Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

He

Instructed by the Word

Restitution Offerings

6 ^[a]The Lord told Moses, ² “A person sins against the Lord by acting treacherously toward his neighbor regarding something entrusted to his care, regarding security for a loan, robbery, if he has oppressed his neighbor, ³ if he has found something that had been lost and then lied about it, or if he makes a false oath about any of these things, thus committing a sin with respect to these things. ⁴ If that person has sinned and has been found guilty, then he is to return the stolen thing that he took or obtained by oppression, or the security that had been entrusted to him, or the lost thing that he had found, ⁵ or the thing about which he had given a false oath. He is to restore it in full, add a fifth to it, then give it to whom it belongs the very day he’s found guilty. ⁶ Now as to his guilt offering, he is to bring to the Lord a ram without defect from the flock, estimated as to its value, to the priest. ⁷ Then the priest is to make atonement for him in the Lord’s presence, and it will be forgiven him regarding whatever he did.”

² Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, the Messiah^[a] will be of no benefit to you. ³ Again, I insist^[b] that everyone who allows himself to be circumcised is obligated to obey the entire Law. ⁴ Those of you who are trying to be justified by the Law have been cut off from the Messiah.^[c] You have fallen away from grace.

⁵ Through the Spirit by faith we confidently await the fulfillment of our righteous hope, ⁶ for in union with the Messiah^[d] Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. What matters is faith^[e] expressed through love.