Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Psalm of David.

¹ ¶ The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

³ Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

⁴ One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple.

⁵ For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his tabernacle; in the secret of his tent shall he hide me; he shall set me high upon a rock.

⁶ And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tabernacle; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

⁷ ¶ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me and answer me.

⁸ My heart has spoken unto me from thee, Seek my face. Thy face, O LORD, will I seek.

⁹ Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy slave away in anger: thou hast been my help; do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my saving health.

¹⁰ For my father and my mother have left me, and the LORD has taken me up.

¹¹ Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a right path because of my enemies.

¹² Deliver me not over unto the will of my enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me and such as breathe out cruelty.

¹³ I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait for the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, for the LORD.

13 ¶ Thus Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had and Lot with him into the Negev.

² And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

³ And he retraced his journeys from the side of the Negev even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai,

⁴ unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

⁵ ¶ And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.

⁶ And the land was not able to bear them that they might dwell together, for their substance was so great that they could not dwell together.

⁷ And there was a strife between the pastors of Abram’s cattle and the pastors of Lot’s cattle; and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land.

¹⁴ ¶ And the LORD said unto Abram, after Lot separated himself from him, Lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art towards the Aquilon {the land of the north wind} and to the Negev {the south desert} and to the east and to the west;

¹⁵ for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed for ever.

¹⁶ And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if someone could number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

¹⁷ Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I must give it unto thee.

¹⁸ Then Abram removed his tent and came and dwelt among the terebinth {or mighty} trees of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

² Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

³ For we are the circumcision, who serve God in spirit and glory in Christ Jesus, having no confidence in the flesh.

⁴ ¶ Though I might also have reason to confide in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

⁵ Circumcised the eighth day, of the lineage of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;

⁶ concerning zeal, a persecutor of the congregation; {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

⁷ But those things which were gain to me, I counted loss for Christ.

⁸ And doubtless I even count all things as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ

⁹ ¶ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

¹⁰ That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death,

¹¹ if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

¹² Not as though I had already attained it, either were already perfect, but I follow after, if I may lay hold of that for which I have also been laid hold of by the Christ, Jesus.