Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 The Lord’s message came to him, 9 “Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have already told[a] a widow who lives there to provide for you.” 10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please give me a little water in a cup, so I can take a drink.” 11 As she went to get it, he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”[b] 12 She said, “As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation.”[c] 13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you planned.[d] But first make me a small cake[e] and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘The jar of flour will not be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the Lord makes it rain on the surface of the ground.’” 15 She went and did as Elijah told her; there was always enough food for Elijah and for her and her family.[f] 16 The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, in keeping with the Lord’s message that he had spoken through Elijah.
17 After this[a] the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. His illness was so severe he could no longer breathe. 18 She asked Elijah, “Why, prophet, have you come[b] to me to confront me with[c] my sin and kill my son?” 19 He said to her, “Hand me your son.” He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him down on his bed. 20 Then he called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, are you also bringing disaster on this widow I am staying with by killing her son?” 21 He stretched out over the boy three times and called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, please let this boy’s breath return to him.” 22 The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer; the boy’s breath returned to him and he lived. 23 Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room to the house, and handed him to his mother. Elijah then said, “See, your son is alive!” 24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a prophet[d] and that the Lord’s message really does come through you.”[e]
Psalm 146[a]
146 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.
3 Do not trust in princes,
or in human beings, who cannot deliver.[b]
4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground.
On that day their plans die.[c]
5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who remains forever faithful,[d]
7 vindicates the oppressed,[e]
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord releases the imprisoned.
8 The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord lifts up all who are bent over.[f]
The Lord loves the godly.
9 The Lord protects the resident foreigner.
He lifts up the fatherless and the widow,[g]
but he opposes the wicked.[h]
10 The Lord rules forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come.[i]
Praise the Lord!
Paul’s Vindication of His Apostleship
11 Now[a] I want you to know, brothers and sisters,[b] that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.[c] 12 For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source;[d] instead I received it[e] by a revelation of Jesus Christ.[f]
13 For you have heard of my former way of life[g] in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. 14 I[h] was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation,[i] and was[j] extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.[k] 15 But when the one[l] who set me apart from birth[m] and called me by his grace was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in[n] me so that I could preach him[o] among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from[p] any human being,[q] 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia,[r] and then returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas[s] and get information from him,[t] and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles[u] except James the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you[v] that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you![w] 21 Afterward I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 But I was personally[x] unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They were only hearing, “The one who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the good news[y] of the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 So[z] they glorified God because of me.[aa]
Raising a Widow’s Son
11 Soon[a] afterward[b] Jesus[c] went to a town[d] called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a man[e] who had died was being carried out,[f] the only son of his mother (who[g] was a widow[h]), and a large crowd from the town[i] was with her. 13 When[j] the Lord saw her, he had compassion[k] for her and said to her, “Do not weep.”[l] 14 Then[m] he came up[n] and touched[o] the bier,[p] and those who carried it stood still. He[q] said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 So[r] the dead man[s] sat up and began to speak, and Jesus[t] gave him back[u] to his mother. 16 Fear[v] seized them all, and they began to glorify[w] God, saying, “A great prophet[x] has appeared[y] among us!” and “God has come to help[z] his people!” 17 This[aa] report[ab] about Jesus[ac] circulated[ad] throughout[ae] Judea and all the surrounding country.
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