Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Joy of Obeying
128 Happy are all who honor the Lord with fear, and who walk in His ways. 2 For you will eat the fruit of your hands. You will be happy and it will be well with you. 3 Your wife will be like a vine with much fruit within your house. Your children will be like olive plants around your table. 4 This is the good that will come to the man who honors the Lord with fear.
5 May the Lord do good things for you from Zion. And may you see good come to Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.
22 “So tell the people of Israel, ‘The Lord God says, “It is not because of you, O people of Israel, that I am about to act. It is because of My holy name, which you have put to shame among the nations where you have gone. 23 I will show how holy My great name is, which you have put to shame among the nations. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I use you to show them that I am holy. 24 For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will put clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will make you clean from all your unclean ways and from all your false gods. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My Laws and be careful to do what I tell you. 28 And you will live in the land that I gave to your fathers. You will be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your unclean ways. I will give you much grain, and you will not have to go without food. 30 I will have the trees give much fruit and the fields give much food. So you will never again suffer the shame of going hungry among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your sinful ways and your sinful works, and you will hate yourselves because of your sins and wrong-doing. 32 I want you to know that I am not doing this because of you,” says the Lord God. “Be ashamed and troubled because of your ways, O people of Israel!”
53 *Then everyone went home.
Jesus Speaks to the Teachers of the Law and the Proud Religious Law-Keepers
8 (*Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning He went back to the house of God and all the people came to Him. He sat down and taught them.
3 The teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers came to Him. They brought a woman who had been caught doing a sex sin. They made her stand in front of them all. 4 Then they said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of doing a sex sin. 5 Moses told us in the Law to throw stones and kill a woman like this. What do You say about it?”
6 They were trying to set a trap to find something against Him. Jesus got down and began to write in the dust with His finger. 7 They kept on asking Him. Then He stood up and said, “Anyone of you who is without sin can throw the first stone at her.” 8 Again He got down and wrote in the dust. 9 When they heard what He said, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones until they were all gone. Then Jesus was left alone with the woman.
10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are those who spoke against you? Has no man said you are guilty?” 11 She said, “No one, Sir.” Jesus said to her, “Neither do I say you are guilty. Go on your way and do not sin again.”)
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