Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Lord Tells Abraham about His Plan

¹⁶ Then the men got up to leave. As Abraham was walking with them to see them off, they looked toward Sodom. ¹⁷ The Lord said, “I shouldn’t hide what I am going to do from Abraham. ¹⁸ After all, Abraham is going to become a great and mighty nation and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. ¹⁹ I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his family after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. In this way I, the Lord, will do what I have promised Abraham.”

²⁰ The Lord also said, “Sodom and Gomorrah have many complaints against them, and their sin is very serious. ²¹ I must go down and see whether these complaints are true. If not, I will know it.”

²² From there the men turned and went on toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord. ²³ Abraham came closer and asked, “Are you really going to sweep away the innocent with the guilty? ²⁴ What if there are 50 innocent people in the city? Are you really going to sweep them away? Won’t you spare that place for the sake of the 50 innocent people who are in it? ²⁵ It would be unthinkable for you to do such a thing, to treat the innocent and the guilty alike and to kill the innocent with the guilty. That would be unthinkable! Won’t the judge of the whole earth do what is fair?”

²⁶ The Lord said, “If I find 50 innocent people inside the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

²⁷ Abraham asked, “Consider now, if I may be so bold as to ask you, although I’m ⌞only⌟ dust and ashes, ²⁸ what if there are 45 innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of 5 fewer people?”

The Lord answered, “I will not destroy it if I find 45 there.”

²⁹ Abraham asked him again, “What if 40 are found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of the 40 I will not do it.”

³⁰ “Please don’t be angry if I speak again,” Abraham said. “What if 30 are found there?”

He answered, “If I find 30 there, I will not do it.”

³¹ “Look now, if I may be so bold as to ask you,” Abraham said. “What if 20 are found there?”

He answered, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the 20.”

³² “Please don’t be angry if I speak only one more time,” Abraham said. “What if 10 are found there?”

He answered, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the 10.” ³³ When the Lord finished speaking to Abraham, he left. Abraham returned home.

Jesus Has Authority over the Day of Rest—a Holy Day^(A)

12 Then on a day of rest—a holy day, Jesus walked through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain to eat.

² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing something that is not right to do on the day of rest—a holy day.”

³ Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry? ⁴ Haven’t you read how he went into the house of God and ate ^[a] the bread of the presence? He and his men had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right. ⁵ Or haven’t you read in Moses’ Teachings that on the day of rest—a holy day, the priests in the temple do things they shouldn’t on the day of rest yet remain innocent? ⁶ I can guarantee that something ^[b] greater than the temple is here. ⁷ If you had known what ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices’ means, you would not have condemned innocent people.

⁸ “The Son of Man has authority over the day of rest—a holy day.”