Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God Tests Abraham
22 After these things God tested ·Abraham’s faith [L Abraham]. God said to him, “Abraham!”
And he answered, “Here I am.”
2 Then God said, “Take your ·only [or precious] son, Isaac, the son you love, and go to the land of Moriah [2 Chr. 3:1; C the temple would later be built here]. Offer him as a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
3 Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took Isaac and two ·servants [or young men] with him. After he cut the wood for the sacrifice, they went to the place God had told them to go. 4 On the third day Abraham ·looked up [L lifted his eyes] and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his ·servants [or young men], “Stay here with the donkey. My son and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the ·sacrifice [L whole burnt offering] and ·gave it to his son to carry [L placed it on his son], but he himself took the knife and the ·fire [or tinder]. So he and his son went on together.
7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!”
Abraham answered, “Yes, my son.”
Isaac said, “We have the ·fire [or tinder] and the wood, but where is the ·lamb [sheep] ·we will burn as a sacrifice [L for the whole burnt offering]?”
8 Abraham answered, “God will ·give us [provide; L see for] the ·lamb [sheep] for the ·sacrifice [whole burnt offering], my son.”
So Abraham and his son went on together 9 and came to the place God had told him about. Abraham built an altar there. He ·laid [arranged] the wood on it and then ·tied up [bound] his son Isaac and laid him on the wood on the altar. 10 Then Abraham [L sent his hand and] took his knife and was about to ·kill [slaughter] his son.
11 But the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [16:7] called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!”
Abraham answered, “Yes.”
12 The angel said, “Don’t ·kill [L send out your hand against] your son or ·hurt [L do anything to] him in any way. Now I can see that you ·trust [L fear] God and that you have not ·kept [withheld] your son, your ·only [or precious] son, from me [Heb. 11:17–19; James 2:21–23].”
13 Then Abraham ·looked up [L lifted his eyes] and saw ·a [or another] ·male sheep [ram] caught in a ·bush [thicket] by its horns. So Abraham went and took the sheep offering it as a whole burnt offering to God, ·and his son was saved [L … in the place of his son]. 14 So Abraham named that place The Lord ·Provides [or Sees; C Hebrew: Yahweh Yireh]. Even today people say, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be ·provided [or seen].”
A Prayer for God to Be Near
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
13 How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I ·worry [or bear pain; L hold counsels]
and ·feel sad [hold sorrow] in my heart all day?
How long will my enemy ·win [rise up] over me?
3 Lord, look at me.
Answer me, my God;
·tell me [L light up my eyes], or I will ·die [L sleep the sleep of death].
4 Otherwise my enemy will say, “I have ·won [finished him off]!”
·Those against me [My foes] will rejoice that I’ve been ·defeated [shaken; moved].
5 I ·trust [have confidence] in your ·love [loyalty; covenant love].
My heart ·is happy [rejoices] because ·you saved me [of your victory/salvation].
6 I sing to the Lord
because he has ·taken care of [been good to] me.
12 So, do not let sin ·control your life [L reign; rule over you] ·here on earth [L in your mortal body] so that you ·do what your sinful self wants to do [L obey/submit to its (evil/sinful) desires]. 13 Do not offer ·the parts of your body [or any part of yourself; L your parts/members] to serve sin, as ·things to be used in doing [L instruments/weapons of] ·evil [unrighteousness; injustice]. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have died and now live. Offer ·the parts of your body [or every part of yourself; L your parts/members] to God ·to be used in doing good [L as instruments/weapons of righteousness/justice]. 14 [L For] Sin will not ·be your master [exercise dominion/power over you], because you are not under law but under God’s grace.
Be Slaves of Righteousness
15 ·So what should we do [L What then; 3:9]? Should we sin because we are under grace and not under law? ·No [Absolutely not; May it never be; v. 2]! 16 ·Surely you know [L Don’t you know…?] that when you submit yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, ·the person you obey is your master [L you are slaves to the one you obey]. [L Either] You can ·follow [be slaves to] sin, which brings ·spiritual death [L death], or you can ·obey God [L (be slaves) to obedience], which ·makes you right with him [leads to righteousness]. 17 In the past ·sin controlled you [L you were slaves to sin]. But thank God, you ·fully obeyed [L obeyed from the heart] the ·things [accepted/orthodox teaching; L example/pattern of teaching] ·that you were taught [or that have claimed your allegiance; L to which you were delivered/entrusted]. 18 You were set free from sin, and now you are slaves to ·goodness [righteousness]. 19 I use ·this example [or an analogy from everyday life; or an inadequate human illustration (like slavery)] because ·this is hard for you to understand [L of the limitations/weakness of your human nature/flesh]. In the past you offered ·the parts of your body [or yourselves; L your parts/members] to be slaves to ·sin [impurity; defilement] and ·evil [lawlessness; wickedness]; ·you lived only for evil [or …leading to even more lawlessness/wickedness]. In the same way now you must offer ·yourselves [L your parts/members] to be slaves of ·goodness [righteousness]. ·Then you will live only for God [L …leading to holiness/sanctification].
20 [L For] When you were slaves to sin, ·goodness did not control you [L you were free (from obligation) to righteousness]. 21 And what ·was the result of [benefit/fruit did you reap from] doing those things that now make you ashamed? [L For] ·Those things only bring [L The end/result of those things is] death. 22 But now you are free from sin and have become slaves of God. This ·brings you [reaps the benefit/fruit of] ·a life that is only for God [holiness; sanctification], and ·this gives you life forever [L the end/result is eternal life]. 23 [L For; Because] The ·payment [wages] for sin is death. But God gives us the free gift of ·life forever [eternal life] in Christ Jesus our Lord.
40 Whoever ·accepts [receives; welcomes] you also ·accepts [receives; welcomes] me, and whoever ·accepts [receives; welcomes] me also ·accepts [receives; welcomes] the One who sent me. 41 Whoever ·accepts [receives; welcomes] a prophet ·because he is a prophet [L in the name of a prophet] will receive the ·reward of [same reward as] a prophet. And whoever ·accepts [receives; welcomes] a ·good [righteous; upright] person because that person is ·good [righteous; upright] will receive the ·reward of [same reward as] a ·good [righteous; upright] person. 42 Those who give one of these little ones [even; so much as] a cup of cold water because they are my ·followers [disciples] will ·truly get [L certainly not lose] their reward.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.