Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Prayer for Help in Time of Trouble

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? ² How long must I plan what to do in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will those who hate me rise above me?

³ Look on me and answer, O Lord, my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death. ⁴ Or the one who hates me will say, “I have power over him.” And those who hate me will be happy when I am shaken.

⁵ But I have trusted in Your loving-kindness. My heart will be full of joy because You will save me. ⁶ I will sing to the Lord, because He has been good to me.

²³ Then he went from there to Beersheba. ²⁴ The Lord showed Himself to Isaac that same night, and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bring good to you, and add many to the number of your children and their children’s children, because of My servant Abraham.” ²⁵ So Isaac built an altar there. And he called upon the name of the Lord. He put up his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Jesus Teaches about Forgiving

17 Jesus said to His followers, “For sure, things will come that will make people sin. But it is bad for the person who makes someone else sin. ² It would be better for him to have a large rock put around his neck and be thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

³ “Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, speak sharp words to him. If he is sorry and turns from his sin, forgive him. ⁴ What if he sins against you seven times in one day? If he comes to you and says he is sorry and turns from his sin, forgive him.”