The following are the readings for the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb. 23 (Proper 7, RCL), according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Canadian BAS, and the Church of England (Common Worship) lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the ECUSA and Canadian lectionaries are identical to the RCL for this day.

The readings are posted on our web site: <http://satucket.com/lectionary>, in RTF format, which can be read by all word processors.

OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 45: 3 - 11, 15   (RCL) 

Gene 45:3 (NRSV) Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. 
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, "Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 You shall settle in the land of Go'shen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 I will provide for you there--since there are five more years of famine to come--so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty. 

15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him. 

21 The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons according to the instruction of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each one of them he gave a set of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of garments. 23 To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Do not quarrel along the way." 
25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 And they told him, "Joseph is still alive! He is even ruler over all the land of Egypt." He was stunned; he could not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 Israel said, "Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I must go and see him before I die." 

1 Samuel 26: 2, 7 - 9, 12 - 13, 22 - 23 (Roman Catholic) 

1Sam 26:2 (NRSV) So Saul rose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, with three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph. 

7 So David and Abi'shai went to the army by night; there Saul lay sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the army lay around him. 8 Abi'shai said to David, "God has given your enemy into your hand today; now therefore let me pin him to the ground with one stroke of the spear; I will not strike him twice." 9 But David said to Abi'shai, "Do not destroy him; for who can raise his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless 

12 So David took the spear that was at Saul's head and the water jar, and they went away. No one saw it, or knew it, nor did anyone awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them. 
13 Then David went over to the other side, and stood on top of a hill far away, with a great distance between them. 

22 David replied, "Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and get it. 23 The LORD rewards everyone for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD gave you into my hand today, but I would not raise my hand against the LORD's anointed. 

PSALM 37: 1 - 11, 39 - 40   (RCL) 

Psal 37:1 (NRSV) Do not fret because of the wicked; 
do not be envious of wrongdoers, 
2 for they will soon fade like the grass, 
and wither like the green herb. 
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; 
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. 
4 Take delight in the LORD, 
and he will give you the desires of your heart. 
5 Commit your way to the LORD; 
trust in him, and he will act. 
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light, 
and the justice of your cause like the noonday. 
7 Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; 
do not fret over those who prosper in their way, 
over those who carry out evil devices. 
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. 
Do not fret--it leads only to evil. 
9 For the wicked shall be cut off, 
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. 
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; 
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. 
11 But the meek shall inherit the land, 
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. 

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; 
he is their refuge in the time of trouble. 
40 The LORD helps them and rescues them; 
he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, 
because they take refuge in him. 

Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above. 
Can. BAS omits vs. 39-40. 

37   (ECUSA BCP)
 
Part I   Noli aemulari
 
1  	Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; *
 	do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
 
2  	For they shall soon wither like the grass, *
 	and like the green grass fade away.
 
3  	Put your trust in the Lord and do good; *
 	dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
 
4  	Take delight in the Lord, *
 	and he shall give you your heart’s desire.
 
5  	Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, *
 	and he will bring it to pass.
 
6  	He will make your righteousness as clear as the light *
 	and your just dealing as the noonday.
 
7  	Be still before the Lord *
 	and wait patiently for him.
 
8  	Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *
 	the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
 
9  	Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
 	do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.

10  For evildoers shall be cut off, *
 	but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.
 
11  In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *
 	you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.
 
12  But the lowly shall possess the land; *
 	they will delight in abundance of peace.

41 But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord; *
	he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

42 The Lord will help them and rescue them; *
	he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them,
		because they seek refuge in him.

Psalm 103: 1 - 4, 8, 10, 12 - 13   (Roman Catholic) 

Psal 103:1 (NRSV) Bless the LORD, O my soul, 
and all that is within me, 
bless his holy name. 
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, 
and do not forget all his benefits-- 
3 who forgives all your iniquity, 
who heals all your diseases, 
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, 
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 

8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, 
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, 
nor repay us according to our iniquities. 

12 as far as the east is from the west, 
so far he removes our transgressions from us. 
13 As a father has compassion for his children, 
so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him. 

NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Corinthians 15: 35 - 38, 42 - 50   (RCL)
                                    1 Corinthians 15: 45 - 49   (Roman Catholic) 

1Cor 15:35 (NRSV) But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" 36 Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 

42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. 
50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 

GOSPEL: Luke 6: 27 - 38 (RCL, Roman Catholic) 

Luke 6:27 (NRSV) "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 
37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."