Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
11 Teach me, O Yahweh, your way,
that I may walk in your truth.
Unite my heart[a] to fear your name.
12 I will give you thanks, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
and glorify your name forever,
13 because your loyal love is great toward me,
and you will have delivered my life from Sheol[b] below.
14 O God, arrogant men have risen up against me,
even a gang of ruthless men seek my life,
but they do not set you before them.[c]
15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger[d] and abundant in loyal love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give your strength to your servant,
and grant victory to the son[e] of your maidservant.
17 Do a sign that benefits me,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame,
because you, O Yahweh, have helped me and comforted me.
Sarai and Hagar
16 Now[a] Sarai, the wife of Abram, had borne him no children. And she had a female Egyptian servant, and her name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Look, please, Yahweh has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my servant; perhaps I will have children by her.”[b] And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 Then[c] Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar, her Egyptian servant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband as his wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she[d] saw that she had conceived, then her mistress grew small in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “may my harm be upon you. I had my servant sleep with you,[e] and when she saw that she had conceived, she no longer respected me.[f] May Yahweh judge between me and you!” 6 And Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your servant is under your authority.[g] Do to her that which is good in your eyes.” And Sarai mistreated her, and she[h] fled from her presence.
Hagar and the Angel of Yahweh
7 And the angel of Yahweh found her at a spring of water in the wilderness, at the spring by the road of Shur. 8 And he said to Hagar, the servant of Sarai, “From where[i] have you come, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of Sarai my mistress.” 9 Then[j] the angel of Yahweh said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her authority.”[k] 10 And the angel of Yahweh said to her, “I will greatly multiply[l] your offspring, so that they cannot be counted for their abundance.” 11 And the angel of Yahweh said to her:
“Behold, you are pregnant
and shall have a son.
And you shall call his name Ishmael,
for Yahweh has listened to your suffering.
12 And he shall be a wild donkey of a man,
his hand will be against everyone,
and the hand of everyone will be against him,
and he will live in hostility with all his brothers.”[m]
13 So[n] she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are El-Roi,”[o] for she said, “Here I have seen after he who sees me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-Lahai-Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar had a child for Abram, a son. And Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore to him, Ishmael.
The Letter to the Church in Ephesus
2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
“This is what the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand says, the one who walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands: 2 ‘I know your works, and your labor and patient endurance, and that you are not able to tolerate evil, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you found them to be false. 3 And you have patient endurance, and have endured many things because of my name, and have not become weary. 4 But I have this against you: that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the works you did at first[a]. But if you do not, I am coming to you, and I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 But you do have this: that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, things which I also hate. 7 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will grant to him to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.’
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