Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Offering of Isaac
22 Now it came about after these things, that (A)God tested Abraham, and said to him, “(B)Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 Then He said, “Take now (C)your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of (D)Moriah, and offer him there as a (E)burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” 3 So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and (F)laid it on his son Isaac, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the (G)lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will [a]provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.
9 Then they came to (H)the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built (I)the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and (J)laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham reached out with his hand and took the knife to [b]slaughter his son. 11 But (K)the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now (L)I know that you [c]fear God, since you have not withheld (M)your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place [d]The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord (N)it will [e]be provided.”
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, Lord? Will You (A)forget me forever?
How long (B)will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long am I to (C)feel anxious in my soul,
With (D)grief in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
12 Therefore sin is not to (A)reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on (B)presenting [a]the parts of your body to sin as [b]instruments of unrighteousness; but (C)present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and [c]your body’s parts as [d]instruments of righteousness for God. 14 For (D)sin shall not (E)be master over you, for (F)you are not under [e]the Law but (G)under grace.
15 What then? (H)Are we to sin because we are not under [f]the Law but under grace? [g](I)Far from it! 16 Do you not (J)know that the one to whom you present yourselves as (K)slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of (L)sin [h]resulting in death, or of obedience [i]resulting in righteousness? 17 But (M)thanks be to God that [j]though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that [k](N)form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18 and after being (O)freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness. 19 (P)I am speaking [l]in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just (Q)as you presented [m]the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, [n]resulting in further lawlessness, so now present [o]your body’s parts as slaves to righteousness, [p]resulting in sanctification.
20 For (R)when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness. 21 Therefore what [q](S)benefit were you then [r]deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is (T)death. 22 But now having been (U)freed from sin and (V)enslaved to God, you [s]derive your [t](W)benefit, [u]resulting in sanctification, and (X)the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of (Y)sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is (Z)eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Reward for Service
40 “(A)The one who [a]receives you [b]receives Me, and (B)the one who [c]receives Me [d]receives Him who sent Me. 41 (C)The one who [e]receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and the one who [f]receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person shall receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And (D)whoever gives one of these [g]little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
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