Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.

For the choir director; for ^[a]flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.

War with Aram

20 Now ^(A)Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army, ^(B)and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and ^(C)besieged Samaria and fought against it. ² Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad, ³ ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.’” ⁴ The king of Israel replied, “It is according to your word, my lord, O king; I am yours, and all that I have.” ⁵ Then the messengers returned and said, “Thus says ^[a]Ben-hadad, ‘Surely, I sent to you saying, “You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children,” ⁶ but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and ^[b]whatever is desirable in your eyes, they will ^[c]take in their hand and carry away.’”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Please observe and ^(D)see how this man is looking for trouble; for he sent to me for my wives and my children and my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” ⁸ All the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” ⁹ So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought him word again. ¹⁰ Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “May ^(E)the gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria will suffice for handfuls for all the people who ^[d]follow me.” ¹¹ Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘^(F)Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.’” ¹² When Ben-hadad heard this message, as ^(G)he was drinking ^[e]with the kings in the ^[f]temporary shelters, he said to his servants, “Station yourselves.” So they stationed themselves against the city.

Ahab Victorious

¹³ Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, ^(H)I will deliver them into your hand today, and ^(I)you shall know that I am the Lord.’” ¹⁴ Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘By the young men of the rulers of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall ^[g]begin the battle?” And he ^[h]answered, “You.” ¹⁵ Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, even all the sons of Israel, 7,000.

¹⁶ They went out at noon, while ^(J)Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the ^[i]temporary shelters ^[j]with the thirty-two kings who helped him. ¹⁷ The young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” ^18 (K)Then he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So these went out from the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the army which followed them. ²⁰ They ^[k]killed each his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. ²¹ The king of Israel went out and ^[l]struck the horses and chariots, and ^[m]killed the Arameans with a great slaughter.

²² Then ^(L)the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself and observe and see what you have to do; for ^(M)at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”

Things to Avoid

4 ^[a]What is the source of quarrels and ^(A)conflicts among you? ^[b]Is not the source your pleasures that wage ^(B)war in your members? ² You lust and do not have; so you ^(C)commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and ^(D)do not receive, because you ask ^[c]with wrong motives, so that you may spend it ^[d]on your pleasures. ⁴ You ^(E)adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with ^(F)the world is ^(G)hostility toward God? ^(H)Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture ^(I)speaks to no purpose: “^[e]He ^[f]jealously desires ^(J)the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But ^(K)He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “^(L)God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ^7 (M)Submit therefore to God. ^(N)Resist the devil and he will flee from you.