Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Need for Fidelity. 18 (A)Therefore, take these words of mine into your heart and soul. Bind them on your arm as a sign, and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. 19 Teach them to your children, speaking of them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up, 20 and write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that, as long as the heavens are above the earth, you and your children may live on in the land which the Lord swore to your ancestors he would give them.
Blessing and Curse. 26 (A)See, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: 27 a blessing for obeying the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I give you today; 28 a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, but turn aside from the way I command you today, to go after other gods, whom you do not know.(B)
Psalm 31[a]
Prayer in Distress and Thanksgiving for Escape
1 For the leader. A psalm of David.
I
2 In you, Lord, I take refuge;(A)
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness deliver me;
3 incline your ear to me;
make haste to rescue me!
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to save me.
4 For you are my rock and my fortress;(B)
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me.
5 Free me from the net they have set for me,
for you are my refuge.
19 Strike dumb their lying lips,
which speak arrogantly against the righteous
in contempt and scorn.(A)
III
20 How great is your goodness, Lord,
stored up for those who fear you.
You display it for those who trust you,
in the sight of the children of Adam.
21 You hide them in the shelter of your presence,
safe from scheming enemies.
You conceal them in your tent,
away from the strife of tongues.(B)
22 Blessed be the Lord,
marvelously he showed to me
his mercy in a fortified city.
23 Though I had said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from your eyes.”(C)
Yet you heard my voice, my cry for mercy,
when I pleaded with you for help.
24 Love the Lord, all you who are faithful to him.
The Lord protects the loyal,
but repays the arrogant in full.
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction;(A) 23 all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.(B) 24 They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus,(C) 25 whom God set forth as an expiation,[a] through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed,(D) 26 through the forbearance of God—to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 (E)What occasion is there then for boasting?[b] It is ruled out. On what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith.[c] 28 For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.(F)
29 Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too? Yes, also to Gentiles,(A) 30 for God is one and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised through faith.(B) 31 Are we then annulling the law by this faith? Of course not!(C) On the contrary, we are supporting the law.[a]
The True Disciple. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,[a] but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.(A) 22 Many will say to me on that day,(B) ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’(C) 23 Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you.[b] Depart from me, you evildoers.’(D)
The Two Foundations. 24 [c]“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.(E) 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.(F) But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. 26 And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
28 [d]When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 [e](G)for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
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.