Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
(A prayer by David.)
A Prayer for Help
1 Please listen, Lord,
and answer my prayer!
I am poor and helpless.
2 Protect me and save me
because you are my God.
I am your faithful servant,
and I trust you.
3 Be kind to me!
I pray to you all day.
4 Make my heart glad!
I serve you,
and my prayer is sincere.
5 You willingly forgive,
and your love is always there
for those who pray to you.
6 Please listen, Lord!
Answer my prayer for help.
7 When I am in trouble, I pray,
knowing you will listen.
8 No other gods are like you;
only you work miracles.
9 (A) You created each nation,
and they will all bow down
to worship and honor you.
10 You perform great wonders
because you alone are God.
Instructions for Passover
43 The Lord gave Moses and Aaron the following instructions for celebrating Passover:
Only Israelites may eat the Passover meal.
44 Your slaves may eat the meal if they have been circumcised, 45 but no foreigners who work for you are allowed to have any.
46 (A) The entire meal must be eaten inside, and no one may leave the house during the celebration.
No bones of the Passover lamb may be broken. 47 And all Israelites must take part in the meal.
48 If anyone who isn't an Israelite wants to celebrate Passover with you, every man and boy in that family must first be circumcised. Then they may join in the meal, just like native Israelites. No uncircumcised man or boy may eat the Passover meal! 49 This law applies both to native Israelites and to those foreigners who live among you.
The One Who Leads Us To Be Saved
5 We know that God did not put the future world under the power of angels. 6 (A) Somewhere in the Scriptures someone says to God,
“What makes you care
about us humans?
Why are you concerned
for weaklings such as we?
7 You made us lower
than the angels
for a while.
Yet you have crowned us
with glory and honor.[a]
8 And you have put everything
under our power!”
God has put everything under our power and has not left anything out of our power. But we still don't see it all under our control. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels. Because of God's gift of undeserved grace, Jesus died for everyone. And now that Jesus has suffered and died, he is crowned with glory and honor!
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