Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁸ You have not come to the mountain that can be touched and is burning with a big fire. You have not come to the place of darkness and night and storm.

¹⁹ You have not come to a place where a loud trumpet or horn is blown, and a loud voice is talking. When the people heard the voice, they begged that God would not say anything more to them.

²⁰ They were afraid of what he said. He said, `If even an animal touches this mountain, it must be killed with stones.'

²¹ Moses was afraid when he saw all this. He said, `I fear very much and I tremble.'

²² But you have come to a hill called Zion. You have come to the city of the living God. It is the Jerusalem in heaven. You have come to many thousands of angels in a happy gathering.

²³ You have come to the church people. They are God's first sons, and their names are written in heaven. You have come to God who is the judge of all people. You have come to the spirits of good people who have been made right.

²⁴ You have come to Jesus who is the middle man of a new agreement. You have come to the place where the spilling of his blood has more power than Abel's.

²⁵ Take care that you listen to God who is talking now. The people were punished when they would not listen to the One who talked on earth. And we will be punished much worse if we will not listen to the One who talks from heaven.

²⁶ That time his voice shook the earth. But now he has said, `Only once more I will shake the earth and the sky also.'

²⁷ The words, `Only once more' mean that the things that are shaken will be taken away. They are things that were made. The things which are not shaken will stay.

²⁸ We have a place in heaven that cannot be shaken. So let us be glad and worship God and please him. Let us respect and fear him.

²⁹ Our God is a fire that can burn up.

¹⁰ Jesus was teaching in one of the meeting houses on the Sabbath day.

¹¹ A woman was there who had a spirit that had made her sick for eighteen years. She had to bend down all the time and could not stand up straight.

¹² Jesus saw her and called her to come to him. Then he said, `Woman, you are healed. You are not sick any longer.'

¹³ Jesus put his hands on her, and right away she stood up straight. And she praised God.

¹⁴ The ruler of the meeting house was angry because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, `There are six days to work. You should come to be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day.'

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, `You are not true to yourselves! Every one of you unties his cow or horse and takes it to the water to drink on the Sabbath day. Do you not?

¹⁶ This woman belongs to Abraham's family. Satan has tied her for eighteen years. Is it not right that she should be set free on the Sabbath day?'

¹⁷ When he said that, all those who had talked against him were ashamed. All the other people were very glad for all the wonderful things Jesus did.