Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 17
A Prayer for Protection
A Davidic prayer.
1 Lord, hear a just cause;(A)
pay attention to my cry;
listen to my prayer—
from lips free of deceit.(B)
2 Let my vindication come from You,
for You see what is right.(C)
3 You have tested my heart;(D)
You have examined me at night.
You have tried me and found nothing evil;(E)
I have determined that my mouth will not sin.[a]
4 Concerning what people do:
by the word of Your lips[b]
I have avoided the ways of the violent.(F)
5 My steps are on Your paths;
my feet have not slipped.(G)
3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 He commanded them, “You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now. 5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves. I have sent this message to inform my lord, in order to seek your favor.’”(A)
6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—and he has 400 men with him.”(B) 7 Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; he divided the people with him into two camps, along with the flocks, cattle, and camels. 8 He thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.”(C)
9 Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac,(D) the Lord who said to me, ‘Go back to your land and to your family, and I will cause you to prosper,’(E) 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps. 11 Please rescue me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid of him; otherwise, he may come and attack me, the mothers, and their children. 12 You have said, ‘I will cause you to prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”(F)
13 He spent the night there and took part of what he had brought with him as a gift for his brother Esau:(G) 14 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 15 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. 16 He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them, “Go on ahead of me, and leave some distance between the herds.”
17 And he told the first one: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to? Where are you going? And whose animals are these ahead of you?’ 18 then tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And look, he is behind us.’”
19 He also told the second one, the third, and everyone who was walking behind the animals, “Say the same thing to Esau when you find him. 20 You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me. After that, I can face him, and perhaps he will forgive me.”
21 So the gift was sent on ahead of him while he remained in the camp that night.
Forgiveness through the Messiah
37 When they heard this, they came under deep conviction[a] and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what must we do?”(A)
38 “Repent,”(B) Peter said to them, “and be baptized,(C) each of you, in the name(D) of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off,[b](E) as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt[c] generation!”(F)
A Generous and Growing Church
41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching,(G) to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.(H)
43 Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.(I) 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.(J) 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.[d] 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude,(K) 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them[e] those who were being saved.(L)
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