Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
112 Praise the Lord.
Blessed are those who have respect for the Lord.
They find great delight when they obey God’s commands.
2 Their children will be powerful in the land.
Because they are honest, their children will be blessed.
3 Their family will have wealth and riches.
They will always be blessed for doing what is right.
4 Even in the darkness light shines on honest people.
It shines on those who are kind and tender and godly.
5 Good things will come to those who are willing to lend freely.
Good things will come to those who are fair in everything they do.
6 Those who do what is right will always be secure.
They will be remembered forever.
7 They aren’t afraid when bad news comes.
They stand firm because they trust in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are secure. They aren’t afraid.
In the end they will see their enemies destroyed.
9 They have spread their gifts around to poor people.
Their good works continue forever.
They will be powerful and honored.
10 Evil people will see it and be upset.
They will grind their teeth and become weaker and weaker.
What evil people long to do can’t succeed.
Breaking Marriage Laws
13 Suppose a man marries a woman and sleeps with her. But then he doesn’t like her. 14 So he tells lies about her and says she’s a bad woman. He says, “I married this woman. But when I slept with her, I discovered she wasn’t a virgin.” 15 Then the young woman’s parents must bring proof that she was a virgin. They must give the proof to the elders at the gate of the town. 16 Her father will speak to the elders. He’ll say, “I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife. But he doesn’t like her. 17 So now he has told lies about her. He has said, ‘I discovered that your daughter wasn’t a virgin.’ But here’s the proof that my daughter was a virgin.” Then her parents will show the elders of the town the cloth that has her blood on it. 18 The elders will punish the man. 19 They’ll make him weigh out two and a half pounds of silver. They’ll give it to the young woman’s father. That’s because the man has said an Israelite virgin is a bad woman. She will continue to be his wife. He must not divorce her as long as he lives.
20 But suppose the charge is true. And there isn’t any proof that the young woman was a virgin. 21 Then she must be brought to the door of her father’s house. There the people of her town will put her to death by throwing stones at her. She has done a very terrible thing in Israel. She has slept with a man before she was married. Get rid of that evil person.
22 Suppose a man is seen sleeping with another man’s wife. Then the man and the woman must both die. Get rid of those evil people.
23 Suppose a man happens to see a virgin in a town. And she has promised to marry another man. But the man who happens to see her sleeps with her. 24 Then you must take both of them to the gate of that town. You must put them to death by throwing stones at them. You must kill the young woman because she was in a town and didn’t scream for help. And you must kill the man because he slept with another man’s wife. Get rid of those evil people.
25 But suppose a man happens to see a young woman out in the country. And she has promised to marry another man. But the man who happens to see her rapes her. Then only the man who has done that will die. 26 Don’t do anything to the woman. She hasn’t committed a sin worthy of death. That case is like the case of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor. 27 The man found the young woman out in the country. And she screamed for help. But there wasn’t anyone around who could save her.
28 Suppose a man happens to see a virgin who hasn’t promised to marry another man. And the man who happens to see her rapes her. But someone discovers them. 29 Then the man must weigh out 20 ounces of silver. He must give it to her father. The man must marry the young woman, because he raped her. And he can never divorce her as long as he lives.
30 A man must not marry his stepmother. He must not bring shame on his father by sleeping with her.
Advice for Those Who Are Married
7 Now I want to deal with the things you wrote me about. Some of you say, “It is good for a man not to sleep with a woman.” 2 But since sexual sin is happening, each man should sleep with his own wife. And each woman should sleep with her own husband. 3 A husband should satisfy his wife’s needs. And a wife should satisfy her husband’s needs. 4 The wife’s body does not belong only to her. It also belongs to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong only to him. It also belongs to his wife. 5 You shouldn’t stop giving yourselves to each other. You might possibly do this when you both agree to it. And you should only agree to it to give yourselves time to pray. Then you should come together again. In that way, Satan will not tempt you when you can’t control yourselves. 6 I say those things to you as my advice, not as a command. 7 I wish all of you were single like me. But you each have your own gift from God. One has this gift, and another has that one.
8 I speak now to those who are not married. I also speak to widows. It is good for you to stay single like me. 9 But if you can’t control yourselves, you should get married. It is better to get married than to burn with desire.
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