Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Isaac’s Sons

¹⁹ Now these are the records of ^(A)the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham ^[a]became the father of Isaac; ²⁰ and Isaac was forty years old when he took ^(B)Rebekah, the ^(C)daughter of Bethuel the ^[b]Aramean of Paddan-aram, the ^(D)sister of Laban the ^[c]Aramean, to be his wife. ²¹ Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and ^(E)the Lord ^[d]answered him and Rebekah his wife ^(F)conceived. ²² But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to ^(G)inquire of the Lord. ²³ The Lord said to her,

²⁴ When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ Now the first came forth red, ^(K)all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. ²⁶ Afterward his brother came forth with ^(L)his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so ^(M)his name was called ^[e]Jacob; and Isaac was ^(N)sixty years old when she gave birth to them.

²⁷ When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a ^[f]peaceful man, ^[g](O)living in tents. ²⁸ Now Isaac loved Esau, because ^[h]he had ^(P)a taste for game, ^(Q)but Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹ When Jacob had cooked ^(R)stew, Esau came in from the field and he was ^[i]famished; ³⁰ and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of ^[j]that red stuff there, for I am ^[k]famished.” Therefore his name was called ^[l]Edom. ³¹ But Jacob said, “^[m]First sell me your ^(S)birthright.” ³² Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” ³³ And Jacob said, “^[n]First swear to me”; so he swore to him, and ^(T)sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Nun.

Deliverance from Bondage

8 Therefore there is now no ^(A)condemnation for those who are ^(B)in ^(C)Christ Jesus. ² For ^(D)the law of the Spirit of life ^[a]in ^(E)Christ Jesus ^(F)has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³ For ^(G)what the Law could not do, ^[b](H)weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in ^(I)the likeness of ^[c]sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ so that the ^(J)requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who ^(K)do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on ^(L)the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, ^(M)the things of the Spirit. ^6 (N)For the mind set on the flesh is ^(O)death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, ⁷ because the mind set on the flesh is ^(P)hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, ⁸ and those who are ^(Q)in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ However, you are not ^(R)in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God ^(S)dwells in you. But ^(T)if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. ^10 (U)If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is ^[d]alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who ^(V)raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, ^(W)He who raised ^(X)Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies ^[e]through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Jesus Teaches in Parables

13 That day Jesus went out of ^(A)the house and was sitting ^(B)by the sea. ² And ^[a]large crowds gathered to Him, so ^(C)He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

³ And He spoke many things to them in ^(D)parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; ⁴ and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. ⁵ Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. ⁶ But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Others fell ^[b]among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. ⁸ And others fell on the good soil and *yielded a crop, some a ^(E)hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. ^9 (F)He who has ears, ^[c]let him hear.”

The Sower Explained

¹⁸ “^(A)Hear then the parable of the sower. ¹⁹ When anyone hears ^(B)the ^[a]word of the kingdom and does not understand it, ^(C)the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. ²⁰ The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the ^[b]word, immediately he ^[c](D)falls away. ²² And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of ^(E)the ^[d]world and the ^(F)deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²³ And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some ^(G)a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”