Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁴ But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a ^[a]juniper tree; and ^(A)he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my ^[b]life, for I am not better than my fathers.” ⁵ He lay down and slept under a ^[c]juniper tree; and behold, there was ^(B)an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” ⁶ Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. ⁷ The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” ⁸ So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food ^(C)forty days and forty nights to ^(D)Horeb, the mountain of God.

The Lord, a Provider and Deliverer.

A Psalm of David when he ^[a]feigned madness before ^[b]Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.

²⁵ Therefore, ^(A)laying aside falsehood, ^(B)speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are ^(C)members of one another. ^26 (D)Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and do not ^(E)give the devil ^[a]an opportunity. ²⁸ He who steals must steal no longer; but rather ^(F)he must labor, ^(G)performing with his own hands what is good, ^(H)so that he will have something to share with ^[b]one who has need. ²⁹ Let no ^[c](I)unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for ^(J)edification ^[d]according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. ^30 (K)Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, ^[e]by whom you were ^(L)sealed for the day of redemption. ^31 (M)Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be ^(N)put away from you, along with all ^(O)malice. ^32 (P)Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, ^(Q)just as God in Christ also has forgiven ^[f]you.

Be Imitators of God

5 ^(R)Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; ² and ^(S)walk in love, just as Christ also ^(T)loved ^[g]you and ^(U)gave Himself up for us, an ^(V)offering and a sacrifice to God ^[h]as a ^(W)fragrant aroma.

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “^(A)I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me ^(B)will never thirst.

Words to the Jews

^41 (A)Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that ^(B)came down out of heaven.” ⁴² They were saying, “^(C)Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother ^(D)we know? How does He now say, ‘^(E)I have come down out of heaven’?” ⁴³ Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me ^(F)draws him; and I will ^(G)raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written ^(H)in the prophets, ‘^(I)And they shall all be ^(J)taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. ^46 (K)Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes ^(L)has eternal life. ^48 (M)I am the bread of life. ^49 (N)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread which ^(O)comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and ^(P)not die. ^51 (Q)I am the living bread that ^(R)came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, ^(S)he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give ^(T)for the life of the world is ^(U)My flesh.”