Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A psalm of David.
101 I will sing about your love and fairness.
Lord, I will sing praise to you.
2 I will be careful to lead a life
that is without blame.
When will you come and help me?
In my own home I will lead a life
that is without blame.
3 I won’t look at anything that is evil and call it good.
I hate the acts of people who aren’t faithful to you.
I won’t have anything to do with those things.
4 I will stay away from those whose hearts are twisted.
I won’t have anything to do with what is evil.
5 I will get rid of anyone
who tells lies about their neighbor in secret.
I won’t put up with anyone
whose eyes and heart are proud.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful people in the land.
They will live with me.
Those whose lives are without blame will serve me.
7 No one who lies and cheats
will live in my house.
No one who tells lies
will serve me.
8 Every morning I will get rid of
all the sinful people in the land.
I will remove from the city of the Lord
everyone who does what is evil.
Assyria Makes Other People Live in Samaria
24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim. He made all of them live in the towns of Samaria. They took the place of the people of Israel. They lived in all the towns of Samaria. 25 When they first lived there, they didn’t worship the Lord. So he sent lions among them. And the lions killed some of the people. 26 A report was given to the king of Assyria. He was told, “You forced people to leave their own homes and live in the towns of Samaria. But they don’t know what the god of that country requires. So he has sent lions among them. And the lions are killing the people off. That’s because the people don’t know what that god requires.”
27 Then the king of Assyria gave an order. He said, “Get one of the priests you captured from Samaria. Send him back to live there. Have him teach the people what the god of that land requires.” 28 So a priest went back to live in Bethel. He was one of the priests who had been forced to leave Samaria. He taught the people of Bethel how to worship the Lord.
29 In spite of that, the people from each nation made statues of their own gods. They made them in all the towns where they had been forced to live. They set up those statues in small temples. The people of Samaria had built the temples at the high places. 30 The people from Babylon made statues of the god named Sukkoth Benoth. Those from Kuthah made statues of the god named Nergal. Those from Hamath made statues of the god named Ashima. 31 The Avvites made statues of the gods named Nibhaz and Tartak. The Sepharvites sacrificed their children in the fire to the gods named Adrammelek and Anammelek. They were the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 So the people of Samaria worshiped the Lord. But they also appointed all kinds of their own people to be their priests. The priests served in the small temples at the high places. 33 The people worshiped the Lord. But they also served their own gods. They followed the evil practices of the nations they had been taken from.
34 The people of Samaria are still stubborn. They continue in their old practices to this day. And now they don’t even worship the Lord. They don’t follow his directions and rules. They don’t obey his laws and commands. The Lord had given all these laws to the family of Jacob. He gave the name Israel to Jacob. 35 The Lord made a covenant with the Israelites. At that time he commanded them, “Do not worship any other gods. Do not bow down to them. Do not serve them or sacrifice to them. 36 The Lord is the one you must worship. The Lord brought you up out of Egypt by his great power. He saved you by reaching out his mighty arm. You must bow down only to him. You must offer sacrifices only to him. 37 You must always be careful to follow his directions and rules. You must obey the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant I made with you. And remember, you must not worship other gods. 39 Instead, worship the Lord your God. He will save you from the powerful hand of all your enemies.”
40 But the people wouldn’t listen. Instead, they were stubborn. They continued in their old practices. 41 They worshiped the Lord. But at the same time, they served the statues of their gods. And to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do what their people before them did.
Paul’s Reasons for Giving Instructions to Timothy
14 I hope I can come to you soon. But now I am writing these instructions to you. 15 Then if I have to put off my visit, you will know how people should act in God’s family. The family of God is the church of the living God. It is the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 There is no doubt that true godliness comes from this great mystery.
Jesus came as a human being.
The Holy Spirit proved that he was the Son of God.
He was seen by angels.
He was preached among the nations.
People in the world believed in him.
He was taken up to heaven in glory.
4 The Holy Spirit clearly says that in the last days some people will leave the faith. They will follow spirits that will fool them. They will believe things that demons will teach them. 2 Teachings like those come from liars who pretend to be what they are not. Their sense of what is right and wrong has been destroyed. It’s as though it has been burned with a hot iron. 3 They do not allow people to get married. They order them not to eat certain foods. But God created those foods. So people who believe and know the truth should receive them and give thanks for them. 4 Everything God created is good. You shouldn’t turn anything down. Instead, you should thank God for it. 5 The word of God and prayer make it holy.
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