Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Elijah Helps a Widow in Zarephath

⁸ The Lord told Elijah, ^9 (A) “Go to the town of Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I've told a widow in that town to give you food.”

¹⁰ When Elijah came near the town gate of Zarephath, he saw a widow gathering sticks for a fire. “Would you please bring me a cup of water?” he asked. ¹¹ As she left to get it, he asked, “Would you also please bring me a piece of bread?”

¹² The widow answered, “In the name of the living Lord your God, I swear that I don't have any bread. All I have is a handful of flour and a little olive oil. I'm on my way home now with these few sticks to cook what I have for my son and me. After that, we will starve to death.”

¹³ Elijah said, “Everything will be fine. Do what you said. Go home and fix something for you and your son. But first, please make a small piece of bread and bring it to me. ¹⁴ The Lord God of Israel has promised that your jar of flour won't run out and your bottle of oil won't dry up before he sends rain for the crops.”

¹⁵ The widow went home and did exactly what Elijah had told her. She and Elijah and her family had enough food for a long time. ¹⁶ The Lord kept the promise that his prophet Elijah had made, and she did not run out of flour or oil.

Elijah Brings a Boy Back to Life

¹⁷ Several days later, the son of the woman who owned the house^[a] got sick, and he kept getting worse, until finally he died.

¹⁸ The woman shouted at Elijah, “What have I done to you? I thought you were God's prophet. Did you come here to cause the death of my son as a reminder that I've sinned against God?”^[b]

¹⁹ “Bring me your son,” Elijah said. Then he took the boy from her arms and carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying. Elijah laid the boy on his bed ²⁰ and prayed, “Lord God, why did you do such a terrible thing to this woman? She's letting me stay here, and now you've let her son die.” ^21 (A) Elijah stretched himself out over the boy three times, while praying, “Lord God, bring this boy back to life!”

²² The Lord answered Elijah's prayer, and the boy started breathing again. ²³ Elijah picked him up and carried him downstairs. He gave the boy to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive.”

²⁴ “You are God's prophet!” the woman replied. “Now I know that you really do speak for the Lord.”

Shout Praises to the Lord

How Paul Became an Apostle

¹¹ My friends, I want you to know that no one made up the message I preach. ¹² It wasn't given or taught to me by some mere human. My message came directly from Jesus Christ when he appeared to me.

^13 (A) You know how I used to live as a Jew. I was cruel to God's church and even tried to destroy it. ^14 (B) I was a much better Jew than anyone else my own age, and I obeyed every law our ancestors had given us. ^15 (C) But even before I was born, God had chosen me by his gift of undeserved grace and had decided ¹⁶ to show me his Son, so I would announce his message to the Gentiles. I didn't talk this over with anyone. ¹⁷ I didn't say a word, not even to the men in Jerusalem who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went at once to Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.

^18 (D) Three years later I went to visit Peter^[a] in Jerusalem and stayed with him for 15 days. ¹⁹ The only other apostle I saw was James, the Lord's brother. ²⁰ And in the presence of God I swear I am telling the truth.

²¹ Later, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² But no one who belonged to Christ's churches in Judea had ever seen me in person. ²³ They had only heard that the one who had been cruel to them was now preaching the message that he had once tried to destroy. ²⁴ And because of me, they praised God.

A Widow's Son

¹¹ Soon Jesus and his disciples were on their way to the town of Nain, and a big crowd was going along with them. ¹² As they came near the gate of the town, they saw people carrying out the body of a widow's only son. Many people from the town were walking along with her.

¹³ When the Lord saw the woman, he felt sorry for her and said, “Don't cry!”

¹⁴ Jesus went over and touched the stretcher on which the people were carrying the dead boy. They stopped, and Jesus said, “Young man, get up!” ¹⁵ The boy sat up and began to speak. Jesus then gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶ Everyone was frightened and praised God. They said, “A great prophet is here with us! God has come to his people.”

¹⁷ News about Jesus spread all over Judea and everywhere else in that part of the country.