Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
1 [a]Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in accord with the law[b] of the Lord.
2 Blessed are those who observe his statutes
and seek him with their whole heart.[c]
3 They do nothing wrong;
they walk in his ways.[d]
4 [e]You have ordained
that your commands be diligently observed.
5 May my ways be steadfast
in the observance of your decrees.
6 Then I will never be put to shame
when I take note of all your precepts.
7 I will praise you in sincerity of heart
as I ponder your righteous judgments.
8 I will observe your decrees;
do not forsake me completely.
Beth
34 The land shall be pleased with its Sabbaths while it is desolate and you are dwelling in the land of your enemies. The land shall then rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 It shall rest as long as it lies desolate, because it did not rest during your Sabbaths when you dwelt in it.
36 “As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so timid in the land of their enemies that the sound of a blowing leaf will put them to flight. They shall flee as though fleeing from a sword. They shall fall down when no one is chasing them. 37 They shall fall all over one another as if before a sword, even though no one is chasing them. You shall not have the strength to stand before your enemies. 38 You shall die among the pagans, the land of your enemies will devour you.
39 “Those of you who are left will pine away in their iniquity in the land of their enemies, and also because of the iniquity of their fathers. They shall pine away with them. 40 [a]If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, the trespasses that they committed against me, and that they acted in opposition to me, 41 so that I walked in opposition to them, and brought them into the land of their enemies, if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they accept the punishment for their sins, 42 then I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham. These I will remember, and I will remember the land. 43 For the land will have been abandoned by them, and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate when they are no longer there. They shall accept the punishment for their iniquity, for they despised my ordinances and their souls loathed my statutes. 44 Yet in spite of all of that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I loathe them, utterly destroying them, and thus breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord, their God. 45 For their sake I will remember the covenant I made with their ancestors whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the pagans so that I might be their God. I am the Lord.”
46 These are the statutes and the ordinances and the laws that the Lord established through Moses between himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.
7 Beloved,
I am not writing a new commandment[a] for you,
but an old commandment
that you have had from the beginning.
The old commandment is the word
that you have heard.
8 And yet I am writing you a new commandment,
whose truth is in him and in you,
because the darkness is passing away
and the true light is already shining.
9 Whoever says, “I am in the light,”
yet hates his brother,
is still in the darkness.
10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light,
and there is nothing in him
to make him stumble.
11 Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness,
and he walks about in darkness.
He does not know where he is going
because the darkness has blinded him.
The Concupiscences of the World[b]
12 I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven
on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have known him
who has existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young people,
because you have conquered the evil one.
14 I am writing to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have known him
who has existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young people,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
15 Do not love the world
or what is in the world.
If anyone does love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For everything that is in the world—
the concupiscence of the flesh,
the concupiscence of the eyes,
and the pride of life—
comes not from the Father
but from the world.[c]
17 And the world with all its enticements
is passing away,
but whoever does the will of God
abides forever.
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