Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁵ ¶ See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

¹⁶ for I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his rights, that thou may live and be multiplied; and may the LORD thy God bless thee in the land into which thou dost enter to inherit it.

¹⁷ But if thine heart turns away so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,

¹⁸ I declare unto you this day that ye shall surely perish and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, to go unto which thou passest the Jordan to inherit it.

¹⁹ I call the heavens and the earth to witness today against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life that both thou and thy seed may live,

²⁰ that thou may love the LORD thy God and that thou may hear his voice and that thou may cleave unto him; for he is thy life and the length of thy days that thou may dwell in the land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob, to give them.

ALEPH.

¹ ¶ Blessed are those who walk in the perfect way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

² Blessed are those that keep his testimonies and that seek him with their whole heart.

³ For those who do no iniquity walk in his ways.

⁴ ¶ Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

⁵ O that my ways were ordered to keep thy statutes!

⁶ Then I shall not be ashamed, when I have insight unto all thy commandments.

⁷ ¶ I will praise thee with uprightness of heart when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

⁸ I will keep thy statutes; O do not utterly forsake me.

3 ¶ And I, brothers, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

² I have fed you with milk, and not with solid food, for until now ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

³ For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men?

⁴ For while one says, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal?

⁵ ¶ Who then is Paul? and who is Apollos? but servants by whom ye believed, each one according to that which the Lord gave.

⁶ I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

⁷ So then neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters, but God that gives the increase.

⁸ Now he that plants and he that waters are one although each one shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

⁹ For we are labourers together with God; ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

²¹ ¶ Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not commit murder, and whosoever shall commit murder shall be guilty of the judgment;

²² but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother out of control shall be in danger of the judgment, and whosoever shall insult his brother shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say, Thou art impious, shall be in danger of hell.

²³ Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother has something against thee;

²⁴ leave thy gift there before the altar, and go; first restore friendship with thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

²⁵ Conciliate with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary 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 of there, until thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

²⁷ ¶ Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not commit adultery;

²⁸ but I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

²⁹ Therefore if thy right eye should bring thee occasion to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

³⁰ And if thy right hand should bring thee occasion to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is better for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

³¹ It was also said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce;

³² but I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery.

³³ ¶ Again, ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not perjure 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 God’s throne,

³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is his footstool, neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

³⁶ Neither shalt thou swear by thy head because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

³⁷ But let your communication be, Yes, yes; No, no; for whatsoever is more than this comes of evil.