Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David. A ^[a]Maskil.

⁷ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go ^[a]down at once, for your people, whom ^(A)you brought up from the land of Egypt, have ^(B)behaved corruptly. ⁸ They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. ^(C)They have made for themselves a cast metal calf, and have worshiped it and ^(D)have sacrificed to it and said, ‘^[b](E)This is your god, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” ^9 (F)Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are ^[c](G)an obstinate people. ¹⁰ So now ^(H)leave Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and ^(I)I will make of you a great nation.”

Moses’ Plea

¹¹ Then ^(J)Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? ¹² Why should ^(K)the Egyptians talk, saying, ‘With evil motives He brought them out, to kill them on the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and relent of doing harm to Your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You ^(L)swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will ^(M)multiply your ^[d]descendants as the stars of the heavens, and ^(N)all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your ^[e]descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” ^14 (O)So the Lord relented of the harm which He said He would do to His people.

The Lost Sheep

15 Now all the ^(A)tax collectors and ^[a]sinners were coming near ^[b]Jesus to listen to Him. ² And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to complain, saying, “This man receives sinners and ^(B)eats with them.”

³ And so He told them this parable, saying, ⁴ “^(C)What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the other ninety-nine in the ^[c]open pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he puts it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost!’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

The Lost Coin

⁸ “Or what woman, if she has ten ^[d]silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the coin which I had lost!’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy ^(D)in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”