Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 19[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
19 The heavens declare the glory of God;[b]
the sky displays his handiwork.[c]
2 Day after day it speaks out;[d]
night after night it reveals his greatness.[e]
3 There is no actual speech or word,
nor is its[f] voice literally heard.
4 Yet its voice[g] echoes[h] throughout the earth;
its[i] words carry[j] to the distant horizon.[k]
In the sky[l] he has pitched a tent for the sun.[m]
5 Like a bridegroom it emerges[n] from its chamber;[o]
like a strong man it enjoys[p] running its course.[q]
6 It emerges from the distant horizon,[r]
and goes from one end of the sky to the other;[s]
nothing can escape[t] its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life.[u]
The rules set down by the Lord[v] are reliable[w]
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.[x]
8 The Lord’s precepts are fair[y]
and make one joyful.[z]
The Lord’s commands[aa] are pure[ab]
and give insight for life.[ac]
9 The commands to fear the Lord are right[ad]
and endure forever.[ae]
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just.[af]
10 They are of greater value[ag] than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight[ah] than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there;[ai]
those who obey them receive a rich reward.[aj]
12 Who can know all his errors?[ak]
Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of.[al]
13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins;[am]
do not allow such sins to control me.[an]
Then I will be blameless,
and innocent of blatant[ao] rebellion.
14 May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable in your sight,[ap]
O Lord, my sheltering rock[aq] and my redeemer.[ar]
Israel at Sinai
19 [a] In the third month after the Israelites went out[b] from the land of Egypt, on the very day,[c] they came to the desert of Sinai. 2 After they journeyed[d] from Rephidim, they came to the desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.[e]
3 Moses[f] went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the people[g] of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wings[h] and brought you to myself.[i] 5 And now, if you will diligently listen to me[j] and keep[k] my covenant, then you will be my[l] special possession[m] out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, 6 and you will be to me[n] a kingdom of priests[o] and a holy nation.’[p] These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”
7 So Moses came and summoned the elders of Israel. He set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him, 8 and all the people answered together, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do!”[q] So Moses brought the words of the people back to the Lord.
9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come[r] to you in a dense cloud,[s] so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.”[t] And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.
A Living Stone, a Chosen People
4 So as you come to him,[a] a living stone rejected by men but[b] chosen and precious[c] in God’s sight, 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer[d] spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it says[e] in scripture, “Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone,[f] and whoever believes[g] in him[h] will never[i] be put to shame.”[j] 7 So you who believe see[k] his value,[l] but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the[m] cornerstone,[n] 8 and a stumbling-stone[o] and a rock to trip over.[p] They stumble[q] because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.[r] 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues[s] of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 You[t] once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy,[u] but now you have received mercy.
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