Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Defense against Enemies.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [a]Maskil of David, [b]when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David hiding himself among us?”
54 Save me, O God, by (A)Your name,
And [c]vindicate me by (B)Your power.
2 (C)Hear my prayer, O God;
(D)Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have (E)risen against me
And (F)violent men have (G)sought my [d]life;
They have (H)not set God before them. [e]Selah.
24 Then (A)Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “(B)How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” 25 Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you (C)enter an inner room to hide yourself.” 26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king, “(D)Put this man in prison and feed him [a]sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” 28 Micaiah said, “(E)If you indeed return safely the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “(F)Listen, all you people.”
Defeat and Death of Ahab
29 So (G)the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. 30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “(H)I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. 31 Now (I)the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.” 32 So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely it is the king of Israel,” and they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
34 Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel [b]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn [c]around and take me out of the [d]fight; (J)for I am severely wounded.” 35 The battle [e]raged that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot. 36 (K)Then a cry passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, “Every man to his city and every man to his [f]country.”
37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. 38 They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots bathed themselves there), (L)according to the word of the Lord which He spoke. 39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did and (M)the ivory house which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.
25 For (A)I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this (B)mystery—so that you will not be (C)wise in your own estimation—that a partial (D)hardening has happened to Israel until the (E)fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“(F)The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “(G)This is [a]My covenant with them,
(H)When I take away their sins.”
28 [b]From the standpoint of the gospel they are (I)enemies for your sake, but [c]from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for (J)the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the (K)calling of God (L)are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For (M)God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
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