Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Naaman Is Healed

5 Naaman the captain of the army of the king of Syria was an important man to his king. He was much respected, because by him the Lord had made Syria win in battle. Naaman was a strong man of war, but he had a bad skin disease. ² Now the Syrians had gone out in groups of soldiers, and had taken a little girl from the land of Israel. She served Naaman’s wife. ³ And she said to her owner, “I wish that my owner’s husband were with the man of God who is in Samaria! Then he would heal his bad skin disease.” ⁴ So Naaman went in and told his king, “This is what the girl from the land of Israel said.” ⁵ The king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman went and took with him silver weighing as much as ten men, 6,000 pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothes. ⁶ He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, “I have sent my servant Naaman to you with this letter, that you may heal his bad skin disease.” ⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive? Is this why this man sends word to me to heal a man’s bad skin disease? Think about it. He wants to start a fight with me.” ⁸ Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes. So he sent word to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me. Then he will know that there is a man of God in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman came with his horses and his war-wagons, and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a man to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times. And your flesh will be made well and you will be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman was very angry and went away. He said, “I thought he would come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God. I thought he would wave his hand over the place, and heal the bad skin disease. ¹² Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away very angry. ¹³ Then his servants came and said to him, “My father, if the man of God had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” ¹⁴ So Naaman went down into the Jordan River seven times, as the man of God had told him. And his flesh was made as well as the flesh of a little child. He was clean.

Prayer of Thanks

30 I will lift You up, O Lord, for You have lifted me up. You have not let those who hate me stand over me in joy. ² O Lord my God, I cried to You for help and You healed me. ³ O Lord, You have brought me up from the grave. You have kept me alive, so that I will not go down into the deep. ⁴ Sing praise to the Lord, all you who belong to Him. Give thanks to His holy name. ⁵ For His anger lasts only a short time. But His favor is for life. Crying may last for a night, but joy comes with the new day.

⁶ As for me, when all was going well, I said, “I will never be moved.” ⁷ O Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong. But when You hid Your face, I was troubled. ⁸ I cried to You, O Lord. I begged the Lord for loving-kindness. ⁹ What good will come from my blood, if I go down to the grave? Will the dust thank You? Will it tell how You are faithful?

¹⁰ Hear, O Lord. And show me loving-kindness. O Lord, be my Helper. ¹¹ You have turned my crying into dancing.You have taken off my clothes made from hair, and dressed me with joy. ¹² So my soul may sing praise to You, and not be quiet. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Help Other Christians

6 Christian brothers, if a person is found doing some sin, you who are stronger Christians should lead that one back into the right way. Do not be proud as you do it. Watch yourself, because you may be tempted also. ² Help each other in troubles and problems. This is the kind of law Christ asks us to obey. ³ If anyone thinks he is important when he is nothing, he is fooling himself. ⁴ Everyone should look at himself and see how he does his own work. Then he can be happy in what he has done. He should not compare himself with his neighbor. ⁵ Everyone must do his own work.

⁶ He who is taught God’s Word should share the good things he has with his teacher.

⁷ Do not be fooled. You cannot fool God. A man will get back whatever he plants! ⁸ If a man does things to please his sinful old self, his soul will be lost. If a man does things to please the Holy Spirit, he will have life that lasts forever. ⁹ Do not let yourselves get tired of doing good. If we do not give up, we will get what is coming to us at the right time. ¹⁰ Because of this, we should do good to everyone. For sure, we should do good to those who belong to Christ.

The Christian’s Pride Should Be in the Cross

¹¹ See what big letters I make when I write to you with my own hand. ¹² Those men who say you must go through the religious act of becoming a Jew are doing it because they want to make a good show in front of the world. They do this so they will not have to suffer because of following the way of the cross of Christ. ¹³ Those who have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew do not even keep the Law themselves. But they want you to go through that religious act so they can be proud that you are their followers. ¹⁴ I do not want to be proud of anything except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of the cross, the ways of this world are dead to me, and I am dead to them. ¹⁵ If a person does or does not go through the religious act of becoming a Jew, it is worth nothing. The important thing is to become a new person. ¹⁶ Those who follow this way will have God’s peace and loving-kindness. They are the people of God.

Seventy Are Sent Out

10 After this the Lord chose seventy others. He sent them out two together to every city and place where He would be going later. ² Jesus said to them, “There is much grain ready to gather. But the workmen are few. Pray then to the Lord Who is the Owner of the grain-fields that He will send workmen to gather His grain. ³ Go on your way. Listen! I send you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Take no money. Do not take a bag or shoes. Speak to no one along the way. ⁵ When you go into a house, say that you hope peace will come to them. ⁶ If a man who loves peace lives there, your good wishes will come to him. If your good wishes are not received, they will come back to you. ⁷ Stay in the same house. Eat and drink what they give you. The workman should have his thanks. Do not move from house to house.

⁸ “Whenever a city receives you, eat the things that are put before you there. ⁹ Heal the sick. Say to them, ‘The holy nation of God is near.’ ¹⁰ Whatever city does not receive you, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your city that is on our feet we are cleaning off against you. But understand this, the holy nation of God has come near you!’

¹⁶ Whoever listens to you, listens to Me. Whoever has nothing to do with you, has nothing to do with Me. Whoever has nothing to do with Me, has nothing to do with the One Who sent Me.”

The Seventy Came Back

¹⁷ The seventy came back full of joy. They said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we used Your name.” ¹⁸ Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. ¹⁹ Listen! I have given you power to walk on snakes. I have given you power over small animals with a sting of poison. I have given you power over all the power of the one who works against you. Nothing will hurt you. ²⁰ Even so, you should not be happy because the demons obey you but be happy because your names are written in heaven.”