Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Israel’s History after the Exodus

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel ^(A)across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the ^(B)Arabah opposite ^[a]Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. ² It is eleven days’ journey from ^(C)Horeb by way of Mount ^(D)Seir to ^(E)Kadesh-barnea. ³ In the ^(F)fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, ^(G)in accordance with everything that the Lord had commanded him to declare to them, ⁴ after he had ^[b](H)defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and ^(I)Og the king of Bashan, who lived in ^(J)Ashtaroth ^[c]and in Edrei. ⁵ Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this Law, saying,

⁶ “The Lord our God ^(K)spoke to us at Horeb, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. ⁷ Turn and set out on your journey, and go to ^(L)the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in ^(M)the ^[d]Negev, by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. ⁸ See, I have placed the land before you; go in and take possession of the land which the Lord ^(N)swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and their ^[e]descendants after them.’

⁹ “And I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘^(O)I am not able to endure you alone. ¹⁰ The Lord your God has ^(P)multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number. ¹¹ May the Lord, the God of your fathers increase you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you, ^(Q)just as He has ^[f]promised you! ¹² How can I alone endure the burden and weight of you and your strife? ^13 (R)Obtain for yourselves men who are wise, discerning, and informed from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ ¹⁴ And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’ ¹⁵ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and informed men, and ^[g]appointed them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, ^[h]hundreds, ^[i]fifties, and ^[j]tens, and officers for your tribes.

¹⁶ “Then I ordered your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen and ^(S)judge righteously between a person and his fellow countryman, or the stranger who is with him. ^17 (T)You are not to ^[k]show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are ^(U)not to be afraid of any person, for the judgment is God’s. ^(V)The case that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ ¹⁸ At that time ^(W)I commanded you all the things that you were to do.

Death of Herod

²⁰ Now he was very angry with the people of ^(A)Tyre and Sidon; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because ^(B)their country was supported with grain from the king’s country. ²¹ On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the ^[a]rostrum and began delivering an address to them. ²² The people repeatedly cried out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³ And immediately ^(C)an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and ^[b]died.

²⁴ But ^(D)the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

²⁵ And ^(E)Barnabas and ^(F)Saul returned ^(G)when they had fulfilled their ^[c]mission to Jerusalem, taking along with them ^(H)John, who was also called Mark.