Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
For the director of music. A psalm of David to be played on flutes.
5 Lord, listen to my words.
Pay attention when I mourn.
2 My King and my God,
hear me when I cry for help.
I pray to you.
3 Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
In the morning I pray to you.
I wait for you in hope.
4 For you, God, aren’t happy with anything that is evil.
Those who do what is wrong can’t live where you are.
5 Those who are proud can’t stand in front of you.
You hate everyone who does what is evil.
6 You destroy those who tell lies.
Lord, you hate murderers and those who cheat others.
7 Because of your great love
I can come into your house.
With deep respect I bow down
toward your holy temple.
8 Lord, I have many enemies.
Lead me in your right path.
Make your way smooth and straight for me.
9 Not a word from their mouths can be trusted.
Their hearts are filled with a desire to hurt others.
Their throats are like open graves.
With their tongues they tell lies.
10 God, show that they are guilty.
Let their evil plans bring them down.
Send them away because of their many sins.
They have refused to obey you.
11 But let all those who go to you for safety be glad.
Let them always sing for joy.
Spread your cover over them and keep them safe.
Then those who love you will be glad because of you.
12 Surely, Lord, you bless those who do what is right.
Like a shield, your loving care keeps them safe.
21 Wise hearts are known for understanding what is right.
Kind words make people want to learn more.
22 Understanding is like a fountain of life to those who have it.
But foolish people are punished for the foolish things they do.
23 The hearts of wise people guide their mouths.
Their words make people want to learn more.
24 Kind words are like honey.
They are sweet to the spirit and bring healing to the body.
25 There is a way that appears to be right.
But in the end it leads to death.
26 The hunger of workers makes them work.
Their hunger drives them on.
27 A worthless person plans to do evil things.
Their words are like a burning fire.
28 A twisted person stirs up conflict.
Anyone who talks about others separates close friends.
29 A person who wants to hurt others tries to get them to sin.
That person leads them down a path that isn’t good.
30 Whoever winks with their eye is planning to do wrong.
Whoever closes their lips tightly is up to no good.
31 Gray hair is a glorious crown.
You get it by living the right way.
32 It is better to be patient than to fight.
It is better to control your temper than to take a city.
33 Lots are cast into the lap to make decisions.
But everything they decide comes from the Lord.
What Makes People “Unclean”?
15 Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked, 2 “Why don’t your disciples obey what the elders teach? Your disciples don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3 Jesus replied, “And why don’t you obey God’s command? You would rather follow your own teachings! 4 God said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’ (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16) He also said, ‘Anyone who asks for bad things to happen to their father or mother must be put to death.’ (Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9) 5 But suppose people have something that might be used to help their parents. You allow them to say it is instead ‘a gift set apart for God.’ 6 So they do not need to honor their father or mother with their gift. You make the word of God useless in order to follow your own teachings. 7 You pretenders! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. He said,
8 “ ‘These people honor me by what they say.
But their hearts are far away from me.
9 Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me.
They teach nothing but human rules.’ ” (Isaiah 29:13)
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