Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 106[a]
Israel’s Confession of Sin and God’s Mercy
1 Alleluia.
Give thanks[b] to the Lord, for he is good;
his kindness endures forever.
2 Who can possibly recount the mighty acts of the Lord
and fully proclaim his praise?[c]
3 Blessed[d] are those who do what is right
and practice justice constantly.
4 Remember me, O Lord, out of the love you have for your people;
come to me with your salvation.[e]
5 Let me delight in the success of your chosen ones,
share in the joy of your nation,
and glory in your heritage.
6 [f]Like our ancestors, we[g] have sinned;
we have gone astray and done evil.
19 [a]They constructed a calf at Horeb
and worshiped this molten image.
20 They exchanged their Glory[b]
for an image of a bull that eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wonders in the land of Ham,[c]
and awesome deeds at the Red Sea.
23 He was contemplating their destruction,
but Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach[d] before him
to keep his wrath from destroying them.
Chapter 24
The People of God Ratify the Covenant.[a] 1 He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses alone shall approach the Lord, but the others shall not draw near and the people shall not go up with him.”
3 Moses went to tell the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances. All the people answered together and said, “We will keep all the commands that the Lord has given.”
4 Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 He sent some of the young men of Israel to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord.
6 Moses took half of the blood and placed it in bowls and the other half of the blood he poured out on the altar. 7 He then took the book of the covenant and read it in the presence of the people. They said, “All that the Lord has commanded, we will do and obey.”
8 Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people saying, “Behold, the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Chapter 5
Faithful and Humble Leadership.[a] 1 I now exhort the presbyters[b] among you, as a fellow presbyter myself and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, and as one who has shared in the glory that is to be revealed. 2 Be shepherds of the flock of God that has been entrusted to your care. Watch over it, not as a duty, but willingly in accord with the will of God, not for sordid gain, but because you are eager to do so.
3 Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. 4 Then, when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that never fades away.
Humility and Firm Faith.[c] 5 In the same way, you who are younger must be submissive to those who are older. And all of you should clothe yourselves with humility in your relationships with one another, for
“God opposes the proud,
but he gives grace to the humble.”
Conclusion
12 Final Greetings.[a] I have written this brief letter to you through Silvanus, whom I regard as a faithful brother, in order to exhort you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.
13 Your sister Church[b] in Babylon sends you greetings, as does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a loving kiss.[c]
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
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