Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

ת Taw

¹¹ An old prophet was living in Bethel. His sons came and spoke to him. They told him everything the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king. ¹² Their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” His sons showed him the road the man of God from Judah had taken. ¹³ So he said to his sons, “Put a saddle on the donkey for me.” When they had done it, he got on the donkey. ¹⁴ He traveled on the same road the man of God had taken. He found the man sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”

“I am,” he replied.

¹⁵ So the prophet said to him, “Come home with me. I’ll give you something to eat.”

¹⁶ The man of God said, “I can’t go back to Bethel with you. I can’t eat bread or drink water with you there. ¹⁷ I’ve received a message from the Lord. He told me, ‘Do not eat bread or drink water there. Do not return the same way you came.’ ”

¹⁸ The old prophet answered, “I’m also a prophet, just like you. An angel gave me a message from the Lord. The message said, ‘Bring the man of God back with you to your house. Then he can eat bread and drink water with you.’ ” But the old prophet was telling him a lie. ¹⁹ The man of God returned with him. He ate and drank in his house.

²⁰ They were sitting at the table. The Lord gave a message to the old prophet who had brought the man of God back. ²¹ He cried out to the man who had come from Judah. He told him, “The Lord says, ‘You have not done what I told you to do. You have not obeyed the command I gave you. I am the Lord your God. ²² You came back here and ate bread and drank water. You did it in the place where I told you not to. So your body will not be buried in your family tomb.’ ”

²³ The man of God finished eating and drinking. Then the old prophet who had brought him back put a saddle on the man’s donkey for him. ²⁴ And the man went on his way. A lion attacked him on the road and killed him. His body was left lying on the road. The donkey and the lion were standing beside it. ²⁵ Some people passed by. They saw the body lying on the road. They saw the lion standing beside the body. Then they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.

Teachings About Holy Living

3 You have been raised up with Christ. So think about things that are in heaven. That is where Christ is. He is sitting at God’s right hand. ² Think about things that are in heaven. Don’t think about things that are only on earth. ³ You died. Now your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ Christ is your life. When he appears again, you also will appear with him in heaven’s glory.

⁵ So put to death anything that comes from sinful desires. Get rid of sexual sins and impure acts. Don’t let your feelings get out of control. Remove from your life all evil desires. Stop always wanting more and more. You might as well be worshiping statues of gods. ⁶ God’s anger is going to come because of these things. ⁷ That’s the way you lived at one time in your life. ⁸ But now here are the kinds of things you must also get rid of. You must get rid of anger, rage, hate and lies. Let no dirty words come out of your mouths. ⁹ Don’t lie to one another. You have gotten rid of your old way of life and its habits. ¹⁰ You have started living a new life. Your knowledge of how that life should have the Creator’s likeness is being made new. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew. There is no difference between those who are circumcised and those who are not. There is no rude outsider, or even a Scythian. There is no slave or free person. But Christ is everything. And he is in everything.