Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Davidic

A Prayer for Help

Samson’s Marriage

14 A while later, Samson went down to Timnah and observed a woman in Timnah who was of Philistine origin.^{[a] 2} Then he returned and told his father and mother, “In Timnah I saw a woman of Philistine origin.”^[b] He ordered them, “Get her for me as a wife. Now!”^[c]

³ His father and mother asked him, “Isn’t there a woman suitable^[d] among the daughters of your relatives or among all of our people, since you’re going to get your^[e] wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”

But Samson retorted to his father, “Get her for me, since she looks fine to me.” ⁴ Meanwhile, his father and mother did not know that she was from the Lord, because he had been seeking a favorable opportunity concerning the Philistines, since^[f] the Philistines were dominating Israel at that time.

⁵ Then Samson went down in the direction of Timnah with his father and mother and arrived as far as the vineyards of Timnah. And—surprise!—a young lion came roaring at him! ⁶ The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he ripped the lion^[g] apart as one might dissect a young goat, even though he carried nothing in his hand. But he didn’t tell his father and mother what he had done. ⁷ Then he went down and talked to the woman, and she looked fine to Samson. ⁸ When he came back later to marry^[h] her, he turned aside to observe the lion’s carcass. Amazingly, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, complete with honey. ⁹ So he scraped some out into his hands and went on his way, eating all the while. When he met his father and mother, he gave some^[i] to them, and they ate it, too. But he didn’t inform them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.

Samson’s Riddle

¹⁰ Later on, when his father went down to visit^[j] the woman, Samson threw a party there, since young men customarily did this. ¹¹ When they saw him, they brought 30 companions to accompany him. ¹² “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson told them. “If you can solve it during this week-long festival, I’ll give you 30 linen garments and 30 formal garments.^{[k] 13} But if you don’t solve it,^[l] then you’ll give me 30 linen garments and 30 formal garments.”^[m]

“Tell us your riddle and we’ll solve it,” they responded.

¹⁴ So he told them:

For three days they couldn’t solve the riddle.

¹⁵ The next^[n] day, they told Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband to explain the riddle or we’ll set fire to your father’s house—with you in it! You’ve invited us here to make us paupers, haven’t you?”

¹⁶ So Samson’s wife cried in front of him and accused him, “You only hate me. You don’t love me. You’ve told a riddle to my relatives, but you haven’t told the solution^[o] to me.”

Samson responded, “Look, I haven’t told my parents,^[p] either. Why^[q] should I tell you?”

¹⁷ So she kept on crying in front of him for the entire seven days of the wedding party. On the seventh day he told the solution^[r] to her because she nagged him, and then she told the solution to^[s] the riddle to her relatives.

¹⁸ Then the men of the city answered him just before sunset on the seventh day:

Samson^[t] responded,

¹⁹ Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed 30 men, took their belongings, and gave the garments to those who had told him the solution to^[u] the riddle. He remained furious, left for his father’s house, ²⁰ and Samson’s wife went to the best man at his wedding.^[v]

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Philippians

³ I thank my God every time I remember you,^{[a] 4} always praying joyfully in every one of my prayers for all of you ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ I am convinced of this, that the one who began a good action among^[b] you will bring it to completion by the Day of the Messiah^[c] Jesus. ⁷ For it is only right for me to think this way about all of you, because you’re constantly on my mind.^[d] Both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, all of you are partners with me in this privilege.^{[e] 8} For God is my witness how much I long for all of you with the compassion that the Messiah^[f] Jesus provides.

⁹ And this is my prayer, that your love will keep on growing more and more with full knowledge and insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to choose what is best and be pure and blameless until the day when the Messiah^[g] returns, ¹¹ having been filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus the Messiah^[h] so that God will be glorified and praised.

The Priority of the Gospel in Everything

¹² Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually caused the gospel to advance. ¹³ As a result, it has become clear to the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that I am in prison for preaching about^[i] the Messiah.^{[j] 14} Moreover, because of my imprisonment the Lord has caused most of the brothers to become confident to speak God’s word more boldly and courageously than ever before.