Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for a Safe Place
54 Save me by Your name, O God. And stand with me by Your power. 2 Hear my prayer, O God. Listen to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me. And men who hurt others want to take my life. They do not think about God.
4 See, God is my Helper. The Lord is the One Who keeps my soul alive. 5 He will punish those who hate me, for the wrong they have done. He will destroy them because He is faithful.
6 I will be glad to give You a gift on the altar. I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7 For He has taken me out of all trouble. And my eyes have looked without fear upon those who hate me.
24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came and hit Micaiah on the face and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” 25 Micaiah said, “See, you will see on that day when you go into a room to hide yourself.” 26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the leader of the city and to Joash the king’s son. 27 Tell them, ‘The king says, “Put this man in prison and feed him with little bread and water, until I return in peace.” ‘ ” 28 Micaiah said, “If you do return in peace, then the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people.”
The Death of Ahab
29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will dress so no one will know who I am, and will go to battle. But you put on your king’s clothing.” So the king of Israel dressed so no one would know who he was, and went into battle. 31 Now the king of Syria had told the thirty-two captains of his war-wagons, “Do not fight with the small or strong. But only fight with the king of Israel.” 32 When the captains of the war-wagons saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “For sure this is the king of Israel.” And they turned to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 Then the captains of the war-wagons saw that it was not the king of Israel. So they returned from going after him.
34 But a certain man happened to shoot an arrow and hit the king of Israel between the parts of his battle-clothes. So Ahab said to the driver of his war-wagon, “Turn around and take me out of the battle. For I am hurt.” 35 The battle was hard that day, and the king was set up in his war-wagon in front of the Syrians. At evening he died. The blood from the cut flowed to the bottom of the war-wagon. 36 Then a cry went through to his country!
37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria. 38 And they washed the war-wagon by the pool of Samaria. The dogs drank up his blood. (The women who sold the use of their bodies washed themselves there.) It happened as the word of the Lord said it would. 39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all he did, the ivory house and cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 40 Ahab died and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.
25 Christian brothers, I want you to understand this truth which is no longer a secret. It will keep you from thinking you are so wise. Some Jews have become hard until the right amount of people who are not Jews come to God. 26 Then all the Jews will be saved, as the Holy Writings say, “The One Who saves from the punishment of sin will come out of Jerusalem. He will turn the Jews from doing sinful things.”(A) 27 “And this is My promise to them when I take away their sins.” (B)
28 The Jews are fighting against the Good News. Because they hate the Good News, it has helped you who are not Jews. But God still loves the Jews because He has chosen them and because of His promise to their early fathers. 29 God does not change His mind when He chooses men and gives them His gifts. 30 At one time you did not obey God. But when the Jews did not receive God’s gift, you did. It was because they did not obey. 31 The Jews will not obey now. God’s loving-kindness to you will some day turn them to Him. Then the Jews may have His loving-kindness also. 32 God has said that all men have broken His Law. But He will show loving-kindness on all of them.
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