Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving
2 Then Hannah (A)prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord;
(B)My [a]horn is exalted in the Lord,
My mouth [b]speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because (C)I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 “(D)There is no one holy like the Lord,
Indeed, (E)there is no one besides You,
(F)Nor is there any rock like our God.
3 “[c]Boast no more so very proudly,
(G)Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
(H)For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
(I)And with Him actions are weighed.
4 “(J)The bows of the mighty are shattered,
(K)But the feeble gird on strength.
5 “Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to hunger.
(L)Even the barren gives birth to seven,
But (M)she who has many children languishes.
6 “(N)The Lord kills and makes alive;
(O)He brings down to [d]Sheol and raises up.
7 “(P)The Lord makes poor and rich;
(Q)He brings low, He also exalts.
8 “(R)He raises the poor from the dust,
(S)He lifts the needy from the ash heap
(T)To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
(U)For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He set the world on them.
9 “(V)He keeps the feet of His godly ones,
(W)But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
(X)For not by might shall a man prevail.
10 “(Y)Those who contend with the Lord will be shattered;
(Z)Against them He will thunder in the heavens,
(AA)The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
(AB)And He will give strength to His king,
(AC)And will exalt the [e]horn of His anointed.”
Isaac Is Born
21 (A)Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had [a]promised. 2 (B)So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at (C)the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, (D)Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was (E)eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was (F)one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah said, “God has made (G)laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh [b]with me.” 7 And she said, “(H)Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
8 The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
Sarah Turns against Hagar
9 Now Sarah saw (I)the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, [c](J)mocking. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “(K)Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son [d]Isaac.” 11 (L)The matter [e]distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “[f]Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for (M)through Isaac [g]your descendants shall be named. 13 And of (N)the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your [h]descendant.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a [i]skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was used up, she [j]left the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me [k]see the boy die.” And she sat opposite him, and (O)lifted up her voice and wept. 17 God (P)heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? (Q)Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by [l]the hand, (R)for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God (S)opened her eyes and she saw (T)a well of water; and she went and filled the [m]skin with water and gave the lad a drink.
20 (U)God was with the lad, and he grew; and he [n]lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21 (V)He [o]lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Bond and Free
21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not (A)listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, (B)one by the bondwoman and (C)one by the free woman. 23 But (D)the son by the bondwoman [a]was born according to the flesh, and (E)the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 [b](F)This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from (G)Mount Sinai bearing children [c]who are to be (H)slaves; [d]she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But (I)the Jerusalem above is free; [e]she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
“(J)Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear;
Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;
For more numerous are the children of the desolate
Than of the one who has a husband.”
28 And you brethren, (K)like Isaac, are (L)children of promise. 29 But as at that time (M)he who was born according to the flesh (N)persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, (O)so it is now also. 30 But what does the Scripture say?
“(P)Cast out the bondwoman and her son,
For (Q)the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, [f]but of the free woman.
Walk by the Spirit
5 [g](R)It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore (S)keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a (T)yoke of slavery.
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