Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Hagar and Ishmael

16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, ^(A)had borne him no children. And she had ^(B)an Egyptian maidservant whose name was ^(C)Hagar. ^2 (D)So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord ^(E)has restrained me from bearing children. Please, ^(F)go in to my maid; perhaps I shall ^[a]obtain children by her.” And Abram ^(G)heeded the voice of Sarai. ³ Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram ^(H)had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. ⁴ So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became ^(I)despised in her ^[b]eyes.

⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, ^[c]“My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. ^(J)The Lord judge between you and me.”

^6 (K)So Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.” And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, ^(L)she fled from her presence.

⁷ Now the ^(M)Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, ^(N)by the spring on the way to ^(O)Shur. ⁸ And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

⁹ The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and ^(P)submit yourself under her hand.” ¹⁰ Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, ^(Q)“I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” ¹¹ And the Angel of the Lord said to her:

¹³ Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-^[e]the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here ^[f]seen Him ^(U)who sees me?” ¹⁴ Therefore the well was called ^(V)Beer Lahai Roi;^[g] observe, it is ^(W)between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ So ^(X)Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

The Loveless Church

2 “To the ^[a]angel of the church of Ephesus write,

‘These things says ^(A)He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, ^(B)who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: ^2 (C)“I know your works, your labor, your ^[b]patience, and that you cannot ^[c]bear those who are evil. And ^(D)you have tested those ^(E)who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; ³ and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have ^(F)not become weary. ⁴ Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, ^(G)or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. ⁶ But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

^7 (H)“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give ^(I)to eat from ^(J)the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’