Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Prologue

1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil.

2 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Adversary came also among them to present himself before the Lord. ² The Lord said to the Adversary, “From where do you come?”

And the Adversary answered the Lord, saying, “From roaming on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

³ The Lord said to the Adversary, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and an upright man, who fears God and avoids evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you moved Me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

⁴ The Adversary answered the Lord, saying, “Skin for skin; yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. ⁵ Put forth Your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse You to Your face.”

⁶ The Lord said to the Adversary, “Very well, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”

⁷ Therefore, the Adversary went out from the presence of the Lord, and he afflicted Job with severe sores from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. ⁸ So he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.

⁹ His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die.”

¹⁰ He said to her, “You talk like one of the foolish women talks. Will we indeed accept the good from God but not accept the adversity?”

In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Psalm 26

A Psalm of David.

God Has Spoken by His Son

1 God, who at various times and in diverse ways spoke long ago to the fathers through the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the world. ³ He is the brightness of His glory, the express image of Himself, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. ⁴ He was made so much better than the angels as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

The Pioneer of Salvation

⁵ For it was not to the angels that He has subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. ⁶ But someone in a certain place testified, saying:

For in subjecting all things under him, He left nothing that is not subjected to him. Yet now we do not see all things subject to him. ⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels to suffer death, crowned with glory and honor, so that He, by the grace of God, should experience death for everyone.

¹⁰ For it was fitting for Him, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Author of their salvation perfect through suffering. ¹¹ For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of One. For this reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers, ¹² saying:

² The Pharisees came to test Him, asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ He answered them, “What did Moses command you?”

⁴ They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and to divorce her.”

⁵ Jesus answered them, “Due to the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. ⁶ But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’^{[a] 7} ‘For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, ⁸ and the two shall be one flesh.’^[b] So then they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”

¹⁰ In the house His disciples asked Him concerning this matter again. ¹¹ He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. ¹² And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Little Children Blessed^(A)

¹³ They brought young children to Him, that He might touch them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, He was very displeased and said to them, “Allow the little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁵ Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter it.” ¹⁶ And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.