Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 30^[a]

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death

¹ A psalm. A song for the dedication of the temple. Of David.

Chapter 14

¹ Joab, the son of Zeruiah, ascertained that the king, in his heart, longed for Absalom, ² so he sent to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her: “Pretend to be a mourner. Dress yourself in mourning garments and do not anoint yourself with oil. Simply pretend to be a woman who has been grieving for the dead for many days. ³ Then go to the king and speak to him as I instruct you.” After that, Joab told her what she was to say.

⁴ When the woman of Tekoa approached the king, she fell prostrate to the ground in homage and said: “Please help me, O king.” ⁵ The king asked: “What can I do for you?” She replied: “As you can see I am a widow. My husband is dead. ⁶ Your servant had two sons, and they fought with one another in the field. There was no one around to separate them, and one of them struck the other and killed him.

⁷ “Now the entire family has risen against your servant and demanded: ‘Give up the man who killed his brother, so that we can put him to death to atone for the life of the brother whom he killed. Thus we shall get rid of the heir as well.’ Should they do this, they will extinguish my one remaining ember and leave my husband neither name nor posterity on the face of the earth.” ⁸ The king said to the woman: “Return home. I myself shall issue orders on your behalf.”

⁹ Then the woman of Tekoa said to the king: “My lord, let the guilt be on me and on my father’s house. The king and his throne will be without guilt.” ¹⁰ The king replied: “If anyone says something further that is threatening to you, have him brought to me, and he will never trouble you again.” ^11 [a]Then she said: “May the king keep the Lord, your God, in mind so that the avenger of blood will be prevented from killing any further and my son will not be destroyed.” The king swore: “As surely as the Lord lives, not one hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”

⁶ “While I was on my way and drawing near Damascus, around midday a great light from the sky suddenly shone all around me. ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸ I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

⁹ “Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ I asked, ‘What do you want me to do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus. There you will be told everything that you have been appointed to do.’ ¹¹ I could not see because of the brilliance of that light, and so my companions led me by the hand to Damascus.

¹² “A man named Ananias, who was a devout observer of the Law and highly regarded by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³ came to see me. Standing beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ Instantly, I saw him.

¹⁴ “Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear him speak. ¹⁵ For you will be his witness^[a] to tell all what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’

¹⁷ “After I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸ and saw Jesus there. ‘Hurry and leave Jerusalem at once,’ he said, ‘because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ ¹⁹ But I replied, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I used to imprison and scourge those who believe in you. ²⁰ And while the blood of your martyr Stephen was being shed, I myself stood by, giving my approval and guarding the coats of his murderers.’ ²¹ Then he said to me, ‘Go! I am sending you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”