Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 50
God as Judge
A psalm of Asaph.(A)
1 Yahweh, the God of gods[a] speaks;
He summons the earth from east to west.[b](B)
2 From Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God appears in radiance.[c](C)
3 Our God is coming; He will not be silent!
Devouring fire precedes Him,
and a storm rages around Him.(D)
4 On high, He summons heaven and earth
in order to judge His people.(E)
5 “Gather My faithful ones to Me,
those who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”(F)
6 The heavens proclaim His righteousness,(G)
for God is the Judge.(H)
Disaster on the House of Jeroboam
14 At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became sick.(A) 2 Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go disguise yourself,(B) so they won’t know that you’re Jeroboam’s wife, and go to Shiloh.(C) Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who told about me becoming king over this people.(D) 3 Take with you 10 loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey,(E) and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”
4 Jeroboam’s wife did that: she went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah’s house. Ahijah could not see; his gaze was fixed[a] due to his age.(F) 5 But the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming soon to ask you about her son, for he is sick. You are to say such and such to her. When she arrives, she will be disguised.”(G)
6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised?(H) I have bad news for you. 7 Go tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I raised you up from among the people, appointed you ruler over My people Israel, 8 tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you.(I) But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commands and followed Me with all of his heart, doing only what is right in My eyes. 9 You behaved more wickedly than all who were before you.(J) In order to provoke Me, you have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and cast images,(K) but you have flung Me behind your back.(L) 10 Because of all this, I am about to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam:
I will eliminate all of Jeroboam’s males,[b]
both slave and free,[c] in Israel;
I will sweep away the house of Jeroboam
as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone!(M)
11 Anyone who belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city,
the dogs will eat,
and anyone who dies in the field,
the birds of the sky will eat,(N)
for the Lord has said it!’
12 “As for you, get up and go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the boy will die.(O) 13 All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He alone out of Jeroboam’s house will be put in the family tomb, because out of the house of Jeroboam the Lord God of Israel found something good only in him.(P) 14 The Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel, who will eliminate the house of Jeroboam.(Q) This is the day, yes,[d] even today! 15 For the Lord will strike Israel and the people will shake as a reed shakes in water. He will uproot Israel from this good soil that He gave to their ancestors.(R) He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates(S) because they made their Asherah poles, provoking the Lord.(T) 16 He will give up Israel because of Jeroboam’s sins that he committed and caused Israel to commit.”(U)
17 Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and left and went to Tirzah.(V) As she was crossing the threshold of the house, the boy died. 18 He was buried, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.(W)
Paul’s Testimony
12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened(A) me, because He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry— 13 one who was formerly a blasphemer,(B) a persecutor,(C) and an arrogant man.(D) But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy(E) and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world(F) to save sinners”(G)—and I am the worst of them.(H) 16 But I received mercy(I) for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate His extraordinary patience(J) as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.(K) 17 Now to the King(L) eternal,(M) immortal,(N) invisible, the only[a] God,(O) be honor(P) and glory(Q) forever and ever. Amen.(R)
Engage in Battle
18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies(S) previously made about you, so that by them you may strongly engage in battle, 19 having faith(T) and a good conscience.(U) Some(V) have rejected these and have suffered the shipwreck of their faith. 20 Hymenaeus(W) and Alexander(X) are among them, and I have delivered them to Satan,(Y) so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.
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