Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Birth of Isaac Promised
18 Now (A)the Lord appeared to him by the [a](B)oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three (C)men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, 3 and said, “[b]My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not [c]pass Your servant by. 4 Please let a little water be brought and (D)wash your feet, and [d]rest yourselves under the tree; 5 and I will [e](E)bring a piece of bread, that you may [f]refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have [g]visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “[h]Quickly, prepare three [i]measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.” 7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and [j]choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree [k]as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 He said, “(F)I will surely return to you [l]at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now (G)Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was (H)past [m]childbearing. 12 Sarah laughed [n]to herself, saying, “(I)After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my (J)lord being old also?” 13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed [o]bear a child, when I am so old?’ 14 (K)Is anything too [p]difficult for the Lord? At the (L)appointed time I will return to you, [q]at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
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.”
12 What shall I (A)render to the Lord
For all His (B)benefits [a]toward me?
13 I shall lift up the (C)cup of salvation
And (D)call upon the name of the Lord.
14 I shall (E)pay my vows to the Lord,
Oh may it be (F)in the presence of all His people.
15 (G)Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His godly ones.
16 O Lord, [b]surely I am (H)Your servant,
I am Your servant, the (I)son of Your handmaid,
You have (J)loosed my bonds.
17 To You I shall offer (K)a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And (L)call upon the name of the Lord.
18 I shall (M)pay my vows to the Lord,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,
19 In the (N)courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O (O)Jerusalem.
[c]Praise [d]the Lord!
Results of Justification
5 (A)Therefore, having been justified by faith, [a](B)we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have (C)obtained our introduction by faith into this grace (D)in which we stand; and [b]we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 (E)And not only this, but [c]we also (F)exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about (G)perseverance; 4 and (H)perseverance, (I)proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope (J)does not disappoint, because the love of God has been (K)poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For while we were still (L)helpless, (M)at the right time (N)Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; [d]though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God (O)demonstrates (P)His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, (Q)Christ died for us.
35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, (A)teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
36 (B)Seeing the [a]people, He felt compassion for them, (C)because they were [b]distressed and [c]dispirited like sheep [d]without a shepherd. 37 Then He *said to His disciples, “(D)The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
The Twelve Disciples; Instructions for Service
10 Jesus (E)summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to (F)heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
2 (G)Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, (H)Simon, who is called Peter, and (I)Andrew his brother; and [e](J)James the son of Zebedee, and [f]John his brother; 3 (K)Philip and [g]Bartholomew; (L)Thomas and (M)Matthew the tax collector; [h](N)James the son of Alphaeus, and (O)Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the [i]Zealot, and (P)Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.
5 (Q)These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not [j]go [k]in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the (R)Samaritans; 6 but rather go to (S)the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, [l]preach, saying, ‘(T)The kingdom of heaven [m]is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.
9 (A)Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a [a]bag for your journey, or even two [b]coats, or sandals, or a staff; for (B)the worker is worthy of his [c]support. 11 And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay [d]at his house until you leave that city. 12 As you enter the [e]house, (C)give it your [f]greeting. 13 If the house is worthy, [g]give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, [h]take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, (D)shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, (E)it will be more tolerable for the land of (F)Sodom and Gomorrah in (G)the day of judgment than for that city.
A Hard Road before Them
16 “(H)Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so [i]be (I)shrewd as serpents and (J)innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the (K)courts and scourge you (L)in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 (M)But when they hand you over, (N)do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 For (O)it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21 “(P)Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and (Q)children will rise up against parents and [j]cause them to be put to death. 22 (R)You will be hated by all because of My name, but (S)it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
23 “But whenever they (T)persecute you in [k]one city, flee to [l]the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel (U)until the Son of Man comes.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.