Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹¹ Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth; firm up my heart that I might fear thy name.

¹² I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

¹³ For great is thy mercy upon me, and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest part of Sheol.

¹⁴ O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul and have not set thee before them.

¹⁵ But thou, O Lord, art a merciful and gracious God, longsuffering and plenteous in mercy and truth.

¹⁶ O look into me and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy slave and keep the son of thine handmaid.

¹⁷ Show me a token for good that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed because thou, O LORD, hast helped me and comforted me.

16 ¶ Now Sarai Abram’s wife bore him no children; and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

² And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing; I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

³ And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar, her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

⁴ ¶ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

⁵ Then Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee; I have given my maid into thy bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes; the LORD judge between me and thee.

⁶ But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleases thee. Then Sarai afflicted her, and she fled from her face.

⁷ ¶ And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

⁸ And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where didst thou come from and where wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

⁹ And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hands.

¹⁰ ¶ And the angel of the LORD also said unto her, I will multiply thy seed so exceedingly that it shall not be numbered for the multitude.

¹¹ And the angel of the LORD yet said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son and shalt call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard thy affliction.

¹² And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

¹³ And she called the name of the LORD that spoke unto her, Thou God that is seen: for she said, Have I not also here seen the back of him that sees me?

¹⁴ Therefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; {well of the living one who sees me} behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ ¶ And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bore, Ishmael.

2 ¶ Unto the angel of the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} of Ephesus write; These things, saith he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:

² I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience and how thou canst not bear those who are evil; and thou hast tried those who say they are apostles and are not and hast found them liars,

³ and hast suffered, and doth suffer and for my name’s sake hast laboured and hast not fainted.

⁴ Nevertheless I have against thee that thou hast left thy first love, charity.

⁵ Remember, therefore, from where thou art fallen and repent and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent.

⁶ But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

⁷ He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the congregations; {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} To him that overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.