Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Praise for God’s Amazing Deeds[a]
111 Hallelujah!
I will give thanks to the Lord with all of my heart
in the assembled congregation of the upright.
2 Great are the acts of the Lord;
they are within reach of[b] all who desire them.
3 Splendid and glorious are his awesome deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He is remembered for his awesome deeds;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5 He prepares food[c] for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He revealed his mighty deeds to his people
by giving them a country of their own.[d]
7 Whatever he does is[e] reliable and just,
and all his precepts are trustworthy,
8 sustained through all eternity,
and fashioned in both truth and righteousness.
9 He sent deliverance to his people;
he ordained his covenant to last forever;
his name is holy and awesome.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
sound understanding belongs to those who practice it.
Praise of God[f] endures forever.
Moses Pleads with God
23 “I pleaded with the Lord at that time, 24 ‘Lord God, you’ve begun to show your greatness and your strong power to your servant. For what god in heaven or on earth can equal your works and mighty deeds? 25 Let me cross over that I may see the good land on the other side of the Jordan River—the good hill country—as well as Lebanon.’
26 “However, the Lord was furious with me because of you. He did not listen to me. Instead, the Lord said, ‘You are not to speak to me about this matter again! 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift your eyes toward the west, north, south, and east. Look with your own eyes, since you won’t be able to cross this Jordan River. 28 Therefore charge Joshua to be doubly strong, because he will lead this people[a] and cause them to inherit the land that you’ll see.’ 29 We then encamped in the valley opposite Beth-peor.”
6 Now it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all Israelis truly belong to Israel, 7 and not all of Abraham’s descendants are his true descendants. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you.”[a] 8 That is, it is not merely the children born through natural descent who were regarded as God’s children, but it is the children born through the promise who were regarded as descendants. 9 For this is the language of the promise: “At this time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”[b] 10 Not only that, but Rebecca became pregnant by our ancestor Isaac. 11 Yet before their children[c] had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s plan of election might continue to operate 12 according to his calling and not by actions), Rebecca[d] was told, “The older child will serve the younger one.”[e] 13 So it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[f]
14 What can we say, then? God is not unrighteous, is he? Of course not! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will be merciful to the person I want to be merciful to, and I will be kind to the person I want to be kind to.”[g] 16 Therefore, God’s choice[h] does not depend on a person’s will or effort, but on God himself, who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says about Pharaoh,
“I have raised you up for this very purpose,
to demonstrate my power through you
and that my name might be proclaimed
in all the earth.”[i]
18 Therefore, God[j] has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses.
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