Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Naboth’s Vineyard

21 Some time passed after these events.

Naboth from Jezre’el had a vineyard in Jezre’el, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can use it as a vegetable garden, because it is beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard in exchange. Or if you prefer, I will give you the purchase price in silver.”

³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “May I be cursed by the Lord, if I were to give you the inheritance from my fathers.”

⁴ Ahab went to his house sullen and angry because of what Naboth from Jezre’el had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” Ahab lay down on his bed and turned his face away and would not eat anything.

⁵ Then his wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why is your spirit so sullen, and why don’t you eat?”

⁶ Then he told her, “I said to Naboth from Jezre’el, ‘Sell your vineyard to me, or if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”

⁷ Then his wife Jezebel said to him, “Are you now acting like the king over Israel? Get up! Eat something, and cheer up. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth from Jezre’el.”

⁸ Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal. She sent the letters to the elders and nobles who were living in the city with Naboth. ⁹ She wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast and then seat Naboth at the head of the people. ¹⁰ Seat two wicked, worthless men opposite him and have them testify, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”

¹¹ The men of the city—the elders and the nobles who lived there—did exactly as Jezebel had commanded them, exactly as she had written in the letters she had sent them. ¹² They proclaimed a fast and then seated Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³ They brought two wicked, worthless men and seated them opposite him. The wicked men testified against Naboth before the people, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. ¹⁴ Then they sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

¹⁵ When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Go and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth from Jezre’el, which he refused to sell to you, because Naboth is no longer alive but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he went and took possession of the vineyard of Naboth from Jezre’el.

The Lord Condemns Ahab

¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah from Tishbe:

²⁰ Then Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?”

Elijah said, “I have found you, because you sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, who says, ²¹ ‘I am bringing disaster against you, and I will burn you up. I will cut off from Ahab in Israel all those who urinate against the wall,^[a] both bound and free.^[b]

Psalm 5

With You the Wicked Cannot Dwell

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For the choir director. For flutes. A psalm by David.

Access in Prayer

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Access in Prayer

Justified Through Faith!

¹⁵ “We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. ¹⁶ We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. So we also believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no one^[a] will be justified by the works of the law. ¹⁷ But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were also found to be sinners, then is Christ a servant of sin? Certainly not!

¹⁸ “In fact, if I build up again those things that I destroyed, I bring on myself the judgment of being a lawbreaker. ¹⁹ Indeed, through the law I died to the law that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I am now living in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not regard the grace of God as nothing. As a matter of fact, if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!”

Jesus Is Anointed by a Sinful Woman

³⁶ A certain one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him. Jesus entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ Just then a sinful woman from that town learned that he was reclining in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume, ³⁸ stood behind him near his feet weeping, and began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she began to wipe them with her hair while also kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume. ³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would realize who is touching him and what kind of woman she is, because she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

He said, “Teacher, say it.”

⁴¹ “A certain moneylender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii,^[a] and the other fifty. ⁴² When they could not pay, he forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the larger debt forgiven.”

Then he told him, “You have judged correctly.” ⁴⁴ Turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, but you did not give me water for my feet. Yet she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but she, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. ⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that is why she loved so much. But the one who is forgiven little loves little.” ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

⁴⁹ Those reclining at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Preaching the Gospel

8 Soon afterward Jesus was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him ² and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; ³ Joanna, the wife of Cuza, Herod’s household manager; Susanna; and many others who provided support for them^[b] out of their own possessions.