Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.

God Tests Abraham

22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” Abraham replied.

² Then God said, “Take your son, your only son. He is the one you love. Take Isaac. Go to the place called Moriah. Give your son to me there as a burnt offering. Sacrifice him on the mountain I will show you.”

³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took two of his servants and his son Isaac with him. He cut enough wood for the burnt offering. Then he started out for the place God had shown him. ⁴ On the third day Abraham saw the place a long way off. ⁵ He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go over there and worship. Then we’ll come back to you.”

⁶ Abraham had his son Isaac carry the wood for the burnt offering. He himself carried the fire and the knife. And the two of them walked on together. ⁷ Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said. “But where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them walked on together.

⁹ They reached the place God had shown Abraham. There Abraham built an altar. He arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son Isaac. Abraham placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand. He picked up the knife to kill his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven. He said, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” Abraham replied.

¹² “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not harm him. Now I know that you would do anything for God. You have not held back from me your son, your only son.”

¹³ Abraham looked around. There in a bush he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram. He sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide. To this day people say, “It will be provided on the mountain of the Lord.”

Paul Is Accepted by the Apostles

2 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem. This time I went with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. ² I went because God showed me what he wanted me to do. I spoke in private to those who are respected as leaders. I told them the good news that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I wasn’t running my race for no purpose. And I wanted to know that I had not been running my race for no purpose. ³ Titus was with me. He was a Greek. But even he was not forced to be circumcised. ⁴ This matter came up because some people had slipped in among us. They had pretended to be believers. They wanted to find out about the freedom we have because we belong to Christ Jesus. They wanted to make us slaves again. ⁵ We didn’t give in to them for a moment. We did this so that the truth of the good news would be kept safe for you.

⁶ Some people in Jerusalem were thought to be important. But it makes no difference to me what they were. God does not treat people differently. Those people added nothing to my message. ⁷ In fact, it was just the opposite. They recognized the task I had been trusted with. It was the task of preaching the good news to the Gentiles. My task was like Peter’s task. He had been trusted with the task of preaching to the Jews. ⁸ God was working in Peter as an apostle to the Jews. God was also working in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. ⁹ James, Peter and John are respected as pillars in the church. They recognized the special grace given to me. So they shook my hand and the hand of Barnabas. They wanted to show they accepted us. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles. They would go to the Jews. ¹⁰ They asked only one thing. They wanted us to continue to remember poor people. That was what I had wanted to do all along.