Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving
2 Then Hannah (A)prayed and said,
“My heart exults in Yahweh;
(B)My [a]horn is exalted in Yahweh;
My mouth [b]speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because (C)I am glad in Your salvation.
2 (D)There is no one holy like Yahweh;
Indeed, (E)there is no one besides You,
(F)Nor is there any rock like our God.
3 Do not multiply speaking so very proudly;
(G)Let arrogance not come out of your mouth;
(H)For Yahweh is a God of knowledge,
(I)And with Him actions are weighed.
4 (J)The bows of the mighty are shattered,
(K)But those who stumble gird on strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to hunger.
(L)Even the barren gives birth to seven,
But (M)she who has many children languishes.
6 (N)Yahweh puts to death and makes alive;
(O)He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 (P)Yahweh makes poor and rich;
(Q)He brings low; He also exalts.
8 (R)He raises the poor from the dust;
(S)He exalts the needy from the ash heap
(T)To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of glory;
(U)For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh’s,
And He set the world on them.
9 (V)He keeps the feet of His holy ones,
(W)But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness,
(X)For not by power shall a man prevail.
10 (Y)Those who contend with Yahweh will be dismayed;
(Z)Against them He will thunder in the heavens;
(AA)Yahweh will render justice to the ends of the earth,
(AB)And He will give strength to His king,
(AC)And He will exalt the [c]horn of His anointed.”
Isaac Is Born
21 (A)Now Yahweh visited Sarah as He had said, and Yahweh did for Sarah as He had [a]promised. 2 (B)So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at (C)the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, (D)Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was (E)eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was (F)one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made (G)laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh [b]with me.” 7 And she said, “(H)Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Sarah Sends Hagar Away
8 And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 And Sarah saw (I)the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, [c](J)laughing in jest. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “(K)Drive out this maidservant and her son! The son of this maidservant shall not be an heir with my son, with Isaac.” 11 (L)And the matter [d]distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. 12 So God said to Abraham, “[e]Do not be distressed because of the boy and your maidservant; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice, for (M)through Isaac your seed shall be named. 13 And of (N)the son of the maidservant I will make a nation also, because he is your seed.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a [f]skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the child, and sent her away. So she went and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was finished, she [g]put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me [h]see when the child dies.” And she sat opposite him and (O)lifted up her voice and wept. 17 Then God (P)heard the voice of the boy crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? (Q)Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the boy, and hold him by [i]the hand, (R)for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God (S)opened her eyes, and she saw (T)a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 (U)And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he [j]lived in the wilderness and was an archer. 21 (V)And he [k]lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
An Allegory of Two Covenants
21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not (A)listen to the Law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, (B)one by the servant-woman and (C)one by the free woman. 23 But (D)the son by the servant-woman had been born according to the flesh, while (E)the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 [a](F)This is [b]spoken with allegory, for these women are two covenants: one from (G)Mount Sinai bearing children into (H)slavery; [c]she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But (I)the Jerusalem above is free; [d]she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
“(J)Rejoice, barren woman who does not give birth;
Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;
For more numerous are the children of the desolate one
Than of the one who has a husband.”
28 And you brothers, (K)in accordance with Isaac, are (L)children of promise. 29 But as at that time (M)he who was born according to the flesh (N)was persecuting him who was born according to the Spirit, (O)so it is now also. 30 But what does the Scripture say?
“(P)Cast out the servant-woman and her son,
For (Q)the son of the servant-woman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”
31 So then, brothers, we are not children of a servant-woman, [e]but of the free woman.
Christ Set Us Free
5 [f](R)It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, (S)stand firm and do not be subject again to a (T)yoke of slavery.
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