Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Beloved’s Request

The Shulamite

The Glories of the Messiah and His Bride

To the Chief Musician. ^(A)Set to ^[a]“The Lilies.” A ^[b]Contemplation of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.

^17 (A)Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, ^(B)with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. ^18 (C)Of His own will He brought us forth by the ^(D)word of truth, ^(E)that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

Qualities Needed in Trials

^19 [a]So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, ^(F)slow to speak, ^(G)slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Doers—Not Hearers Only

²¹ Therefore ^(H)lay aside all filthiness and ^[b]overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, ^(I)which is able to save your souls.

²² But ^(J)be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For ^(K)if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But ^(L)he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, ^(M)this one will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶ If anyone ^[c]among you thinks he is religious, and ^(N)does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. ^27 (O)Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: ^(P)to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, ^(Q)and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Defilement Comes from Within^(A)

7 Then ^(B)the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. ² Now ^[a]when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with ^(C)unwashed hands, ^[b]they found fault. ³ For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands ^[c]in a special way, holding the ^(D)tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

^5 (E)Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

⁶ He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ^(F)hypocrites, as it is written:

⁸ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—^[d]the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

^14 (A)When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and ^(B)understand: ¹⁵ There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that ^(C)defile a man.

^21 (A)For from within, out of the heart of men, ^(B)proceed evil thoughts, ^(C)adulteries, ^(D)fornications, murders, ²² thefts, ^(E)covetousness, wickedness, ^(F)deceit, ^(G)lewdness, an evil eye, ^(H)blasphemy, ^(I)pride, foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”