Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 96[a]
God, Sovereign and Judge of the Universe
1 Sing to the Lord a new song;[b]
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord and bless his name;
proclaim his salvation[c] day after day.
3 Declare his glory[d] among the nations,
his wondrous deeds to every people.
4 For great is the Lord and worthy of all praise;
he is more to be feared[e] than all other gods.
5 The gods of the nations are merely idols,
but it was the Lord who made the heavens.[f]
6 Majesty and splendor surround him;
power and beauty[g] are in his sanctuary.
7 Render to the Lord, you families of nations,
render to the Lord glory and power.[h]
8 Render to the Lord the glory due to his name;
bring an offering and enter his courts.[i]
9 Worship[j] the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord is King.[k]
The world is firmly established, never to be moved.
He will judge the peoples fairly.”
11 Let the heavens exult and the earth be glad;
let the sea resound and all that fills it.
12 Let the fields rejoice and all that is in them;
let all the trees[l] of the forest shout for joy
13 before the Lord, for he is coming,
coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice
and the nations with equity.[m]
Chapter 18
Elijah and Ahab. 1 Now after quite some time, the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” 2 Elijah went and showed himself to Ahab. There was a severe famine in Samaria.
3 Ahab summoned Obadiah, the major-domo of his household. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the Lord. 4 When Jezebel cut down the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took one hundred of the prophets and he hid them by fifties in a cave, and he provided them with bread and water.) 5 Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land where there are springs of water and through all the wadis. Perhaps you will find some green grass for the horses and donkeys so that we might not lose all of the animals.”
6 They divided the land between them, and they went through it. Ahab went in one direction, and Obadiah went in the other direction by himself. 7 As Obadiah was going along, he met Elijah. He recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is that you, my lord, Elijah?” 8 He said to him, “It is I. Go and tell your lord: ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’ ”
9 But he answered, “How have I sinned that you would hand your servant over to Ahab so that he will kill me? 10 As the Lord, your God, lives, there is no land or kingdom into which my lord has not sent to search for you. When they said, ‘he is not here,’ he made the kingdom and the nation swear an oath that they could not find you. 11 And now you are telling me, ‘Go tell your lord: “Behold, Elijah is here.” ’ 12 When I have left you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you off to some unknown place. When I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill your servant who has feared the Lord from my youth. 13 Has it not been reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one hundred of the Lord’s prophets by fifties in a cave and provided them with bread and water? 14 But now you are telling me, ‘Go, tell your lord: “Behold, Elijah is here.” ’ He will kill me.”
15 Elijah answered, “As the Lord of hosts before whom I stand lives, I will surely show myself to him today.”
16 So Obadiah went to Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” 18 He answered, “It is not I who have troubled Israel. It is you and your father’s household who have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and have followed after Baal. 19 Now send word, and gather together all of Israel for me on Mount Carmel, along with four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of Asherah, those who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
31 Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon.[a]Jesus then went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and began to teach the people on the Sabbath. 32 They were astounded at his teaching because his message had authority.
33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he shrieked loudly, 34 “Leave us alone! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”[b] 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and emerged from him without doing him any harm. 36 The people were all amazed, and they said to one another: “What is this teaching? For with authority and power he gives commands to unclean spirits, and they come forth.” 37 And reports about him began to spread throughout the entire region.
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