Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Prayer for Defense against Enemies.

For the music director; on stringed instruments. A ^[a]Maskil of David, ^[b]when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is David not keeping himself hidden among us?”

²⁴ Then ^(A)Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek; and he said, “^(B)How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” ²⁵ And Micaiah said, “Behold, you are going to see how on that day when you ^(C)go from one inner room to ^[a]another trying 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, ‘This is what the king says: “^(D)Put this man in prison, and feed him enough bread and water to survive until I ^[b]return safely.”’” ²⁸ But Micaiah said, “^(E)If you actually return ^[c]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 And 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 commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³² So when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely he is the king of Israel!” And they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ Then, when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴ Now one man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel ^[d]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn ^[e]around and take me out of the battle, ^(J)for I am severely wounded.” ³⁵ The battle ^[f]raged on that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and he died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot. ^36 (K)Then the word passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his ^[g]country!”

³⁷ So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸ They washed out the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (it was there that the prostitutes bathed themselves) ^(L)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He had spoken. ³⁹ Now as for the rest of the acts of Ahab and everything 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 ^[h]lay down with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

²⁵ For ^(A)I do not want you, brothers and sisters, 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:

²⁸ In relation to the gospel they are ^(I)enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved ^(J)on account 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.