Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
23 You loyal followers of the Lord,[a] praise him.
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him.
All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him.[b]
24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering[c] of the oppressed.[d]
He did not ignore him;[e]
when he cried out to him, he responded.[f]
25 You are the reason I offer praise[g] in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers.[h]
26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled.[i]
Let those who seek his help praise the Lord.
May you[j] live forever!
27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him.[k]
Let all the nations[l] worship you.[m]
28 For the Lord is king[n]
and rules over the nations.
29 All the thriving people[o] of the earth will join the celebration and worship;[p]
all those who are descending into the grave[q] will bow before him,
including those who cannot preserve their lives.[r]
30 A whole generation[s] will serve him;
they will tell the next generation about the Lord.[t]
31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds;[u]
they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished.[v]
The Cutting of the Covenant
15 After these things the Lord’s message came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield[a] and the one who will reward you in great abundance.”[b]
2 But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord,[c] what will you give me since[d] I continue to be[e] childless, and my heir[f] is[g] Eliezer of Damascus?”[h] 3 Abram added,[i] “Since[j] you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!”[k]
4 But look,[l] the Lord’s message came to him: “This man[m] will not be your heir, but instead[n] a son[o] who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 The Lord[p] took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars—if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”
6 Abram believed[q] the Lord, and the Lord[r] credited[s] it[t] as righteousness[u] to him.
12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep,[a] and great terror overwhelmed him.[b] 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain[c] that your descendants will be strangers[d] in a foreign country.[e] They will be enslaved and oppressed[f] for 400 years. 14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve.[g] Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15 But as for you,[h] you will go to your ancestors[i] in peace and be buried at a good old age.[j] 16 In the fourth generation[k] your descendants[l] will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.”[m]
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch[n] passed between the animal parts.[o] 18 That day the Lord made a covenant[p] with Abram: “To your descendants I give[q] this land, from the river of Egypt[r] to the great river, the Euphrates River—
21 But now[a] apart from the law the righteousness of God (although it is attested by the law and the prophets)[b] has been disclosed— 22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ[c] for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 But they are justified[d] freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God publicly displayed[e] him[f] at his death[g] as the mercy seat[h] accessible through faith.[i] This was to demonstrate[j] his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.[k] 26 This was[l] also to demonstrate[m] his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just[n] and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness.[o]
27 Where, then, is boasting?[p] It is excluded! By what principle?[q] Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! 28 For we consider that a person[r] is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law.[s] 29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! 30 Since God is one,[t] he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then nullify[u] the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead[v] we uphold the law.
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