Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God’s Guidance of His People in Spite of Their Unfaithfulness.
A [a]Maskil of Asaph.
78 (A)Listen, my people, to my [b]instruction;
(B)Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will (C)open my mouth in a parable;
I will tell (D)riddles of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And (E)our fathers have told us.
4 We will (F)not conceal them from their children,
But we will (G)tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His power and His (H)wondrous works that He has done.
52 But He (A)led His own people out like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness (B)like a flock;
53 He led them (C)safely, so that they did not fear;
But (D)the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 So (E)He brought them to His holy [a]land,
To this [b](F)hill country (G)which His right hand had gained.
55 He also (H)drove out the nations from them
And (I)apportioned them as an inheritance by measurement,
And had the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they [c](J)tempted and (K)rebelled against the Most High God
And did not keep His testimonies,
57 But turned back and (L)acted treacherously like their fathers;
They (M)turned aside like a treacherous bow.
58 For they (N)provoked Him with their (O)high places
And (P)moved Him to jealousy with their (Q)carved images.
59 When God heard them, He [d]was filled with (R)wrath
And He utterly (S)rejected Israel;
60 So that He (T)abandoned the (U)dwelling place at Shiloh,
The tent [e]which He had pitched among people,
61 And He gave up His (V)strength to captivity
And His glory (W)into the hand of the enemy.
62 He also (X)turned His people over to the sword,
And [f]was filled with wrath at His inheritance.
63 (Y)Fire devoured [g]His young men,
And [h]His (Z)virgins had no wedding songs.
64 [i]His (AA)priests fell by the sword,
And [j]His (AB)widows could not weep.
65 Then the Lord (AC)awoke as if from sleep,
Like a (AD)warrior [k]overcome by wine.
66 He [l](AE)drove His adversaries backward;
He put on them an everlasting disgrace.
67 He also (AF)rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount (AG)Zion, which He loved.
69 And He (AH)built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
70 He also (AI)chose His servant David
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From [m](AJ)the care of the [n]ewes (AK)with nursing lambs He brought him
To (AL)shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel (AM)His inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them according to the (AN)integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands.
27 Yet it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(A)How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My [a]instructions? 29 See, [b]the Lord has given you the Sabbath; for that reason He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain, everyone, in his place; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 And the house of (B)Israel named the bread [c]manna, and it was like (C)coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32 Then Moses said, “This is [d]what the Lord has commanded: ‘A [e]full omer of it is to be kept safe throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “(D)Take a jar and put a [f]full omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept safe throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before (E)the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And (F)the sons of Israel ate the manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (Now (G)an [g]omer is a tenth of an ephah.)
The Council in Jerusalem
15 (A)Some men came down from Judea and began teaching (B)the brothers, “Unless you are (C)circumcised according to (D)the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had [a]a heated argument and (E)debate with them, (F)the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the (G)apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, after being (H)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both (I)Phoenicia and Samaria, (J)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they were bringing great joy to all (K)the brothers and sisters. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, (L)the apostles, and the elders, and they (M)reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of (N)the sect of the (O)Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to (P)circumcise [b]them and to direct them to keep the Law of Moses.”
22 Then it seemed good to (A)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to (B)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas who was called Barsabbas, and (C)Silas, leading men among (D)the brothers, 23 and they [a]sent this letter with them:
“(E)The apostles and the brothers who are elders, to (F)the brothers and sisters in (G)Antioch, (H)Syria, and (I)Cilicia who are from the Gentiles: (J)Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that (K)some [b]of our number to whom we gave no instruction have (L)confused you by their [c]teaching, upsetting your souls, 25 (M)it seemed good to us, having [d]become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have [e](N)risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore, we have sent (O)Judas and (P)Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For (Q)it seemed good to (R)the Holy Spirit and to (S)us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from (T)things sacrificed to idols, from (U)blood, from (V)things strangled, and from (W)acts of sexual immorality; [f]if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent away, (X)they went down to Antioch; and after gathering the [g]congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its [h]encouragement. 32 (Y)Judas and (Z)Silas, also being (AA)prophets themselves, [i]encouraged and strengthened (AB)the brothers and sisters with a lengthy message. 33 After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brothers and sisters (AC)in peace to those who had (AD)sent them out.[j] 35 But (AE)Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and (AF)preaching (AG)the word of the Lord, with many others also.
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