Lectionary 24, Year C

⁷ The LORD spoke to Moses, “Go, get down; for your people, who you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves! ⁸ They have turned away quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’ ” ⁹ The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.” ¹¹ Moses begged the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians talk, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce wrath, and turn away from this evil against your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” ¹⁴ So the LORD turned away from the evil which he said he would do to his people.

¹ Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. ² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin. ³ For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me. ⁴ Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge. ⁵ Behold, I was born in iniquity. My mother conceived me in sin. ⁶ Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. ⁷ Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. ⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness, that the bones which you have broken may rejoice. ⁹ Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all of my iniquities. ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.

¹² I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service; ¹³ although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴ The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. ¹⁶ However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.