Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

HE

The story of a man who said bad things about the Lord

¹⁰ There was a man. His mother was an Israelite and his father was a man from Egypt. The man had a quarrel with an Israelite man. ¹¹ The Israelite woman's son said bad things about God. The people took him to Moses. (The name of the mother was Shelomith. She was the daughter of Dibri from the family of Dan.) ¹² They locked the man up. The Lord told them what to do with him.

¹³ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁴ ‘Take the man outside the camp. All the people who heard him speak must put a hand on him. All the people must throw stones at him until he is dead. ¹⁵ Tell Israel's people, “It is a sin if any man says bad things about God's name. ¹⁶ He must die. All the people must throw stones at him until he is dead.” You must kill anyone who says bad things about the Lord's name. They may be a foreigner or an Israelite. You must kill them.

¹⁷ If any man kills another man you must kill him. ¹⁸ A man might kill an animal that belongs to another man. Then he must give an animal that is alive to the man. You must give a living animal if you take a living animal's life. ¹⁹ If a man hurts another person, you must punish him as he deserves. Hurt him in the same way that he has hurt the other person. ²⁰ If he has broken one of the person's bones, break one of his bones. If he hurt the person's eye, hurt his eye. If he has broken a person's tooth, break his tooth. ²¹ A man might hit an animal so that it dies. That man must give back an animal that is alive. But if he kills a man, you must punish him with death. ²² This rule is for all the people. It is the same rule for Israelites and foreigners. I am the Lord your God.’

²³ Moses spoke to Israel's people. A man had said bad things about God. They took him outside the camp. They threw stones at him until he died. Israel's people did as the Lord had told Moses.

We should not speak against other people

7 Jesus then said, ‘Do not say to anyone, “You are a bad person.” If you do that, God will say to you, “You are a bad person.” ² God will think about you in the same way that you think about other people. He will use the same rules for you as you use for other people.

³ Perhaps you want to tell your friend about his little mistake. If you want to do that, first remember your own bigger mistakes. ⁴ You are like a person who has a big piece of wood in his eye. But then he says to his friend, “Let me take that little piece of dirt out of your eye for you.” ⁵ Do not be like that person. You think that you are better than your friend. But you are not. First, you must take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. After that, your eyes will see clearly. Then you can take the small piece of dirt out of your friend's eye.^[a]

⁶ Do not give special things that are for God to dogs. The dogs will turn round and attack you. Do not throw valuable things to pigs. The pigs will only stand on them and bury them in the dirt.’^[b]

Jesus teaches his disciples more about God

⁷ Jesus said, ‘Go on asking God for what you need. Then God will give it to you. Go on looking for what you need. Then you will find it. Go on knocking at the door, and God will open it for you. ⁸ Everyone who asks for something will receive it. Everyone who looks for something will find it. God will open the door for everyone who knocks on it.

⁹ Some of you are fathers. If your son asks you for some bread, you would not give him a stone. ¹⁰ If he asks you for a fish, you would not give him a snake. ¹¹ You may be bad, but even you know how to give good things to your children. Your Father in heaven knows much better than you do how to give good things to his children. He will give good things to everyone who asks him.^{[c] 12} So do the good things for other people that you would want them to do for you. That is true in everything you do. That is what God's Law and the messages of God's prophets teach us.’