Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
BOOK I (Psalms 1-41)
The Righteous and the Wicked[a]
1 How blessed is the person,
who does not take[b] the advice of the wicked,
who does not stand on the path with sinners,
and who does not sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But he delights in the Lord’s instruction,[c]
and meditates in his instruction[d] day and night.
3 He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,
yielding its fruit in its season,
and whose leaf does not wither.
He will prosper in everything he does.
The Lord Blesses Obedience
12 “If you pay attention to these laws and obey them, then the Lord your God will continue his covenant of gracious love with you that he promised with an oath to your ancestors. 13 He’ll love you and increase your numbers. He’ll bless the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your land (the grain, new wine, and oil), the offspring of your herds, and the lambs of your flock in the land that the Lord promised your ancestors he would give you. 14 You’ll be blessed among all the nations. There’ll be no infertility among you, not even[a] among your herds. 15 The Lord will turn aside every disease from you. He won’t inflict on you the terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but will inflict them instead on all who hate you. 16 You are to utterly destroy everyone whom the Lord your God will deliver to you. Don’t have pity on them nor serve their gods. Otherwise, they will become a snare for you.”
The Lord will Fight for You
17 “You may say to yourselves, ‘These nations are more numerous than we are. How can we dispossess them?’ 18 But you mustn’t fear them. Be sure to remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all of Egypt. 19 Your eyes saw the great trials, the signs and wonders, and the awesome power with which[b] the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the people whom you fear. 20 He’ll[c] send plagues against them until the survivors who hide from you have perished. 21 Don’t tremble before them, because the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. 22 He[d] slowly will dislodge these nations before you, but he won’t destroy them quickly, so the wild animals[e] won’t multiply around you. 23 But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. 24 He will deliver kings into your control and you are to wipe out the memory of them[f] from under heaven. No one will be able to stand before you. You are utterly to destroy them. 25 Burn the images of their gods in the fire. Desire neither the silver nor the gold that adorns them, nor take them for yourselves, so you won’t be ensnared by them, because the gold and silver[g] are detestable to the Lord your God. 26 Don’t bring any detestable thing to your house, because you yourself will be utterly destroyed along with these detestable things. You must absolutely abhor and detest all of[h] it, because it has been devoted to destruction.”
Greetings from Paul and His Fellow Workers
7 Tychicus will tell you everything that has happened to me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for this very reason, so that you may know how we are doing and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, that faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instructions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him. 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision who are fellow workers for the kingdom of God. They have been an encouragement to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant[a] of the Messiah[b] Jesus, sends you his greetings. He is always wrestling in his prayers for you, so that you may stand mature,[c] completely convinced of the entire will of God. 13 For I can testify on his behalf that he has a deep concern for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers in Laodicea, especially to Nympha and the church that is in her house. 16 When this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and be sure to read the one from Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus, “See that you complete the ministry you have received from the Lord.”
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