Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Praise to God for His Glory and Strength
A psalm of David.[a]
29 Ascribe to Yahweh, O sons of God,[b]
ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due[c] his name.
Worship Yahweh in holy array.
3 The voice of Yahweh is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders.
Yahweh is over many waters.
4 The voice of Yahweh is powerful.
The voice of Yahweh is majestic.
5 The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars.
Yahweh shatters even the cedars of Lebanon.
6 And he makes them skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of Yahweh flashes[d] flames of fire.
8 The voice of Yahweh shakes the wilderness.
Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of Yahweh causes deer[e] to give birth
and strips the forests bare.
And at his temple all in it say, “Glory!”
10 Yahweh sits enthroned at the flood,
and Yahweh sits as king forever.
11 May Yahweh give strength to his people.
May Yahweh bless his people with peace.
3 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If with all your heart you are turning to Yahweh, remove the foreign gods and Ashtoreths[a] from your midst. Commit your hearts to Yahweh and serve him alone. Then he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites[b] removed the Baals[c] and the Ashtoreths, and they served Yahweh alone.
5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to Yahweh for you.” 6 So they gathered to Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before Yahweh. They fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against Yahweh!” So Samuel judged the Israelites[d] at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the Israelites[e] had gathered at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the Israelites[f] heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.[g] 8 Then the Israelites[h] said to Samuel, “You must not cease[i] from crying out to Yahweh our God, so that he will deliver us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a single nursing lamb[j] and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh. Then Samuel cried out to Yahweh on behalf of Israel, and Yahweh answered him. 10 While[k] Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near for the battle against Israel. But Yahweh thundered against the Philistines with a great noise on that day and threw them into confusion so that they were defeated before Israel. 11 Then the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and they struck them down as far as below Beth Car.
12 So Samuel took a single stone and put it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it Ebenezer and said, “Up to here Yahweh has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come into the territory of Israel again, and the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The towns[l] which the Philistines had taken from Israel were returned to Israel from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territories from the hand of the Philistines. Then there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
The Circuit Ministry of Samuel
15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 He used to go on the circuit from year to year.[m] He went around Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he returned[n] to Ramah, because his house was there, and there he judged Israel, and he built an altar to Yahweh there.
19 and after[a] taking food, he regained his strength. And he was with the disciples in Damascus several days.
Saul Proclaims Christ in Damascus
20 And immediately he began proclaiming[b] Jesus in the synagogues: “This one is the Son of God!” 21 And all who heard him[c] were amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who was wreaking havoc in Jerusalem on those who call upon this name, and had come here for this reason, that he could bring them tied up[d] to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul was increasing in strength even more, and was confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by[e] proving that this one is the Christ.[f]
23 And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted to do away with him. 24 But their plot became known to Saul, and they were also watching the gates both day and night so that they could do away with him. 25 But his disciples took him[g] at night and[h] let him down through the wall by[i] lowering him[j] in a basket.
Saul in Jerusalem
26 And when he[k] arrived in Jerusalem, he was attempting to associate with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they[l] did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and[m] brought him[n] to the apostles and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 And he was going in and going out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he was speaking and debating with the Greek-speaking Jews,[o] but they were trying to do away with him. 30 And when[p] the brothers found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout all of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being strengthened. And living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it was increasing in numbers.[q]
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