Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Samuel Anoints David
16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul,(A) since I have rejected him as king over Israel?(B) Fill your horn with oil(C) and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem(D) because I have selected a king from his sons.”
2 Samuel asked, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!”
The Lord answered, “Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’(E) 3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do.(F) You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate to you.”(G)
4 Samuel did what the Lord directed and went to Bethlehem.(H) When the elders of the town met him, they trembled[a] and asked, “Do[b] you come in peace?”(I)
5 “In peace,” he replied. “I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves(J) and come with me to the sacrifice.”[c] Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab(K) and said, “Certainly the Lord’s anointed one is here before Him.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees,[d] for man sees what is visible,[e] but the Lord sees the heart.”(L)
8 Jesse called Abinadab(M) and presented him to Samuel. “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either,” Samuel said. 9 Then Jesse presented Shammah,(N) but Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either.” 10 After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” 11 Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,”(O) he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.” 12 So Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy,[f] handsome appearance.(P)
Then the Lord said, “Anoint him, for he is the one.”(Q) 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil, anointed him(R) in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord took control of David from that day forward.(S) Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
Psalm 23
The Good Shepherd
A Davidic psalm.
1 The Lord is my shepherd;(A)
there is nothing I lack.(B)
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;(C)
He leads me beside quiet waters.(D)
3 He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths[a]
for His name’s sake.(E)
4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,[b]
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;(F)
Your rod and Your staff[c]—they comfort me.(G)
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light(A) in the Lord. Walk as children of light(B)— 9 for the fruit of the light[a] results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth(C)— 10 discerning(D) what is pleasing(E) to the Lord. 11 Don’t participate in the fruitless(F) works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. 13 Everything exposed by the light is made clear,(G) 14 for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said:
The Sixth Sign: Healing a Man Born Blind
9 As He was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples questioned Him: “Rabbi,(A) who sinned, this man(B) or his parents,(C) that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works(D) might be displayed in him. 4 We[a] must do the works(E) of Him who sent Me[b] while it is day.(F) Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”(G)
6 After He said these things He spit on the ground, made some mud(H) from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes. 7 “Go,” He told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam”(I) (which means “Sent”). So he left, washed, and came back seeing.(J)
8 His neighbors and those who formerly had seen him as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the man who sat begging?” 9 Some said, “He’s the one.” “No,” others were saying, “but he looks like him.”
He kept saying, “I’m the one!”
10 Therefore they asked him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam(K) and wash.’ So when I went and washed I received my sight.”(L)
12 “Where is He?” they asked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The Healed Man’s Testimony
13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.(M) 14 The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.(N) 15 So again the Pharisees asked him how he received his sight.
“He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “I washed and I can see.”
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God,(O) for He doesn’t keep the Sabbath!” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man(P) perform such signs?” And there was a division(Q) among them.
17 Again they asked the blind man,[c] “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?”
“He’s a prophet,”(R) he said.
18 The Jews did not believe this about him—that he was blind and received sight—until they summoned the parents of the one who had received his sight.
19 They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20 “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,” his parents answered. 21 “But we don’t know how he now sees, and we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he’s of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him as Messiah,(S) he would be banned from the synagogue. 23 This is why his parents said, “He’s of age; ask him.”
24 So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory(T) to God.[d](U) We know that this man is a sinner!”
25 He answered, “Whether or not He’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!”
26 Then they asked him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”
27 “I already told you,” he said, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become His disciples too, do you?”
28 They ridiculed him: “You’re that man’s disciple, but we’re Moses’(V) disciples. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where He’s from!”(W)
30 “This is an amazing thing,” the man told them. “You don’t know where He is from, yet He opened my eyes! 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners,(X) but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will,(Y) He listens to him.(Z) 32 Throughout history[e] no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind.(AA) 33 If this man were not from God, He wouldn’t be able to do anything.”(AB)
34 “You were born entirely in sin,”(AC) they replied, “and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.[f](AD)
The Blind Man’s Sight and the Pharisees’ Blindness
35 When Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, He found him and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[g](AE)
36 “Who is He, Sir,(AF) that I may believe in Him?” he asked.
37 Jesus answered, “You have seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you.”
38 “I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped Him.
39 Jesus said, “I came into this world(AG) for judgment,(AH) in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”(AI)
40 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and asked Him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?”
41 “If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin.[h](AJ) But now that you say, ‘We see’—your sin remains.
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