Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Heathen Idols Contrasted with the Lord.
115 (A)Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
But (B)to Your name give glory
Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your [a]truth.
2 (C)Why should the nations say,
“(D)Where, now, is their God?”
3 But our (E)God is in the heavens;
He (F)does whatever He pleases.
4 Their (G)idols are silver and gold,
The (H)work of man’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they (I)cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
6 They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;
7 [b]They have hands, but they cannot feel;
[c]They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.
8 (J)Those who make them [d]will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them.
9 O (K)Israel, (L)trust in the Lord;
He is their (M)help and their shield.
10 O house of (N)Aaron, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who [e](O)fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord (P)has been mindful of us; He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will (Q)bless those who [f]fear the Lord,
(R)The small together with the great.
14 May the Lord (S)give you increase,
You and your children.
15 May you be blessed of the Lord,
(T)Maker of heaven and earth.
Cleansing the Levites
5 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and (A)cleanse them. 7 Thus you shall do to them, for their [a]cleansing: sprinkle [b]purifying (B)water on them, and let them [c](C)use a razor over their whole [d]body and (D)wash their clothes, and they will be clean. 8 Then let them take a [e]bull with (E)its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and a second [f]bull you shall take for a sin offering. 9 So (F)you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. (G)You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, 10 and present the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel (H)shall lay their hands on the Levites. 11 Aaron then shall [g]present the Levites before the Lord as a (I)wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may [h]qualify to perform the service of the Lord. 12 Now (J)the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and before his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to the Lord.
14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and (K)the Levites shall be Mine. 15 Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and (L)present them as a wave offering; 16 for they are (M)wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself (N)instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17 For (O)every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself. 18 But I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel. 19 (P)I have given the Levites as [i]a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no (Q)plague among the sons of Israel by [j]their coming near to the sanctuary.”
20 Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel to the Levites; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. 21 (R)The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons; just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
Salutation
1 Paul, (A)a bond-servant of God and an (B)apostle of Jesus Christ, [a]for the faith of those (C)chosen of God and (D)the knowledge of the truth which is (E)according to godliness, 2 in (F)the hope of eternal life, which God, (G)who cannot lie, (H)promised [b](I)long ages ago, 3 but (J)at the proper time manifested, even His word, in (K)the proclamation (L)with which I was entrusted (M)according to the commandment of (N)God our Savior,
4 To (O)Titus, (P)my true child [c]in a (Q)common faith: (R)Grace and peace from God the Father and (S)Christ Jesus our Savior.
Qualifications of Elders
5 For this reason I left you in (T)Crete, that you would set in order what remains and (U)appoint (V)elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, (W)if any man is above reproach, the (X)husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of (Y)dissipation or (Z)rebellion. 7 For the [d](AA)overseer must be above reproach as (AB)God’s steward, not (AC)self-willed, not quick-tempered, not (AD)addicted to wine, not pugnacious, (AE)not fond of sordid gain, 8 but (AF)hospitable, (AG)loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 9 (AH)holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in (AI)sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
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