Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
116 I love the Lord, because he heard my voice.
He heard my cry for his help.
2 Because he paid attention to me,
I will call out to him as long as I live.
3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me.
The horrors of the grave came over me.
I was overcome by sadness and sorrow.
4 Then I called out to the Lord.
I cried out, “Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is holy and kind.
Our God is full of tender love.
6 The Lord takes care of those who are not aware of danger.
When I was in great need, he saved me.
7 I said to myself, “Be calm.
The Lord has been good to me.”
8 Lord, you have saved me from death.
You have dried the tears from my eyes.
You have kept me from tripping and falling.
9 So now I can enjoy life here with you
while I’m still living.
15 The house Rahab lived in was part of the city wall. So she let the spies down by a rope through the window. 16 She said to them, “Go up into the hills. The men chasing you won’t be able to find you. Hide yourselves there for three days until they return. Then you can go on your way.”
17 The spies had said to her, “You made us give our word. But we won’t keep our promise 18 unless you do what we say. When we enter the land, you must tie this bright red rope in the window. Tie it in the window you let us down through. Bring your father and mother into your house. Also bring in your brothers and everyone else in your family. 19 None of you must go out into the street. If you do, anything that happens to you will be your own fault. We won’t be responsible. But if anyone hurts someone who is inside the house with you, it will be our fault. We will be responsible. 20 Don’t tell anyone what we’re doing. If you do, we won’t have to keep the promise you asked us to make.”
21 “I agree,” Rahab replied. “I’ll do as you say.”
So she sent them away, and they left. Then she tied the bright red rope in the window.
22 When the spies left, they went up into the hills. They stayed there for three days. By that time the men chasing them had searched all along the road. They couldn’t find them. So they returned. 23 Then the two spies started back. They went down out of the hills. They went across the Jordan River. They came to Joshua, the son of Nun. They told him everything that had happened to them. 24 They said, “We’re sure the Lord has given the whole land over to us. All the people there are weak with fear because of us.”
17 It is the same with faith. If it doesn’t cause us to do something, it’s dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith. I do good deeds.”
Show me your faith that doesn’t cause you to do good deeds. And I will show you my faith by the goods deeds I do. 19 You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that. And they tremble!
20 You foolish person! Do you want proof that faith without good deeds is useless? 21 Our father Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar. Wasn’t he considered to be right with God because of what he did? 22 So you see that what he believed and what he did were working together. What he did made his faith complete. 23 That is what Scripture means where it says, “Abraham believed God. God accepted Abraham because he believed. So his faith made him right with God.” (Genesis 15:6) And that’s not all. God called Abraham his friend. 24 So you see that a person is considered right with God by what they do. It doesn’t happen only because they believe.
25 Didn’t God consider even Rahab the prostitute to be right with him? That’s because of what she did for the spies. She gave them a place to stay. Then she sent them off in a different direction. 26 A person’s body without their spirit is dead. In the same way, faith without good deeds is dead.
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