Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

How God dealt lovingly with the people of the old time in sending them his prophets, but has shown much more mercy to us, in that he sent us his own Son. Of the most excellent glory of Jesus Christ, who in all things is like his Father.

1 God in time past diversely and many ways spoke to the fathers by the prophets. ² But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he has made heir of all things; by whom also he made the world. ³ Which Son, being the brightness of his glory and very image of his substance, bearing up all things with the word of his power, has in his own person purged our sins, and is seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ and is more excellent than the angels, inasmuch as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

⁵ It is not to the angels that he has put in subjection the world to come, of which we speak. ⁶ But one in a certain place witnesses, saying, What is man, that you are mindful of him? ⁷ After you had for a season made him lower than the angels, you crowned him with honour and glory, and have set him above the works of your hands. ⁸ You have put all things in subjection under his feet.

In that he put all things under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. ⁹ Nevertheless, we do not yet see all things subdued, but we see him who was made less than the angels. We see that it was Jesus who is crowned with glory and honour for the suffering of death: that he, by the grace of God, was to taste of death for all men.

¹⁰ For it was fitting for him, for whom all things are and by whom all things are, in accordance with the way that he brought many sons to glory, to make the Lord of their salvation perfect through suffering. ¹¹ For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one, for which sake he is not ashamed to call them brethren, ¹² saying: I will declare your name to my brethren, and in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.

² And the Pharisees came and asked him a question, whether it was lawful for a man to put away his wife, in order to prove him. ³ And he answered and said to them, What did Moses tell you to do? ⁴ And they said, Moses permitted us to write a testimonial of divorce and to put her away.

⁵ And Jesus answered and said to them, For the hardness of your hearts he wrote this precept for you. ⁶ But at the first creation, God made them man and woman. ⁷ And for the sake of this, a man must leave his father and mother and abide by his wife, ⁸ and the two shall be one flesh. So then they are now not two, but are one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.

¹⁰ And in the house, his disciples asked him again about that matter. ¹¹ And he said to them, Whoever puts away his wife and marries another, breaks wedlock to her. ¹² And if a woman forsakes her husband and is married to another, she commits adultery.

¹³ And they brought children to him, for him to touch them. And his disciples rebuked the people who brought them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw that, he was displeased, and said to them, Suffer the children to come to me, and forbid them not. For of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁵ Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child, he shall not enter therein. ¹⁶ And he took them up in his arms, and put his hands upon them, and blessed them.