Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
10 Lord, everything you have done will praise you,
and your holy ones will bless you.
11 They will speak about the glory of your kingdom,
and they will talk about your might,
12 in order to make known your mighty acts to mankind[a]
as well as the majestic splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your authority endures from one generation to another.
13b God[b] is faithful about everything he says
and merciful in everything he does.
14 The Lord supports everyone who falls
and raises up those who are bowed down.
15 Everyone’s eyes are on you,
as you give them their food in due time.
16 You[c] open your hand
and keep on satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all of his ways
and graciously loving in all of his activities.
18 The Lord remains near to all who call out to him,
to everyone who calls out to him sincerely.[d]
Moab Rebels against Israel
4 Meanwhile, Moab’s King Mesha was a sheep breeder. He used to pay 100,000 lambs and the wool from 100,000 rams to the king of Israel as tribute. 5 After Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Jehoram left Samaria at that time[a] and mustered the entire army of[b] Israel. 7 As he was going out, he sent this message[c] to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight Moab?”
“I’m coming,” Jehoshaphat[d] replied. “I’m like you! My army will act like your army and my cavalry like your cavalry,” Then Jehoshaphat[e] added: 8 “What road do we take?”
Jehoram[f] answered, “We’ll go along the Edom desert road.”
9 So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom made a complete circuit on the road for seven days, but there was no water for the army or for the livestock that accompanied[g] them.
10 Then the king of Israel remarked, “Oh no! The Lord has summoned us three kings so he can hand us over to Moab, hasn’t he?”
The Kings Seek Elisha’s Counsel
11 Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet who belongs to the Lord and through whom we can ask the Lord a question?”
One of the king of Israel’s attendants replied, “Shaphat’s son Elisha lives here. He used to be Elijah’s personal attendant.”[h]
12 Jehoshaphat answered, “He receives messages from[i] the Lord.” So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went to visit Elisha.[j]
13 Elisha asked the king of Israel, “What do I have in common[k] with you? Go visit your parents’ prophets.”[l]
The king of Israel replied, “No! The Lord has summoned these three kings so he can hand them over to Moab!”
14 But Elisha responded, “As the Lord of the Heavenly Armies lives, in whose presence I stand, I would never pay attention to you or even look in your direction were it not for my continuous respect for the presence of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. 15 Now bring me a musician.”
As the musician played, the hand of the Lord rested on Elisha, 16 so he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Fill this valley with trench after trench!’ 17 This is what the Lord says: ‘Though you won’t see wind or storm, nevertheless that river[m] will overflow with water so that you, your cattle, and your livestock may drink.’ 18 And this is the easy part for the Lord[n]—he’s also going to hand the Moabites over to you! 19 Then you are to attack every fortified city and every significant city. Cut down every significant tree, fill in all of the water springs, and ruin every prime piece of land with stones.”
War with Moab
20 The very next day, about the time of the morning offering, water suddenly appeared, coming from the direction of Edom, and the land overflowed with water!
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness,[a] and patience. 13 Be tolerant of one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord[b] has forgiven you, you also should forgive.[c] 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with[d] love, which ties everything together in unity. 15 Let the peace of the Messiah[e] also rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful. 16 Let the word of the Messiah[f] inhabit you richly with wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and singing to God with thankfulness in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether by speech or action, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
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