Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁰ According to God’s grace, I laid the foundation like a wise master builder, and someone else is building on it. Everyone should take care how they build on it. ¹¹ Nobody can lay any foundation, you see, except the one which is laid, which is Jesus the Messiah!

¹⁶ Don’t you see? You are God’s Temple! God’s spirit lives in you! ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s Temple, God will destroy them. God’s Temple is holy, you see, and that is precisely what you are.

Everything belongs to you

¹⁸ Don’t let anyone deceive themselves. If anyone among you supposes they are wise in the present age, let them become foolish, so that they can become wise. ¹⁹ The wisdom of this world, you see, is folly with God. This is what the Bible says: “He catches the wise in their trickery.” ²⁰ And again, “The Lord knows the thinking of the wise—and he knows that it’s all a sham!”

²¹ So don’t let anyone boast about mere human beings. For everything belongs to you, ²² whether it’s Paul or Apollos or Cephas, whether it’s the world or life or death, whether it’s the present or the future—everything belongs to you! ²³ And you belong to the Messiah; and the Messiah belongs to God.

Loving your enemies

³⁸ “You heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you: don’t use violence to resist evil! Instead, when someone hits you on the right cheek, turn the other one towards him. ⁴⁰ When someone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your cloak, too. ⁴¹ And when someone forces you to go one mile, go a second one with him. ⁴² Give to anyone who asks you, and don’t refuse someone who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³ “You heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you: love your enemies! Pray for people who persecute you! ⁴⁵ That way, you’ll be children of your father in heaven! After all, he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and sends rain both on the upright and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ Look at it like this: if you love those who love you, do you expect a special reward? Even tax-collectors do that, don’t they? ⁴⁷ And if you only greet your own family, what’s so special about that? Even Gentiles do that, don’t they? ⁴⁸ Well then: you must be perfect, just as your heavenly father is perfect.”