Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

For the choir director. For ^[a]the flutes. A Psalm of David.

²³ Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “^(A)Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. ²⁴ Do this thing: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place, ²⁵ and you shall number a military force like the military force that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.

Israel Fights the Arameans

^26 (B)Now it happened at the turn of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to ^(C)Aphek to fight against Israel. ²⁷ Now the sons of Israel were mustered and were provided for and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, ^(D)but the Arameans filled the land. ²⁸ Then ^(E)a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “^(F)Yahweh is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore ^(G)I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahweh.’” ²⁹ So they camped one opposite the other seven days. Now it happened that on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel struck down of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. ³⁰ But the rest fled to ^(H)Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on 27,000 men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city ^(I)into an inner chamber.

^31 (J)Then his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings of lovingkindness, please let us ^(K)put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will preserve your ^[a]life.” ³² So ^(L)they girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “^(M)Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” ³³ Now the men interpreted this as an omen, and hastily ^[b]catching his word said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he ^[c]took him up into the chariot. ³⁴ And Ben-hadad said to him, “^(N)The cities which my father took from your father I will return, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he cut a covenant with him and let him go.

God Has Not Rejected Israel

11 I say then, has God ^(A)rejected His people? ^(B)May it never be! For ^(C)I too am an Israelite, a seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ^2 [a](D)God has not rejected His people whom He ^(E)foreknew. ^(F)Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ³ “Lord, ^(G)they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” ⁴ But what does the divine response say to him? “^(H)I have left for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵ In this way then, at the present time, ^(I)a remnant according to God’s ^[b]gracious choice has also come to be. ⁶ But ^(J)if it is by grace, it is no longer of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.

⁷ What then? What ^(K)Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but the chosen obtained it, and the rest were ^(L)hardened; ⁸ just as it is written,

⁹ And David says,