Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Praise to the Lord for His Faithfulness to Israel.

Aaron Offers Sacrifices

9 Now it came about ^(A)on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel; ² and he said to Aaron, “^(B)Take for yourself a calf, a bull, as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, both without defect, and offer them before the Lord. ³ Then you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Take a male goat as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both one year old, without defect, as a burnt offering, ⁴ and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today ^(C)the Lord will appear to you.’” ⁵ So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole congregation came near and stood before the Lord. ⁶ And Moses said, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded you to do, so that ^(D)the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” ⁷ Moses then said to Aaron, “Come near to the altar and ^[a](E)offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, so that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering ^[b]for the people, so that you may make atonement for them, just as the Lord has commanded.”

^8 (F)So Aaron came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering which was for himself. ^9 (G)Aaron’s sons then presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood and ^(H)put some on the horns of the altar, and poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ¹⁰ The fat and the kidneys and the ^[c]lobe of the liver of the sin offering he then offered up in smoke on the altar, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ^11 (I)The flesh and the hide, however, he burned with fire outside the camp.

²² Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and ^(A)blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings. ²³ And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, ^(B)the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. ^24 (C)Then fire went out from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell ^[a]face downward.

Keep Fervent in Your Love

4 Therefore, since ^(A)Christ has ^[a]suffered in the flesh, ^(B)arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because ^(C)the one who has ^[b]suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ^2 (D)so as to live ^(E)the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the ^(F)will of God. ³ For ^(G)the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, ^[c](H)having pursued a course of indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries. ⁴ In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them in the same excesses of ^[d](I)debauchery, and they ^(J)slander you; ⁵ but they will give an account to Him who is ready to judge ^(K)the living and the dead. ⁶ For ^(L)the gospel has for this purpose been ^[e]preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as people, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.