Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Jacob and Esau

¹⁹ Now these are the generations^[a] of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac, ²⁰ And Isaac was forty years old^[b] when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, as his wife. ²¹ And Isaac prayed to Yahweh on behalf of his wife, for she was barren. And Yahweh responded to his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² And the children in her womb jostled each other, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, why be pregnant?”^[c] And she went to inquire of Yahweh. ²³ And Yahweh said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from birth^[d] shall be divided. And one people shall be stronger than the other.^[e] And the elder shall serve the younger.” ²⁴ And when her days to give birth were completed,^[f] then—behold—twins were in her womb. ²⁵ And the first came out red, all his body^[g] was like a hairy coat, so they called his name Esau. ²⁶ And afterward his brother came out, and his hand grasped the heel of Esau, so his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old^[h] at their birth. ²⁷ And the boys grew up. And Esau was a skilled^[i] hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. ²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau because he could eat of his game,^[j] but Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹ Once^[k] Jacob cooked a thick stew, and Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stuff^[l] to gulp down, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom). ³¹ Then Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright first.”^{[m] 32} And Esau said, “Look, I am going to die; now what is this birthright to me?” ³³ Then Jacob said, “Swear to me first.”^[n] And he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread, and thick lentil stew, and he ate and drank. Then he got up and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.

Nun

Set Free from the Law of Sin and Death

8 Consequently, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what was impossible for the law, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did. By^[a] sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the requirement of the law would be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who are living according to the flesh are intent on the things of the flesh, but those who are living according to the Spirit are intent on the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace, ⁷ because the mindset of the flesh is enmity toward God, for it is not subjected to the law of God, for it is not able to do so, ⁸ and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.

⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him^[b]. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ Jesus^[c] from the dead will also make alive your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you.

The Parable of the Sower

13 On that day Jesus went out of the house and^[a] was sitting by the sea.^{[b] 2} And large crowds gathered close around him, so that he got into a boat to sit down, and all the crowd was standing on the shore. ³ And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow, ⁴ and while he was sowing, some seed^[c] fell on the side of the path, and the birds came and^[d] devoured it. ⁵ And other seed fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up at once because it did not have any depth of soil. ⁶ But when^[e] the sun rose it was scorched, and because it did not have enough root, it withered. ⁷ And other seed fell among the thorn plants, and the thorn plants came up and choked it. ⁸ But other seed fell on the good soil and produced grain,^[f] this one a hundred times as much and this one sixty and this one thirty. ⁹ The one who has ears, let him hear!”

The Parable of the Sower Interpreted

¹⁸ “You, therefore, listen to the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When^[a] anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it,^[b] the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown on the side of the path. ²⁰ And what was sown on the rocky ground—this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. ²¹ But he does not have a root in himself, but lasts only a little while,^[c] and when^[d] affliction or persecution happens because of the word, immediately he falls away. ²² And what was sown into the thorn plants—this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of this world^[e] and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unproductive. ²³ But what was sown on the good soil—this is the one who hears the word and understands it,^[f] who indeed bears fruit and produces, this one a hundred times as much, and this one sixty, and this one thirty.”