Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

5 Hear my words, O LORD. Understand my meditation.

² Hear the voice of my cry, my King and my God. For to you I pray.

³ Hear my voice in the morning, O LORD. In the morning I will direct myself to You, and I will wait.

⁴ For You are not a God Who loves wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You.

⁵ The foolish shall not stand in Your sight. You hate all those who work iniquity.

⁶ You shall destroy those who speak lies. The LORD will abhor the bloody man, and deceitful.

⁷ But I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy. In Your fear I will worship toward Your Holy Temple.

⁸ Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness, because of my enemies. Make Your way plain before my face.

²³ Then the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the mountains, and therefore they overcame us. But let us fight against them on the plain, and doubtless we shall overcome them.

²⁴ “And do this: take the kings away, each one out of his place, and place captains for them.

²⁵ “And muster an army for yourself, like the army that you have lost, with the same horses and the same chariots, and we will fight against them on the plain. And doubtless we shall overcome them.” And he listened to their voice and did so.

²⁶ And after the year had gone around, Ben-Hadad mustered the Aramites, and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

²⁷ And the children of Israel were mustered and were all assembled and went against them. And the children of Israel camped before them, like two little flocks of kids. But the Aramites filled the country.

²⁸ And a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because the Aramites have said, “The LORD is the God of the mountains, and not God of the valleys,” I will therefore deliver all this great multitude into your hand. And you shall know that I am the LORD.’”

²⁹ And they camped opposite each other for seven days. And on the seventh day, the battle was joined. And the children of Israel killed a hundred thousand Aramite footmen in one day.

³⁰ But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city. And a wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men who were left. And Ben-Hadad fled into the city and came into a secret chamber.

³¹ And his servants said to him, “Behold, now, we have heard say that the kings of the House of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our loins, and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. It may be that he will spare your life.”

³² Then they girded sackcloth around their loins, and ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

³³ Now the men took diligent care, for they were anxious to perceive something more, and said, “Your brother, Ben-Hadad!” And he said, “Go. Bring him.” So, Ben-Hadad came out to him. And he had him brought up into the chariot.

³⁴ And Ben-Hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father, I will restore. And you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Then Ahab said, “I will let you go with this covenant.” So, he made a covenant with him and let him go.

11 I say then, has not God thrust away His people? Absolutely not! For I am also an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

² God has not thrust away His people, whom He knew before. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah; how he intercedes with God against Israel, saying,

³ “Lord, they have killed your Prophets, and dug down Your altars. And I am left alone. And they seek my life”?

⁴ But what does God say in response to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal”.

⁵ Even so then, at this present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

⁶ And if it is of grace, it is no more of works. Or else grace would no longer be grace. And if it is of works, it is no longer grace. Or else work would no longer be work.

⁷ What then? Israel has not obtained what it sought. But the Elect have obtained it. And the rest have been hardened.

⁸ Just as it is written, “God has given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear until this day”.

⁹ And David says, “Let their table be made a snare, and a net, and a stumbling block, and a recompense to them.

¹⁰ “Let their eyes be darkened that they do not see and bow down their back continually.”