Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

4 `And now, Israel, hearken unto the statutes, and unto the judgments which I am teaching you to do, so that ye live, and have gone in, and possessed the land which Jehovah God of your fathers is giving to you.

² Ye do not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor diminish from it, to keep the commands of Jehovah your God which I am commanding you.

⁶ and ye have kept and done [them] (for it [is] your wisdom and your understanding) before the eyes of the peoples who hear all these statutes, and they have said, Only, a people wise and understanding [is] this great nation.

⁷ `For which [is] the great nation that hath God near unto it, as Jehovah our God, in all we have called unto him?

⁸ and which [is] the great nation which hath righteous statutes and judgments according to all this law which I am setting before you to-day?

⁹ `Only, take heed to thyself, and watch thy soul exceedingly, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they turn aside from thy heart, all days of thy life; and thou hast made them known to thy sons, and to thy sons' sons.

15 A Psalm of David. Jehovah, who doth sojourn in Thy tent? Who doth dwell in Thy holy hill?

² He who is walking uprightly, And working righteousness, And speaking truth in his heart.

³ He hath not slandered by his tongue, He hath not done to his friend evil; And reproach he hath not lifted up Against his neighbour.

⁴ Despised in his eyes [is] a rejected one, And those fearing Jehovah he doth honour. He hath sworn to suffer evil, and changeth not;

⁵ His silver he hath not given in usury, And a bribe against the innocent Hath not taken; Whoso is doing these is not moved to the age!

¹⁷ every good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning;

¹⁸ having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures.

¹⁹ So then, my brethren beloved, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

²⁰ for the wrath of a man the righteousness of God doth not work;

²¹ wherefore having put aside all filthiness and superabundance of evil, in meekness be receiving the engrafted word, that is able to save your souls;

²² and become ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves,

²³ because, if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one hath been like to a man viewing his natural face in a mirror,

²⁴ for he did view himself, and hath gone away, and immediately he did forget of what kind he was;

²⁵ and he who did look into the perfect law -- that of liberty, and did continue there, this one -- not a forgetful hearer becoming, but a doer of work -- this one shall be happy in his doing.

²⁶ If any one doth think to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, of this one vain [is] the religion;

²⁷ religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation -- unspotted to keep himself from the world.

7 And gathered together unto him are the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, having come from Jerusalem,

² and having seen certain of his disciples with defiled hands -- that is, unwashed -- eating bread, they found fault;

³ for the Pharisees, and all the Jews, if they do not wash the hands to the wrist, do not eat, holding the tradition of the elders,

⁴ and, [coming] from the market-place, if they do not baptize themselves, they do not eat; and many other things there are that they received to hold, baptisms of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and couches.

⁵ Then question him do the Pharisees and the scribes, `Wherefore do thy disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but with unwashed hands do eat the bread?'

⁶ and he answering said to them -- `Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, hypocrites, as it hath been written, This people with the lips doth honor Me, and their heart is far from Me;

⁷ and in vain do they worship Me, teaching teachings, commands of men;

⁸ for, having put away the command of God, ye hold the tradition of men, baptisms of pots and cups; and many other such like things ye do.'

¹⁴ And having called near all the multitude, he said to them, `Hearken to me, ye all, and understand;

¹⁵ there is nothing from without the man entering into him that is able to defile him, but the things coming out from him, those are the things defiling the man.

²¹ for from within, out of the heart of men, the evil reasonings do come forth, adulteries, whoredoms, murders,

²² thefts, covetous desires, wickedness, deceit, arrogance, an evil eye, evil speaking, pride, foolishness;

²³ all these evils do come forth from within, and they defile the man.'