Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Steadfast Love of God Endures
To the choirmaster. A Maskil[a] of David, when (A)Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
52 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
2 Your (B)tongue plots destruction,
like (C)a sharp razor, you (D)worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good,
and (E)lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
4 You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and (F)tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from (G)the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous shall (H)see and fear,
and shall (I)laugh at him, saying,
7 “See the man who would not make
God his refuge,
but (J)trusted in the abundance of his riches
and sought refuge in his own destruction!”[b]
The Covenant Renewal at Shechem
24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel (A)to Shechem and (B)summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And (C)they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, (D)your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,[a] Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and (E)they served other gods.
11 (A)And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, (B)and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also (C)the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. 12 And I sent (D)the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was (E)not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored (F)and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’
Choose Whom You Will Serve
14 (G)“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. (H)Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 (I)And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, (J)choose this day whom you will serve, whether (K)the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or (L)the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. (M)But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is (N)a holy God. He is (O)a jealous God; (P)he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 (Q)If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then (R)he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that (S)you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then (T)put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” 25 So Joshua (U)made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place (V)statutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua (W)wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And (X)he took a large stone and set it up there (Y)under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, (Z)this stone shall be a witness against us, for (AA)it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” 28 So Joshua (AB)sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.
No One Is Righteous
9 What then? Are we Jews[a] any better off?[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both (A)Jews and (B)Greeks, are (C)under sin, 10 as it is written:
(D)“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 (E)“Their throat is (F)an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
(G)“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 (H)“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 (I)“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and (J)the way of peace they have not known.”
18 (K)“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever (L)the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, (M)so that every mouth may be stopped, and (N)the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For (O)by works of the law no human being[c] will be justified in his sight, since (P)through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The Righteousness of God Through Faith
21 But now (Q)the righteousness of God (R)has been manifested apart from the law, although (S)the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God (T)through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. (U)For there is no distinction:
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.