Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁵ See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; ¹⁶ in that I command thee this day to love Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, that thou mayest live and multiply, and that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in the land whither thou goest in to possess it. ¹⁷ But if thy heart turn away, and thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; ¹⁸ I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days in the land, whither thou passest over the Jordan to go in to possess it. ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed; ²⁰ to love Jehovah thy God, to obey his voice, and to cleave unto him; for ^[a]he is thy life, and the length of thy days; that thou mayest dwell in the land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Meditations and prayers relating to the law of God.

א Aleph.

3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. ² I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; ³ for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men? ⁴ For when one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men? ⁵ What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him. ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. ⁸ Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s fellow-workers: ye are God’s ^[a]husbandry, God’s building.

²¹ Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, ^[a]Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: ²² but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother ^[b]shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, ^[c]Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, ^[d]Thou fool, shall be in danger ^[e]of the ^[f]hell of fire. ²³ If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, ²⁴ leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. ²⁵ Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art with him in the way; lest haply the adversary ^[g]deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. ²⁶ Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the last farthing.

²⁷ Ye have heard that it was said, ^[h]Thou shalt not commit adultery: ²⁸ but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. ²⁹ And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into ^[i]hell. ³⁰ And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into ^[j]hell. ³¹ It was said also, ^[k]Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: ³² but I say unto you, that every one that putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an adulteress: and whosoever shall marry her when she is put away committeth adultery.

³³ Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, ^[l]Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: ³⁴ but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor ^[m]by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. ^37 [n]But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of ^[o]the evil one.