Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Israel Demands a King

8 And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. ² Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. ³ His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

⁴ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah ⁵ and said to him, “Look, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us [and rule over us] like all the other nations.” ⁶ But their demand ^[a]displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge and rule over us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. ⁷ The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them. ⁸ Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have abandoned (rejected) Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. ⁹ So now listen to their voice; only solemnly warn them and tell them the ways of the king who will reign over them.”

Warning concerning a King

¹⁰ So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them for himself to his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. ¹² He will appoint them for himself to be commanders over thousands and over fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. ¹⁶ He will take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves shall be his servants. ¹⁸ Then you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day [because you have rejected Him as King].”

The Peril of Falling Away

6 Therefore let us get past the elementary stage in the teachings about the Christ, advancing on to maturity and perfection and spiritual completeness, [doing this] without laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² of teaching about washings (ritual purifications), the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. [These are all important matters in which you should have been proficient long ago.] ³ And we will do this [that is, proceed to maturity], if God permits. ⁴ For [it is impossible to restore to repentance] those who have once been enlightened [spiritually] and who have ^[a]tasted and consciously experienced the heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted and consciously experienced the good word of God and the powers of the age (world) to come, ^6 [b]and then have fallen away—it is impossible to bring them back again to repentance, since they again nail the Son of God on the cross [for as far as they are concerned, they are treating the death of Christ as if they were not saved by it], and are holding Him up again to public disgrace. ⁷ For soil that drinks the rain which often falls on it and produces crops useful to those for whose benefit it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God; ⁸ but if it persistently produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.^(A)

Better Things for You

⁹ But, beloved, even though we speak to you in this way, ^[c]we are convinced of better things concerning you, and of things that accompany salvation. ¹⁰ For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown for His name in ministering to [the needs of] the saints (God’s people), as you do. ¹¹ And we desire for each one of you to show the same diligence [all the way through] so as to realize and enjoy the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² so that you will not be [spiritually] sluggish, but [will instead be] imitators of those who through faith [lean on God with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in His power] and by patient endurance [even when suffering] are [now] inheriting the promises.