Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Israel Urged to Obey God’s Law
4 “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which (A)I am teaching you to perform, so that (B)you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 (C)You shall not add to the word which (D)I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
6 So keep and do them, (A)for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For (B)what great nation is there that has a god (C)so near to it as is the Lord our God (D)whenever we call on Him? 8 Or what great nation is there that has (E)statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?
9 “Only (F)give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart (G)all the days of your life; but (H)make them known to your sons and your grandsons.
Description of a Citizen of Zion.
A Psalm of David.
15 O Lord, who may [a]abide (A)in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your (B)holy hill?
2 He who (C)walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And (D)speaks truth in his heart.
3 He (E)does not slander [b]with his tongue,
Nor (F)does evil to his neighbor,
Nor (G)takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 In [c]whose eyes a reprobate is despised,
But [d]who (H)honors those who fear the Lord;
He (I)swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 He (J)does not put out his money [e]at interest,
Nor (K)does he take a bribe against the innocent.
(L)He who does these things will never be shaken.
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is (A)from above, coming down from (B)the Father of lights, (C)with whom there is no variation or [a]shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of (D)His will He (E)brought us forth by (F)the word of truth, so that we would be [b]a kind of (G)first fruits [c]among His creatures.
19 [d]This (H)you know, (I)my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, (J)slow to speak and (K)slow to anger; 20 for (L)the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, (M)putting aside all filthiness and all [e]that remains of wickedness, in [f]humility receive (N)the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 (O)But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [g]natural face (P)in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, [h]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, (Q)the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but [i]an effectual doer, this man will be (R)blessed in [j]what he does.
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not [k](S)bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion (T)in the sight of our God and Father is this: to (U)visit (V)orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained [l]by (W)the world.
Followers of Tradition
7 (A)The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come (B)from Jerusalem, 2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with (C)impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they [a]carefully wash their hands, thus observing the (D)traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they [b]cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the [c]washing of (E)cups and pitchers and copper pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the (F)tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with (G)impure hands?” 6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘(H)This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
7 ‘(I)But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’
8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the (J)tradition of men.”
The Heart of Man
14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.
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