Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

ו (Vav)

¹⁶ The men set out from there and looked over toward S’dom, and Avraham went with them to see them on their way. ¹⁷ Adonai said, “Should I hide from Avraham what I am about to do, ¹⁸ inasmuch as Avraham is sure to become a great and strong nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by him? ¹⁹ For I have made myself known to him, so that he will give orders to his children and to his household after him to keep the way of Adonai and to do what is right and just, so that Adonai may bring about for Avraham what he has promised him.”

²⁰ Adonai said, “The outcry against S’dom and ‘Amora is so great and their sin so serious ²¹ that I will now go down and see whether their deeds warrant the outcry that has reached me; if not, I will know.” ²² The men turned away from there and went toward S’dom, but Avraham remained standing before Adonai. ²³ Avraham approached and said, “Will you actually sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Maybe there are fifty righteous people in the city; will you actually sweep the place away, and not forgive it for the sake of the fifty righteous who are there? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing — to kill the righteous along with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! Far be it from you! Shouldn’t the judge of all the earth do what is just?” ²⁶ Adonai said, “If I find in S’dom fifty who are righteous, then I will forgive the whole place for their sake.”

²⁷ Avraham answered, “Here now, I, who am but dust and ashes, have taken it upon myself to speak to Adonai. ²⁸ What if there are five less than fifty righteous?” He said, “I won’t destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

²⁹ He spoke to him yet again: “What if forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of the forty I won’t do it.”

³⁰ He said, “I hope Adonai won’t be angry if I speak. What if thirty are found there?” He said, “I won’t do it if I find thirty there.”

³¹ He said, “Here now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to Adonai. What if twenty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of the twenty I won’t destroy it.”

³² He said, “I hope Adonai won’t be angry if I speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He said, “For the sake of the ten I won’t destroy it.” ³³ Adonai went on his way as soon as he had finished speaking to Avraham, and Avraham returned to his place.

12 One Shabbat during that time, Yeshua was walking through some wheat fields. His talmidim were hungry, so they began picking heads of grain and eating them. ² On seeing this, the P’rushim said to him, “Look! Your talmidim are violating Shabbat!” ³ But he said to them, “Haven’t you ever read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? ⁴ He entered the House of God and ate the Bread of the Presence!” — which was prohibited, both to him and to his companions; it is permitted only to the cohanim. ⁵ “Or haven’t you read in the Torah that on Shabbat the cohanim profane Shabbat and yet are blameless? ⁶ I tell you, there is in this place something greater than the Temple! ⁷ If you knew what ‘I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifice’^[a] meant, you would not condemn the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of Shabbat!”