Psalm 86:11-17

New International Version

¹¹Teach me your way,^(A) Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;^(B)
give me an undivided^(C) heart,
    that I may fear^(D) your name.
¹²I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;^(E)
    I will glorify your name forever.
¹³For great is your love toward me;
    you have delivered me^(F) from the depths,
    from the realm of the dead.^(G)

¹⁴Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
    ruthless people are trying to kill me—
    they have no regard for you.^(H)
¹⁵But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious^(I) God,
    slow to anger,^(J) abounding^(K) in love and faithfulness.^(L)
¹⁶Turn to me^(M) and have mercy^(N) on me;
    show your strength^(O) in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
    just as my mother did.^(P)
¹⁷Give me a sign^(Q) of your goodness,
    that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
    for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

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Genesis 16:1-15

New International Version

Hagar and Ishmael

16 Now Sarai,^(A) Abram’s wife, had borne him no children.^(B) But she had an Egyptian slave^(C) named Hagar;^(D) ²so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children.^(E) Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”^(F)

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. ³So after Abram had been living in Canaan^(G) ten years,^(H) Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. ⁴He slept with Hagar,^(I) and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.^(J) ⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”^(K)

⁶“Your slave is in your hands,^(L)” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated^(M) Hagar; so she fled from her.

⁷The angel of the Lord^(N) found Hagar near a spring^(O) in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.^(P) ⁸And he said, “Hagar,^(Q) slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”^(R)

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

⁹Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” ¹⁰The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”^(S)

¹¹The angel of the Lord^(T) also said to her:

“You are now pregnant
    and you will give birth to a son.^(U)
You shall name him^(V) Ishmael,^[a]^(W)
    for the Lord has heard of your misery.^(X)
¹²He will be a wild donkey^(Y) of a man;
    his hand will be against everyone
    and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
    toward^[b] all his brothers.^(Z)”

¹³She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,^(AA)” for she said, “I have now seen^[c] the One who sees me.”^(AB) ¹⁴That is why the well^(AC) was called Beer Lahai Roi^[d];^(AD) it is still there, between Kadesh^(AE) and Bered.

¹⁵So Hagar^(AF) bore Abram a son,^(AG) and Abram gave the name Ishmael^(AH) to the son she had borne.

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Footnotes

Genesis 16:11 Ishmael means God hears.
Genesis 16:12 Or live to the east / of
Genesis 16:13 Or seen the back of
Genesis 16:14 Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.

Revelation 2:1-7

New International Version

To the Church in Ephesus

2 “To the angel^[a] of the church in Ephesus^(A) write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand^(B) and walks among the seven golden lampstands.^(C) ²I know your deeds,^(D) your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested^(E) those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.^(F) ³You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,^(G) and have not grown weary.

⁴Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.^(H) ⁵Consider how far you have fallen! Repent^(I) and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand^(J) from its place. ⁶But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,^(K) which I also hate.

⁷Whoever has ears, let them hear^(L) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,^(M) I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,^(N) which is in the paradise^(O) of God.

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