Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 78[a]
A well-written song[b] by Asaph.
78 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction.
Listen to the words I speak.[c]
2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;
I will make insightful observations about the past.[d]
3 What we have heard and learned[e]—
that which our ancestors[f] have told us—
4 we will not hide from their[g] descendants.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,[h]
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.
52 Yet he brought out his people like sheep;
he led them through the wilderness like a flock.
53 He guided them safely along, and they were not afraid;
but the sea covered their enemies.
54 He brought them to the border of his holy land,
to this mountainous land[a] that his right hand[b] acquired.
55 He drove the nations out from before them;
he assigned them their tribal allotments[c]
and allowed the tribes of Israel to settle down.[d]
56 Yet they challenged and defied[e] God Most High,[f]
and did not obey[g] his commands.[h]
57 They were unfaithful[i] and acted as treacherously as[j] their ancestors;
they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow.[k]
58 They made him angry with their pagan shrines,[l]
and made him jealous with their idols.
59 God heard and was angry;
he completely rejected Israel.
60 He abandoned[m] the sanctuary at Shiloh,
the tent where he lived among men.
61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured;[n]
he gave the symbol of his splendor[o] into the hand of the enemy.[p]
62 He delivered his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his chosen nation.[q]
63 Fire consumed their[r] young men,
and their[s] virgins remained unmarried.[t]
64 Their[u] priests fell by the sword,
but their[v] widows did not weep.[w]
65 But then the Lord awoke from his sleep;[x]
he was like a warrior in a drunken rage.[y]
66 He drove his enemies back;
he made them a permanent target for insults.[z]
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 He chose the tribe of Judah
and Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above,[aa]
as secure as the earth, which he established permanently.[ab]
70 He chose David, his servant,
and took him from the sheepfolds.
71 He took him away from following the mother sheep,[ac]
and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and of Israel, his chosen nation.[ad]
72 David[ae] cared for them with pure motives;[af]
he led them with skill.[ag]
27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they found nothing. 28 So the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse[a] to obey my commandments and my instructions? 29 See, because the Lord has given you the Sabbath, that is why[b] he is giving you food for two days on the sixth day. Each of you stay where you are;[c] let no one[d] go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Israel[e] called its name “manna.”[f] It was like coriander seed and was white, and it tasted[g] like wafers with honey.
32 Moses said, “This is what[h] the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it to be kept[i] for generations to come,[j] so that they may see[k] the food I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.’” 33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put in it an omer full of manna, and place it before the Lord to be kept for generations to come.” 34 Just as the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the ark of the testimony[l] for safekeeping.[m]
35 Now the Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was inhabited; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)[n]
The Jerusalem Council
15 Now some men came down from Judea[a] and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised[b] according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate[c] with them, the church[d] appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with[e] the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this point of disagreement.[f] 3 So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia[g] and Samaria, they were relating at length[h] the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy[i] to all the brothers. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received[j] by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported[k] all the things God had done with them.[l] 5 But some from the religious party of the Pharisees[m] who had believed stood up and said, “It is necessary[n] to circumcise the Gentiles[o] and to order them to observe[p] the law of Moses.”
22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided[a] to send men chosen from among them, Judas called Barsabbas and Silas,[b] leaders among the brothers, to Antioch[c] with Paul and Barnabas. 23 They sent this letter with them:[d]
From the apostles[e] and elders, your brothers,[f] to the Gentile brothers and sisters[g] in Antioch,[h] Syria,[i] and Cilicia, greetings! 24 Since we have heard that some have gone out from among us with no orders from us and have confused[j] you, upsetting[k] your minds[l] by what they said,[m] 25 we have unanimously[n] decided[o] to choose men to send to you along with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul, 26 who[p] have risked their lives[q] for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.[r] 27 Therefore we are sending[s] Judas and Silas[t] who will tell you these things themselves in person.[u] 28 For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us[v] not to place any greater burden on you than these necessary rules:[w] 29 that you abstain from meat that has been sacrificed to idols[x] and from blood and from what has been strangled[y] and from sexual immorality.[z] If you keep yourselves from doing these things,[aa] you will do well. Farewell.[ab]
30 So when they were dismissed,[ac] they went down to Antioch,[ad] and after gathering the entire group[ae] together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they read it aloud,[af] the people[ag] rejoiced at its encouragement.[ah] 32 Both Judas and Silas, who were prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with a long speech.[ai] 33 After[aj] they had spent some time there,[ak] they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them.[al] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch,[am] teaching and proclaiming (along with many others)[an] the word of the Lord.[ao]
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