Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Thanksgiving for God’s Righteous Judgment
To the Chief Musician. Set to (A)“Do[a] Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
75 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!
For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.
2 “When I choose the [b]proper time,
I will judge uprightly.
3 The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;
I set up its pillars firmly. Selah
4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’
And to the wicked, (B)‘Do not [c]lift up the horn.
5 Do not lift up your horn on high;
Do not speak with [d]a stiff neck.’ ”
6 For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
7 But (C)God is the Judge:
(D)He puts down one,
And exalts another.
8 For (E)in the hand of the Lord there is a cup,
And the wine is red;
It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;
Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
Drain and drink down.
9 But I will declare forever,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he (A)regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand (B)lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 5 But it happened, when (C)Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”
And he said, “I will go up; (D)I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?”
And he answered, “By way of the Wilderness of Edom.”
9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
11 But (E)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?”
So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who (F)poured[a] water on the hands of Elijah.”
12 And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom (G)went down to him.
13 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, (H)“What have I to do with you? (I)Go to (J)the prophets of your father and the (K)prophets of your mother.”
But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
14 And Elisha said, (L)“As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. 15 But now bring me (M)a musician.”
Then it happened, when the musician (N)played, that (O)the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 And he said, “Thus says the Lord: (P)‘Make this valley full of [b]ditches.’ 17 For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’ 18 And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. 19 Also you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”
20 Now it happened in the morning, when (Q)the grain offering was offered, that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be (A)partakers with them.
Walk in Light
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are (B)light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for (C)the fruit of the [a]Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 (D)finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have (E)no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather [b]expose them. 12 (F)For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But (G)all things that are [c]exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:
(H)“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
Walk in Wisdom
15 (I)See then that you walk [d]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 (J)redeeming the time, (K)because the days are evil.
17 (L)Therefore do not be unwise, but (M)understand (N)what the will of the Lord is. 18 And (O)do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another (P)in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making (Q)melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 (R)giving thanks always for all things to God the Father (S)in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.