Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prayer for Rescue from Enemies

A psalm of David.^[a]

Elisha Restores the Shunammite’s Son

¹⁸ The child grew older, and it happened one day that he went out to his father and to the reapers. ¹⁹ Then he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So he said to the servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ So they carried him and brought him to his mother; he sat on her lap until noon and then died. ²¹ She went up, laid him on the bed of the man of God, closed the door, and went out behind it. ²² She called to her husband and said, “Please send one of the servants and one of the female donkeys for me, so that I can go quickly up to the man of God and return.” ²³ And he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the new moon nor the Sabbath!” And she said, “Peace.” ²⁴ She saddled the female donkey, and she said to her servant, “Drive along and go; you must not hold me back from riding, unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went and came to the man of God by Mount Carmel. It happened when the man of God saw her at a distance,^[a] he said to Gehazi his servant, “There is this Shunammite. ²⁶ Now, please run to meet her and ask her, ‘Is it peace for you? Is it peace for your husband? Is it peace for the boy?’” She said, “Peace.” ²⁷ So she came to the man of God at the mountain, and she caught hold of his feet. Then Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is bitter, and Yahweh has hidden it from me and has not told me.” ²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say that you must not mislead me?”

²⁹ Then he said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, you must not greet them; if anyone greets you, you must not answer them. You must put my staff on the face of the boy.” ³⁰ Then the mother of the boy said, “As Yahweh lives^[b] and as your soul lives,^[c] I will surely not leave you.” So he got up and went after her. ³¹ Gehazi crossed over before them, and he put the staff on the face of the boy; but there was no sound, and there was no sign of life, so he returned to meet him. He told him, saying, “The boy did not wake up.”

³² When Elisha came to the house, here was the boy dead, lying on his bed. ³³ He went and closed the door behind the two of them and prayed to Yahweh. ³⁴ Then he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his palms on his palms. As he bent down over him, the flesh of the boy became warm. ³⁵ He returned and went to and fro^[d] in the house one time, then he went up and bent over him. Then the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. ³⁶ Elisha called to Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her and she came to him; then he said, “Pick up your son.” ³⁷ She came and fell at his feet and bowed down to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.

Made Alive in Christ

2 And you, although you were dead^[a][b] in your trespasses and sins, ² in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will^[c] of the flesh and of the mind, and we were children of wrath^[d] by nature, as also the rest of them were.

⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, ⁵ and we being dead in trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), ⁶ and raised us together and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that he might show in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ it is not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are his creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we may walk in them.