Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Prayer of Repentance

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David ^(A)when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Jonah’s Anger and God’s Kindness

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. ² So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I ^(A)fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a ^(B)gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. ^3 (C)Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for ^(D)it is better for me to die than to live!”

⁴ Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

⁵ So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. ⁶ And the Lord God prepared a ^[a]plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah ^[b]was very grateful for the plant. ⁷ But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. ⁸ And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, ^(E)“It is better for me to die than to live.”

⁹ Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which ^[c]came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, ^(F)that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons ^(G)who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”

Desire to Visit Rome

⁸ First, ^(A)I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that ^(B)your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. ⁹ For ^(C)God is my witness, ^(D)whom I serve ^[a]with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that ^(E)without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, ¹⁰ making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. ¹¹ For I long to see you, that ^(F)I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— ¹² that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by ^(G)the mutual faith both of you and me.

¹³ Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but ^(H)was hindered until now), that I might have some ^(I)fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. ¹⁴ I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. ¹⁵ So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

The Just Live by Faith

¹⁶ For ^(J)I am not ashamed of the gospel ^[b]of Christ, for ^(K)it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, ^(L)for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹⁷ For ^(M)in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ^(N)“The just shall live by faith.”