Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
To Your Name Give Glory
115 (A)Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
(B)for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say,
(C)“Where is their God?”
3 (D)Our God is in the heavens;
(E)he does all that he pleases.
4 (F)Their idols are silver and gold,
(G)the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, (H)but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 (I)Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
9 O (J)Israel,[a] (K)trust in the Lord!
He is their (L)help and their shield.
10 O (M)house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and (N)their shield.
11 You (O)who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us;
he will bless (P)the house of Israel;
he will bless (Q)the house of Aaron;
13 he will (R)bless those who fear the Lord,
(S)both the small and the great.
14 May the Lord (T)give you increase,
you and your children!
15 May (U)you be blessed by the Lord,
(V)who made heaven and earth!
16 The heavens are the Lord's heavens,
but the earth he has given to the children of man.
17 (W)The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any who go down into (X)silence.
18 But (Y)we will bless the Lord
from this time forth and for evermore.
(Z)Praise the Lord!
Cleansing of the Levites
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them. 7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the (A)water of purification upon them, and (B)let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. 8 Then let them take a bull from the herd and (C)its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, (D)and you shall take another bull from the herd for a sin offering. 9 (E)And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting (F)and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel. 10 When you bring the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel (G)shall lay their hands on the Levites, 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord. 12 Then the Levites (H)shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer (I)one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as (J)a wave offering to the Lord.
14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and (K)the Levites shall be mine. 15 And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a (L)wave offering. 16 For they are (M)wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. (N)Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself. 17 (O)For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, 18 and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel. 19 (P)And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and (Q)to make atonement for the people of Israel, (R)that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”
20 Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the people of Israel to the Levites. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, the people of Israel did to them. 21 And (S)the Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and (T)Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
Greeting
1 Paul, a servant[a] of God and (A)an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and (B)their knowledge of the truth, (C)which accords with godliness, 2 (D)in hope of eternal life, which God, (E)who never lies, (F)promised (G)before the ages began[b] 3 and (H)at the proper time manifested in his word (I)through the preaching (J)with which I have been entrusted (K)by the command of God our Saviour;
4 To Titus, (L)my true child in (M)a common faith:
(N)Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Qualifications for Elders
5 (O)This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and (P)appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 (Q)if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife,[c] and his children are believers and not open to the charge of (R)debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer,[d] (S)as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not (T)be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent (U)or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, (V)and disciplined. 9 He must (W)hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in (X)sound[e] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.