Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Elijah’s Mount Carmel Victory

²⁰ So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and ^(A)gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. ²¹ And Elijah came to all the people, and said, ^(B)“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, ^(C)follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.

²² Then Elijah said to the people, ^(A)“I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; ^(B)but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. ²³ Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. ²⁴ Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who ^(C)answers by fire, He is God.”

So all the people answered and said, ^[a]“It is well spoken.”

²⁵ Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

²⁶ So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, ^[b]hear us!” But there was ^(D)no voice; no one answered. Then they ^[c]leaped about the altar which they had made.

²⁷ And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry ^[d]aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” ²⁸ So they cried aloud, and ^(E)cut themselves, as was their custom, with ^[e]knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. ²⁹ And when midday was past, ^(F)they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was ^(G)no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. ^(A)And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. ³¹ And 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, ^(B)“Israel shall be your name.” ³² Then with the stones he built an altar ^(C)in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. ³³ And he ^(D)put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and ^(E)pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” ³⁴ Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. ³⁵ So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled ^(F)the trench with water.

³⁶ And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord ^(G)God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, ^(H)let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that ^(I)I have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”

³⁸ Then ^(J)the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹ Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ^(K)“The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

A Song of Praise to God Coming in Judgment^(A)

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but ^(A)through Jesus Christ and God the Father ^(B)who raised Him from the dead), ² and all the brethren who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

³ Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ^4 (C)who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us ^(D)from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Only One Gospel

⁶ I marvel that you are turning away so soon ^(E)from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ^7 (F)which is not another; but there are some ^(G)who trouble you and want to ^(H)pervert^[a] the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if ^(I)we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be ^[b]accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you ^(J)than what you have received, let him be accursed.

¹⁰ For ^(K)do I now ^(L)persuade men, or God? Or ^(M)do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Call to Apostleship^(N)

^11 (O)But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. ¹² For ^(P)I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came ^(Q)through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant^(A)

7 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He ^(B)entered Capernaum. ² And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. ³ So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, ⁵ “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

⁶ Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But ^(C)say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man placed under ^(D)authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” ¹⁰ And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well ^[a]who had been sick.