Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Moses Comes Down from Mount Sinai

^29 (A) Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments. His face was shining brightly because the Lord had been speaking to him. But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining. ³⁰ When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw this, and they were afraid to go near him. ³¹ Moses called out for Aaron and the leaders to come to him, and he spoke with them. ³² Then the rest of the people of Israel gathered around Moses, and he gave them the laws that the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

³³ The face of Moses kept shining, and after he had spoken with the people, he covered his face with a veil. ³⁴ Moses would always remove the veil when he went into the sacred tent to speak with the Lord. And when he came out, he would tell the people everything the Lord had told him to say. ³⁵ They could see that his face was still shining. So after he had spoken with them, he would put the veil back on and leave it on until the next time he went to speak with the Lord.

Faith and Works

¹⁴ My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show you really do have faith? Can this kind of faith save you? ¹⁵ If you know someone who doesn't have any clothes or food, ¹⁶ you shouldn't just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? ¹⁷ Faith that doesn't lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!

¹⁸ Suppose someone disagrees and says, “It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds.”

I would answer, “Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them.” ¹⁹ You surely believe there is only one God. That's fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear.

²⁰ Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless? ^21 (A) Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. ²² Now you see how Abraham's faith and deeds worked together. He proved his faith was real by what he did. ^23 (B) This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God accepted him.” That's how Abraham became God's friend.

²⁴ You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. ^25 (C) For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.

²⁶ Anyone who doesn't breathe is dead, and faith that doesn't do anything is just as dead!