Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁸ Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: ⁹ “And as for Me, ^(A)behold, I establish ^(B)My covenant with you and with your ^[a]descendants after you, ^10 (C)and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. ¹¹ Thus ^(D)I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

¹² And God said: ^(E)“This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³ I set ^(F)My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵ and ^(G)I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember ^(H)the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

A Plea for Deliverance and Forgiveness

A Psalm of David.

Christ’s Suffering and Ours

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring ^[a]us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹ by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who formerly were disobedient, ^[b]when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. ^21 (A)There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism ^(B)(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, ^(C)but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and ^(D)is at the right hand of God, ^(E)angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

John Baptizes Jesus^(A)

^9 (B)It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ^10 (C)And immediately, coming up ^[a]from the water, He saw the heavens ^[b]parting and the Spirit ^(D)descending upon Him like a dove. ¹¹ Then a voice came from heaven, ^(E)“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Satan Tempts Jesus^(F)

^12 (G)Immediately the Spirit ^[c]drove Him into the wilderness. ¹³ And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; ^(H)and the angels ministered to Him.

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(I)

^14 (J)Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, ^(K)preaching the gospel ^[d]of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵ and saying, ^(L)“The time is fulfilled, and ^(M)the kingdom of God ^[e]is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”