Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Prayer of Faith in Time of Distress
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. (A)On [a]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.
6 O Lord, (B)do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
O Lord, (C)heal me, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly (D)troubled;
But You, O Lord—how long?
4 Return, O Lord, deliver me!
Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!
5 (E)For in death there is no remembrance of You;
In the grave who will give You thanks?
The Syrians Flee
3 Now there were four leprous men (A)at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the (B)army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” 5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians (C)to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us (D)the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” 7 Therefore they (E)arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.
9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some [a]punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact.”
Flee from Idolatry
14 Therefore, my beloved, (A)flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to (B)wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 (C)The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the [a]communion of the blood of Christ? (D)The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For (E)we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.
18 Observe (F)Israel (G)after the flesh: (H)Are not those who eat of the sacrifices [b]partakers of the altar? 19 What am I saying then? (I)That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles (J)sacrifice (K)they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 (L)You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and (M)the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the (N)Lord’s table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we (O)provoke the Lord to jealousy? (P)Are we stronger than He?
All to the Glory of God(Q)
23 All things are lawful [c]for me, but not all things are (R)helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things [d]edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one (S)the other’s well-being.
25 (T)Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; 26 for (U)“the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”
27 If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, (V)eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it (W)for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; [e]for (X)“the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” 29 “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For (Y)why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? 30 But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food (Z)over which I give thanks?
31 (AA)Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 (AB)Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just (AC)as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
Worship and the Lord’s Supper
11 Imitate(AD) me, just as I also imitate Christ.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.