Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Assurance of God’s Saving Work
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob [a]defend you;
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
3 May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah
4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And (A)fulfill all your [b]purpose.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the Lord saves His [c]anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in (B)horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
8 They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.
9 Save, Lord!
May the King answer us when we call.
Samuel Anoints Saul
10 Then (A)Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, (B)and kissed him and said: “Is it not because (C)the Lord has anointed you commander over (D)His [a]inheritance? 2 When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by (E)Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin (F)at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about (G)you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ 3 Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up (H)to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will [b]greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. 5 After that you shall come to the hill of God (I)where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down (J)from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; (K)and they will be prophesying. 6 Then (L)the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and (M)you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 And let it be, when these (N)signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for (O)God is with you. 8 You shall go down before me (P)to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. (Q)Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.”
Faith at the Dawn of History(A)
4 By faith (B)Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still (C)speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, (D)“and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
7 By faith (E)Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, (F)prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of (G)the righteousness which is according to faith.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.