Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Judgment Pronounced on Sodom

¹⁶ Then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to set them on their way. ¹⁷ The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, ¹⁸ seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?^{[a](A) 19} No, for I have chosen^[b] him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”^{(B) 20} Then the Lord said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin!^{(C) 21} I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me, and if not, I will know.”^(D)

²² So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.^{[c](E) 23} Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?^{(F) 24} Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it?^{(G) 25} Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”^{(H) 26} And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” ²⁷ Abraham answered, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to my lord, I who am but dust and ashes.^{(I) 28} Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” ²⁹ Again he spoke to him, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” ³⁰ Then he said, “Oh, do not let my lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” ³¹ He said, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to my lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” ³² Then he said, “Oh, do not let my lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”^{(J) 33} And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

Plucking Grain on the Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.^{(A) 2} When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”^{(B) 3} He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?^{(C) 4} How he entered the house of God, and they^[a] ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests?^{(D) 5} Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are guiltless?^{(E) 6} I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.^{(F) 7} But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.^{(G) 8} For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”