Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God, the Refuge of His People.
For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, [a]set to Alamoth. A Song.
46 God is our (A)refuge and strength,
A [b]very (B)ready help (C)in [c]trouble.
2 Therefore we will (D)not fear, though (E)the earth shakes
And (F)the mountains slip into the heart of the [d]sea;
3 Though its (G)waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah
4 There is a (H)river whose streams make the (I)city of God happy,
The holy (J)dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is (K)in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will (L)help her [e]when morning dawns.
6 The [f]nations (M)made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He [g](N)raised His voice, the earth (O)quaked.
7 The Lord of armies (P)is with us;
The God of Jacob is (Q)our stronghold. Selah
8 Come, (R)behold the works of the Lord,
[h]Who has inflicted (S)horrific events on the earth.
9 He (T)makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He (U)breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He (V)burns the chariots with fire.
10 “[i]Stop striving and (W)know that I am God;
I will be (X)exalted among the [j]nations, I will be exalted on the earth.”
11 The Lord of armies is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
The Creation
1 (A)In the beginning (B)God (C)created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was a [a](D)formless and desolate emptiness, and (E)darkness was over the [b]surface of the deep, and (F)the Spirit of God (G)was hovering over the [c]surface of the waters. 3 Then (H)God said, “[d]Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was (I)good; and God (J)separated the light from the darkness. 5 (K)God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And (L)there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6 Then God said, “Let there be [e]an (M)expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the [f]expanse, and separated (N)the waters that were below the [g]expanse from the waters (O)that were above the [h]expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the [i]expanse “heaven.” And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 Then God said, “(P)Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let (Q)the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land “earth,” and the (R)gathering of the waters He called “seas”; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout [j](S)vegetation, [k]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit according to [l]their kind [m]with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth produced [n]vegetation, [o]plants yielding seed according to [p]their kind, and trees bearing fruit [q]with seed in them, according to [r]their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 Then God said, “Let there be [s](T)lights in the [t](U)expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall [u]serve as (V)signs and for (W)seasons, and for days and years; 15 and they [v]shall serve as lights in the [w]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the (X)greater light [x]to govern the day, and the lesser light [y]to govern the night; He made (Y)the stars also. 17 (Z)God placed them in the [z]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and [aa]to (AA)govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters [ab]teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth [ac]in the open [ad]expanse of the heavens.” 21 And God created (AB)the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 (AC)Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to [ae]their kind: livestock and crawling things and animals of the earth according to [af]their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the (AD)animals of the earth according to [ag]their kind, and the livestock according to [ah]their kind, and everything that crawls on the ground according to its kind; and God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “[ai]Let (AE)Us make (AF)mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and [aj]let them (AG)rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man (AH)in His own image, in the image of God He created him; (AI)male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “(AJ)Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that [ak]moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, (AK)I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the [al]surface of all the earth, and every tree [am]which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and (AL)to every animal of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that [an]moves on the earth [ao]which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very (AM)good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
2 And so the heavens and the earth were completed, and all (AN)their heavenly [ap]lights. 2 By (AO)the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and (AP)He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created [aq]and made.
The Creation of Man and Woman
4 [ar](AQ)This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in (AR)the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.
The Jews under the Law
17 But if you call yourself a [a]Jew and (A)rely [b]upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and [c](B)distinguish the things that matter, being instructed from the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to people who are blind, a light to those in darkness, 20 a [d]corrector of the foolish, a teacher of [e]the immature, possessing in the Law (C)the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth— 21 you, therefore, (D)who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who [f]preach that one is not to steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one is not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who loathe idols, do you (E)rob temples? 23 You who (F)boast [g]in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For “(G)the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles (H)because of you,” just as it is written.
25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you (I)practice [h]the Law; but if you are a violator [i]of the Law, (J)your circumcision has turned into uncircumcision. 26 (K)So if (L)the [j]uncircumcised man (M)keeps the requirements of the Law, will his uncircumcision not be regarded as circumcision? 27 And (N)he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not (O)judge you who [k]though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a violator [l]of the Law? 28 For (P)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But (Q)he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and (R)circumcision is of the heart, by the (S)Spirit, not by the letter; (T)and his praise is not from people, but from God.
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