Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

All Men Exhorted to Praise God.

A Psalm for ^[a]Thanksgiving.

¹⁷ “As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will ^(A)judge between one ^[a]sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. ¹⁸ Is it too ^(B)slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must ^[b]foul the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and drink what you ^[c]foul with your feet!’”

²⁰ Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, “Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you push with side and with shoulder, and ^(C)thrust at all the ^[d]weak with your horns until you have scattered them ^[e]abroad, ²² therefore, I will ^(D)deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another.

²³ “Then I will ^(E)set over them one ^(F)shepherd, My servant ^(G)David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.

Serve God Willingly

5 ^(A)Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your ^(B)fellow elder and ^(C)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a ^(D)partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, ² shepherd ^(E)the flock of God among you, exercising oversight ^(F)not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and ^(G)not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; ³ nor yet as ^(H)lording it over ^[a]those allotted to your charge, but ^[b]proving to be ^(I)examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief ^(J)Shepherd appears, you will receive the ^(K)unfading ^[c](L)crown of glory. ^5 (M)You younger men, likewise, ^(N)be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with ^(O)humility toward one another, for ^(P)God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.