Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Naboth’s Vineyard

21 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel right by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² And after this Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, so that I can have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near to my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it, or if you prefer, I will give you its worth in money.”

³ Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

⁴ Ahab returned home angry and depressed because of the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had given him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He lay down on his bed and sulked and would not eat any bread.

⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said, “Why is your spirit so sad that you refuse to eat bread?”

⁶ And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ”

⁷ Jezebel his wife said to him, “Are you not the governor of the kingdom of Israel? Get up and eat bread, and let your heart be happy, for I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”

⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles that were in the city where Naboth lived. ⁹ In the letters she wrote,

“Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people, ¹⁰ and set two men, sons of Belial,^[a] before him, to bear witness against him, saying, ‘You blasphemed God and the king.’ And then carry him out and stone him, so that he will die.”

¹¹ The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them. ¹² They proclaimed a fast and set Naboth on high among the people. ¹³ Two men, children of Belial, came in and sat in front of him, and the men of Belial witnessed against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth blasphemed God and the king.” Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death. ¹⁴ Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”

¹⁵ When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to sell to you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

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,

Psalm 5

For the Music Director. With the flutes. A Psalm of David.

Jews, Like Gentiles, Are Saved by Faith

¹⁵ We are Jews by nature, and not Gentile sinners, ¹⁶ yet we know that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, rather than by the works of the law. For by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

¹⁷ If, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found to be sinners, is Christ therefore the minister of sin? God forbid! ¹⁸ For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

¹⁹ For through the law I am dead to the law, that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God,^[a] who loved me and gave Himself for me. ²¹ I do not nullify the grace of God. For if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain.

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. So He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down for supper. ³⁷ There, a woman of the city who was a sinner, when she learned that Jesus was sitting for supper in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment, ³⁸ and stood behind Him at His feet, weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw it, he said to himself, “If this Man were a prophet, He would have known who and what kind of woman she is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

He said, “Teacher, say it.”

⁴¹ “A creditor had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii,^[a] and the other fifty. ⁴² When they had no money to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon answered, “I suppose he whom he forgave more.”

He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

⁴⁴ Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵ You gave Me no kiss, but this woman, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ Those who sat at supper with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is He who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Women Who Accompany Jesus

8 Afterward, He went throughout every city and village, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. With Him were the twelve ² and some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had come out, ³ and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who supported Him with their possessions.