Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Naboth Vineyard Incident
21 Meanwhile, there was a man named Naboth from Jezreel who owned a vineyard that was located contiguous to King Ahab’s palace in Samaria. 2 Ahab addressed Naboth and asked him, “I would like to plant a vegetable garden near my house. Please exchange your vineyard with a better one from me, or if you’d rather have cash, I’ll buy it for its full value.”
3 But Naboth replied to Ahab, “No way! The Lord prohibits the sale to you of the inheritance of my ancestors!”
4 Ahab went back to his palace, sullen and in a foul mood, because Naboth the Jezreelite had turned down Ahab’s offer by saying, “I will not transfer my ancestors’ inheritance to you!” He laid down on his bed, curled up with his face to the wall, and refused to eat.
5 But his wife Jezebel went to him and asked him, “How is it that you’re so sullen and refusing to eat?”
6 “I asked Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard for cash, or if you want, I’ll give you a better one in its place.’ But he refused. He told me, ‘I won’t give you my vineyard!’”
7 “Aren’t you the reigning king of Israel?” his wife Jezebel replied. “Get up, have a meal, and get ready to be happy. I’ll go get you the vineyard that Naboth the Jezreelite owns.” 8 So she wrote some memos in Ahab’s name, set his personal seal to them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 In the memos, she wrote the following directives: “Proclaim a public fast and seat Naboth in the front row. 10 Seat two wicked men in front of him, and make them testify against him. Tell them to claim, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11 So the leading men of the city, along with the elders and nobles who lived there, did precisely what Jezebel had directed them to do. They followed the instructions that she had set forth in the memos: 12 They proclaimed a public fast and seated Naboth in the front row. 13 Two wicked men came in, sat down in front of them, and testified against Naboth in public, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.[a]
14 Afterwards, they sent a message[b] to Jezebel that said, “Naboth has been stoned. He’s dead.”
15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she told Ahab, “Get up and confiscate Naboth’s vineyard that he refused to sell you for cash. Naboth the Jezreelite isn’t alive anymore. He’s dead!” 16 So once he heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab got up, went down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, and confiscated it.
Elijah Rebukes Ahab
17 That’s when this message from the Lord came to Elijah the foreigner:[a] 18 “Get up and go down to meet King Ahab of Israel. He’s in Samaria. Look! He’s in Naboth’s vineyard, where he’s gone to confiscate it. 19 Ask the king, ‘Did you commit murder? And now you’re going to steal as well?’ Also tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Where the dogs were licking up Naboth’s blood, dogs will also lick up your blood—that’s right—yours!”’”
20 Later on, Ahab asked Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?”
But Elijah answered, “I’ve found you because you sold yourself to do what the Lord considers to be evil! 21 Now pay attention! I’m going to send evil in your direction! I will completely sweep you away and eliminate from Ahab every male, whether indentured servant or free, throughout Israel.
To the Director: For flutes. A Davidic Psalm
A Prayer for God’s Help
5 Lord, listen to my words,
consider my groaning.
2 Pay attention to my cry for help,[a]
my king and my God,
for unto you will I pray.
3 Lord, in the morning you will hear my voice;
in the morning I will pray[b] to you,
and I will watch for your answer.[c]
4 Indeed, you aren’t a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will never dwell with you.
5 Boastful ones will not stand before you;
you hate all those who practice wickedness.
6 You will destroy those who speak lies.
The Lord abhors the person of bloodshed and deceit.
7 But I, because of the abundance of your gracious love,
may come into your house.
In awe of you, I will worship in your holy Temple.
8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies.
Make your path straight before me.
Jews, Like Gentiles, are Saved by Faith
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth, and not gentile sinners, 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by doing what the Law requires,[a] but rather by the faithfulness of Jesus[b] the Messiah.[c] We, too, have believed in the Messiah[d] Jesus so that we might be justified by the faithfulness of[e] the Messiah[f] and not by doing what the Law requires, for no human being[g] will be justified by doing what the Law requires. 17 Now if we, while trying to be justified by the Messiah,[h] have been found to be sinners, does that mean that the Messiah[i] is serving the interests of sin? Of course not! 18 For if I rebuild something that I tore down, I demonstrate that I am a wrongdoer. 19 For through the Law I died to the Law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with the Messiah.[j] 20 I no longer live, but the Messiah[k] lives in me, and the life that I am now living in this body I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God,[l] who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not misapply God’s grace, for if righteousness comes about by doing what the Law requires, then the Messiah[m] died for nothing.
Jesus Forgives a Sinful Woman
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus[a] to eat with him. So he went to the Pharisee’s home and took his place at the table. 37 There was a woman who was a notorious[b] sinner in that city. When she learned that Jesus[c] was eating at the Pharisee’s home, she took an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and knelt at his feet behind him. She was crying and began to wash his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair.[d] Then she kissed his feet over and over again, anointing them constantly with the perfume.
39 Now the Pharisee who had invited Jesus[e] saw this and told himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who is touching him and what kind of woman she is. She’s a sinner!”
40 Jesus told him, “Simon, I have something to ask you.”
“Teacher,” he replied, “ask it.”
41 “Two men were in debt to a moneylender. One owed him 500 denarii,[f] and the other 50. 42 When they couldn’t pay it back, he generously canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the larger debt canceled.”
Jesus[g] told him, “You have answered correctly.”
44 Then, turning to the woman, he told Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You didn’t give me any water for my feet, but this woman has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You didn’t give me a kiss,[h] but this woman, from the moment I came in, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with perfume. 47 So I’m telling you that her sins, as many as they are, have been forgiven, and that’s why she has shown such great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.”
48 Then Jesus[i] told her, “Your sins are forgiven!”
49 Those who were at the table with them began to say among themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”
50 But Jesus[j] told the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Some Women Accompany Jesus
8 After this, Jesus[k] traveled from one city and village to another, preaching and spreading the good news about God’s kingdom. The Twelve were with him, 2 as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and illnesses: Mary, also called Magdalene,[l] from whom seven demons had gone out; 3 Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza; Susanna; and many others. These women[m] continued to support them[n] out of their personal resources.
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