Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Davidic prayer
Help Us, God
86 Lord, listen and answer me,
for I am afflicted and needy.
2 Protect me, for I am faithful;[a]
My God, deliver your servant who trusts in you.
3 Have mercy on me Lord,
for I call on you all day long.
4 Your servant rejoices,
because, Lord, I set my hope on[b] you.
5 Indeed you, Lord, are kind and forgiving,
overflowing with gracious love to everyone who calls on you.
6 Hear my prayer, Lord;
attend to my prayer of supplication.
7 In my troubled times I will call on you,
for you will answer me.
8 No one can compare with you among the gods, Lord;
No one can accomplish[c] your work.
9 All the nations that you have established will come
and worship you, my Lord.
They will honor your name.
10 For you are great,
and you are doing awesome things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your ways, Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
let me wholeheartedly[d] revere your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with my whole being;
and I will honor your name continuously.
13 For great is your gracious love to me;
you’ve delivered me from the depths of Sheol.[e]
14 God, arrogant men rise up against me,
while a company of ruthless individuals want to kill me.
They do not have regard for you.[f]
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate God,
merciful and patient,[g]
with unending gracious love and faithfulness.
16 Return to me and have mercy on me;
clothe your servant with your strength
and deliver the son of your maid servant.
17 Show me a sign of your goodness,
so that those who hate me will see it and be ashamed.
For you, Lord, will help and comfort me.
27 As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel told Saul, “Tell your young man to go ahead of us and when he has gone ahead, stop for a while so I may declare God’s word to you.”
Saul is Anointed King
10 Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s[a] head, kissed him, and said, “The Lord has anointed you Commander-in-Chief[b] over his inheritance, has he not? 2 When you leave me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah. They’ll tell you, ‘The donkeys you went to look for have been found. Now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys[c] and he’s anxious about you. He’s asking, ‘What will I do about my son?’ 3 Then you’ll go on further from there and come to the oak at Tabor. There three men going up to the Lord at Bethel will meet you. One will be herding[d] three young goats, one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and one will be carrying a bottle[e] of wine. 4 They’ll greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you’re to accept from them.
5 “After that you will come to Gibeath-elohim[f] where the Philistine garrison is. As you arrive there at the town, you’ll meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre being played in front of them, and they’ll be prophesying. 6 The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you’ll prophesy with them and be changed into a different person. 7 When these signs occur,[g] do whatever you want[h] to do, because the Lord is with you. 8 You are to go down ahead of me to Gilgal, and then I’ll come down to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You are to wait seven days until I come to you to let you know what you are to do.”
Relating with Unbelievers
14 Stop becoming[a] unevenly yoked with unbelievers. What partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? What fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony exists between the Messiah[b] and Beliar,[c] or what do a believer and an unbeliever have in common? 16 What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we[d] are the temple of the living God, just as God said:
“I will live and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.”[e]
17 Therefore,
“Get away from them
and separate yourselves from them,”
declares the Lord,[f]
“and don’t touch anything unclean.
Then I will welcome you.
18 I will be your Father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,”
declares the Lord[g] Almighty.[h]
Cleanse Yourselves in Holiness
7 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let’s cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit by becoming mature in our holy fear of God.
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