Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

God the Sovereign Savior^(A)

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David ^(B)the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of ^(C)this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:

³ Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you ^(A)return to the Lord with all your hearts, then ^(B)put away the foreign gods and the ^(C)Ashtoreths^[a] from among you, and ^(D)prepare your hearts for the Lord, and ^(E)serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the children of Israel put away the ^(F)Baals and the ^[b]Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

⁵ And Samuel said, ^(G)“Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and ^(H)I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ So they gathered together at Mizpah, ^(I)drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they ^(J)fasted that day, and said there, ^(K)“We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ So the children of Israel said to Samuel, ^(L)“Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”

⁹ And Samuel took a ^(M)suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Then ^(N)Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. ^(O)But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. ¹¹ And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and ^[c]drove them back as far as below Beth Car. ¹² Then Samuel ^(P)took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name ^[d]Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

^13 (Q)So the Philistines were subdued, and they ^(R)did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

God’s Righteous Judgment

2 Therefore you are ^(A)inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, ^(B)for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. ² But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. ³ And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you despise ^(C)the riches of His goodness, ^(D)forbearance, and ^(E)longsuffering, ^(F)not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵ But in accordance with your hardness and your ^[a]impenitent heart ^(G)you are ^[b]treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, ⁶ who ^(H)“will render to each one according to his deeds”: ⁷ eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; ⁸ but to those who are self-seeking and ^(I)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, ⁹ tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew ^(J)first and also of the ^[c]Greek; ^10 (K)but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹¹ For ^(L)there is no partiality with God.