Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, (A)what should your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were [a]delicate, but Rachel was (B)beautiful of form and appearance.
18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, (C)“I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”
19 And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob (D)served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may (E)go in to her.” 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and (F)made a feast. 23 Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave his maid (G)Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. 25 So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you (H)deceived me?”
26 And Laban said, “It must not be done so in our [b]country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 (I)Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.”
28 Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.
The Eternal Faithfulness of the Lord(A)
105 Oh, (B)give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
(C)Make known His deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
(D)Talk of all His wondrous works!
3 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
4 Seek the Lord and His strength;
(E)Seek His face evermore!
5 (F)Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
6 O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
7 He is the Lord our God;
(G)His judgments are in all the earth.
8 He (H)remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 (I)The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
10 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 Saying, (J)“To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
Blessings of Those Who Fear the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
128 Blessed (A)is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
2 (B)When you eat the [a]labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be (C)well with you.
3 Your wife shall be (D)like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your (E)children (F)like olive plants
All around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.
5 (G)The Lord bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.
6 Yes, may you (H)see your children’s children.
(I)Peace be upon Israel!
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For (A)we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but (B)the Spirit Himself makes intercession [a]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now (C)He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints (D)according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those (E)who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom (F)He foreknew, (G)He also predestined (H)to be conformed to the image of His Son, (I)that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also (J)called; whom He called, these He also (K)justified; and whom He justified, these He also (L)glorified.
God’s Everlasting Love
31 What then shall we say to these things? (M)If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 (N)He who did not spare His own Son, but (O)delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? (P)It is God who justifies. 34 (Q)Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, (R)who is even at the right hand of God, (S)who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
(T)“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 (U)Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor (V)principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed(A)
31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: (B)“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a (C)tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
The Parable of the Leaven(D)
33 (E)Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three [a]measures of meal till (F)it was all leavened.”
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and (A)sells all that he has and (B)buys that field.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found (C)one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Dragnet
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and (D)gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, (E)separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
51 [a]Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”
They said to Him, “Yes, [b]Lord.”
52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every [c]scribe instructed [d]concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure (F)things new and old.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.