Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Israel’s Failure to Trust God
106 Praise the Lord!
Thank the Lord because he is good.
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
2 ·No one [L Who…?] can tell all the mighty things the Lord has done;
·no one [L who…?] can ·speak [declare] all his praise.
3 ·Happy [Blessed] are those who ·do [keep; observe; guard] ·right [justice],
who do what is ·fair [righteous] at all times.
4 Lord, remember me when you ·are kind [show favor] to your people;
·help [come to] me when you ·save them [give them victory].
5 Let me see the ·good things you do for [prosperity of] your chosen people.
Let me ·be happy [rejoice] along with your ·happy [rejoicing] nation;
let me join your ·own people [inheritance] in praising you.
6 We have sinned just as our ·ancestors [fathers] did.
We have done wrong; we have done evil.
7 Our ·ancestors [fathers] in Egypt
did not ·learn [grow in wisdom] from your ·miracles [wonderful acts].
They did not remember all your ·kindnesses [loyalty],
so they ·turned [rebelled] against you at the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [78:13; Ex. 14–15].
8 But the Lord ·saved them [gave them victory] ·for his own sake [L because of his name],
to ·show [reveal] his great power.
9 He ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [v. 7], and it dried up.
He led them through the deep sea as if it were a ·desert [wilderness].
10 He ·saved them [gave them victory over] from those who hated them.
He ·saved [redeemed] them from the ·power [hand] of their enemies,
11 and the water covered their foes.
Not one of them ·escaped [L was left].
12 Then the people ·believed what the Lord said [L had faith in his word],
and they sang praises to him.
Jacob Tricks Isaac
27 When Isaac was old, his ·eyesight was poor [L eyes were dim], so he could not see clearly. One day he called his older son Esau to him and said, “[L My] Son.”
Esau answered, “Here I am.”
2 Isaac said, “I am old and don’t know ·when I might die [L the day of my death]. 3 So take your weapons, your ·bow and arrows [L quiver and your bow], and go hunting in the field for ·an animal for me to eat [L game for me]. 4 When you prepare the tasty food that I love, bring it to me, and I will eat. Then I will bless you before I die.” 5 So Esau went out in the field to hunt [L for game to bring it].
Rebekah was listening as Isaac said this to his son Esau. 6 She said to her son Jacob, “Listen, I heard your father saying to your brother Esau, 7 ‘·Kill an animal [L Bring me game] and prepare some tasty food for me to eat. Then I will bless you in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8 So ·obey [listen to] me, my son, and do what I ·tell [command] you. 9 Go out to our ·goats [L flock] and bring me two ·of the best young ones [choice goats]. I will prepare them just the way your father ·likes [loves] them. 10 Then you will ·take the food [L bring them] to your father, and he will bless you before he dies.”
11 But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “My brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am smooth! 12 If my father ·touches me, he will know I am not Esau [L feels me…]. Then he will not bless me but will place a curse on me because ·I tried to trick him [L he will think I am mocking him].”
13 So ·Rebekah [L his mother] said to him, “·If your father puts a curse on you, I will accept the blame [L Let your curse be on me]. Just do what I said. Go get the goats for me.”
14 So Jacob went out and got ·two goats [L them] and brought them to his mother, and ·she cooked them in the special way [L his mother prepared a tasty meal just as] ·Isaac [L his father] ·enjoyed [loved]. 15 She took the best clothes of her older son Esau that were in the house and put them on the younger son Jacob. 16 She also took the skins of the goats and put them on Jacob’s hands and [L the smoothness of his] neck. 17 Then she gave Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.
18 Jacob went in to his father and said, “[L My] Father.”
And his father said, “Yes, my son. Who are you?”
19 Jacob said to him, “I am Esau, your ·first son [firstborn]. I have done what you told me. Now ·sit up [L get up and sit down] and eat some ·meat of the animal [game] I hunted for you. Then bless me.”
20 But Isaac asked his son, “How did you find ·and kill the animal [L it] so quickly?”
Jacob answered, “Because the Lord your God ·helped me to find it [L went before me].”
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can ·touch [feel] you, my son. Then I will know if you are really my son Esau [L or not].”
22 So Jacob came near to Isaac his father. Isaac ·touched [felt] him and said, “Your voice ·sounds like [L is] Jacob’s voice, but your hands ·are hairy like [L are] the hands of Esau.” 23 Isaac did not ·know it was [recognize] Jacob, because his hands were hairy like Esau’s hands, so Isaac blessed him. 24 Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”
Jacob answered, “Yes, I am.”
25 Then Isaac said, “Bring ·me the food [L it to me], and I will eat ·it [L my son’s game] and bless you.” So Jacob gave him the food, and he ate. Jacob gave him wine, and he drank. 26 Then Isaac [L his father] said to him, “My son, come near and kiss me.” 27 So Jacob went to his father and kissed him. When Isaac smelled Esau’s clothes, he blessed him and said,
“[L See,] The smell of my son
is like the smell of the field
that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you ·plenty of rain [L the dew of heaven]
and ·good soil [L the fatness/richness/fertility of the earth]
so that you will have plenty of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
May you be master over your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
May everyone who curses you be cursed,
and may everyone who blesses you be blessed [12:3; Heb. 11:20].”
Greetings to the Christians
16 I ·recommend [commend] to you our sister Phoebe, who is a ·helper [or servant; or minister; or deacon; 1 Tim. 3:11] in the church in Cenchrea [C Phoebe may have been the messenger carrying this letter]. 2 I ask you to ·accept [welcome] her in the Lord in the way ·God’s people should [worthy of the saints]. Help her with anything she needs, because she has ·helped [been a benefactor/patron to] many people, ·including [or especially] me.
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila [Acts 18:2, 18, 26], ·who work together with me [L my coworkers] in Christ Jesus 4 and who risked their own ·lives [neck] ·to save [L for] my life. I am thankful to them, and [L not only I, but] all the Gentile churches are thankful as well. 5 Also, greet for me the church that meets at their house.
Greetings to my dear friend Epenetus, who was the ·first person in Asia to follow Christ [L firstfruit of Asia for Christ]. 6 Greetings to Mary, who worked very hard for you. 7 Greetings to Andronicus and Junia [C Junia is probably a woman’s name, though not certainly], my ·relatives [or fellow Jews], ·who were in prison with me [and fellow prisoners]. They are ·very important [prominent; or well known to/among the] apostles. They were believers in Christ before I was. 8 Greetings to Ampliatus, my ·dear [beloved] friend in the Lord. 9 Greetings to Urbanus, a worker together with me for Christ. And greetings to my ·dear [beloved] friend Stachys. 10 Greetings to Apelles, ·who was tested and proved that he truly loves Christ [or a proven servant of Christ; L approved in Christ]. Greetings to all those who are in the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greetings to Herodion, my ·fellow citizen [or fellow Jew; or relative]. Greetings to all those in the family of Narcissus who ·belong to [L are in] the Lord. 12 Greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, ·women who work very hard for [L laborers in] the Lord. Greetings to ·my dear friend [the beloved] Persis, who also has worked very hard ·for [L in] the Lord. 13 Greetings to Rufus, who is ·a special person [L chosen] in the Lord, and to his mother, who has been like a mother to me also. 14 Greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and all the brothers and sisters who are with them. 15 Greetings to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and to all ·God’s people [T the saints] with them. 16 Greet each other with a holy kiss. All of Christ’s churches send greetings to you.
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