Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

By David.

²⁷ As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” He went ahead, then Samuel said, “But stand still first, that I may cause you to hear God’s message.”

10 Then Samuel took the vial of oil and poured it on his head, then kissed him and said, “Hasn’t Yahweh anointed you to be prince over his inheritance? ² When you have departed from me today, then you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb, on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will tell you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found; and behold, your father has stopped caring about the donkeys and is anxious for you, saying, “What shall I do for my son?”’

³ “Then you will go on forward from there, and you will come to the oak of Tabor. Three men will meet you there going up to God to Bethel: one carrying three young goats, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a container of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hand.

⁵ “After that you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is; and it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a lute, a tambourine, a pipe, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. ⁶ Then Yahweh’s Spirit will come mightily on you, then you will prophesy with them and will be turned into another man. ⁷ Let it be, when these signs have come to you, that you do what is appropriate for the occasion; for God is with you.

⁸ “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Wait seven days, until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”

2 Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me. ² I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. ³ But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage, ⁵ to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you. ⁶ But from those who were reputed to be important—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn’t show partiality to man—they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me, ⁷ but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcised— ⁸ for he who worked through Peter in the apostleship with the circumcised also worked through me with the Gentiles— ⁹ and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision. ¹⁰ They only asked us to remember the poor—which very thing I was also zealous to do.