Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Trust in God’s Protection
A song for the ascents.[a]
121 I lift up my eyes to the mountains;
whence will my help come?
2 My help is from Yahweh,
maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
he who protects you will not slumber.
4 Look, he will not slumber and he will not sleep—
he who protects Israel.
5 Yahweh is your protector;
Yahweh is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun will not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 Yahweh will protect you from all evil;[b]
he will protect your life.
8 Yahweh will protect your going out and your coming in
from now until forever.
43 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters and the grandsons[a] are my grandsons,[b] and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see, it is mine. Now, what can I do for these my daughters today, or for their children whom they have borne? 44 So now, come, let us make[c] a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between me and you.” 45 And Jacob took a stone and set it up as a stone pillar. 46 And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a pile of stones, and they ate there by the pile of stones. 47 And Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha,[d] but Jacob called it Galeed.[e] 48 Then Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness between me and you today.” Therefore its name is called Galeed,[f] 49 and Mizpah,[g] because he said, “Yahweh watch between me and you when we are out of sight of each other.[h] 50 If you mistreat my daughters, and if you take wives besides my daughters, when there is no man with us, see—God is a witness between me and you.” 51 And Laban said to Jacob, “See, this pile of stones, and see the pillar that I have set up between me and you. 52 This pile of stones is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile of stones to you, and that you will not pass beyond this pile of stones and this pillar to me intending harm. 53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father[i] judge between us.” Then Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 And Jacob sacrificed a sacrifice on the hill, and he called his kinsmen to eat the meal.[j] And they ate the meal[k] and spent the night on the hill. 55 [l] And Laban arose early in the morning and kissed his grandsons[m] and his daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his homeland.
Jacob Fears Esau
32 And Jacob went on his way, and angels of God met him. 2 And when he saw them, Jacob said, “This is the camp of God!” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
A Worker Approved to God and Not Ashamed
14 Remind people of these things, solemnly urging them before the Lord[a] not to dispute about words. This is in no way beneficial and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, a worker having no need to be ashamed, guiding the word of truth along a straight path. 16 But avoid pointless chatter, for it will progress to greater ungodliness, 17 and their message will spread[b] like gangrene, among whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have deviated concerning the truth by[c] saying the resurrection has already taken place, and they are upsetting the faith of some. 19 However, the solid foundation of God stands firm, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,”[d] and “Everyone who names the name of the Lord must abstain from unrighteousness.”
20 Now in a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also wooden and earthenware ones, some of which are for honorable use, and some of which are for ordinary use. 21 Therefore, if someone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
22 But flee from youthful desires, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, in company with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and uninformed controversies, because you[e] know that they produce quarrels. 24 And the slave of the Lord must not quarrel, but be kind toward everyone, skillful in teaching, tolerant, 25 correcting those who are opposed with gentleness, seeing whether perhaps God may grant them repentance to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they will come to their senses again and escape from the trap of the devil, being held captive by him to do his will.
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