Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 108^[a]

A song; a psalm by David.

Saul Searches for His Father’s Donkeys

9 There was a man from the tribe of Benjamin whose name was Kish. He was a son of Abiel, grandson of Zeror, and great-grandson of Becorath, whose father was Aphiah, a descendant of Benjamin. Kish was a powerful man. ² He had a son named Saul, a handsome, young man. No man in Israel was more handsome than Saul. He stood a head taller than everyone else.

³ When some donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, Kish told Saul, “Take one of the servants with you, and go look for the donkeys.”

⁴ They went through the mountains of Ephraim and the region of Shalisha without finding the donkeys. Then Saul and his servant went through the region of Shaalim, but the donkeys weren’t there. The men went through the territory of Benjamin but still didn’t find them. ⁵ When they came to the territory of Zuph, Saul told his servant who was with him, “Let’s go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and worry about us instead.”

Saul Seeks Samuel’s Advice

⁶ The servant responded, “There’s a man of Elohim in this city, a highly respected man. Everything he says is sure to happen. Let’s go there. Maybe he’ll tell us which way we should go.”

⁷ “If we go,” Saul asked his servant, “what could we bring the man since the food in our sacks is gone? There’s no present we can bring the man of Elohim. What do we have?”

⁸ The servant again answered Saul, “Look, here! I have one-tenth of an ounce of silver. I’ll give it to the man of Elohim. Then he’ll tell us where to find the donkeys.”

⁹ (Formerly in Israel, when a person went to ask Elohim a question, he would say, “Come, let’s go to the seer,” because a person we now call a prophet used to be called a seer.)

¹⁰ Saul told his servant, “That’s a good idea! Come on, let’s go.” They went to the city where the man of Elohim was.

¹¹ As they were going up the hill to the city, they met girls coming out to get water. They asked the girls, “Is the seer here?”

¹² The girls answered, “He’s there ahead of you. Hurry! He just went into the city today since the people are offering a sacrifice on the worship site. ¹³ As you go into the city, you can find him before he goes to the worship site to eat. The people will not eat until he comes, since he blesses the sacrifice. Then those who are invited may eat. Go. You should be able to find him now.”

¹⁴ So Saul and his servant went to the city. As they entered it, Samuel was coming toward them on his way to the worship site.

Jesus Is Accused of Working with Beelzebul^(A)

¹⁴ Yeshua was forcing a demon out of a man. The demon had made the man unable to talk. When the demon had gone out, the man began to talk.

The people were amazed. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He can force demons out of people only with the help of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons.” ¹⁶ Others wanted to test Yeshua and demanded that he show them some miraculous sign from heaven.

¹⁷ Since Yeshua knew what they were thinking, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is ruined. A house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸ Now, if Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? I say this because you say Beelzebul helps me force demons out of people. ¹⁹ If I force demons out with the help of Beelzebul, who helps your followers force them out? That’s why they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I force out demons with the help of God’s power, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

²¹ “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own mansion, his property is safe. ²² But a stronger man than he may attack him and defeat him. Then the stronger man will take away all the weapons in which the strong man trusted and will divide the loot.

²³ “Whoever isn’t with me is against me. Whoever doesn’t gather with me scatters.

²⁴ “When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through dry places looking for a place to rest. But it doesn’t find any. Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to the home I left.’ ²⁵ When it comes, it finds the house swept clean and in order. ²⁶ Then the spirit goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself. They enter and take up permanent residence there. In the end the condition of that person is worse than it was before.”

The Sign of Jonah^(B)

²⁷ While Yeshua was speaking, a woman in the crowd shouted, “How blessed is the mother who gave birth to you and the breasts that nursed you.”

²⁸ Yeshua replied, “Rather, how blessed are those who hear and obey God’s word.”