Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Confidence in God’s Protection.

For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

¹⁹ He said to him, “^(A)Go in peace.” So he departed from him some distance.

²⁰ But ^(B)Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, ^[a]thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, ^[b]by not receiving from his hands what he brought. ^(C)As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” ²¹ So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw one running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” ²² He said, “^(D)All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from ^(E)the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and ^(F)two changes of clothes.’” ²³ Naaman said, “^(G)Be pleased to take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried them before him. ²⁴ When he came to the ^[c]hill, he took them from their hand and ^(H)deposited them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. ²⁵ But he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “^(I)Your servant went nowhere.”

²⁶ Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? ^(J)Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? ²⁷ Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your ^[d]descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence ^(K)a leper as white as snow.

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, ^(A)be strong in the Lord and in ^(B)the strength of His might. ^11 (C)Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the ^(D)schemes of the devil. ¹² For our ^(E)struggle is not against ^[a](F)flesh and blood, but ^(G)against the rulers, against the powers, against the ^(H)world forces of this ^(I)darkness, against the ^(J)spiritual forces of wickedness in ^(K)the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up ^(L)the full armor of God, so that you will be able to ^(M)resist in ^(N)the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, ^(O)having girded your loins with truth, and having ^(P)put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having ^(Q)shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ^16 [b]in addition to all, taking up the ^(R)shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the ^(S)flaming arrows of ^(T)the evil one. ¹⁷ And take ^(U)the helmet of salvation, and the ^(V)sword of the Spirit, which is ^(W)the word of God.

^18 [c]With all ^(X)prayer and petition ^[d](Y)pray at all times ^(Z)in the Spirit, and with this in view, ^[e](AA)be on the alert with all ^(AB)perseverance and ^(AC)petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and ^(AD)pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me ^(AE)in the opening of my mouth, to make known with ^(AF)boldness ^(AG)the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ^(AH)ambassador ^(AI)in ^[f]chains; that ^[g]in proclaiming it I may speak ^(AJ)boldly, ^(AK)as I ought to speak.