Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Davidic Psalm.
Welcomed into God’s Presence
15 Lord, who may stay in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy mountain?
2 The one who lives with integrity,
who does righteous deeds,
and who speaks truth to himself.
3 The one who does not slander with his tongue,
who does no evil to his neighbor,
and who does not destroy his friend’s reputation.
4 The one who despises those who are utterly wicked,
but who honors the one who fears the Lord,
who keeps his word even when it hurts and does not change,
5 who does not loan his money with interest,
and who does not take a bribe against those who are innocent.
The one who does these things will stand firm[a] forever.
Abram and Lot Part Ways
13 Abram traveled from Egypt, along with his wife and everyone who belonged to his household[a]—including Lot—to the Negev.[b]
2 Now Abram had become quite wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold. 3 He journeyed by stages from the Negev[c] to Bethel, the place where his tent had formerly been, between Bethel and Ai, 4 where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.
5 Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks of sheep, herds, and tents. 6 But the land could not support them living together, because they had so many livestock that they could not stay together. 7 There was strife between the herdsmen in charge of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen in charge of Lot’s livestock. Also, at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.
8 So Abram told Lot, “Please, let’s not have strife between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives.[d] 9 Isn’t the whole land available to you? Let’s separate: If you go[e] to the left, then I will go to the right; if you go[f] to the right, then I will go to the left.”
10 Lot looked around and noticed that the whole Jordan plain as far as Zoar was well-watered like the garden of the Lord or like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan plain. Then Lot traveled eastward, and they separated from each other.
12 So Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the plain, setting up his tent in the vicinity of Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were particularly evil and sinful in their defiance of[g] the Lord.
14 After Lot had separated from Abram, the Lord told Abram, “Look off to the north, south[h], east, and west[i] from where you’re living, 15 because I’m going to give you and your descendants all of the land that you see—forever! 16 I’ll make your descendants as plentiful as[j] the specks of[k] dust of the earth, so that if one could count the specks of[l] dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be counted. 17 Get up! Walk throughout the length and breadth of the land, because I’m going to give it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his tent and settled beside the oaks of Mamre that are by Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.
To Know the Messiah’s Love
14 This is the reason I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[a] 15 from whom every family[b] in heaven and on earth receives its name. 16 I pray[c] that he would give you, according to his glorious riches, strength in your inner being and power through his Spirit, 17 and that the Messiah[d] would make his home in your hearts through faith. Then, having been rooted and grounded in love, 18 you will be able to understand, along with all the saints, what is wide, long, high, and deep— 19 that is, you will know the love of the Messiah[e]— which transcends knowledge, and will be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to the one who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine according to the power that is working among[f] us— 21 to him be glory in the church and in the Messiah[g] Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen.
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