Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Moses Commands Obedience

4 “And now, O Israel, listen to ^(A)the statutes and the rules^[a] that I am teaching you, and do them, ^(B)that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. ^2 (C)You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.

^6 (A)Keep them and do them, for ^(B)that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ ⁷ For ^(C)what great nation is there that has ^(D)a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? ⁸ And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so ^(E)righteous as all this law that I set before you today?

^9 (F)“Only take care, and ^(G)keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. ^(H)Make them known to your children and your children's children—

Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill?

A Psalm of David.

^17 (A)Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from ^(B)the Father of lights ^(C)with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.^{[a] 18 (D)}Of his own will he ^(E)brought us forth by the word of truth, ^(F)that we should be a kind of ^(G)firstfruits of his creatures.

Hearing and Doing the Word

^19 (H)Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person ^(I)be quick to hear, ^(J)slow to speak, ^(K)slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore ^(L)put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with ^(M)meekness the implanted word, ^(N)which is able to save your souls.

²² But be ^(O)doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, ^(P)the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, ^(Q)he will be blessed in his doing.

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious ^(R)and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's ^(S)religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: ^(T)to visit ^(U)orphans and widows in their affliction, and ^(V)to keep oneself ^(W)unstained from the world.

Traditions and Commandments

7 ^(A)Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes ^(B)who had come from Jerusalem, ² they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were ^(C)defiled, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash^[a] their hands, holding to ^(D)the tradition of ^(E)the elders, ⁴ and when they come from the market-place, they do not eat unless they wash.^[b] And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as ^(F)the washing of ^(G)cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.^[c]) ⁵ And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to ^(H)the tradition of ^(I)the elders, ^(J)but eat with ^(K)defiled hands?” ⁶ And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ^(L)hypocrites, as it is written,

⁸ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

What Defiles a Person

¹⁴ And he called the people to him again and said to them, ^(A)“Hear me, all of you, and understand: ^15 (B)There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”^[a]

²¹ For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, ^(A)murder, adultery, ²² coveting, wickedness, deceit, ^(B)sensuality, ^(C)envy, ^(D)slander, ^(E)pride, ^(F)foolishness. ^23 (G)All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”