Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Calm Trust in Yahweh

A song of ascents. Of David.^[a]

The Linen Loincloth

13 Thus Yahweh said to me: “Go and buy for yourself a loincloth of linen and put it on your loins, but you must not place^[a] it in water.” ² So I bought the loincloth according to the word of Yahweh and I put it^[b] on my loins.

³ Now the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying,^{[c] 4} “Take the loincloth that you bought, that is on your loins, and stand up, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in the cleft of the rock.” ⁵ So I went and hid it by the Euphrates just as Yahweh had commanded me.

⁶ And then,^[d] after a long time,^[e] then Yahweh said to me, “Stand up, go to the Euphrates and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” ⁷ Then I went to the Euphrates and I dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it, and look, the loincloth was ruined; it was not good for anything.

⁸ And then^[f] the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,^{[g] 9} “Thus says Yahweh: ‘So I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ This evil people, who refuse to listen to my words, who go^[h] in the stubbornness of their hearts,^[i] and have gone after other gods, to serve them, and to bow in worship to them, let them be like this loincloth which is not good for anything. ¹¹ For as the loincloth clings to the loins of a person, so I caused to cling to me all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah,’ declares^[j] Yahweh, ‘to be for me a people, and a name, and a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.’

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

13 Now before the feast of Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, and^[a] having loved his^[b] own in the world, loved them to the end. ² And as^[c] a dinner was taking place, when^[d] the devil had already put into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot that he should betray him, ³ because he^[e] knew that the Father had given him all things into his^[f] hands, and that he had come forth from God and was going away to God, ⁴ he got up from the dinner and took off his^[g] outer clothing, and taking a towel, tied it^[h] around himself. ⁵ Then he poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them^[i] dry with the towel which he had tied around himself.^[j]

⁶ Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand after these things.” ⁸ Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet forever!”^[k] Jesus replied to him, “Unless I wash you, you do not have a share with me.” ⁹ Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my^[l] hands and my^[m] head!” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed only needs^[n] to wash his^[o] feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ (For he knew the one who would betray him; because of this he said, “Not all of you are clean.”)

¹² So when he had washed their feet and taken his outer clothing and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done for you? ¹³ You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you speak correctly, for I am. ¹⁴ If then I—your^[p] Lord and Teacher—wash your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that just as I have done for you, you also do. ¹⁶ Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you understand these things, you are blessed if you do them.