Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.”(A) 19 So the Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it.(B) And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man[a] no helper was found as his complement. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man,(C) and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. 22 Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.(D) 23 And the man said:
This one, at last, is bone of my bone
and flesh of my flesh;
this one will be called “woman,”
for she was taken from man.(E)
24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.(F)
Psalm 8
God’s Glory, Man’s Dignity
For the choir director: on the Gittith.(A) A Davidic psalm.
1 Yahweh, our Lord,
how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!(B)
You have covered the heavens with Your majesty.[a](C)
2 Because of Your adversaries,
You have established a stronghold[b]
from the mouths of children and nursing infants(D)
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I observe Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You set in place,(E)
4 what is man that You remember him,
the son of man that You look after him?(F)
5 You made him little less than God[c][d]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him lord over the works of Your hands;
You put everything under his feet:[e](G)
7 all the sheep and oxen,
as well as the animals in the wild,
8 the birds of the sky,
and the fish of the sea
that pass through the currents of the seas.(H)
9 Yahweh, our Lord,
how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!
The Nature of the Son
1 Long ago God spoke(A) to the fathers by the prophets(B) at different times and in different ways.(C) 2 In these last days,(D) He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe[a](E) through Him. 3 The Son is the radiance[b] of God’s glory and the exact expression[c] of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins,[d] He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.[e](F) 4 So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs.(G)
Jesus and Humanity
5 For He has not subjected to angels the world to come that we are talking about. 6 But one has somewhere testified:
What is man that You remember him,
or the son of man that You care for him?
7 You made him lower than the angels
for a short time;
You crowned him with glory and honor[a]
8 and subjected everything under his feet.[b]
For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him.(A) 9 But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor(B) because of His suffering in death.(C)
10 For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—all things exist for Him and through Him—should make the source[c] of their salvation perfect through sufferings.(D) 11 For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.[d] That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers,(E) 12 saying:
2 Some Pharisees(A) approached Him to test(B) Him. They asked, “Is it lawful(C) for a man to divorce(D) his wife?”(E)
3 He replied to them, “What did Moses(F) command you?”
4 They said, “Moses permitted us to write divorce papers(G) and send her away.”(H)
5 But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of the hardness of your hearts.(I) 6 But from the beginning(J) of creation(K) God[a] made them male and female.(L)[b]
7 For this reason a man will leave(M)
his father and mother
[and be joined to his wife],[c]
8 and the two will become one flesh.(N)[d]
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”(O)
10 Now in the house the disciples questioned Him again about this matter. 11 And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife(P) and marries(Q) another commits adultery(R) against her. 12 Also, if she divorces her husband(S) and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Blessing the Children
13 Some(T) people were bringing little children(U) to Him so He might touch them, but His disciples rebuked(V) them. 14 When Jesus saw it, He was indignant(W) and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me.(X) Don’t stop(Y) them, for the kingdom of God(Z) belongs to such as these. 15 I assure you:(AA) Whoever does not welcome[e](AB) the kingdom of God like a little child(AC) will never enter it.” 16 After taking them in His arms, He laid His hands on(AD) them and blessed(AE) them.
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