Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

111 ^1-2 Hallelujah! I want to express publicly before his people my heartfelt thanks to God for his mighty miracles. All who are thankful should ponder them with me. ³ For his miracles demonstrate his honor, majesty, and eternal goodness.

⁴ Who can forget the wonders he performs—deeds of mercy and of grace? ⁵ He gives food to those who trust him; he never forgets his promises. ⁶ He has shown his great power to his people by giving them the land of Israel, though it was the home of many nations living there. ⁷ All he does is just and good, and all his laws are right, ⁸ for they are formed from truth and goodness and stand firm forever. ⁹ He has paid a full ransom for his people; now they are always free to come to Jehovah (what a holy, awe-inspiring name that is).

¹⁰ How can men be wise? The only way to begin is by reverence for God. For growth in wisdom comes from obeying his laws. Praise his name forever.

^33-34 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When you arrive in the land of Canaan which I have given you, and I place leprosy in some house there, ³⁵ then the owner of the house shall come and report to the priest, ‘It seems to me that there may be leprosy in my house!’

³⁶ “The priest shall order the house to be emptied before he examines it, so that everything in the house will not be declared contaminated if he decides that there is leprosy there. ³⁷ If he finds greenish or reddish streaks in the walls of the house which seem to be beneath the surface of the wall, ³⁸ he shall close up the house for seven days, ³⁹ and return the seventh day to look at it again. If the spots have spread in the wall, ⁴⁰ then the priest shall order the removal of the spotted section of wall, and the material must be thrown into a defiled place outside the city. ⁴¹ Then he shall order the inside walls of the house scraped thoroughly and the scrapings dumped in a defiled place outside the city. ⁴² Other stones shall be brought to replace those that have been removed, new mortar used, and the house replastered.

⁴³ “But if the spots appear again, ⁴⁴ the priest shall come again and look, and if he sees that the spots have spread, it is leprosy, and the house is defiled. ⁴⁵ Then he shall order the destruction of the house—all its stones, timbers, and mortar shall be carried out of the city to a defiled place. ⁴⁶ Anyone entering the house while it is closed shall be defiled until evening. ⁴⁷ Anyone who lies down or eats in the house shall wash his clothing.

⁴⁸ “But if, when the priest comes again to look, the spots have not reappeared after the fresh plastering, then he will pronounce the house cleansed and declare the leprosy gone. ⁴⁹ He shall also perform the ceremony of cleansing, using two birds, cedar wood, scarlet thread, and hyssop branches. ⁵⁰ He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in an earthenware bowl, ^51-52 and dip the cedar wood, hyssop branch, and scarlet thread, as well as the living bird, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water, and shall sprinkle the house seven times. In this way the house shall be cleansed. ⁵³ Then he shall let the live bird fly away into an open field outside the city. This is the method for making atonement for the house and cleansing it.”

¹³ Hold tightly to the pattern of truth I taught you, especially concerning the faith and love Christ Jesus offers you.^{[a] 14} Guard well the splendid, God-given ability you received as a gift from the Holy Spirit who lives within you.

¹⁵ As you know, all the Christians who came here from Asia have deserted me; even Phygellus and Hermogenes are gone. ¹⁶ May the Lord bless Onesiphorus and all his family because he visited me and encouraged me often. His visits revived me like a breath of fresh air, and he was never ashamed of my being in jail. ¹⁷ In fact, when he came to Rome, he searched everywhere trying to find me, and finally did. ¹⁸ May the Lord give him a special blessing at the day of Christ’s return. And you know better than I can tell you how much he helped me at Ephesus.