Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 68

For the Music Director. A Psalm of David. A Song.

The Sacrifice of Isaac

22 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

² Then He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

³ So Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place that God had told him. ⁴ Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance. ⁵ Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship and then return to you.”

⁶ So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. ⁷ But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”

And he said, “Here I am, my son.”

Then he said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

⁹ Then they came to the place that God had told him. So Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him out of heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

¹² Then He said, “Do not lay your hands on the boy or do anything to him, because now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your only son from Me.”

¹³ Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. ¹⁴ Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”

Paul Accepted by the Other Apostles

2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas and also took Titus with me. ² I went up in response to a revelation and communicated to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. But privately I communicated to those who were of reputation, in case I might be running, or had run, in vain. ³ But even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was not compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ This happened because false brothers were secretly brought in, who sneaked in to spy out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage. ⁵ We did not yield to subjection to them, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

⁶ But of these who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality to anyone—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. ⁷ On the contrary, they saw that I was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, as the gospel to the circumcised was to Peter. ⁸ For He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles. ⁹ When James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, understood the grace that was given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ Only they requested that we should remember the poor, which I also was eager to do.