Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prayer for Help

143 Hear my prayer, O Lord. Listen when I ask for help. Answer me because You are faithful and right. ² Do not find Your servant guilty, for no man living is right and good in Your eyes. ³ For the one who hates me has made it hard for my soul. He has crushed my life to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, like those who have been dead for a long time. ⁴ So my spirit grows weak within me. My heart within me is afraid.

⁵ I remember the days long ago. I think about all You have done. I think about the work of Your hands. ⁶ I put out my hands to You. My soul is thirsty for You like a dry land.

⁷ Hurry to answer me, O Lord! My spirit is becoming weak! Do not hide Your face from me, or I will become like those who go down to the grave. ⁸ Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way I should go for I lift up my soul to You. ⁹ O Lord, take me away from those who hate me. I run to You to be safe.

¹⁰ Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a straight path. ¹¹ Give me new life, O Lord, because of Your name. Bring me out of trouble because You are right and good. ¹² In Your loving-kindness cut off those who hate me. Destroy all those who make it hard for my soul, for I am Your servant.

¹⁸ When the child was grown, he went out one day to his father who was with those gathering grain. ¹⁹ He said to his father, “O, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ When he was brought to his mother, he sat on her knees until noon. Then he died. ²¹ She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God. She shut the door behind him, and went out. ²² Then she called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.” ²³ Her husband said, “Why will you go to him today? It is not the time of the new moon or the Day of Rest.” She said, “It will be all right.” ²⁴ Then she put a seat on a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive on. Do not slow down for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her far away, he said to Gehazi his servant, “See, there is the Shunammite. ²⁶ Run now to meet her. Say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she answered, “It is well.” ²⁷ When she came to the mountain to the man of God, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, “Let her alone. For her soul is troubled within her. The Lord has hidden it from me. He has not told me.” ²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not lie to me’?”

²⁹ Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready to travel. Take my walking stick and go. If you meet any man, do not greet him. If anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my stick on the boy’s face.” ³⁰ The mother of the boy said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha got up and followed her. ³¹ Gehazi went on before them and laid the stick on the boy’s face. But there was no sound or anything to show that the boy was alive. So Gehazi returned to meet Elisha, and told him, “The boy is not awake.” ³² When Elisha came into the house, he saw the boy lying dead on his bed. ³³ So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ He went up and lay on the child. He put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. He spread himself out on him, and the child’s flesh became warm. ³⁵ Then Elisha got up again. He walked from one end of the house to the other. Then he went up and spread himself on the child again. The boy sneezed seven times, and opened his eyes. ³⁶ Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. When she came to him, he said, “Take up your son.” ³⁷ She came and fell at his feet and put her face to the ground. Then she took up her son and went out.

God Saved Us from Sin

2 At one time you were dead because of your sins. ² You followed the sinful ways of the world and obeyed the leader of the power of darkness. He is the devil who is now working in the people who do not obey God. ³ At one time all of us lived to please our old selves. We gave in to what our bodies and minds wanted. We were sinful from birth like all other people and would suffer from the anger of God.

⁴ But God had so much loving-kindness. He loved us with such a great love. ⁵ Even when we were dead because of our sins, He made us alive by what Christ did for us. You have been saved from the punishment of sin by His loving-favor. ⁶ God raised us up from death when He raised up Christ Jesus. He has given us a place with Christ in the heavens. ⁷ He did this to show us through all the time to come the great riches of His loving-favor. He has shown us His kindness through Christ Jesus.

⁸ For by His loving-favor you have been saved from the punishment of sin through faith. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God. ⁹ It is not given to you because you worked for it. If you could work for it, you would be proud. ¹⁰ We are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this.