Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁷ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go! Go down at once, for your people, whom ^(A)you brought up from the land of Egypt, have ^(B)corrupted themselves. ⁸ They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. ^(C)They have made for themselves a molten calf and have worshiped it and ^(D)have sacrificed to it and said, ‘^[a](E)These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” ^9 (F)And Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are ^(G)a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now then ^(H)let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may consume them; and ^(I)I will make you a great nation.”

¹¹ Then ^(J)Moses entreated ^[b]the favor of Yahweh his God and said, “O Yahweh, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? ¹² Why should ^(K)the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and relent concerning doing harm to Your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You ^(L)swore by Yourself, and You said to them, ‘I will ^(M)multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and ^(N)all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.’” ^14 (O)So Yahweh relented concerning the harm which He said He would do to His people.

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

For the choir director. A Psalm of David. When ^[a]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

¹² I am grateful to ^(A)Christ Jesus our Lord, who has ^(B)strengthened me, because He regarded me faithful, ^(C)putting me into service, ¹³ even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a ^(D)persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was ^(E)shown mercy because ^(F)I acted ignorantly in unbelief; ¹⁴ and the ^(G)grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the ^(H)faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ^15 (I)It is a trustworthy saying and deserving full acceptance: that ^(J)Christ Jesus came into the world to ^(K)save sinners, among whom ^(L)I am foremost. ¹⁶ Yet for this reason I ^(M)was shown mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Christ Jesus might ^(N)demonstrate all His patience as an example for those ^[a]who are going to believe upon Him for eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the ^(O)King of the ^[b]ages, ^(P)immortal, ^(Q)invisible, the ^(R)only God, ^(S)be honor and glory ^[c]forever and ever. Amen.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now all the ^(A)tax collectors and the ^[a]sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. ² And both the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling, saying, “This man receives sinners and ^(B)eats with them.”

³ So He told them this parable, saying, ⁴ “^(C)What man among you, if he has one hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the ^[b]open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Drachma

⁸ “Or what woman, if she has ten ^[c]drachmas and loses one ^[d]drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the ^[e]drachma which I had lost!’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy ^(D)in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”