Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Song of Praise for the Lord’s Faithfulness to His People

^(A)A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

¹⁷ ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: ^(A)“Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. ¹⁸ Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the ^[a]residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? ¹⁹ And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”

²⁰ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: ^(B)“Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, ²² therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. ²³ I will establish one ^(C)shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—^(D)My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.

Shepherd the Flock

5 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a ^(A)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the ^(B)glory that will be revealed: ^2 (C)Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, ^(D)not by compulsion but ^[a]willingly, ^(E)not for dishonest gain but eagerly; ³ nor as ^(F)being ^[b]lords over ^(G)those entrusted to you, but ^(H)being examples to the flock; ⁴ and when ^(I)the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive ^(J)the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Submit to God, Resist the Devil

⁵ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, ^(K)all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for