Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer with Confidence in Final Salvation
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a just cause, O Lord,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.
3 You have tested my heart;
You have visited me in the night;
(A)You have [a]tried me and have found [b]nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth shall not (B)transgress.
4 Concerning the works of men,
By the word of Your lips,
I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.
5 (C)Uphold my steps in Your paths,
That my footsteps may not slip.
3 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother (A)in the land of Seir, (B)the [a]country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, (C)“Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: “I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. 5 (D)I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that (E)I may find favor in your sight.” ’ ”
6 Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and (F)he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 So Jacob was greatly afraid and (G)distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies. 8 And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and [b]attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”
9 (H)Then Jacob said, (I)“O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord (J)who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the (K)mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with (L)my staff, and now I have become two companies. 11 (M)Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and [c]attack me and (N)the mother with the children. 12 For (O)You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the (P)sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”
13 So he lodged there that same night, and took what [d]came to his hand as (Q)a present for Esau his brother: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals. 16 Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.” 17 And he commanded the first one, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.’ ” 19 So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20 and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will (R)appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.
37 Now when they heard this, (A)they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, (B)“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and (C)to your children, and (D)to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
A Vital Church Grows
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this [b]perverse generation.” 41 Then those who [c]gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 (E)And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ [d]doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and (F)many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and (G)had all things in common, 45 and [e]sold their possessions and goods, and (H)divided[f] them among all, as anyone had need.
46 (I)So continuing daily with one accord (J)in the temple, and (K)breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And (L)the Lord added [g]to the church daily those who were being saved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.