Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

¹⁸ Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at ^(A)Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. ¹⁹ And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” ²⁰ Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, ^(B)the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, ^(C)and they also prophesied. ²¹ When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, ^(D)and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, ^(E)and they also prophesied. ²² Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in ^(F)Ramah.” ²³ And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. ^(G)And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ^24 (H)And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, ^(I)“Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Paul's Joy

^2 (A)Make room in your hearts^[a] for us. ^(B)We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. ³ I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that ^(C)you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. ⁴ I am acting with ^(D)great boldness toward you; ^(E)I have great pride in you; ^(F)I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

⁵ For even ^(G)when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—^(H)fighting without and fear within. ⁶ But ^(I)God, who comforts the downcast, ^(J)comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. ⁸ For ^(K)even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though ^(L)I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. ⁹ As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but ^(M)because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

¹⁰ For ^(N)godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas ^(O)worldly grief produces death. ¹¹ For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, ^(P)what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. ¹² So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one ^(Q)who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. ¹³ Therefore ^(R)we are comforted.

And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit ^(S)has been refreshed by you all. ¹⁴ For ^(T)whatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said to you ^(U)was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true. ¹⁵ And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers ^(V)the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶ I rejoice, because I have complete ^(W)confidence in you.