Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
BOOK 1
The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
1 Blessed is the person who (A)does not walk in the (B)counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the [a](C)path of sinners,
Nor (D)sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his (E)delight is (F)in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates (G)day and (H)night.
3 He will be like (I)a tree planted by [b]streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season,
And its [c]leaf does not wither;
And [d]in whatever he does, (J)he prospers.
Promises of God
12 “(A)Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep [a]His covenant with you and [b]His faithfulness which He swore to your forefathers. 13 And He will (B)love you, bless you, and (C)make you numerous; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain, your new wine, and your oil, the newborn of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, [c]in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no sterile male or (D)infertile female among you or among your cattle. 15 And (E)the Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not inflict upon you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will give them to all who hate you. 16 You shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will turn over to you; (F)your eye shall not pity them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that would be (G)a snare to you.
17 “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I (H)dispossess them?’ 18 you are not to be afraid of them; you shall (I)remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: 19 (J)the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders, and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Indeed, the Lord your God will send (K)the hornet against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish. 21 You are not to be terrified of them, because (L)the Lord your God is in your midst, (M)a great and awesome God. 22 (N)And the Lord your God will drive away these nations from you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, otherwise the [d]wild animals would become too numerous for you. 23 (O)But the Lord your God will turn them over to you, and will [e]throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24 (P)And He will hand over their kings to you, so that you will eliminate their name from under heaven; (Q)no one will be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. 25 The carved images of their gods you are to (R)burn with fire; you shall (S)not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be (T)trapped by it; for it is an (U)abomination to the Lord your God. 26 And you shall not bring an abomination into your house and become (V)designated for destruction, like it; you are to utterly detest it, and you are to utterly loathe it, for it is something designated for destruction.
7 (A)As to all my affairs, (B)Tychicus, our (C)beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 8 (D)For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may (E)encourage your hearts; 9 [a]and with him is (F)Onesimus, our faithful and (G)beloved brother, (H)who is one of your own. They will inform you about the whole situation here.
10 (I)Aristarchus, my (J)fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also (K)Barnabas’ cousin Mark (about whom you received [b]instructions; (L)if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only (M)fellow workers for the kingdom of God (N)who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. 12 (O)Epaphras, (P)who is one of your own, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always (Q)striving earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may [c]stand [d](R)mature and [e]fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has [f]a deep concern for you and for those who are in (S)Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 (T)Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and (U)Demas does also. 15 Greet the brothers and sisters who are in (V)Laodicea and also [g]Nympha and (W)the church that is in [h]her house. 16 (X)When [i]this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part, (Y)read [j]my letter that is coming from (Z)Laodicea. 17 Tell (AA)Archippus, “See to the (AB)ministry which you have received in the Lord, so that you may [k]fulfill it.”
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