Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Sacrifice of Isaac
22 After these things God tested Abraham(A) and said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he answered.
2 “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love,(B) go to the land of Moriah,(C) and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
3 So Abraham got up early in the morning,(D) saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day(E) Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac.(F) In his hand he took the fire and the knife,(G) and the two of them walked on together.
7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.”
And he replied, “Here I am, my son.”
Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide[a](H) the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.
9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac[b] and placed him on the altar(I) on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
He replied, “Here I am.”
12 Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”(J) 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram[c] caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide,[d] so today it is said, “It will be provided[e] on the Lord’s mountain.”
Psalm 13
A Plea for Deliverance
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?(A)
2 How long will I store up anxious concerns[a] within me,
agony in my mind every day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?(B)
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey[a] its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts[b] of it to sin(A) as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God,(B) and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law(C) but under grace.(D)
From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?(E) Absolutely not!(F) 16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone[c] as obedient slaves,(G) you are slaves of that one you obey(H)—either of sin leading to death(I) or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,(J) you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed[d] over,(K) 18 and having been set free from sin,(L) you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 I am using a human analogy(M) because of the weakness of your flesh.[e] For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.[f](N) 21 So what fruit was produced[g] then from the things you are now ashamed of?(O) The outcome of those things is death.(P) 22 But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God,(Q) you have your fruit, which results in sanctification(R)—and the outcome is eternal life!(S) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.(T)
A Cup of Cold Water
40 “The one who welcomes you welcomes me,(A) and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.(B) 41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet(C) because he is a prophet[a] will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous[b] will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives(D) even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple,[c](E) truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”
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