Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer for Israel
83 O God, do not keep quiet. Do not be quiet, O God, and do not hold Your peace. 2 For, look, those who hate You are making much noise. Those who fight against You have honored themselves. 3 They make bad plans against Your people. They plan against those You care for. 4 They say, “Come, let us destroy them as a nation. Let the name of Israel be remembered no longer.” 5 For they plan together with one mind. They make an agreement against You: 6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagarites; 7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with those who live in Tyre; 8 Assyria has joined them also. They help the children of Lot.
9 Do to them as You did to Midian, and to Sisera and Jabin at the river of Kishon. 10 They were destroyed at Endor. They were spread over the field. 11 Make their respected men like Oreb and Zeeb. Make their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 12 who said, “Let us take for ourselves the fields of God.”
13 O my God, make them like dust turning in the wind, like parts of the grass that have no worth and are blown away. 14 As the fire that burns up the trees and spreads over the mountains, 15 so go behind them with Your storm. Make them afraid with Your storm. 16 Fill their faces with shame, so they will look to Your name, O Lord. 17 Let them be ashamed and afraid forever. Let them be put to shame and lost. 18 Then they may know that You alone, Whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.
17 Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels. 18 He took away all his animals, all the riches he had gathered and all the cattle he had gathered in Paddan-aram. And he left to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. 19 Laban had gone to cut the wool from his flock. And Rachel stole the gods of her father’s house. 20 Jacob fooled Laban the Syrian by not telling him that he was going. 21 So he left with all he had. He went and crossed the Euphrates River, and turned toward the hill country of Gilead.
Laban Follows after Jacob
22 But Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had gone. 23 So he took the men of his family with him, and followed Jacob for seven days. He found him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night. He said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak good or bad to Jacob.”
25 Then Laban came to Jacob. Now Jacob had put up his tent in the hill country. Laban and the men of his family put up their tents in the hill country of Gilead. 26 Laban said to Jacob, “What do you mean by fooling me and carrying away my daughters as if they were taken by the sword? 27 Why did you leave in secret and fool me? Why did you not tell me, so I would have sent you away with joy and with songs and with sounds of joy on the timbrel and harp. 28 Why did you not let me kiss my grandchildren and daughters good-bye? Now you have been foolish. 29 I have the power to hurt you. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak good or bad to Jacob.’ 30 Now you have gone away because you had a desire for your father’s house. But why did you steal my gods?”
31 Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid you might take your daughters from me and make them stay. 32 The one with whom you find your gods will not live. In front of those of our family, look for what I have that is yours, and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two women who served Rachel and Leah. But he did not find his gods. Then he went from Leah’s tent into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the gods of Laban’s house and put them in the seat that was used on the camel’s back. And she sat upon them. Laban looked through the whole tent, but did not find them. 35 She said to her father, “My lord, do not be angry that I cannot rise in front of you. For the way of women is upon me.” So he looked, but could not find the gods.
3 You foolish Galatians! What strange powers are trying to lead you from the way of faith in Christ? We made it plain for you to see that Jesus Christ was put on a cross to die. 2 There is one thing I want to know. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the Law? Or did you receive Him by hearing about Christ? 3 How foolish can you be? You started the Christian life by the Holy Spirit. Do you think you are going to become better Christians by your old way of worship? 4 You suffered so much because of the Good News you received. Was this all of no use? 5 He gave you the Holy Spirit and did powerful works among you. Does He do it because you do what the Law says or because you hear and believe the truth?
6 It was the same with Abraham. He put his trust in God. This made Abraham right with God. 7 Be sure to remember that all men who put their trust in God are the sons of Abraham. 8 The Holy Writings said long ago that God would save the people who are not Jews from the punishment of sin also. Before this time the Holy Writings gave the Good News to Abraham in these words, “All nations will be happy because of you.” (A) 9 So then, all those who have faith will be happy, along with Abraham who had faith.
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