Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 46[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[b] A song.
1 God is our refuge(A) and strength,(B)
an ever-present(C) help(D) in trouble.(E)
2 Therefore we will not fear,(F) though the earth give way(G)
and the mountains fall(H) into the heart of the sea,(I)
3 though its waters roar(J) and foam(K)
and the mountains quake(L) with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river(M) whose streams(N) make glad the city of God,(O)
the holy place where the Most High(P) dwells.(Q)
5 God is within her,(R) she will not fall;(S)
God will help(T) her at break of day.
6 Nations(U) are in uproar,(V) kingdoms(W) fall;
he lifts his voice,(X) the earth melts.(Y)
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,(AD)
the desolations(AE) he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars(AF) cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow(AG) and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.(AH)
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;(AI)
I will be exalted(AJ) among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Adam and Eve
4 This is the account(A) of the heavens and the earth when they were created,(B) when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth[a] and no plant had yet sprung up,(C) for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth(D) and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed(E) a man[c](F) from the dust(G) of the ground(H) and breathed into his nostrils the breath(I) of life,(J) and the man became a living being.(K)
8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden;(L) and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees(M) that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life(N) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(O)
10 A river(P) watering the garden flowed from Eden;(Q) from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah,(R) where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[d](S) and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[e] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris;(T) it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.(U)
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden(V) to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;(W) 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,(X) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”(Y)
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”(Z)
19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals(AA) and all the birds in the sky.(AB) He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called(AC) each living creature,(AD) that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam[f] no suitable helper(AE) was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep;(AF) and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h](AG) he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;(AH)
she shall be called(AI) ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.(AJ)”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united(AK) to his wife, and they become one flesh.(AL)
25 Adam and his wife were both naked,(AM) and they felt no shame.
God’s Sovereign Choice
6 It is not as though God’s word(A) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.(B) 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[a](C) 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,(D) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.(E) 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”[b](F)
10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.(G) 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad(H)—in order that God’s purpose(I) in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[c](J) 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[d](K)
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