Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Path of the Righteous and the Path of the Wicked
112 Praise Yah![a]
Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh;
he takes great delight in his commands.
2 His descendants[b] will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 His light rises in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 It goes well for a man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his business properly.[c]
6 For he will not be shaken forever;
the righteous will be remembered forever.[d]
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, secure[e] in Yahweh.
8 His heart is sustained; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his enemies.
9 He gives lavishly[f] to the needy;
his righteousness endures forever.
His horn rises high in honor.
10 The wicked[g] sees it and is vexed.
He gnashes his teeth and becomes weak.[h]
The desire of the wicked[i] perishes.
Yahweh Gives Israel a Letter of Divorce
6 Then Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah, the king, “Have you seen what apostate[a] Israel has done? She has gone on every high hill and under every leafy tree and she has prostituted herself there. 7 And I thought, ‘After her doing all these things to me she will return,’ but she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.[b] 8 And I saw that for this very reason, that[c] on account of apostate[d] Israel committing adultery I divorced her and gave the letter of divorce to her. Yet her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid and she went and prostituted herself also. 9 And it was because of the frivolity of her fornication that she defiled the land and committed adultery with the stone and with the tree. 10 Yet even in all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only[e] in pretense,”[f] declares[g] Yahweh.
A Call for Repentance
11 Then Yahweh said to me, “Apostate[h] Israel has proved herself more upright[i] than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,
‘Return, apostate[j] Israel,’ declares[k] Yahweh.
‘I will not cause my anger[l] to fall on you.
For I am loyal,’ declares[m] Yahweh.
‘I will not be angry forever.[n]
13 Only acknowledge your guilt,
that against Yahweh your God you have rebelled,
and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every leafy tree,
and you have not obeyed my voice,’ declares[o] Yahweh.”
14 “Return, apostate[p] children,” declares[q] Yahweh. “For I am your master,[r] and I will take you one from a city and two from a clan,[s] and I will bring you to Zion.
The Sermon on the Mount: Adultery and Lust
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’[a] 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 And if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your members be destroyed than your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your limbs be destroyed than your whole body go into hell.
The Sermon on the Mount: Divorce
31 “And it was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’[b] 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for a matter of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
The Sermon on the Mount: Taking Oaths
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the people of old,[c] ‘Do not swear falsely,[d] but fulfill your oaths to the Lord.’[e] 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, because it is the footstool of his feet, or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king. 36 And do not swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black.
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