Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.

A Psalm of David.

³ Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “^(A)If you return to the Lord with all your heart, ^(B)remove the foreign gods and the ^(C)Ashtaroth from among you and ^(D)direct your hearts to the Lord and ^(E)serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the Lord alone.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to ^(F)Mizpah and ^(G)I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and ^(H)poured it out before the Lord, and ^(I)fasted on that day and said there, “^(J)We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, ^(K)they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ Then the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “^(L)Do not cease to cry to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ Samuel took ^(M)a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel and ^(N)the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But ^(O)the Lord thundered with a great ^[a]thunder on that day against the Philistines and ^(P)confused them, so that they were ^[b]routed before Israel. ¹¹ The men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as below Beth-car.

¹² Then Samuel ^(Q)took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it ^[c]Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” ^13 (R)So the Philistines were subdued and ^(S)they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴ The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and ^(T)the Amorites.

Samuel’s Ministry

¹⁵ Now Samuel ^(U)judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶ He used to go annually on circuit to ^(V)Bethel and ^(W)Gilgal and ^(X)Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. ¹⁷ Then his return was to ^(Y)Ramah, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel; and he ^(Z)built there an altar to the Lord.

¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(A)for several days he was with ^(B)the disciples who were at Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(C)in the synagogues, ^[a]saying, “He is ^(D)the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem ^(E)destroyed those who ^(F)called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the ^[b]Christ.

²³ When ^(G)many days had elapsed, ^(H)the Jews plotted together to do away with him, ²⁴ but ^(I)their plot became known to Saul. ^(J)They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

^26 (K)When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; ^[c]but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(L)Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had ^(M)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(N)at Damascus he had ^(O)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ And he was with them, ^[d]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(P)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[e](Q)Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ But when ^(R)the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to ^(S)Caesarea and ^(T)sent him away to ^(U)Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(V)the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria ^[f]enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.