Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
ש Sin and Shin
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause,
but my heart stands in awe of Your words.
162 I rejoice at Your word,
as one who finds great plunder.
163 I hate and abhor lying,
but I love Your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise You,
because of Your righteous judgments.
165 Those who love Your law have great peace,
and nothing shall cause them to stumble.
166 Lord, I have hoped for Your deliverance,
and I carry out Your commandments.
167 My soul has kept Your testimonies,
and I love them greatly.
168 I have kept Your precepts and Your testimonies,
for all my ways are before You.
The Lord Condemns Ahab
17 The word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who is in Samaria. He is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to possess it. 19 You shall speak to him, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Have you killed and also taken possession?” And you shall speak to him, saying, “Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick your own blood!”
20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?”
And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the Lord. 21 ‘See, I will bring disaster upon you and will take away your posterity and will cut off all your males, both free and slave, who are left in Israel, 22 and will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger and made Israel to sin.’
23 “The Lord also spoke of Jezebel, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’
24 “Those from Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by birds of the air.”
25 But there were none compared to Ahab, who sold himself to evil deeds in the sight of the Lord, which Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26 He performed the most abominable act in following idols like the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
27 When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and walked meekly.
28 The word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “See how Ahab humbles himself before Me? Because he humbles himself before Me, I will not bring the disaster during his lifetime, but during his son’s lifetime I will bring the disaster on his household.”
Test the Spirits
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and is already in the world.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world, and therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are of God, and whoever knows God listens to us. Whoever is not of God does not listen to us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.