Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 18^(A)

For the Music Director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord. He spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

³ Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and Ashtoreths from your midst. And make firm your hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only. Then He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the children of Israel put away the Baals and Ashtoreths and served the Lord only.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ They gathered together to Mizpah. And they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted on that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” So Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.

⁷ When the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ The children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying unto the Lord our God for us, that He might save us out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ Samuel took a suckling lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering unto the Lord. And Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel and the Lord heard him.

¹⁰ As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel, but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines, and confused them. So they were beaten before Israel. ¹¹ Israel’s fighting men went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and struck them, as far as below Beth Kar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen. And he called its name Ebenezer^[a] saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

¹³ So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not again come into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

The Righteous Judgment of God

2 Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judges, for when you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge do the same things. ² But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who commit such things. ³ Do you think, O man, who judges those who do such things, and who does the same thing, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Do you despise the riches of His goodness, tolerance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

⁵ But because of your hardness and impenitent heart, you are storing up treasures of wrath against yourself on the day of wrath when the righteous judgment of God will be revealed, ⁶ and He “will render to every man according to his deeds.”^{[a] 7} To those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality will be eternal life. ⁸ But to those who are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, ⁹ will be tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man who does evil, to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile. ¹⁰ But glory, honor, and peace will be to every man who does good work—to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile, ¹¹ for there is no partiality with God.