Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Elijah and the Widow
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Get up, go to Zarephath(A) that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.” 10 So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow woman gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink.”(B) 11 As she went to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”
12 But she said, “As the Lord your God lives,(C) I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil(D) in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”(E)
13 Then Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son, 14 for this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land.”(F)
15 So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days.(G) 16 The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through[a] Elijah.
The Widow’s Son Raised
17 After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness became very severe until no breath remained in him.(A) 18 She said to Elijah, “Man of God,(B) what do we have in common?(C) Have you come to remind me of my guilt(D) and to kill my son?”
19 But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upper room(E) where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord(F) and said, “My Lord God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times.(G) He cried out to the Lord and said, “My Lord God, please let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 So the Lord listened to Elijah’s voice, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.(H) 23 Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother.(I) Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.”
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God(J) and the Lord’s word from your mouth is true.”(K)
Psalm 146
The God of Compassion
1 Hallelujah!
My soul, praise the Lord.(A)
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I live.(B)
3 Do not trust in nobles,
in man, who cannot save.(C)
4 When his breath[a] leaves him,
he returns to the ground;
on that day his plans die.(D)
5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,(E)
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them.(F)
He remains faithful forever,(G)
7 executing justice for the exploited
and giving food to the hungry.(H)
The Lord frees prisoners.(I)
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.(J)
The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.[b](K)
The Lord loves the righteous.(L)
9 The Lord protects foreigners
and helps the fatherless and the widow,(M)
but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.(N)
10 The Lord reigns forever;
Zion, your God reigns for all generations.(O)
Hallelujah!
Paul Defends His Apostleship
11 Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not based on human thought.[a] 12 For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation(A) from Jesus Christ.(B)
13 For you have heard about my former way of life(C) in Judaism:(D) I persecuted(E) God’s church to an extreme degree and tried to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.(F) 15 But when God, who from my birth set me apart and called(G) me by His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son(H) in me, so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.[b] 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem(I) to those who had become apostles(J) before me; instead I went to Arabia(K) and came back to Damascus.(L)
18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem(M) to get to know Cephas,[c](N) and I stayed with him 15 days. 19 But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James,(O) the Lord’s brother. 20 Now I am not lying in what I write to you. God is my witness.[d]
21 Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria(P) and Cilicia.(Q) 22 I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches in Christ; 23 they simply kept hearing: “He who formerly persecuted(R) us now preaches the faith(S) he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.
A Widow’s Son Raised to Life
11 Soon afterward He was on His way to a town called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd were traveling with Him. 12 Just as He neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow.(A) A large crowd from the city was also with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her(B) and said, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then He came up and touched the open coffin,[a] and the pallbearers stopped. And He said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!”(C)
15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.(D) 16 Then fear[b] came over everyone,(E) and they glorified God,(F) saying, “A great prophet has risen among us,”(G) and “God has visited[c] His people.”(H) 17 This report about Him went throughout Judea and all the vicinity.
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