Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.(A) 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.”(B)
6 When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. 7 But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king.(C) 8 They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me,[a] since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods. 9 Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them(D) and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.”
10 Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These are the rights of the king who will rule over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots.
12 He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties,(A) to plow his ground or reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war or the equipment for his chariots. 13 He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants.(B) 15 He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants.
16 He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men,[a] and your donkeys and use them for his work. 17 He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves,(A) but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.”(B)
19 The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. 20 Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us,(C) and fight our battles.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let’s go to Gilgal, so we can renew the kingship there.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there in the Lord’s presence(A) they made Saul king. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings(B) in the Lord’s presence, and Saul and all the men of Israel greatly rejoiced.
Psalm 138
A Thankful Heart
Davidic.
1 I will give You thanks with all my heart;(A)
I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings.[a](B)
2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to Your name
for Your constant love and truth.
You have exalted Your name
and Your promise above everything else.(C)
3 On the day I called, You answered me;
You increased strength within me.[b](D)
13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke,(A)[a] we also believe, and therefore speak. 14 We know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus(B) and present us with you. 15 Indeed, everything is for your benefit, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving(C) to increase to God’s glory.
16 Therefore we do not give up.(D) Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person(E) is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction[b](F) is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.(G) 18 So we do not focus on what is seen,(H) but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Our Future after Death
5 For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling[c](I) is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling[d] in the heavens,(J) not made with hands.(K)
A House Divided
20 Then He went home, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat.[a] 21 When His family(A) heard this, they set out to restrain Him, because they said, “He’s out of His mind.”(B)
22 The scribes(C) who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul(D) in Him!” and, “He drives out(E) demons(F) by the ruler(G) of the demons!”(H)
23 So He summoned(I) them and spoke to them in parables:(J) “How can Satan(K) drive out Satan?(L) 24 If a kingdom(M) is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished![b]
27 “On the other hand, no one can enter a strong man’s house and rob his possessions unless he first ties up(N) the strong man. Then he will rob his house. 28 I assure you: People will be forgiven for all sins[c] and whatever blasphemies(O) they may blaspheme. 29 But whoever blasphemes(P) against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness,(Q) but is guilty(R) of an eternal sin”[d](S)— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”(T)
True Relationships
31 Then(U) His mother(V) and His brothers(W) came, and standing outside, they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him and told Him, “Look, Your mother, Your brothers,(X) and Your sisters[e] are outside asking for You.”
33 He replied to them, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who were sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!(Y) 35 Whoever does the will of God(Z) is My brother and sister and mother.”
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