Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
10 Then Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Harran. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of that place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 He dreamed and saw a ladder set up on the earth with the top of it reaching to heaven. The angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 The Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie, to you will I give it and to your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and in your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed. 15 Remember, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you.”
16 Jacob awoke out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
18 So Jacob rose up early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but previously the name of the city was called Luz.
Psalm 139
For the Music Director. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, You have searched me
and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;
You understand my thought from far off.
3 You search my path and my lying down
and are aware of all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
but behold, O Lord, You know it fully.
5 You put Yourself behind and before me,
and keep Your hand on me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is lofty, and I cannot fathom it.
7 Where shall I go from Your spirit,
or where shall I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell at the end of the sea,
10 even there Your hand shall guide me,
and Your right hand shall take hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light shall be as night about me,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to You,
but the night shines as the day,
for the darkness is like light to You.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
try me, and know my concerns,
24 and see if there is any rebellious way in me,
and lead me in the ancient way.
12 Therefore, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if through the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. 15 For you have not received the spirit of slavery again to fear. But you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirits that we are the children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him.
The Glory That Is to Be
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us. 19 The eager expectation of the creation waits for the appearance of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but by the will of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves while eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For we are saved through hope, but hope that is seen is not hope, for why does a man still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
The Parable of the Weeds
24 He told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 But when the shoots had sprung up and produced fruit, the weeds also appeared.
27 “So the servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
28 “He said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’
“The servants said to him, ‘Will you then have us go and gather them up?’
29 “But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the weeds, you pull up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36 Then Jesus sent the crowds away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
37 He answered, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the sons of the kingdom. But the weeds are the sons of the evil one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.
40 “Therefore as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of Man shall send out His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who do evil, 42 and will throw them into a fiery furnace. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun[a] in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.