Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Call to Obedience

4 “Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live, enter, and take possession of the land Yahweh, the God of your fathers, is giving you. ² You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it,^(A) so that you may keep the commands of the Lord your God I am giving you.

⁶ Carefully follow them, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples. When they hear about all these statutes, they will say, ‘This great nation is indeed a wise and understanding people.’ ⁷ For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to Him? ⁸ And what great nation has righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?

⁹ “Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you don’t forget the things your eyes have seen and so that they don’t slip from your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.^(A)

Psalm 15

A Description of the Godly

A Davidic psalm.

¹⁷ Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.^{(A) 18} By His own choice, He gave us a new birth by the message of truth^[a] so that we would be the firstfruits of His creatures.^(B)

Hearing and Doing the Word

¹⁹ My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger,^{(C) 20} for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. ²¹ Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and evil,^[b] humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you.^[c](D)

²² But^(E) be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face^[d] in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does.^(F)

²⁶ If anyone^[e] thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue,^(G) then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion before our^[f] God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows^(H) in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.^(I)

The Traditions of the Elders

7 The^(A) Pharisees^(B) and some of the scribes^(C) who had come from Jerusalem^(D) gathered around Him. ² They observed that some of His disciples were eating their bread with unclean^(E)—that is, unwashed—hands. ³ (For the Pharisees, in fact all the Jews, will not eat unless they wash their hands ritually, keeping the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace,^(F) they do not eat unless they have washed.^(G) And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, jugs, copper utensils, and dining couches.^[a](H)) ⁵ Then the Pharisees^(I) and the scribes^(J) asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders,^(K) instead of eating bread with ritually unclean^[b] hands?”

⁶ He answered them, “Isaiah^(L) prophesied^(M) correctly about you hypocrites,^(N) as it is written:^(O)

⁸ Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.”^[d]

¹⁴ Summoning^(A) the crowd again, He told them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand:^{(B) 15} Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.

²¹ For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities,^(A) thefts, murders,^{(B) 22} adulteries,^(C) greed,^(D) evil actions, deceit,^(E) promiscuity,^(F) stinginess,^[a] blasphemy,^(G) pride,^(H) and foolishness.^{(I) 23} All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”