Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord’s Glory and Man’s Dignity.

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David.

Abraham’s Treachery

20 Now Abraham journeyed from ^(A)there toward the land of ^(B)the ^[a]Negev, and ^[b]settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in ^(C)Gerar. ² Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “^(D)She is my sister.” So ^(E)Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. ^3 (F)But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, ^(G)you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is ^[c]married.” ⁴ Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, ^(H)will You slay a nation, even though ^[d]blameless? ⁵ Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she ^(I)herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In ^(J)the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my ^[e]hands I have done this.” ⁶ Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also ^[f](K)kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. ⁷ Now therefore, restore the man’s wife, for ^(L)he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

⁸ So Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were greatly frightened. ^9 (M)Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And ^[g]how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom ^(N)a great sin? You have done to me ^[h]things that ought not to be done.” ¹⁰ And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you ^[i]encountered, that you have done this thing?” ¹¹ Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no ^(O)fear of God in this place, and ^(P)they will kill me because of my wife. ¹² Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife; ¹³ and it came about, when ^(Q)God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is ^[j]the kindness which you will show to me: ^[k]everywhere we go, ^(R)say of me, “He is my brother.”’” ^14 (S)Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him. ¹⁵ Abimelech said, “^(T)Behold, my land is before you; ^[l]settle wherever ^[m]you please.” ¹⁶ To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your ^(U)brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is ^[n]your vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you are cleared.” ^17 (V)Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children. ^18 (W)For the Lord had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

²³ But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, ^(A)being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. ²⁴ Therefore the Law has become our ^(B)tutor to lead us to Christ, so that ^(C)we may be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a ^[a](D)tutor. ²⁶ For you are all ^(E)sons of God through faith in ^(F)Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For all of you who were ^(G)baptized into Christ have ^(H)clothed yourselves with Christ. ^28 (I)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is ^[b]neither male nor female; for ^(J)you are all one in ^(K)Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if ^(L)you ^[c]belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s ^[d]descendants, heirs according to ^(M)promise.