righteous by all your abominations which you have committed. ⁵² Also bear your disgrace in that you have ^[i]made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted ^(P)more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. Yes, be also ashamed and bear your disgrace, in that you made your sisters appear righteous.

Growth in Christian Virtue

1 ^[a]Simon Peter, a ^(A)bond-servant and ^(B)apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received ^(C)a faith of the same ^[b]kind as ours, ^[c]by ^(D)the righteousness of ^(E)our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: ^2 (F)Grace and peace be multiplied to you in ^(G)the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ³ seeing that His ^(H)divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true ^(I)knowledge of Him who ^(J)called us ^[d]by His own glory and ^[e]excellence. ^4 [f]For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent ^(K)promises, so that by them you may become ^(L)partakers of the divine nature, having ^(M)escaped the ^(N)corruption that is in ^(O)the world by lust. ⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith ^(P)supply ^(Q)moral ^[g]excellence, and in your moral excellence, ^(R)knowledge, ⁶ and in your knowledge, ^(S)self-control, and in your self-control, ^(T)perseverance, and in your perseverance, ^(U)godliness, ⁷ and in your godliness, ^(V)brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor ^(W)unfruitful in the true ^(X)knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these qualities is ^(Y)blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his ^(Z)purification from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His ^(AA)calling and ^(AB)choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never ^(AC)stumble; ¹¹ for in this way the entrance into ^(AD)the eternal kingdom of our ^(AE)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be ^(AF)abundantly ^(AG)supplied to you.