Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

BOOK I

(Psalms 1–41)

Psalm 1

¹² If you listen to these case laws and follow them carefully, the Lord your God will keep the covenant and display the loyalty that he promised your ancestors. ¹³ He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will bless the fruit of your wombs and the fruit of your fertile land—all your grain, your wine, your oil, and the offspring of your cattle and flocks—upon the very fertile land that he swore to your ancestors to give to you. ¹⁴ You will be more blessed than any other group of people. No one will be sterile or infertile—not among you or your animals. ¹⁵ The Lord will remove all sickness from you. As for all those dreadful Egyptian diseases you experienced, the Lord won’t put them on you but will inflict them on all who hate you. ¹⁶ You will destroy all the peoples that the Lord your God is handing over to you. Show them no pity. And don’t serve their gods because that would be a trap for you.

Against power and lack of trust

¹⁷ If you happen to think to yourself, These nations are greater than we are; how can we possibly possess their land? ¹⁸ don’t be afraid of them! Remember, instead, what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt: ¹⁹ the great trials that you saw with your own eyes, the signs and wonders, and the strong hand and outstretched arm the Lord your God used to rescue you. That’s what the Lord your God will do to any people you fear. ²⁰ The Lord your God will send terror^[a] on them until even the survivors and those hiding from you are destroyed. ²¹ Don’t dread these nations because the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is with you and among you. (²² The Lord your God will drive out these nations before you bit by bit. You won’t be able to finish them off quickly; otherwise, the wild animals would become too much for you to handle.) ²³ The Lord your God will lay these nations before you, throwing them into a huge panic until they are destroyed. ²⁴ He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe their names out from under the skies. No one will be able to stand before you; you will crush them.

²⁵ Burn the images of their gods. Don’t desire the silver or the gold that is on them and take it for yourself, or you will be trapped by it. That is detestable to the Lord your God. ²⁶ Don’t bring any detestable thing into your house, or you will be placed under the ban too, just like it is! You must utterly detest these kinds of things, despising them completely, because they are under the ban.

Final greeting

⁷ Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will inform you about everything that has happened to me. ⁸ This is why I sent him to you, so that you’ll know all about us and so he can encourage your hearts. ⁹ I sent him with Onesimus, our faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will let you know about everything here.

¹⁰ Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, says hello to you. So does Mark, Barnabas’ cousin (you received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him). ¹¹ Jesus, called Justus, also says hello. These are my only fellow workers for God’s kingdom who are Jewish converts. They have been an encouragement to me. ¹² Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. He’s a slave of Christ Jesus who always wrestles for you in prayers so that you will stand firm and be fully mature and complete in the entire will of God. ¹³ I can vouch for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. ¹⁴ Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas say hello.

¹⁵ Say hello to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, along with Nympha and the church that meets in her house. ¹⁶ After this letter has been read to you publicly, make sure that the church in Laodicea reads it and that you read the one from Laodicea. ¹⁷ And tell Archippus, “See to it that you complete the ministry that you received in the Lord.”