Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.

A Prayer for Victory

The Lord’s Revelation to Samuel

¹⁵ Now one day before Saul’s arrival, the Lord had revealed to^[a] Samuel: ¹⁶ “About this time tomorrow I’ll send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him as Commander-in-Chief^[b] over my people Israel. He’ll deliver my people from the control^[c] of the Philistines, because I’ve seen the suffering of^[d] my people and because their cry has come up to me.” ¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man I told you about. This man will rule over my people.”

¹⁸ As Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate, he said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”

¹⁹ Samuel answered Saul: “I’m the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place, and eat with me today. In the morning I’ll send you away and tell you everything that is on your mind. ²⁰ Now as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, don’t give any thought to them, because they’ve been found. Meanwhile, to whom is all Israel looking, if not to you and all of your father’s household?”

²¹ Saul answered: “Am I not a descendant of Benjamin from the least of the tribes of Israel? Isn’t my family the least important of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why have you spoken to me like this?”

²² Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them to a room where he gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, of whom there were about 30 men. ²³ Then Samuel told the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you, the one I told you to set aside.” ²⁴ The cook picked up the thigh and what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Then Samuel^[e] said, “Here is what is left! Set it before you and eat, for it has been kept for you until the appointed time, about which I said,^[f] ‘I’ve invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵ When they had come down from the high place into town,^[g] Samuel^[h] spoke to Saul on the roof. ²⁶ They got up early in the morning, and about daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up and I’ll send you off.” Saul got up and the two of them, he and Samuel, went outside. ²⁷ As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel told Saul, “Tell your young man to go ahead of us and when he has gone ahead, stop for a while so I may declare God’s word to you.”

Jesus is the Source of Our Salvation

⁵ For he did not put the coming world we are talking about under the control of angels. ⁶ Instead, someone has declared somewhere,

Now when God^[b] put everything under him, he left nothing outside his control. However, at the present time we do not yet see everything put under him. ⁹ But we do see someone who was made a little lower than the angels. He is Jesus, who is crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of^[c] God he might experience^[d] death for everyone.