Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Davidic

Confidence in the Lord

²⁷ As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel told Saul, “Tell your young man to go ahead of us and when he has gone ahead, stop for a while so I may declare God’s word to you.”

Saul is Anointed King

10 Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s^[a] head, kissed him, and said, “The Lord has anointed you Commander-in-Chief^[b] over his inheritance, has he not? ² When you leave me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah. They’ll tell you, ‘The donkeys you went to look for have been found. Now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys^[c] and he’s anxious about you. He’s asking, ‘What will I do about my son?’ ³ Then you’ll go on further from there and come to the oak at Tabor. There three men going up to the Lord at Bethel will meet you. One will be herding^[d] three young goats, one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and one will be carrying a bottle^[e] of wine. ⁴ They’ll greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you’re to accept from them.

⁵ “After that you will come to Gibeath-elohim^[f] where the Philistine garrison is. As you arrive there at the town, you’ll meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre being played in front of them, and they’ll be prophesying. ⁶ The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you’ll prophesy with them and be changed into a different person. ⁷ When these signs occur,^[g] do whatever you want^[h] to do, because the Lord is with you. ⁸ You are to go down ahead of me to Gilgal, and then I’ll come down to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You are to wait seven days until I come to you to let you know what you are to do.”

How Paul Was Accepted by the Apostles in Jerusalem

2 Then fourteen years later, I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus with me. ² I went in response to a revelation, and in a private meeting with the reputed leaders, I explained to them the gospel that I’m proclaiming to the gentiles. I did this because I was afraid that^[a] I was running or had run my life’s race^[b] for nothing. ³ But not even Titus, who was with me, was forced to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. ⁴ However, false brothers were secretly brought in. They slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in the Messiah^[c] Jesus so that they might enslave us. ⁵ But we did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.

⁶ Now those who were reputed to be important added nothing to my message.^[d] (What sort of people they were makes no difference to me, since God pays no attention to outward appearances.) ⁷ In fact, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised. ⁸ For the one who worked through Peter by making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me by sending me to the gentiles. ⁹ So when James, Cephas,^[e] and John (who were reputed to be leaders)^[f] recognized the grace that had been given me, they gave Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ The only thing they asked us to do was to remember the destitute, the very thing I was eager to do.