Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

40 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. I have diligently expected Jehovah, And He inclineth to me, and heareth my cry,

² And He doth cause me to come up From a pit of desolation -- from mire of mud, And He raiseth up on a rock my feet, He is establishing my steps.

³ And He putteth in my mouth a new song, `Praise to our God.' Many do see and fear, and trust in Jehovah.

⁴ O the happiness of the man Who hath made Jehovah his trust, And hath not turned unto the proud, And those turning aside to lies.

⁵ Much hast Thou done, Jehovah my God; Thy wonders and Thy thoughts toward us, There is none to arrange unto Thee, I declare and speak: They have been more than to be numbered.

⁶ Sacrifice and present Thou hast not desired, Ears Thou hast prepared for me, Burnt and sin-offering Thou hast not asked.

⁷ Then said I, `Lo, I have come,' In the roll of the book it is written of me,

⁸ To do Thy pleasure, my God, I have delighted, And Thy law [is] within my heart.

¹¹ Because Ephraim did multiply altars to sin, They have been to him altars to sin.

¹² I write for him numerous things of My law, As a strange thing they have been reckoned.

¹³ The sacrifices of Mine offerings! They sacrifice flesh, and they eat, Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin, They -- [to] Egypt they turn back.

¹⁴ And forget doth Israel his Maker, and buildeth temples, And Judah hath multiplied cities of defence, And I have sent a fire into his cities, And it hath consumed their palaces!

10 `An empty vine [is] Israel, Fruit he maketh like to himself, According to the abundance of his fruit, He hath multiplied for the altars, According to the goodness of his land, They have made goodly standing-pillars.

² Their heart hath been divided, now they are guilty, He doth break down their altars, He doth destroy their standing-pillars.

13 Let brotherly love remain;

² of the hospitality be not forgetful, for through this unawares certain did entertain messengers;

³ be mindful of those in bonds, as having been bound with them, of those maltreated, as also yourselves being in the body;

⁴ honourable [is] the marriage in all, and the bed undefiled, and whoremongers and adulterers God shall judge.

⁵ Without covetousness the behaviour, being content with the things present, for He hath said, `No, I will not leave, no, nor forsake thee,'

⁶ so that we do boldly say, `The Lord [is] to me a helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me.'

⁷ Be mindful of those leading you, who did speak to you the word of God, whose faith -- considering the issue of the behaviour -- be imitating,

⁸ Jesus Christ yesterday and to-day the same, and to the ages;

⁹ with teachings manifold and strange be not carried about, for [it is] good that by grace the heart be confirmed, not with meats, in which they who were occupied were not profited;

¹⁰ we have an altar, of which to eat they have no authority who the tabernacle are serving,

¹¹ for of those beasts whose blood is brought for sin into the holy places through the chief priest -- of these the bodies are burned without the camp.

¹² Wherefore, also Jesus -- that he might sanctify through [his] own blood the people -- without the gate did suffer;

¹³ now, then, may we go forth unto him without the camp, his reproach bearing;

¹⁴ for we have not here an abiding city, but the coming one we seek;

¹⁵ through him, then, we may offer up a sacrifice of praise always to God, that is, the fruit of lips, giving thanks to His name;

¹⁶ and of doing good, and of fellowship, be not forgetful, for with such sacrifices God is well-pleased.