Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Chapter 17
Covenant of Circumcision.[a] 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said: I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless.(A) 2 Between you and me I will establish my covenant, and I will multiply you exceedingly.(B)
3 Abram fell face down and God said to him: 4 For my part, here is my covenant with you: you are to become the father of a multitude of nations.(C) 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham,[b] for I am making you the father of a multitude of nations.(D) 6 I will make you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings will stem from you. 7 I will maintain my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting covenant, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.(E)
III
23 Then I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the assembly I will praise you:[a](A)
24 “You who fear the Lord, give praise!
All descendants of Jacob, give honor;
show reverence, all descendants of Israel!
25 For he has not spurned or disdained
the misery of this poor wretch,
Did not turn away[b] from me,
but heard me when I cried out.
26 I will offer praise in the great assembly;
my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.
27 The poor[c] will eat their fill;
those who seek the Lord will offer praise.
May your hearts enjoy life forever!”(B)
IV
28 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord;
All the families of nations
will bow low before him.(C)
29 For kingship belongs to the Lord,
the ruler over the nations.(D)
30 [d]All who sleep in the earth
will bow low before God;
All who have gone down into the dust
will kneel in homage.
31 And I will live for the Lord;
my descendants will serve you.
Inheritance Through Faith. 13 It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith.(A) 14 For if those who adhere to the law are the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.(B) 15 For the law produces wrath;(C) but where there is no law, neither is there violation.[a] 16 For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us,(D) 17 as it is written, “I have made you father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist.(E) 18 He believed, hoping against hope,(F) that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “Thus shall your descendants be.” 19 (G)He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body as [already] dead (for he was almost a hundred years old) and the dead womb of Sarah. 20 He did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief;[b] rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God 21 and was fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do.(H) 22 That is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”(I) 23 But it was not for him alone that it was written that “it was credited to him”; 24 it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,(J) 25 who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification.(K)
The First Prediction of the Passion. 31 (A)He began to teach them that the Son of Man[a] must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
The Conditions of Discipleship. 34 He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said[b] to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.(B) 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel[c] will save it.(C) 36 What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? 37 What could one give in exchange for his life? 38 Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”(D)
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.(A) And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4 Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5 [a]Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. 7 Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;[b] then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” 8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
The Coming of Elijah.[c] 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.(B)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.