Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Hannah’s Prayer
2 Hannah prayed out loud,
“My heart finds joy in the Lord.
My head is lifted to the Lord.
My mouth mocks my enemies.
I rejoice because you saved ⌞me⌟.
2 There is no one holy like the Lord.
There is no one but you, O Lord.
There is no Rock like our God.
3 “Do not boast
⌞or⌟ let arrogance come out of your mouth
because the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and he weighs ⌞our⌟ actions.
4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumble are armed with strength.
5 Those who were well-fed hire themselves out for a piece of bread,
but those who were hungry hunger no more.
Even the woman who was childless gives birth to seven children,
but the mother of many children grieves all alone.
6 “The Lord kills, and he gives life.
He makes ⌞people⌟ go down to the grave, and he raises them up ⌞again⌟.
7 The Lord causes poverty and grants wealth.
He humbles ⌞people⌟; he also promotes them.
8 He raises the poor from the dust.
He lifts the needy from the trash heap
in order to make them sit with nobles
and even to make them inherit a glorious throne.
“The pillars of the earth are the Lord’s.
He has set the world on them.
9 He safeguards the steps of his faithful ones,
but wicked people are silenced in darkness
because humans cannot succeed by their own strength.
10 “Those who oppose the Lord are broken into pieces.
He thunders at them from the heavens.
The Lord judges the ends of the earth.
He gives strength to his King
and lifts the head of his Messiah.” [a]
God Provides for Hagar and Ishmael
21 The Lord came to help Sarah and did for her what he had promised. 2 So she became pregnant, and at the exact time God had promised, she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. 3 Abraham named his newborn son Isaac. 4 When Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. 5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born.
6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. 7 Who would have predicted to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet, I have given him a son in his old age.”
8 The child grew and was weaned. On the day Isaac was weaned, Abraham held a big feast. 9 Sarah saw that Abraham’s son by Hagar the Egyptian was laughing at Isaac. 10 She said to Abraham, “Get rid of this slave and her son, because this slave’s son must never share the inheritance with my son Isaac.” 11 Abraham was upset by this because of his son Ishmael. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Don’t be upset about the boy and your slave. Listen to what Sarah says because through Isaac your descendants will carry on your name. 13 Besides, I will make the slave’s son into a nation also, because he is your child.”
14 Early the next morning Abraham took bread and a container of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder. He also gave her the boy and sent her on her way. So she left and wandered around in the desert near Beersheba. 15 When the water in the container was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went about as far away as an arrow can be shot and sat down. She said to herself, “I don’t want to watch the boy die.” So she sat down and sobbed loudly.
17 God heard the boy crying, and the Messenger of God called to Hagar from heaven. “What’s the matter, Hagar?” he asked her. “Don’t be afraid! God has heard the boy crying from the bushes. 18 Come on, help the boy up! Take him by the hand, because I’m going to make him into a great nation.”
19 God opened her eyes. Then she saw a well. She filled the container with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became a skilled archer. 21 He lived in the desert of Paran, and his mother got him a wife from Egypt.
You Are Children of the Promise
21 Those who want to be controlled by Moses’ laws should tell me something. Are you really listening to what Moses’ Teachings say? 22 Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one by a woman who was a slave and the other by a free woman. 23 Now, the son of the slave woman was conceived in a natural way, but the son of the free woman was conceived through a promise ⌞made to Abraham⌟.
24 I’m going to use these historical events as an illustration. The women illustrate two arrangements.[a] The one woman, Hagar, is the arrangement made on Mount Sinai. Her children are born into slavery. 25 Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia. She is like Jerusalem today because she and her children are slaves. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 Scripture says:
“Rejoice, women who cannot get pregnant,
who cannot give birth to any children!
Break into shouting, those who feel no pains of childbirth!
Because the deserted woman will have more children
than the woman who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise like Isaac.
29 Furthermore, at that time the son who was conceived in a natural way persecuted the son conceived in a spiritual way. That’s exactly what’s happening now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, because the son of the slave woman must never share the inheritance with the son of the free woman.” 31 Brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman but of the free woman.
Live in the Freedom That Christ Gives You
5 Christ has freed us so that we may enjoy the benefits of freedom. Therefore, be firm ⌞in this freedom⌟, and don’t become slaves again.
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