Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Elijah at Mount Carmel
20 So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions?[a](A) If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.”(B) But the people didn’t answer him a word.
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord,(A) but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord.(B) The God who answers with fire, he is God.”
All the people answered, “That’s fine.”
25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”
26 So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound;(C) no one answered. Then they danced[a] around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away;[b] or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!” (D) 28 They shouted loudly, and cut themselves(E) with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them. 29 All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice,(F) but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.(G)
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near me.” So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the Lord’s altar that had been torn down:(A) 31 Elijah took twelve stones—according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel will be your name”(B)— 32 and he built an altar(C) with the stones in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons.[a][b] 33 Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “A second time!” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time!” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water.
36 At the time for offering the evening sacrifice,(D) the prophet Elijah approached the altar and said, “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,(E) today let it be known(F) that you are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that at your word I have done all these things. 37 Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that you, the Lord, are God(G) and that you have turned their hearts back.”
38 Then the Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell facedown(H) and said, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!” (I)
Psalm 96(A)
King of the Earth
1 Sing a new song to the Lord;
let the whole earth sing to the Lord.(B)
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
proclaim his salvation from day to day.(C)
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his wondrous works among all peoples.(D)
4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised;
he is feared above all gods.(E)
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.(F)
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.(G)
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.(H)
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;(I)
bring an offering and enter his courts.(J)
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;(K)
let the whole earth tremble before him.(L)
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.(M)
The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.(N)
He judges the peoples fairly.”(O)
11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and all that fills it resound.(P)
12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.
Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy(Q)
13 before the Lord, for he is coming—
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with his faithfulness.(R)
Greeting
1 Paul,(A) an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father(B) who raised him from the dead(C)— 2 and all the brothers who are with me:
To the churches of Galatia.(D)
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord[a] Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins(E) to rescue us from this present evil age,(F) according to the will of our God and Father.(G) 5 To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called(H) you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another gospel,(I) but there are some(J) who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel(K) from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you,(L) a curse be on him![b] 9 As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received,(M) a curse be on him!
10 For am I now trying to persuade people,[c] or God?(N) Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
The Origin of Paul’s Gospel
11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation(O) of Jesus Christ.(P)
A Centurion’s Faith
7 When he had concluded saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum.(A) 2 A centurion’s servant, who was highly valued by him, was sick and about to die. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, requesting him to come and save the life of his servant. 4 When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to grant this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.”(B)
6 Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.[a](C) 8 For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
9 Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.” 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.
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