Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 118^[a]

Thanksgiving for Salvation

Psalm 119^[q]

Praise of God’s Law

Aleph

Psalm 145^[a]

Praise of the Divine Majesty

^1 [b]Praise. Of David.

Chapter 10

Saul Is Anointed. ¹ Samuel took a flask of oil, and he poured it upon his head. He kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you as leader over his inheritance?^{[a] 2} When you leave me today, you will encounter two men near the Tomb of Rachel on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you were looking for have been found. Your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and has begun to worry about you saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’

³ “From there you are to continue on until you arrive at the Terebinth of Tabor. Three men who are on their way to God in Bethel will meet you there. One will be bringing three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a bottle of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread. Take them from them.

Signs and Prophecies. ⁵ “After that go to Gibeath-elohim where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high places with lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps being played before them. They will be prophesying.^{[b] 6} The Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them, for you will be changed into another person. ⁷ Once these signs occur, do whatever comes to hand, for God is with you. ⁸ Precede me to Gilgal, and I will come down to be with you and to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You are to wait for seven days until I come to you and show you what to do.”

The Signs Fulfilled. ⁹ When Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God changed his heart. All those signs were fulfilled that day. ¹⁰ When they arrived at Gibeah, they were met by a band of prophets. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him and he prophesied among them. ¹¹ When all of those who had known him saw him prophesying among the prophets, they said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also one of the prophets?” ¹² A man who lived there asked, “Who is their father?” This is why it became a saying, “Is Saul also one of the prophets?”

¹³ After Saul stopped prophesying, he went up to the high places. ¹⁴ Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” He answered, “Looking for the donkeys. When we realized that we could not find them, we went to Samuel.” ¹⁵ Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.” ¹⁶ Saul said to his uncle, “He informed us that the donkeys had been found.” He did not tell him about what Samuel had said concerning the kingdom.

¹³ Justified Apart from the Law.^[a] It was not through the Law that Abraham and his descendants received the promise that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ If those who live by the Law are the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵ For the Law produces only wrath, and where no Law exists, there cannot be any violation.

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and the promise may be guaranteed to all descendants, not only to the adherents of the Law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham. For he is the father of all of us, ¹⁷ as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations,” in the sight of God in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist.

¹⁸ The Power of Faith.^[b] Though he hoped against hope, he believed that he would become the father of many nations, in fulfillment of the promise, “So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ His faith was not shaken when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (for he was about one hundred years old), and the barren womb of Sarah. ²⁰ Confident in the promise of God, he did not doubt in unbelief; rather, he was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ remaining fully convinced that he was able to fulfill his pledge. ²² Therefore, his faith “was credited to him as righteousness.”

²³ “It was credited to him” was not written with Abraham alone in mind. ²⁴ This was also meant for us as well, to whom it will be credited as righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord ²⁵ who was handed over to death for our sins and who was raised to life for our justification.

²³ The Authority of Jesus Questioned.^[a] When he entered the temple and began to teach, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him and asked, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” ²⁴ Jesus said to them in reply, “I will also ask you one question. If you give me an answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ Where did John’s baptism originate? From heaven or from men?”

They argued among themselves, “If we say: ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.”

²⁷ Therefore, they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Then neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.^[b]

²⁸ The Parable of the Two Sons.^[c]“What is your opinion about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he had a change of heart and went. ³⁰ The father then gave the same instruction to the second son, who answered, ‘Of course I will,’ but then did not go. ³¹ Which of the two complied with his father’s instruction?” They responded, “The first.”

Then Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to show you the path of righteousness, but you did not believe him, whereas the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. Yet even after you realized that, you still refused to change your minds and believe in him.