Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
1 ¶ O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy
3 and gathered them out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 They wandered lost in the wilderness, alone and out of the way; they found no city to dwell in.
5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
6 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
33 ¶ He turned rivers into a wilderness and the watersprings into dry ground;
34 the fruitful land into salt flats, because of the wickedness of those that dwell therein.
35 He turns the wilderness into reservoirs of water and dry ground into watersprings.
36 And there he makes the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation
37 and sow the fields and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.
15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
16 And she said unto them, Go to the mountain lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned; and afterwards ye may go your way.
17 And the men said unto her, We will be exempted of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear in the following manner.
18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shall have bound this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by, and thou shall have brought thy father and thy mother and thy brethren and all thy father’s household home unto thee.
19 And it shall be that whoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his own head, and we will be guiltless; and whoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head if any hand touches him.
20 And if thou should declare this our business, then we will be exempted of thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed; and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
22 ¶ And they went and came unto the mountain and abode there three days until their pursuers had returned; and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way but did not find them.
23 So the two men returned and descended from the mountain and crossed over and came to Joshua, the son of Nun, and told him all the things that had befallen them.
24 And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands; and also all the inhabitants of the land are faint before us.
13 ¶ But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of the heavens in front of men, for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye those that are entering to go in.
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayer; therefore, ye shall receive the greater judgment.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves.
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
17 Ye fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor.
19 Ye fools and blind, for which one is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
20 Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it and by all things thereon.
21 And whosoever shall swear by the temple, swears by it and by Him that dwells therein.
22 And he that shall swear by the heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him that sits thereon.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have omitted that which is more important of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith; these were expedient for ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24 Ye blind guides, who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup or of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and incontinence.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whitewashed sepulchres, who indeed appear beautiful outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
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