Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
23 If the way that somebody lives pleases the Lord,
the Lord will lead him into good things.
24 Even if that person trips, he will not fall.
The Lord will hold his hand.
25 I was young once and now I am old.
But in all my life, I have never seen any good man that God has left alone.
I have not seen his children so hungry
that they ask people for food.
26 Good people are always kind.
They lend things to other people.
Their children also bring God's blessing.
27 Turn away from evil things!
Do what is right!
Then you will live safely in the land for ever.
28 The Lord loves justice.
He will never leave those who serve him.
He will take care of them for ever,
but he will remove the children of wicked people.
29 God's righteous people will take the land for themselves.
They will live there for ever.
30 Righteous people speak wise words.
What they say brings justice.
31 They think about God's Law all the time,
so that they do not make mistakes.
32 Evil people wait for a chance to kill righteous people.
33 But the Lord will not leave his righteous people,
so that their enemies have power over them.
When evil people accuse them,
the Lord will show that they are not guilty.
34 Be patient and continue to trust the Lord.
Obey his commands.
Then he will give you honour,
so that you live safely in the land.
You will see that the Lord destroys wicked people.
35 I have seen cruel, wicked people become very powerful,
like trees that grow well in good soil.
36 But soon after that,
I see that they have disappeared!
I looked for them,
but I could not find them anywhere.
37 Think about people who are honest
and who do what is right.
Those who help people to live in peace
will live to enjoy their children.
38 But God will destroy people that turn against him.
Evil people will not have descendants.
39 The Lord will make righteous people safe.
He will take care of them in times of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them.
He saves them from wicked people.
He keeps them safe
because they turn to him for help.
Samuel speaks for the last time
12 Samuel said to all the Israelites, ‘I have done everything that you asked me to do. I have given you a king to rule over you. 2 Listen! You now have a king to be your leader, instead of me. I am old and my hair is grey. My sons are here with you. I have been your leader from the time when I was young until now. 3 Look at me. I stand here where the Lord and his chosen king can see me. Speak now if I have done any wrong thing against you. Have I taken anyone's cow or anyone's donkey? Have I cheated anyone? Have I been cruel to anyone? Have I received bribes from anyone to say that they are not guilty? If I have done any of those things, tell me! Then I will pay back my debt.’
4 The Israelites answered, ‘You have not cheated us. You have not been cruel to us. You have not robbed any of us.’
5 Samuel said to them, ‘The Lord and his chosen king have heard what you have said today. They know that I have not done a wrong thing against any of you.’
The people replied, ‘Yes, the Lord knows what we have said.’
6 Then Samuel said to the people, ‘The Lord chose Moses and Aaron to lead his people. He brought your ancestors out from Egypt. 7 You must stand up now for the Lord to judge you. You need to remember all the great things that the Lord has done to help you and your ancestors. 8 After Jacob and his family went to Egypt, your ancestors called to the Lord for help. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron to help them. They led your ancestors out of Egypt. They brought them to live here in this land. 9 But your ancestors forgot about the Lord their God. So he let their enemies win against them. Sisera led an army from Hazor to attack the Israelites. The Philistines and the king of Moab also attacked them. 10 Then the Israelites called out to the Lord for help. They said, “We have done bad things. We have turned away from the Lord and we have worshipped idols of Baal and images of Ashtoreth.[a] Please save us from our enemies and we will worship you.” 11 So the Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel to help you. The Lord saved you from all your enemies so that you could live safely.
12 But then you saw that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, was coming to attack you. So you said to me, “Now we want a king to rule over us.” You forgot that the Lord your God is your king. 13 Look! Here is the king that you chose. He is the man that you asked to have. The Lord has made him your king. 14 You must respect the Lord with fear. You must obey what he commands you to do. You and the king who rules over you must serve only the Lord your God. If you do that, everything will go well for you. 15 But the Lord will punish you and your king if you do not obey him. You must not turn against him again.
16 Now stand where you are and watch! The Lord will do a great thing and you will see it. 17 This is the time of the wheat harvest.[b] I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain. Then you will understand that you have done an evil thing against the Lord. You asked for a king to rule over you.’
18 Samuel prayed to the Lord. That same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. All the people became afraid of the Lord and of Samuel. 19 They said to Samuel, ‘Please pray to the Lord your God for us. We do not want to die! We realize that we have done many bad things in past times. Now we have added to those sins when we asked to have a king.’
20 Samuel said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. It is true that you have done an evil thing. But do not turn away from the Lord. Instead, serve him with all your strength. 21 Do not worship idols. They are useless things. They cannot help you. They will never save you. 22 The Lord was pleased to choose you to be his own people. He will show that he is faithful and he will not leave you alone. 23 As for me, I will not stop praying for you. That would be a sin against the Lord. I will teach you how to live in the right way. 24 But you must respect and obey the Lord. You must serve him faithfully with all your strength. Remember the great things that he has done for you. 25 If you continue to do evil things, that will be the end of you and your king.’
Jesus washes his disciples' feet
13 It was nearly time for the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that he would soon leave this world and to go to the Father. He had always loved those who were his own people in the world. He continued to love them to the end.
2 Jesus and his disciples were eating supper. The Devil had already put an idea into the mind of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son. The idea was to sell Jesus to his enemies. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him power over everything. He knew that he had come from God. And he knew that he would soon return to God. 4 So, during the meal, he stood up. He took off the coat that he wore over his other clothes. He tied a piece of cloth round himself. 5 Then he poured water into a bowl and he began to wash the disciples' feet. Jesus made their feet dry with the cloth that was round him.
6 Jesus came to Simon Peter. Peter asked him, ‘Lord, will you really wash my feet?’ 7 Jesus answered him, ‘You do not understand now what I am doing. But you will understand in the future.’ 8 Peter said, ‘No! You will never wash my feet!’ Jesus answered, ‘If I do not wash you, you do not belong with me.’ 9 Simon Peter replied, ‘So Lord, do not wash my feet only! Wash my hands and my head too!’ 10 Jesus said, ‘A person who has washed his whole body is completely clean. He needs only to wash his feet. And all of you are clean, except one of you.’ 11 Jesus knew already who would sell him to his enemies. That is why he said, ‘Not every one of you is clean.’
12 When he had finished washing the disciples' feet, Jesus put on his coat. He returned to his place at the meal. He asked them, ‘I want you to understand what I have just done for you. 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right. That is what I am. 14 I am your Teacher and your Lord, but I have washed your feet. So you also should wash each other's feet. 15 I have given you an example. You should do the same for others as I have done for you. 16 I tell you this: No servant is more important than his master is. No messenger is more important than the person who sent him with a message. 17 Now you understand these things. So you should do them, and God will bless you.’
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