Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
9 [a]How can a young man lead a spotless life?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;[b]
do not let me stray from your precepts.
11 I treasure your word in my heart[c]
for fear that I may sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recite
all the judgments you have announced.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
more than I would rejoice in endless riches.
15 I will meditate on your commands
and respect your ways.
16 I find my delight in your decrees;
I will never forget your word.
Gimel
Chapter 20
The Ten Commandments.[a] 1 God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of that place of slavery. 3 You shall not have other gods instead of me. 4 You shall not make idols or any image of things that are in the heavens above or that are upon the earth or that are in the waters under the earth. 5 You shall not bow before them nor shall you serve them. I, the Lord, am your God, a jealous God, who punishes the sins of fathers upon their sons until the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, 6 but I will show my favor for a thousand generations of those who love me and observe my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain, for the Lord will not leave unpunished those who use his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath in honor of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male slave, nor your female slave, nor your animals, nor the foreigner who dwells with you. 11 The Lord made the heavens and the earth and the seas and that which is in them in six days, but he rested the seventh day. Thus, the Lord blessed the Sabbath and declared it to be sacred.
12 “Honor your father and your mother so that your days may be lengthened in the land that the Lord your God, will give you.
13 “You shall not kill.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male slave, nor his female slave, nor his oxen, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
18 Moses, Intermediary of the Covenant. All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the sound of the trumpet and saw the mountain smoking. They were filled with fear and kept their distance.
19 They said to Moses, “You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us or we will die.”
20 Moses spoke to the people saying, “Do not be afraid. God has come to put you to the test so that you may always be filled with fear of him and not sin.”
21 The people kept their distance while Moses approached the dark cloud where God was found.
Exhortation To Practice Patience
Trials—the Test of a Faith in Progress.[a] 2 My brethren, consider it a cause of great joy whenever you endure various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith will develop perseverance. 4 And let perseverance complete its work so that you may become perfect and complete, and not be deficient in any respect.
A Believer’s Prayer.[b] 5 If someone among you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he is to ask with faith, without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. 7 A man like that should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 since he is of two minds and inconsistent in everything he does.
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