Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Zayin

²⁹ The Radiant Face of Moses.^[a] When Moses went down from Mount Sinai, he had the two tablets of Testimony in his hands, while he descended the mountain. He did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant, for he had been speaking with the Lord. ³⁰ But when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses and that the skin of his face had become radiant, they were afraid to approach him. ³¹ Moses therefore called to them, to Aaron and all the heads of the community, and they went over to him. Moses spoke to them. ³² All the children of Israel then drew near after them, and he commanded them to do all that the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai. ³³ When Moses was finished speaking to them, he put on a veil to cover his face. ³⁴ Whenever Moses came before the Lord to speak with him, Moses took off the veil until he went outside. When he went outside, he told the children of Israel all that had been commanded them. ³⁵ The children of Israel saw that the skin of his face had become radiant. Then he put the veil on over his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord again.

¹⁴ True Faith Is Proved by Works.^[a] What good is it, my brethren, if someone claims to have faith but does not have good works? Can such faith save him? ^15 [b]Suppose a brother or sister is naked and lacks his or her daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to such a person, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat well,” but does not take care of that person’s physical needs, what is the good of that? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself is dead if it does not have works.

¹⁸ But perhaps someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and by works I will show you my faith. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well to assert that. But even the demons believe and tremble.

²⁰ You fool! Do you want proof that faith without works is futile? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² Thus, you can see that his faith and his works were active together; his faith was brought to completion by works.

²³ Thus, the words of Scripture were fulfilled that say, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You can see, then, that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

²⁵ Likewise, Rahab the prostitute,^[c] was she not also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them away by a different road? ²⁶ For just as the body is dead without a spirit, so faith without works is also dead.