Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Israel Urged to Obey God’s Law
4 “Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which (A)I am teaching you to perform, so that (B)you will live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 (C)You shall not add to the word which (D)I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I am commanding you.
6 So keep and do them, (A)for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For (B)what great nation is there that has a god (C)so near to it as is the Lord our God (D)whenever we call on Him? 8 Or what great nation is there that has (E)statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole Law which I am setting before you today?
9 “Only (F)be careful for yourself and watch over your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart (G)all the days of your life; but (H)make them known to your sons and your grandsons.
Description of a Citizen of Zion.
A Psalm of David.
15 Lord, who may reside (A)in Your tent?
Who may settle on Your (B)holy hill?
2 One who (C)walks with integrity, practices righteousness,
And (D)speaks truth in his heart.
3 He (E)does not slander [a]with his tongue,
Nor (F)do evil to his neighbor,
Nor (G)bring shame on his friend;
4 A despicable person is despised in his eyes,
But he (H)honors those who fear the Lord;
He (I)takes an oath to his own detriment, and does not change;
5 He (J)does not [b]lend his money [c]at interest,
Nor (K)does he take a bribe against the innocent.
(L)One who does these things will never be shaken.
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is (A)from above, coming down from (B)the Father of lights, (C)with whom there is no variation or [a]shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of (D)His will He (E)gave us birth by (F)the word of truth, so that we would be [b]a kind of (G)first fruits [c]among His creatures.
19 [d](H)You know this, (I)my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, (J)slow to speak, and (K)slow to anger; 20 for a man’s (L)anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, (M)ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all [e]that remains of wickedness, in [f]humility receive (N)the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 (O)But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [g]natural face (P)in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, [h]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, (Q)the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but [i]an active doer, this person will be (R)blessed in [j]what he does.
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not [k](S)bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion (T)in the sight of our God and Father is this: to (U)visit (V)orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained [l]by (W)the world.
Followers of Tradition
7 (A)The Pharisees and some of the scribes *gathered to Him after they came (B)from Jerusalem, 2 and saw that some of His disciples were eating their bread with [a](C)unholy hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the other Jews do not eat unless they [b]carefully wash their hands, thereby holding firmly to the (D)tradition of the elders; 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they [c]completely cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received as traditions to firmly hold, such as the [d]washing of (E)cups, pitchers, and copper pots.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk in accordance with the (F)tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with (G)[e]unholy hands?” 6 But He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘(H)This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
7 (I)And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the (J)tradition of men.”
The Heart of Man
14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the person which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which come out of the person are what defile the person[a].”
21 For from within, out of the [a]hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, 22 deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, [b](A)envy, slander, [c]pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile the person.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.