Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Davidic Psalm.
Praise to the Majestic Lord
29 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings;
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord wearing holy attire.
3 The voice of the Lord was heard[a] above the waters;
the God of glory thundered;
the Lord was heard[b] over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord snaps the cedars;[c]
the Lord snaps the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them stagger like a calf,
even Lebanon and Sirion[d] like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord shoots out flashes of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the voice of the Lord shakes[e] the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord causes deer to give birth,
and strips the forest bare.
In his Temple all of them shout, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sat enthroned over the flood,
and the Lord sits as king forever.
11 The Lord will give strength to his people;
the Lord will bless his people with peace.
The Lord Calls Samuel
3 Meanwhile the boy Samuel was serving the Lord before Eli. A word from the Lord was rare in those days, and visions were infrequent. 2 At that time Eli, whose vision was growing dim,[a] was lying down in his bedroom.[b] 3 The lamp of God had not yet been extinguished, and Samuel was lying down in the tent[c] of the Lord where the Ark of God was. 4 The Lord called out to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”
5 He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am! You called me.”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli[d] said. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6 Then the Lord again called out, “Samuel!”
So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am! You called me.”
He said, “I didn’t call you, my son. Go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord and had not yet had the word of the Lord revealed to him.
8 Then the Lord called out to Samuel again a third time, and he got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am! You called me.”
Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy, 9 so Eli told Samuel, “Go lie down, and then if he calls you, answer, ‘Speak, Lord, because your servant is listening.’” Then Samuel[e] went and lay down.
10 Later, the Lord came and stood there, calling out, “Samuel! Samuel!” as he had before.
Samuel said, “Speak, because your servant is listening.”
11 “Look,” the Lord told Samuel. “I’m about to do something[f] in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears it tingle. 12 I’ll fulfill every promise that I’ve spoken concerning Eli’s family, from beginning to end. 13 I’ve told him that I’m about to judge his family forever because of the iniquity that he knew about. His sons committed blasphemy[g] and he did not rebuke them. 14 Therefore I’ve sworn concerning Eli’s family that the iniquity of his family is not to be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
Samuel Delivers God’s Message
15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but he[h] was afraid to report the vision to Eli. 16 Then Eli called Samuel: “Samuel, my son.”
He said, “Here I am.”
17 Eli[i] said, “What did the Lord[j] say to you? Please don’t conceal anything[k] from me. May God do this to you and even more[l] if you conceal from me one word of all that he spoke to you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything—he did not conceal anything[m] from him. Eli[n] said, “He is the Lord. May he do what seems good to him.”
19 As Samuel grew, the Lord was with him and did not let any of Samuel’s[o] predictions fail.[p] 20 All Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as the Lord’s prophet. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, because he[q] revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by means of messages from[r] the Lord.
10 Now in Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called out to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 The Lord told him, “Get up, go to the street called Straight, and in the home of Judas look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. At this very moment he’s praying. 12 He has seen in a vision[a] a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so he would see again.”
13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard many people tell how much evil this man has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 He is here with authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord told him, “Go, because he’s my chosen instrument to carry my name to unbelievers,[b] to their kings, and to the descendants of Israel. 16 since I’m going to show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
Saul’s Sight is Restored
17 So Ananias left and went to that house. He laid his hands on Saul[c] and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were traveling, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 All at once something like scales fell from Saul’s[d] eyes, and he could see again.
He got up and was baptized, 19 and after eating some food, he felt strong again. For several days he stayed with the disciples in Damascus.
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