Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Joy in Forgiveness of Israel’s Sins
106 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Who can [b]utter the mighty acts of the Lord?
Who can declare all His praise?
3 Blessed are those who keep justice,
And [c]he who (B)does righteousness at (C)all times!
4 (D)Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have toward Your people.
Oh, visit me with Your salvation,
5 That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may glory with [d]Your inheritance.
6 (E)We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity,
We have done wickedly.
19 (A)They made a calf in Horeb,
And worshiped the molded image.
20 Thus (B)they changed their glory
Into the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
Awesome things by the Red Sea.
23 (C)Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
Had not Moses His chosen one (D)stood before Him in the breach,
To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.
Israel Affirms the Covenant
24 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, (A)Nadab and Abihu, (B)and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”
3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the [a]judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, (C)“All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” 4 And Moses (D)wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve (E)pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered (F)burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses (G)took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he (H)took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is (I)the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”
Shepherd the Flock
5 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a (A)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the (B)glory that will be revealed: 2 (C)Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, (D)not by compulsion but [a]willingly, (E)not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as (F)being [b]lords over (G)those entrusted to you, but (H)being examples to the flock; 4 and when (I)the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive (J)the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Submit to God, Resist the Devil
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, (K)all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
Farewell and Peace
12 By (A)Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying (B)that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does (C)Mark my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.