Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.

A ^[a]Mikhtam of David.

Ahaziah’s Messengers Meet Elijah

1 Now ^(A)Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. ² And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, ^(B)inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, ^(C)whether I will recover from this sickness.” ³ But the angel of the Lord said to ^(D)Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of ^(E)Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’ ⁴ Now therefore thus says the Lord, ‘^[a](F)You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” Then Elijah departed.

⁵ When the messengers returned to him he said to them, “^[b]Why have you returned?” ⁶ They said to him, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and say to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending ^(G)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore ^[c]you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’”’” ⁷ He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?” ⁸ They ^[d]answered him, “^(H)He was a hairy man with a leather girdle ^[e]bound about his loins.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁹ Then the king ^(I)sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” ¹⁰ Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, ^(J)let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” ^(K)Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹¹ So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, “O man of God, thus says the king, ‘Come down quickly.’” ¹² Elijah replied to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹³ So he ^(L)again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, “O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. ¹⁴ Behold fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my ^[f]life be precious in your sight.” ^15 (M)The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; ^(N)do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king. ¹⁶ Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers ^(O)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?—therefore ^[g]you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’”

⁸ However at that time, ^(A)when you did not know God, you were ^(B)slaves to ^(C)those which by nature are no gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be ^(D)known by God, ^(E)how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless ^[a](F)elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? ¹⁰ You ^(G)observe days and months and seasons and years. ¹¹ I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored ^[b]over you in vain.

¹² I beg of you, ^(H)brethren, ^(I)become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; ¹³ but you know that it was because of a ^[c]bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the ^[d]first time; ¹⁴ and that which was a ^[e]trial to you in my ^[f]bodily condition you did not despise or ^[g]loathe, but ^(J)you received me as an angel of God, as ^(K)Christ Jesus Himself. ¹⁵ Where then is ^[h]that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ So have I become your enemy ^(L)by ^[i]telling you the truth? ¹⁷ They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them. ¹⁸ But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable ^[j]manner, and ^(M)not only when I am present with you. ^19 (N)My children, with whom ^(O)I am again in labor until ^(P)Christ is formed in you— ²⁰ but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for ^(Q)I am perplexed about you.