Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

For the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A contemplation by David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Isn’t David hiding himself among us?”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did Yahweh’s Spirit go from me to speak to you?”

²⁵ Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you go into an inner room to hide yourself.”

²⁶ The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son. ²⁷ Say, ‘The king says, “Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.”’”

²⁸ Micaiah said, “If you return at all in peace, Yahweh has not spoken by me.” He said, “Listen, all you people!”

²⁹ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. ³⁰ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” The king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

³¹ Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Don’t fight with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.”

³² When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely that is the king of Israel!” and they came over to fight against him. Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³⁴ A certain man drew his bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around, and carry me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.” ³⁵ The battle increased that day. The king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot. ³⁶ A cry went throughout the army about the going down of the sun, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”

³⁷ So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸ They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood where the prostitutes washed themselves, according to Yahweh’s word which he spoke.

³⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

²⁵ For I don’t desire you to be ignorant, brothers,^[a] of this mystery, so that you won’t be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, ²⁶ and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written,

²⁸ Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake. ²⁹ For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰ For as you in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience, ³¹ even so these also have now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they may also obtain mercy. ³² For God has bound all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.