Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
BOOK FOUR
(Psalms 90–106)
A prayer by Moses, the man of God.
90 O Lord, you have been our refuge throughout every generation.
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world, you were God.
You are God from everlasting to everlasting.
3 You turn mortals back into dust
and say, “Return, descendants of Adam.”
4 Indeed, in your sight a thousand years are like a single day,
like yesterday—already past—
like an hour in the night.
5 You sweep mortals away.
They are a dream.
They sprout again in the morning like cut grass.
6 In the morning they blossom and sprout.
In the evening they wither and dry up.
13 Return, Lord! How long … ?
Change your plans about ⌞us,⌟ your servants.
14 Satisfy us every morning with your mercy
so that we may sing joyfully and rejoice all our days.
15 Make us rejoice for as many days as you have made us suffer,
for as many years as we have experienced evil.
16 Let ⌞us,⌟ your servants, see what you can do.
Let our children see your glorious power.
17 Let the kindness of the Lord our God be with us.
Make us successful in everything we do.
Yes, make us successful in everything we do.
14 The Lord said to Moses, “The time of your death is coming soon. Call for Joshua. Both of you come to the tent of meeting, and I will give him his instructions.” Moses and Joshua came to the tent of meeting. 15 Then the Lord appeared in a column of smoke at the entrance to the tent.
16 The Lord said to Moses, “Soon you are going to lie down in death with your ancestors. When these people enter the land and are living among the foreigners there, they will chase after foreign gods as though they were prostitutes. They will abandon me and reject the promise [a] I made to them. 17 On that day I will become angry with them. I will abandon them and turn away from them. They will be destroyed, and many terrible disasters will happen to them. On that day they will ask, ‘Haven’t these disasters happened to us because our God isn’t with us?’ 18 On that day I will certainly turn away from them because of all the evil they’ve done in turning to other gods.
19 “Write down this song, teach it to the Israelites, and have them sing it. This song will be a witness for me against the Israelites. 20 I will bring them into the land that I swore to give to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. When they have eaten all they want and have become fat,[b] they will turn to other gods and worship them. They will despise me and reject my promise. 21 When many terrible disasters happen to them, this song will testify against them, because it will never be forgotten by their descendants. I know what their hearts are set on doing, even now before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them.” 22 That day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.
Guidelines for Leaders in the Church
5 I left you in Crete to do what still needed to be done—appointing spiritual leaders [a] in every city as I directed you. 6 A spiritual leader must have a good reputation. He must have only one wife and have children who are believers. His children shouldn’t be known for having wild lifestyles or being rebellious. 7 Because a bishop is a supervisor appointed by God, he must have a good reputation. He must not be a stubborn or irritable person. He must not drink too much or be a violent person. He must not use shameful ways to make money. 8 Instead, he must be hospitable, love what is good, use good judgment, be fair and moral, and have self-control. 9 He must be devoted to the trustworthy message we teach. Then he can use these accurate teachings to encourage people and correct those who oppose the word.
Correct Whoever Teaches What Is Wrong
10 There are many believers, especially converts from Judaism, who are rebellious. They speak nonsense and deceive people. 11 They must be silenced because they are ruining whole families by teaching what they shouldn’t teach. This is the shameful way they make money.
12 Even one of their own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, savage animals, and lazy gluttons.” 13 That statement is true. For this reason, sharply correct believers so that they continue to have faith that is alive and well. 14 They shouldn’t pay attention to Jewish myths or commands given by people who are always rejecting the truth. 15 Everything is clean [b] to those who are clean. But nothing is clean to corrupt unbelievers. Indeed, their minds and their consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit to do anything good.
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