Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁴¹ May Your loving-kindness also come to me, O Lord. May You save me as Your Word says. ⁴² Then I will have an answer for the one who puts me to shame, for I trust in Your Word. ⁴³ Do not take the word of truth out of my mouth, for I hope in Your Law. ⁴⁴ I will always obey Your Law, forever and ever. ⁴⁵ I will walk as a free man, for I look for Your Law. ⁴⁶ I will speak of Your Law in front of kings and will not be ashamed. ⁴⁷ I will be glad in Your Law, which I love. ⁴⁸ I will lift up my hands to Your Word, which I love, and I will think about Your Law.

Abraham Cries Out for Sodom

¹⁶ Then the men got up from there and looked down toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to send them on their way. ¹⁷ And the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, ¹⁸ since Abraham will become a great and powerful nation, because good will come to all the nations of the earth through him? ¹⁹ For I have chosen him, so that he may teach his children and the sons of his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and fair. So the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has promised him.” ²⁰ Then the Lord said, “The cry against Sodom and Gomorrah is loud. Their sin is very bad. ²¹ I will now go down and see if they have done as much wrong as the cry against them has told Me they have. And if not, I will know.”

²² Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom. But Abraham still stood before the Lord. ²³ Abraham came near and said, “Will You destroy the good also, with the bad? ²⁴ What if there are fifty good people within the city? Will You destroy the place and not save it because of the fifty good people in it? ²⁵ May You never do such a thing as to destroy the good with the bad! May the good never be punished like the bad! You would never do such a thing! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” ²⁶ So the Lord said, “If I find fifty good people in the city of Sodom, I will save the whole place because of them.” ²⁷ Abraham said, “Now see, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am only dust and ashes. ²⁸ What if five of the fifty good people are not so good. Will You destroy the whole city because of five?” The Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five good people there.” ²⁹ Abraham spoke to Him again and said, “What if only forty are found there?” The Lord said, “I will not destroy it if there are forty.” ³⁰ Then Abraham said, “O may the Lord not be angry, and I will speak. What if only thirty are found there?” The Lord said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” ³¹ Abraham said, “Now see, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. What if twenty are found there?” The Lord said, “I will not destroy it because of the twenty.” ³² Then Abraham said, “O may the Lord not be angry. And I may speak once more. What if ten are found there?” The Lord said, “I will not destroy it because of the ten.” ³³ Then the Lord went on His way when He finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

Jesus Teaches about the Day of Rest ^(A)

12 At that time Jesus walked through the grain-fields on the Day of Rest. His followers were hungry and began to pick off grain to eat. ² The proud religious law-keepers saw this. They said to Jesus, “See! Your followers do what the Law says not to do on the Day of Rest.” ³ He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his men were hungry? ⁴ He went into the house of God and ate the special bread used in worship which was against the Law for him or those with him to eat! Only the Jewish religious leaders were to eat that special bread. ⁵ Have you not read in the Law how the religious leaders do that which is not right to do on the Day of Rest, and yet they are not guilty? ⁶ I tell you that Someone greater than the house of God is here. ⁷ If you had understood what the words mean, ‘I want loving-kindness and not a gift to be given,’ ^(B) you would not say a person is guilty who has done no wrong. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Day of Rest.”