Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Teach Me Your Paths

^[a] Of David.

¹⁶ “But they and our fathers ^(A)acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. ¹⁷ They refused to obey ^(B)and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.^[a] But you are a God ready to forgive, ^(C)gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. ¹⁸ Even ^(D)when they had made for themselves a golden^[b] calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ ^(E)and had committed great blasphemies, ¹⁹ you ^(F)in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. ^(G)The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, ^(H)nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. ^20 (I)You gave your good Spirit to instruct them ^(J)and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. ^21 (K)Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

²² “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. ^(L)So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon ^(M)and the land of Og king of Bashan. ²³ You multiplied their children ^(N)as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. ^24 (O)So the descendants went in and possessed the land, ^(P)and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. ²⁵ And they captured ^(Q)fortified cities and ^(R)a rich land, and took possession of ^(S)houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled ^(T)and became fat and delighted themselves in ^(U)your great goodness.

Final Instructions and Benediction

¹² We ask you, brothers, ^(A)to respect those who labor among you and ^(B)are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. ^(C)Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers, admonish ^(D)the idle,^{[a] (E)}encourage the fainthearted, ^(F)help the weak, ^(G)be patient with them all. ¹⁵ See that ^(H)no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always ^(I)seek to do good to one another and to everyone. ^16 (J)Rejoice always, ^17 (K)pray without ceasing, ^18 (L)give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ^19 (M)Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise ^(N)prophecies, ²¹ but ^(O)test everything; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.