Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 “Now behold, (A)I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your [a]descendants after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall (B)never again be cut off by the water of the flood, (C)neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is (D)the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for [b]all successive generations; 13 I set My (E)bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and (F)I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and (G)never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the (H)everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.
A Psalm of David.
25 To You, O Lord, I (A)lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in You (B)I trust,
Do not let me (C)be ashamed;
Do not let my (D)enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, (E)none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
[a]Those who (F)deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
4 (G)Make me know Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in (H)Your truth and teach me,
For You are the (I)God of my salvation;
For You I (J)wait all the day.
6 (K)Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been [b](L)from of old.
7 Do not remember the (M)sins of my youth or my transgressions;
(N)According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your (O)goodness’ sake, O Lord.
18 For (A)Christ also died for sins (B)once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might (C)bring us to God, having been put to death (D)in the flesh, but made alive (E)in the [a]spirit; 19 in [b]which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the (F)patience of God (G)kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of (H)the ark, in which a few, that is, (I)eight (J)persons, were brought safely through the [c]water. 21 (K)Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—(L)not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God [d]for a (M)good conscience—through (N)the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 (O)who is at the right hand of God, (P)having gone into heaven, (Q)after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
The Baptism of Jesus
9 (A)In those days Jesus (B)came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens [a]opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 11 and a voice came out of the heavens: “(C)You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
12 (D)Immediately the Spirit *impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by (E)Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
14 (F)Now after John had been [b]taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, [c](G)preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “(H)The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [d]is at hand; (I)repent and [e]believe in the gospel.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.