Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Song of Ascents
The Blessings of Fearing God
128 How blessed[a] are all who fear the Lord
as they follow in his ways.
2 You will eat from the work of your hands;
you will be happy, and it will go well for you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your children[b] like olive shoots surrounding your table.
4 See how the man will be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
and may you observe the prosperity of Jerusalem
every day that you live!
6 And may you see your children’s children!
Peace be on Israel!
The Coming Renewal of Israel
22 “Therefore tell the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “I’m not about to act for your sake, you house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy reputation, which you have been defiling throughout all of the nations where you’ve gone. 23 I’m going to affirm[a] my great reputation that has been defiled among the nations (that is, that you have defiled in their midst), and those people will learn that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I affirm my holiness in front of their very eyes. 24 I’m going to remove you from the nations, gather you from all of the territories, and bring you all back to your own land. 25 I’ll sprinkle pure water on you all, and you’ll be cleansed from your impurity and from all of your idols.”
26 “‘“I’m going to give you a new heart, and I’m going to give you a new spirit within all of your deepest parts. I’ll remove that rock-hard heart of yours[b] and replace it with one that’s sensitive to me.[c] 27 I’ll place my spirit within you, empowering you to live according to[d] my regulations and to keep my just decrees. 28 You’ll live in the land that I gave to your ancestors, you’ll be my people, and I will be your God. 29 In addition, I’ll deliver you from everything that makes you unclean. I’ll call out to the grain you plant, ordering it to produce abundant yields, and I will never bring famine in your direction. 30 I’ll increase the yields of your fruit trees and crops so that you’ll never again experience the disgrace of famine that occurs in other nations. 31 Then you’ll remember your lifestyles and practices that were not good. You’ll hate yourselves as you look at your own iniquities and loathsome practices. 32 I won’t be doing any of this for your sake,” declares the Lord God, “so keep that in mind. Be ashamed and frustrated because of your behavior, you house of Israel!”’”
53 Then all of them went to their own homes.
The Woman Caught in Adultery
8 Jesus, however, went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At daybreak he appeared again in the Temple, and all the people came to him. So he sat down and began to teach them. 3 But the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery.[a] After setting her before them,[b] 4 they told him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women to death. What do you say?” 6 They said this to test him, so that they might have a charge against him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
7 When they persisted in questioning him, he straightened up and told them, “Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he bent down again and continued writing on the ground.[c] 9 When they heard this, they went away one by one,[d] beginning with the oldest,[e] and he was left alone with the woman standing there.[f] 10 Then Jesus stood up and asked her, “Dear lady,[g] where are your accusers?[h] Hasn’t anyone condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,”[i] she replied.
Then Jesus said, “I don’t condemn you, either. Go home, and from now on don’t sin anymore.”[j]
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