Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

ALEPH

¹ Blessed are those who are upright in their way and walk in the Law of the LORD.

² Blessed are those who keep His Testimonies and seek Him with their whole heart.

³ Surely, they work no iniquity, but walk in His ways.

⁴ You have commanded to keep Your Precepts diligently.

⁵ Oh that my ways were directed to keep Your Statutes!

⁶ Then I would not be confounded, with respect to all Your Commandments.

⁷ I will praise You with an upright heart, when I shall learn the Judgments of Your righteousness.

⁸ I will keep Your Statutes. Do not forsake me utterly.

22 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for the ox, and four sheep for the sheep.

² “If a thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, no blood shall be shed because of him.

³ “But, if a thief is found in the daylight, blood shall be shed because of him. He should make full restitution. If he does not have it, then he should be sold for his theft.

⁴ “If the theft is found with him alive, (whether ox, donkey, or sheep) he shall restore it double.5 “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed and puts in his beast to feed in another man’s field, he shall repay from the best of his own field, and from the best of his own vineyard.

⁶ “If fire breaks out and spreads to the thorns and the stacks of corn (or the standing corn) or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall make full restitution.

⁷ “If a man gives his neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it is stolen out of his house, if the thief be found, he shall pay double.

⁸ “If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the judges, to determine whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods.

⁹ “In all types of trespass, whether it is for oxen, for donkeys, for sheep, for clothing, or for any type of lost thing which another claims to be his, the cause of both shall come before the judges. Whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to the neighbor.

¹⁰ “If a man gives his donkey, or ox, or sheep, or any beast, to his neighbor to keep and it dies (or is hurt, or taken away by enemies) and no one sees it,

¹¹ “an oath of the LORD shall be between the two of them that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods. And the owner of it shall take the oath; and he shall not seek restitution.

¹² “But, if it is stolen from the neighbor, he shall make restitution to the owner thereof.

¹³ “If it is torn to pieces, he shall bring evidence and shall not be required to make restitution for that which was devoured.

¹⁴ “And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor and it is injured or dies, and the owner thereof is not there, he shall surely make restitution.

¹⁵ “If the owner thereof is there, he shall not make restitution. For if it is a hired thing, it came for its hire.

9 Then, indeed, the first Testament had ordinances of religion, and a worldly sanctuary.

² For the first Tabernacle was made - in which was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread - which is called the Holy Place.

³ And after the second veil, the Tabernacle - which is called the Holiest of All -

⁴ which had the golden censer and the Ark of the Testament, overlaid all around with gold (in which was the golden pot which had manna and Aaron’s rod that had budded and the tables of the Testament).

⁵ And over the Ark were the glorious cherubims shadowing the mercy seat, of which we will not now speak particularly.

⁶ Now when these things were thus prepared, the priest always went into the first Tabernacle and completed the service.

⁷ But only the High Priest went into the second - once every year - and not without blood (which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins of ignorance).

⁸ By this, the Holy Ghost signified that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet revealed while the first tabernacle was still standing.

⁹ It was a symbol of that present time in which was offered gifts and sacrifices that could not make the worshiper holy concerning the conscience,

¹⁰ but consisted only of foods and drinks and diverse washings and carnal rituals imposed until the time of reformation.

¹¹ But Christ - being a High Priest of good things to come - came by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle (not made with hands - that is, not of this creation -

¹² nor by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood), entering in once to the Holy Place and obtaining eternal redemption.