Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
21 Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the thousands of Israel. 22 “The (A)Mighty One, God, Yahweh, the Mighty One, God, Yahweh! (B)He knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion or if in an unfaithful act against Yahweh, do not save us this day! 23 If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from following Yahweh, or if to (C)perform a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may Yahweh Himself require it. 24 But truly we have done this out of concern, [a]for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our [b]sons, “What have you to do with Yahweh, the God of Israel? 25 And Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in Yahweh.” So your sons may make our sons stop fearing Yahweh.’
26 “Therefore we said, ‘Let us [c]build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; 27 rather it shall be (D)a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to (E)perform the service of Yahweh before Him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in Yahweh.”’ 28 Therefore we said, ‘It will also be that if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of Yahweh which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather it is a witness between us and you.”’ 29 Far be it from us to rebel against Yahweh and turn away from following Yahweh this day, by (F)building an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering or for sacrifice, besides the altar of Yahweh our God which is before His [d]tabernacle.”
30 So Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke. And it was good in their sight. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that (G)Yahweh is in our midst because you have not committed this unfaithful act against Yahweh; so then you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of Yahweh.”
32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 And the word was good in the sight of the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel (H)blessed God; and they did not speak of going up against them in war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. 34 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad (I)called the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that Yahweh is God.”
5 Then He said to them, “Which of you has a friend and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children [a]and I are in bed; I cannot rise up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not arise and give him anything because he is his friend, yet (A)because of his [b]persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9 “So I say to you, [c](B)ask, and it will be given to you; [d]seek, and you will find; [e]knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. 11 But what father among you, if his son asks for a [f]fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or, if his son asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 (C)If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your [g]heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
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