Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
11 (A)Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
[a]Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
13 For great is Your mercy toward me,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of [b]Sheol.
14 O God, the proud have risen against me,
And a mob of violent men have sought my life,
And have not set You before them.
15 But (B)You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
16 Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me!
Give Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
The Families of Ishmael and Isaac(A)
12 Now this is the (B)genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13 And (C)these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 [a]Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their [b]settlements, (D)twelve princes according to their nations. 17 These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and (E)he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 (F)(They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He [c]died (G)in the presence of all his brethren.
The Persecuted Church
8 “And to the [a]angel of the church in Smyrna write,
‘These things says (A)the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are (B)rich); and I know the blasphemy of (C)those who say they are Jews and are not, (D)but are a [b]synagogue of Satan. 10 (E)Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. (F)Be faithful until death, and I will give you (G)the crown of life.
11 (H)“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by (I)the second death.” ’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.