Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, ^(A)the servant of the Lord, ^(B)who addressed the words of this ^(C)song to the Lord on the day when the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

Samuel Judges Israel

³ And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ^(A)“If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then ^(B)put away the foreign gods and the ^(C)Ashtaroth from among you and ^(D)direct your heart to the Lord ^(E)and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at ^(F)Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ So they gathered at ^(G)Mizpah ^(H)and drew water and poured it out before the Lord ^(I)and fasted on that day and said there, ^(J)“We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. ⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “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 So Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And ^(K)Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. ^(L)But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel. ¹¹ And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

¹² Then Samuel ^(M)took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen^[a] and called its name Ebenezer;^[b] for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” ^13 (N)So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

God's Righteous Judgement

2 Therefore you have ^(A)no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For ^(B)in passing judgement on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practise the very same things. ² We know that the judgement of God rightly falls on those who practise such things. ³ Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practise such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgement of God? ⁴ Or do you presume on ^(C)the riches of his kindness and ^(D)forbearance and ^(E)patience, ^(F)not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? ⁵ But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are ^(G)storing up ^(H)wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgement will be revealed.

^6 (I)He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who ^(J)by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸ but for those who are self-seeking^[a] and ^(K)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. ⁹ There will be tribulation and distress ^(L)for every human being who does evil, the Jew ^(M)first and also the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honour and ^(N)peace for everyone who does good, ^(O)the Jew first and also the Greek. ¹¹ For ^(P)God shows no partiality.