Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God Tests Abraham

22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” Abraham replied.

² Then God said, “Take your son, your only son. He is the one you love. Take Isaac. Go to the place called Moriah. Give your son to me there as a burnt offering. Sacrifice him on the mountain I will show you.”

³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took two of his servants and his son Isaac with him. He cut enough wood for the burnt offering. Then he started out for the place God had shown him. ⁴ On the third day Abraham saw the place a long way off. ⁵ He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go over there and worship. Then we’ll come back to you.”

⁶ Abraham had his son Isaac carry the wood for the burnt offering. He himself carried the fire and the knife. And the two of them walked on together. ⁷ Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said. “But where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them walked on together.

⁹ They reached the place God had shown Abraham. There Abraham built an altar. He arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son Isaac. Abraham placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand. He picked up the knife to kill his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven. He said, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” Abraham replied.

¹² “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not harm him. Now I know that you would do anything for God. You have not held back from me your son, your only son.”

¹³ Abraham looked around. There in a bush he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram. He sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide. To this day people say, “It will be provided on the mountain of the Lord.”

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹² So don’t let sin rule your body, which is going to die. Don’t obey its evil desires. ¹³ Don’t give any part of yourself to serve sin. Don’t let any part of yourself be used to do evil. Instead, give yourselves to God. You have been brought from death to life. So give every part of yourself to God to do what is right. ¹⁴ Sin will no longer control you like a master. That’s because the law does not rule you. God’s grace has set you free.

Slaves to Right Living

¹⁵ What should we say then? Should we sin because we are not ruled by the law but by God’s grace? Not at all! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you give yourselves to obey someone you become that person’s slave? If you are slaves of sin, then you will die. But if you are slaves who obey God, then you will live a godly life. ¹⁷ You used to be slaves of sin. But thank God that with your whole heart you obeyed the teachings you were given! ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin. You have become slaves to right living.

¹⁹ Because you are human, you find this hard to understand. So I am using an everyday example to help you understand. You used to give yourselves to be slaves to unclean living. You were becoming more and more evil. Now give yourselves to be slaves to right living. Then you will become holy. ²⁰ Once you were slaves of sin. At that time right living did not control you. ²¹ What benefit did you gain from doing the things you are now ashamed of? Those things lead to death! ²² You have been set free from sin. God has made you his slaves. The benefit you gain leads to holy living. And the end result is eternal life. ²³ When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.

⁴⁰ “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Suppose someone welcomes a prophet as a prophet. They will receive a prophet’s reward. And suppose someone welcomes a godly person as a godly person. They will receive a godly person’s reward. ⁴² Suppose someone gives even a cup of cold water to a little one who follows me. What I’m about to tell you is true. That person will certainly be rewarded.”