Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a (A)just cause, Lord, (B)give Your attention to my cry;
(C)Listen to my prayer, which is not from (D)deceitful lips.
2 Let (E)my [a]judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with (F)integrity.
3 You have (G)put my heart to the test;
You have visited me by night;
You have (H)sifted me and (I)You find [b]nothing;
My (J)intent is that my mouth will not offend.
4 As for the works of mankind, (K)by the word of Your lips
I have kept from the (L)ways of the violent.
5 My (M)steps have held to Your [c]paths.
My (N)feet have not slipped.
3 Then Jacob (A)sent messengers ahead of himself to his brother Esau in the land of (B)Seir, the [a]country of (C)Edom. 4 He commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says the following: “I have resided with Laban, and (D)stayed until now; 5 and (E)I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent messengers to tell my lord, (F)so that I may find favor in your sight.”’”
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore (G)he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 Then Jacob was (H)greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks, the herds, and the camels, into two companies; 8 for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and [b]attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”
9 Then Jacob said, “(I)God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, Lord, who said to me, ‘(J)Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will [c]make you prosper,’ 10 [d]I am unworthy (K)of all the [e]favor and of all the [f]faithfulness, which You have shown to Your servant; for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. 11 (L)Save me, please, (M)from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and [g]attack me and the (N)mothers with the children. 12 For You said, ‘(O)I will assuredly [h]make you prosper and (P)make your [i]descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be counted.’”
13 So he spent the night there. Then he [j]selected from what [k]he had with him a (Q)gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 Then he placed them in the [l]care of his servants, every flock by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between flocks.” 17 And he commanded the [m]one in front, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a gift sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.’” 19 Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the flocks, saying, “In this way you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20 and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the gift that goes ahead of me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the gift passed on ahead of him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.
37 Now when they heard this, they were [a]pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “[b]Brothers, (A)what are we to do?” 38 Peter said to them, “(B)Repent, and each of you be (C)baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For (D)the promise is for you and your children and for all who are (E)far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly (F)testified and kept on urging them, saying, “[c]Be saved from this (G)perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand [d](H)souls. 42 They were (I)continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to (J)the breaking of bread and (K)to [e]prayer.
43 [f]Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many (L)wonders and [g]signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all the believers [h]were together and (M)had all things in common; 45 and they (N)would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. 46 (O)Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and (P)breaking bread [i]from house to house, they were taking their [j]meals together with gladness and [k]sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and (Q)having favor with all the people. And the Lord (R)was adding to [l]their number day by day (S)those who were being saved.
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