Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God. ² But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.

³ They are like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper.

⁴ But for sinners, what a different story! They blow away like chaff before the wind. ⁵ They are not safe on Judgment Day; they shall not stand among the godly.

⁶ For the Lord watches over all the plans and paths of godly men, but the paths of the godless lead to doom.

¹² Because of your obedience, the Lord your God will keep his part of the contract which, in his tender love, he made with your fathers. ¹³ And he will love you and bless you and make you into a great nation. He will make you fertile and give fertility to your ground and to your animals, so that you will have large crops of grain, grapes, and olives, and great flocks of cattle, sheep, and goats when you arrive in the land he promised your fathers to give you. ¹⁴ You will be blessed above all the nations of the earth; not one of you, whether male or female, shall be barren, not even your cattle. ¹⁵ And the Lord will take away all your sickness and will not let you suffer any of the diseases of Egypt you remember so well; he will give them all to your enemies!

¹⁶ “You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God delivers into your hands. Have no pity, and do not worship their gods; if you do, it will be a sad day for you. ¹⁷ Perhaps you will think to yourself, ‘How can we ever conquer these nations that are so much more powerful than we are?’ ¹⁸ But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt. ¹⁹ Do you remember the terrors the Lord sent upon them—your parents saw it with their own eyes—and the mighty miracles and wonders, and the power and strength of Almighty God that he used to bring you out of Egypt? Well, the Lord your God will use this same might against the people you fear. ²⁰ Moreover, the Lord your God will send hornets to drive out those who hide from you!

²¹ “No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the Lord your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God. ²² He will cast them out a little at a time; he will not do it all at once, for if he did, the wild animals would multiply too quickly and become dangerous. ²³ He will do it gradually, and you will move in against those nations and destroy them. ²⁴ He will deliver their kings into your hands, and you will erase their names from the face of the earth. No one will be able to stand against you.

²⁵ “Burn their idols and do not touch the silver or gold they are made of. Do not take it or it will be a snare to you, for it is horrible to the Lord your God. ²⁶ Do not bring an idol into your home and worship it, for then your doom is sealed. Utterly detest it, for it is a cursed thing.

⁷ Tychicus, our much-loved brother, will tell you how I am getting along. He is a hard worker and serves the Lord with me. ⁸ I have sent him on this special trip just to see how you are and to comfort and encourage you. ⁹ I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and much-loved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will give you all the latest news.

¹⁰ Aristarchus, who is with me here as a prisoner, sends you his love, and so does Mark, a relative of Barnabas. And as I said before, give Mark a hearty welcome^[a] if he comes your way. ¹¹ Jesus Justus also sends his love. These are the only Jewish Christians working with me here, and what a comfort they have been!

¹² Epaphras, from your city, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his love. He is always earnestly praying for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect and to help you know his will in everything you do. ¹³ I can assure you that he has worked hard for you with his prayers, and also for the Christians in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

¹⁴ Dear Doctor Luke sends his love, and so does Demas.

¹⁵ Please give my greeting to the Christian friends at Laodicea, and to Nymphas, and to those who meet in his home. ¹⁶ By the way, after you have read this letter, will you pass it on to the church at Laodicea? And read the letter I wrote to them. ¹⁷ And say to Archippus, “Be sure that you do all the Lord has told you to.”