Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 105[a]
105 Give thanks to the Lord.
Call on his name.
Make known his accomplishments among the nations.
2 Sing to him.
Make music to him.
Tell about all his miraculous deeds.
3 Boast about his holy name.
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives.
Seek his presence continually.
5 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,
his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed,[b]
6 O children[c] of Abraham,[d] God’s[e] servant,
you descendants[f] of Jacob, God’s[g] chosen ones.
7 He is the Lord our God;
he carries out judgment throughout the earth.[h]
8 He always remembers his covenantal decree,
the promise he made[i] to a thousand generations—
9 the promise[j] he made to Abraham,
the promise he made by oath to Isaac.
10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as a lasting promise,[k]
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.”
37 He brought his people[a] out enriched[b] with silver and gold;
none of his tribes stumbled.
38 Egypt was happy when they left,
for they were afraid of them.[c]
39 He spread out a cloud for a cover,[d]
and provided a fire to light up the night.
40 They asked for food,[e] and he sent quail;
he satisfied them with food from the sky.[f]
41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;
a river ran through dry regions.
42 Yes,[g] he remembered the sacred promise[h]
he made to Abraham his servant.
43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced;
his chosen ones shouted with joy.[i]
44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,
and they took possession of what other peoples had produced,[j]
45 so that they might keep his commands
and obey[k] his laws.
Praise the Lord.
The Sacrifice of Isaac
22 Some time after these things God tested[a] Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham[b] replied. 2 God[c] said, “Take your son—your only son, whom you love, Isaac[d]—and go to the land of Moriah![e] Offer him up there as a burnt offering[f] on one of the mountains which I will indicate to[g] you.”
3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey.[h] He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out[i] for the place God had spoken to him about.
4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of[j] the place in the distance. 5 So he[k] said to his servants, “You two stay[l] here with the donkey while[m] the boy and I go up there. We will worship[n] and then return to you.”[o]
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand,[p] and the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham,[q] “My father?” “What is it,[r] my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said,[s] “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 “God will provide[t] for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.
9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there[u] and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up[v] his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter[w] his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord[x] called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 12 “Do not harm the boy!”[y] the angel said.[z] “Do not do anything to him, for now I know[aa] that you fear[ab] God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
13 Abraham looked up[ac] and saw[ad] behind him[ae] a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he[af] went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.”[ag] It is said to this day,[ah] “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.”[ai]
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “I solemnly swear by my own name,[aj] decrees the Lord,[ak] that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you,[al] and I will greatly multiply[am] your descendants[an] so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of[ao] the strongholds[ap] of their enemies. 18 Because you have obeyed me,[aq] all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another[ar] using the name of your descendants.”
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together[as] for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed.[at]
People Commended for Their Faith
11 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see. 2 For by it the people of old[a] received God’s commendation.[b] 3 By faith we understand that the worlds[c] were set in order at God’s command,[d] so that the visible has its origin in the invisible.[e]
13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised,[a] but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners[b] on the earth. 14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is,[c] they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises,[d] yet he was ready to offer up[e] his only son. 18 God had told him, “Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,”[f] 19 and he reasoned[g] that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense[h] he received him back from there.
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