Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 98
Sing to the Lord a New Song
Heading
A psalm.
Invitation
1 Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
Let His People Sing
2 The Lord has made his salvation known.
He has revealed his righteousness to the eyes of the nations.
3 He has remembered his mercy and his faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Let All People Sing
4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Break out in joyful song! Make music!
5 Make music to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of music.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn
shout for joy before the King, the Lord.
Let the Whole Earth Sing
7 Let the sea roar, and everything that fills it,
the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands.
Let the mountains sing for joy together before the Lord,
9 for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with fairness.[a]
Saul and the Witch of Endor
3 At this time, Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, which was his hometown.
Saul had banished the mediums and spiritists[a] from the land.
4 The Philistines joined forces and set up camp at Shunem. Saul brought all Israel together, and they set up camp at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was terrified and trembled with fear. 6 Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him through dreams, or through Urim, or through prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his attendants, “Find a woman who consults the spirits of the dead for me, so that I can go to her and inquire of her.”
His servants said to him, “As a matter of fact, there is a woman at Endor who consults the spirits of the dead.”
8 So Saul disguised himself and put on different clothing. Then he went with two men, and they visited the woman at night. He said, “Please consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the person I name to you.”
9 The woman said to him, “Look, you must know what Saul has done. He has cut off mediums and spiritists from the land. Why then are you setting a death trap for me, to make me die?”
10 Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”
11 Then the woman said, “Who is it that you want me to bring up for you?”
He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”
13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid! What do you see?”
The woman said to Saul, “I see a powerful spirit[b] coming up out of the earth.”
14 He said to her, “What does he look like?”
She said, “An old man is coming up. He is covered with a robe.” Saul recognized that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground to show respect.
15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
Saul answered, “I am in dire straits because the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me through prophets or through dreams. That is why I have called you, so that you can let me know what I should do.”
16 Samuel said, “Why do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary? 17 The Lord has done exactly what he told you through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David. 18 Because you did not obey the Lord’s voice and did not execute his fierce wrath on Amalek, the Lord has done this to you today. 19 What’s more, the Lord will deliver Israel into the hands of the Philistines, along with you. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”
God’s Anger on All Who Reject Him
18 Indeed, God’s wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who try to suppress the truth by unrighteousness. 19 This happens because what can be known about God is evident among them, because God made it evident among them. 20 In fact, his invisible characteristics—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, because they are understood from the things he made. As a result, people are without excuse, 21 because, even though they knew God, they did not honor him or give him thanks as God. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless heart was darkened.
22 Although they claim to be wise, they have become fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human, or like birds, four-footed animals, and crawling things. 24 So, as they followed the sinful desires of their hearts, God handed them over to the impurity of degrading their own bodies among themselves. 25 Such people have traded the truth about God for the lie, worshipping and serving the creation rather than the Creator, who is worthy of praise forever. Amen.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.