Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a (A)just cause, O Lord, (B)give heed to my cry;
(C)Give ear to my prayer, which is not from (D)deceitful lips.
2 Let (E)my [a]judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with (F)equity.
3 You have (G)tried my heart;
You have visited me by night;
You have (H)tested me and (I)You find [b]nothing;
I have (J)purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 As for the deeds of men, (K)by the word of Your lips
I have kept from the (L)paths of the violent.
5 My (M)steps have held fast to Your [c]paths.
My (N)feet have not slipped.
3 Then Jacob (A)sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of (B)Seir, the [a]country of (C)Edom. 4 He also commanded them saying, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, “I have sojourned with Laban, and (D)stayed until now; 5 (E)I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, (F)that I may find favor in your sight.”’”
6 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore (G)he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 Then Jacob was (H)greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies; 8 for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and [b]attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”
9 Jacob said, “O (I)God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘(J)Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will [c]prosper you,’ 10 [d]I am unworthy (K)of all the lovingkindness and of all the [e]faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. 11 (L)Deliver me, I pray, (M)from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and [f]attack me and the (N)mothers with the children. 12 For You said, ‘(O)I will surely [g]prosper you and (P)make your [h]descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.’”
13 So he spent the night there. Then he [i]selected from what [j]he had with him a (Q)present for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on before me, and put a space between droves.” 17 He commanded the [k]one in front, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a present sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.’” 19 Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the droves, saying, “After this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20 and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the present passed on before him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.
The Ingathering
37 Now when they heard this, they were [a]pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “[b]Brethren, [c](A)what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “(B)Repent, and each of you be (C)baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For (D)the promise is for you and your children and for all who are (E)far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly (F)testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “[d]Be saved from this (G)perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand [e](H)souls. 42 They were (I)continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to (J)the breaking of bread and [f](K)to prayer.
43 [g]Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many (L)wonders and [h]signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed [i]were together and (M)had all things in common; 45 and they (N)began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 (O)Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and (P)breaking bread [j]from house to house, they were taking their [k]meals together with gladness and [l]sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and (Q)having favor with all the people. And the Lord (R)was adding [m]to their number day by day (S)those who were being saved.
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