Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Hagar and Ishmael Depart(A)
8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar (B)the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, (C)scoffing.[a] 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, (D)“Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” 11 And the matter was very [b]displeasing in Abraham’s sight (E)because of his son.
12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for (F)in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13 Yet I will also make (G)a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your [c]seed.”
14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and [d]a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and (H)sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. 15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. 16 Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.
17 And (I)God heard the voice of the lad. Then the (J)angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for (K)I will make him a great nation.”
19 Then (L)God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. 20 So God (M)was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, (N)and became an archer. 21 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother (O)took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Prayer for Mercy, with Meditation on the Excellencies of the Lord
A Prayer of David.
86 Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me;
For I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my [a]life, for I am holy;
You are my God;
Save Your servant who trusts in You!
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,
For I cry to You all day long.
4 [b]Rejoice the soul of Your servant,
(A)For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For (B)You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me.
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.
Dead to Sin, Alive to God
6 What shall we say then? (A)Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who (B)died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that (C)as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus (D)were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were (E)buried with Him through baptism into death, that (F)just as Christ was raised from the dead by (G)the glory of the Father, (H)even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 (I)For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that (J)our old man was crucified with Him, that (K)the body of sin might be [a]done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For (L)he who has died has been [b]freed from sin. 8 Now (M)if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that (N)Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, (O)He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, (P)He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, [c]reckon yourselves to be (Q)dead indeed to sin, but (R)alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
24 (A)“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If (B)they have called the master of the house [a]Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. (C)For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
Jesus Teaches the Fear of God(D)
27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, (E)speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 (F)And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather (G)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in [b]hell. 29 Are not two (H)sparrows sold for a [c]copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 (I)But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Confess Christ Before Men(J)
32 (K)“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, (L)him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 (M)But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Christ Brings Division(N)
34 (O)“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to (P)‘set[d] a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and (Q)‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 (R)He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 (S)And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 (T)He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.