◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (Walk in the way of life); Psalm 1 (Delight in the law); Philemon 1-21 (Paul says Receive Onesimus); Luke 14:25-33 (Give up your possessions) (New American Bible (Revised Edition))

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September 8, 1968

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

The Choice Before Israel. ¹⁵See, I have today set before you life and good, death and evil.^(A) ¹⁶If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I am giving you today, loving the Lord, your God, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and ordinances, you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.^(B) ¹⁷^(C)If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey, but are led astray and bow down to other gods and serve them, ¹⁸I tell you today that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. ¹⁹I call heaven and earth today to witness against you:^(D) I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, ²⁰by loving the Lord, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the Lord swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.^(E)

Psalm 1

First Book—Psalms 1–41

Psalm 1^[a]

True Happiness in God’s Law

I

¹Blessed is the man who does not walk
    in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the way^[b] of sinners,
    nor sit in company with scoffers.^(A)
²Rather, the law of the Lord^[c] is his joy;
    and on his law he meditates day and night.^(B)
³He is like a tree^(C)
    planted near streams of water,
    that yields its fruit in season;
Its leaves never wither;
    whatever he does prospers.

II

⁴But not so are the wicked,^[d] not so!
    They are like chaff driven by the wind.^(D)
⁵Therefore the wicked will not arise at the judgment,
    nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.
⁶Because the Lord knows the way of the just,^(E)
    but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

Philemon 1-21

Address and Greeting. ¹^[a]Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved and our co-worker,^(A) ²to Apphia our sister,^[b] to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church at your house.^(B) ³Grace to you and peace^[c] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.^(C)

Thanksgiving. ⁴^[d]^(D)I give thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers, ⁵as I hear of the love and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones,^[e] ⁶so that your partnership in the faith may become effective in recognizing every good there is in us^[f] that leads to Christ.^(E)

Plea for Onesimus. ⁷For I have experienced much joy and encouragement^[g] from your love, because the hearts of the holy ones have been refreshed by you, brother.^(F) ⁸Therefore, although I have the full right^[h] in Christ to order you to do what is proper, ⁹I rather urge you out of love, being as I am, Paul, an old man,^[i] and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.^(G) ¹⁰I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment,^(H) ¹¹who was once useless to you but is now useful^[j] to [both] you and me. ¹²I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. ¹³I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve^[k] me on your behalf in my imprisonment for the gospel,^(I) ¹⁴but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.^(J) ¹⁵Perhaps this is why he was away from^[l] you for a while, that you might have him back forever, ¹⁶no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man^[m] and in the Lord.^(K) ¹⁷So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. ¹⁸^[n]And if he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me. ¹⁹I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay. May I not tell you that you owe me your very self.^(L) ²⁰Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

²¹With trust in your compliance I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

Footnotes

1 Prisoner: as often elsewhere (cf. Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians especially), the second word in Greek enunciates the theme and sets the tone of the letter. Here it is the prisoner appealing rather than the apostle commanding.
2 Apphia our sister: sister is here used (like brother) to indicate a fellow Christian. The church at your house: your here is singular. It more likely refers to Philemon than to the last one named, Archippus; Philemon is then the owner of the slave Onesimus (Phlm 10). An alternate view is that the actual master of the slave is Archippus and that the one to whom the letter is addressed, Philemon, is the most prominent Christian there; see note on Col 4:17.
3 Grace…and peace: for this greeting, which may be a combination of Greek and Aramaic epistolary formulae, see note on Rom 1:1–7.
4 In my prayers: literally, “at the time of my prayers.”
5 Holy ones: a common term for members of the Christian community (so also Phlm 7).
6 In us: some good ancient manuscripts have in you (plural). That leads to Christ: leads to translates the Greek preposition eis, indicating direction or purpose.
7 Encouragement: the Greek word paraklēsis is cognate with the verb translated “urge” in Phlm 9, 10, and serves as an introduction to Paul’s plea. Hearts: literally, “bowels,” expressing in Semitic fashion the seat of the emotions, one’s “inmost self.” The same Greek word is used in Phlm 12 and again in Phlm 20, where it forms a literary inclusion marking off the body of the letter.
8 Full right: often translated “boldness,” the Greek word parrēsia connotes the full franchise of speech, as the right of a citizen to speak before the body politic, claimed by the Athenians as their privilege (Euripides).
9 Old man: some editors conjecture that Paul here used a similar Greek word meaning “ambassador” (cf. Eph 6:20). This conjecture heightens the contrast with “prisoner” but is totally without manuscript support.
11 Useless…useful: here Paul plays on the name Onesimus, which means “useful” or “beneficial.” The verb translated “profit” in Phlm 20 is cognate.
13 Serve: the Greek diakoneō could connote a ministry.
15 Was away from: literally, “was separated from,” but the same verb means simply “left” in Acts 18:1. It is a euphemism for his running away.
16 As a man: literally, “in the flesh.” With this and the following phrase, Paul describes the natural and spiritual orders.
18–19 Charge it to me…I will pay: technical legal and commercial terms in account keeping and acknowledgment of indebtedness.

Luke 14:25-33

²⁵Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them, ²⁶^(A)“If any one comes to me without hating his father^[a] and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.^(B) ²⁷Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.^(C) ²⁸Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? ²⁹Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him ³⁰and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ ³¹Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? ³²But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. ³³In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.^(D)

The Simile of Salt.^[b]

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

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First Book—Psalms 1–41

Psalm 1^[a]

True Happiness in God’s Law

I

II

Footnotes

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Footnotes

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Cross references

First Book—Psalms 1–41

Psalm 1[a]

True Happiness in God’s Law

I

II

Footnotes

Cross references

Footnotes

Cross references

Footnotes

Cross references

Psalm 1^[a]