Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.

For the music director; for ^[a]flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.

War with Aram

20 Now ^(A)Ben-hadad, king of Aram, gathered all his army, ^(B)and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and ^(C)besieged Samaria, and fought against it. ² Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab, king of Israel, and said to him, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ³ ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.’” ⁴ And the king of Israel replied, “As ^[a]you say, my lord, O king; I am yours, as well as all that I have.” ⁵ Then the messengers returned and said, “Ben-hadad says ^[b]this: ‘I did indeed send word to you, saying, “You shall give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children”; ⁶ but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and they will take in their hands everything that is pleasing to your eyes, and take it all away.’”

⁷ Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Please be aware and ^(D)see that this man is looking for trouble; for he sent me his demand for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” ⁸ Then all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen nor consent.” ⁹ So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘Everything that you sent as a demand to your servant at the first, I will do; but this thing I cannot do.’” Then the messengers departed, and brought him word again. ¹⁰ Ben-hadad sent word to him and said, “May ^(E)the gods do so to me and more so, ^[c]if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who ^[d]follow me.” ¹¹ Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘^(F)He who straps on his weapons had better not boast like one who takes them off.’” ¹² And when Ben-hadad heard this message, while ^(G)he was drinking ^[e]with the kings in the ^[f]temporary shelters, he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they took their positions against the city.

Ahab Victorious

¹³ Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, ^(H)I am going to hand them over to you today, and ^(I)you shall know that I am the Lord.’” ¹⁴ But Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “The Lord says this: ‘By the young men of the leaders of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who will begin the battle?” And he said, “You will.” ¹⁵ So he mustered the young men of the leaders of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, all the sons of Israel: seven thousand.

¹⁶ They went out at noon, while ^(J)Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the ^[g]temporary shelters ^[h]with the thirty-two kings who were helping him. ¹⁷ The young men of the leaders of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” ^18 (K)Then he said, “If they have come out ^[i]for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive as well.”

¹⁹ So these men went out from the city, the young men of the leaders of the provinces, and the army which followed them. ²⁰ And they ^[j]killed, each one, his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. ²¹ The king of Israel also went out and struck the horses and chariots, and ^[k]killed the Arameans in a great slaughter.

²² Then ^(L)the prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, show yourself courageous and be aware and see what you have to do; for ^(M)at ^[l]the turn of the year the king of Aram will march against you.”

Things to Avoid

4 ^[a]What is the source of quarrels and ^(A)conflicts among you? ^[b]Is the source not your pleasures that wage ^(B)war in ^[c]your body’s parts? ² You lust and do not have, so you ^(C)commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and ^(D)do not receive, because you ask ^[d]with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request ^[e]on your pleasures. ⁴ You ^(E)adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with ^(F)the world is ^(G)hostility toward God? ^(H)Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture ^(I)says to no purpose, “^[f]He ^[g]jealously desires ^(J)the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But ^(K)He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “^(L)God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ^7 (M)Submit therefore to God. But ^[h](N)resist the devil, and he will flee from you.