Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 38[a]
Prayer of a Sinner in Great Peril
1 A psalm of David. For remembrance.[b]
2 O Lord, do not punish me in your anger
or chastise me in your wrath.
3 For your arrows[c] have pierced me deeply,
and your hand has come down upon me.
4 No portion of my body[d] has been unscathed
as a result of your anger;
my bones have become weak
as a result of my sins.
5 My iniquities tower far above my head;[e]
they are a burden too heavy to bear.
6 My wounds are fetid and fester
because of my folly.
7 I am bowed down and bent over,
as I spend each day in sorrow.
8 My loins are filled with searing pain;
no part of my body[f] is unafflicted.
9 I am numb and completely crushed,
and I groan in anguish of heart.[g]
10 O Lord, all my longing is known to you,
and my sighs are not hidden from you.
11 My heart throbs, and my strength is spent;
even the light has faded from my eyes.
12 My friends and companions stay away from my affliction,
and my neighbors keep their distance.
13 Those who seek my life set traps;
those who wish me harm threaten violence
and plot treachery all day long.[h]
14 [i]But I am like a man who cannot hear,
like one who cannot open his mouth.
15 I am like one who hears nothing
and has no answer to offer.
16 I place my hope in you, O Lord;
you, O Lord, my God, will answer for me.
17 For I prayed, “Never let them gloat over me
or exult should my foot slip.”
18 I am at the point of exhaustion,
and my grief is with me constantly.
19 I acknowledge my iniquity,
and I sincerely grieve for my sin.
20 [j]Numerous and strong are my enemies without cause;
many are those who hate me without good reason.[k]
21 Those who repay my good deeds with evil
oppose me because I follow a path of righteousness.
22 Do not abandon me, O Lord;
my God, do not remain far from me.
23 Come quickly to my aid,
O Lord, my Savior.
Chapter 33
Reconciliation of the Two Brothers.[a] 1 Jacob looked up and saw Esau arrive, accompanied by four hundred men. He therefore divided up his sons among Leah, Rachel, and the two slaves. 2 He had the slaves and their children lead the way, and in back of them Leah and her sons, and then Rachel and Joseph. 3 He walked ahead of them and bowed to the ground seven times as he was approaching his brother.
4 But Esau ran up to him, embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him and wept. 5 Raising his eyes, he saw the women and the children and said, “To whom do these belong?”
He answered, “They are my sons whom God has graciously given to his servant.”
6 The slaves and their children came forward and bowed down. 7 Then Leah and her children came forward and bowed down. Finally, Rachel and Joseph came forward and bowed down.
8 Esau asked again, “What is all this caravan that I have come across?”
He answered, “So that I might find favor in your sight, my lord.”
9 Esau said, “I have enough of my own possessions, brother; let these things be for you.”
10 But Jacob said, “No, if I have found favor in your sight, accept this gift from my hands. For it is for this that I have come into your presence as one would come into the presence of God, and you have received me favorably. 11 Accept this blessing that I give you, for God has been generous to me and I have enough.” This is the way he insisted, and Esau accepted.
12 Then Esau said, “Let us break camp and set out; I will travel in front of you.”
13 But Jacob answered, “My lord knows that the children are delicate and that my flocks and herds are burdened with young ones. If they were to be pushed even one day, the entire flock would surely die. 14 Let my lord pass on ahead of your servant, while I stay here going slowly, at the pace of the animals that will go ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I eventually reach my lord in Seir.”
15 Esau said, “I could at least leave a part of my people with you!”
Jacob answered, “But why? Let me only find favor in your sight, my lord!”
16 Thus, that same day, Esau departed for Seir. 17 Jacob instead traveled to Succoth where he built a house for himself and made huts for his flock. This is why he called the place Succoth.
Liturgical Assemblies and Their Problems[a]
Propriety in Worship[b]
The Question of Head Coverings. 2 I praise you because you remember me in everything and you maintain the traditions just as I handed them down to you.
3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ. 4 Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings disgrace on his head. 5 And any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings disgrace upon her head, for it is just as though she had her head shaved. 6 Indeed, if a woman refuses to wear a veil, then she might as well have her hair cut off. If it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should wear a veil.
7 It is not right for a man to have his head covered, since he is the image of God and the reflection of his glory, whereas woman is the reflection of the glory of man. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman was made from man. 9 Nor was man created for the sake of woman, but woman was created for the sake of man.
10 Therefore, a woman should have on her head a sign[c] of her dependence, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 Although woman came from man, so does every man come from a woman, and all things come from God.
13 The Question of Long Hair. Judge for yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, he is disgraced, 15 whereas if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair was given to her as a covering. 16 However, if anyone wishes to argue further on this point, we have no such custom to do so, nor do any of the Churches of God.
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