Lectionary 15, Year C

⁹ The LORD your God will make you prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, for good; for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, as he rejoiced over your fathers, ¹⁰ if you will obey the LORD your God’s voice, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law; if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ¹¹ For this commandment which I command you today is not too hard for you or too distant. ¹² It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up for us to heaven, bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?” ¹³ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will go over the sea for us, bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?” ¹⁴ But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

¹ To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. ² My God, I have trusted in you. Don’t let me be shamed. Don’t let my enemies triumph over me. ³ Yes, no one who waits for you will be shamed. They will be shamed who deal treacherously without cause. ⁴ Show me your ways, the LORD. Teach me your paths. ⁵ Guide me in your truth, and teach me, For you are the God of my salvation, I wait for you all day long. ⁶ O LORD, remember your tender mercies and your loving kindness, for they are from old times. ⁷ Don’t remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Remember me according to your loving kindness, for your goodness’ sake, the LORD. ⁸ Good and upright is the LORD, therefore he will instruct sinners in the way. ⁹ He will guide the humble in justice. He will teach the humble his way. ¹⁰ All the paths of the LORD are loving kindness and truth to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ² to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³ We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴ having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have toward all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Good News ⁶ which has come to you, even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth, ⁷ even as you learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on your behalf, ⁸ who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. ⁹ For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy, ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, ¹³ who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love, ¹⁴ in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.