Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
33 O Lord, teach me the way of Your Law and I will obey it to the end. 34 Give me understanding. Then I will listen to Your Word and obey it with all my heart. 35 Make me walk in the path of Your Word, for I find joy in it. 36 Turn my heart toward Your Law, so I will not earn money in a wrong way. 37 Turn my eyes away from things that have no worth, and give me new life because of Your ways. 38 Keep Your promise to Your servant, the promise You made to those who fear and worship You. 39 Turn away the shame that I do not want to come to me, for Your Law is good. 40 O, how I desire Your Law! Give me new life because of Your right and good way.
21 Do not do wrong to a stranger or make it hard for him. For you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 22 Do not bring trouble to any woman whose husband has died or any child whose parents have died. 23 If you bring them trouble, and they cry out to Me, for sure I will hear their cry. 24 My anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will lose their husbands. And your children will lose their fathers.
25 “If you let any of the poor among My people use your money, do not act toward him like one who is owed money. And do not make him pay you for the use of it. 26 If you ever take your neighbor’s coat to keep while he owes you money, return it to him before the sun goes down. 27 For that is his only covering. It is his clothing for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to Me, I will hear him. For I have loving-pity.
23 We are allowed to do anything, but not everything is good for us to do. We are allowed to do anything, but not all things help us grow strong as Christians. 24 Do not work only for your own good. Think of what you can do for others. 25 Eat any meat that is sold in the stores. Ask no questions about it. Then your heart will not say it is wrong. 26 The Holy Writings say, “The earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord.” (A) 27 If a person who is not a Christian wants you to eat with him, and you want to go, eat anything that is on the table. Ask no questions about the food. Then your heart will not say it is wrong. 28 But if someone says, “This meat has been given as a gift to false gods in worship,” do not eat it. In that way, it will not hurt the faith of the one who told you and his heart will have peace. 29 How the other person feels is important. We are not free to do things that will hurt another person. 30 If I can give thanks to God for my food, why should anyone say that I am wrong about eating food I can give thanks for? 31 So if you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything to honor God. 32 Do nothing that would make trouble for a Greek or for a Jew or for the church of God. 33 I want to please everyone in all that I do. I am not thinking of myself. I want to do what is best for them so they may be saved from the punishment of sin.
11 Follow my way of thinking as I follow Christ.
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