Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 83[a]
A song, a psalm of Asaph.
83 O God, do not be silent.
Do not ignore us.[b] Do not be inactive, O God.
2 For look, your enemies are making a commotion;
those who hate you are hostile.[c]
3 They carefully plot[d] against your people,
and make plans to harm[e] the ones you cherish.[f]
4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation.[g]
Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
5 Yes,[h] they devise a unified strategy;[i]
they form an alliance[j] against you.
6 It includes[k] the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,[l]
7 Gebal,[m] Ammon, and Amalek,
Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has allied with them,
lending its strength to the descendants of Lot.[n] (Selah)
9 Do to them as you did to Midian[o]—
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.[p]
10 They were destroyed at Endor;[q]
their corpses were like manure[r] on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,[s]
and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna,[t]
12 who said,[u] “Let’s take over[v] the pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like dead thistles,[w]
like dead weeds blown away by[x] the wind.
14 Like the fire that burns down the forest,
or the flames that consume the mountainsides,[y]
15 chase them with your gale winds,
and terrify[z] them with your windstorm.
16 Cover[aa] their faces with shame,
so they might seek[ab] you,[ac] O Lord.
17 May they be humiliated and continually terrified.[ad]
May they die in shame.[ae]
18 Then they will know[af] that you alone are the Lord,[ag]
the Most High[ah] over all the earth.
17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels.[a] 18 He took away[b] all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac.[c]
19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep,[d] Rachel stole the household idols[e] that belonged to her father. 20 Jacob also deceived[f] Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving.[g] 21 He left[h] with all he owned. He quickly crossed[i] the Euphrates River[j] and headed for[k] the hill country of Gilead.
22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left.[l] 23 So he took his relatives[m] with him and pursued Jacob[n] for seven days.[o] He caught up with[p] him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him,[q] “Be careful[r] that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.”[s]
25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too.[t] 26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me[u] and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war![v] 27 Why did you run away secretly[w] and deceive me?[x] Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps?[y] 28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren[z] goodbye. You have acted foolishly! 29 I have the power[aa] to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful[ab] that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’[ac] 30 Now I understand that[ad] you have gone away[ae] because you longed desperately[af] for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?”[ag]
31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!”[ah] Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought[ai] you might take your daughters away from me by force.[aj] 32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death![ak] In the presence of our relatives[al] identify whatever is yours and take it.”[am] (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.)[an]
33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols.[ao] Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s.[ap] 34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle[aq] and sat on them.)[ar] Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them.[as] 35 Rachel[at] said to her father, “Don’t be angry,[au] my lord. I cannot stand up[av] in your presence because I am having my period.”[aw] So he searched thoroughly,[ax] but did not find the idols.
Justification by Law or by Faith?
3 You[a] foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell[b] on you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed[c] as crucified! 2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law[d] or by believing what you heard?[e] 3 Are you so foolish? Although you began[f] with[g] the Spirit, are you now trying to finish[h] by human effort?[i] 4 Have you suffered so many things for nothing?—if indeed it was for nothing. 5 Does God then give[j] you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law[k] or by your believing what you heard?[l]
6 Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,[m] 7 so then, understand[n] that those who believe are the sons of Abraham.[o] 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time,[p] saying, “All the nations[q] will be blessed in you.”[r] 9 So then those who believe[s] are blessed along with Abraham the believer.
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