Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Prayer with Confidence in Final Salvation

A Prayer of David.

Laban Pursues Jacob

²² And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. ²³ Then he took ^(A)his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. ²⁴ But God ^(B)had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you ^(C)speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”

²⁵ So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead.

²⁶ And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and ^(D)carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? ²⁷ Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? ²⁸ And you did not allow me ^(E)to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now ^(F)you have done foolishly in so doing. ²⁹ It is in my power to do you harm, but the ^(G)God of your father spoke to me ^(H)last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’ ³⁰ And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you ^(I)steal my gods?”

³¹ Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was ^(J)afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.’ ³² With whomever you find your gods, ^(K)do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

³³ And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maids’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. ³⁴ Now Rachel had taken the ^[a]household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban ^[b]searched all about the tent but did not find them. ³⁵ And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot ^(L)rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the ^[c]household idols.

³⁶ Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “What is my ^[d]trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me? ³⁷ Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both! ³⁸ These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. ^39 (M)That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. ^(N)You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. ⁴⁰ There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. ⁴¹ Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I ^(O)served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and ^(P)you have changed my wages ten times. ^42 (Q)Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and ^(R)the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. ^(S)God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and ^(T)rebuked you last night.”

Desire to Visit Rome

⁸ First, ^(A)I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that ^(B)your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. ⁹ For ^(C)God is my witness, ^(D)whom I serve ^[a]with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that ^(E)without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, ¹⁰ making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. ¹¹ For I long to see you, that ^(F)I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— ¹² that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by ^(G)the mutual faith both of you and me.

¹³ Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but ^(H)was hindered until now), that I might have some ^(I)fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. ¹⁴ I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. ¹⁵ So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.