Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Hope in the Lord’s Forgiving Love.

A Song of Ascents.

¹⁸ Now David fled and escaped and came ^(A)to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in ^(B)Naioth. ¹⁹ It was told Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” ²⁰ Then ^(C)Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw ^(D)the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and ^(E)they also prophesied. ²¹ When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. ²² Then he himself went to Ramah and came as far as the large well that is in Secu; and he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” ²³ He ^[a]proceeded there to Naioth in Ramah; and ^(F)the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴ He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and ^[b]lay down ^[c](G)naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “^(H)Is Saul also among the prophets?”

^2 (A)Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one. ³ I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said ^(B)before that you are ^(C)in our hearts to die together and to live together. ⁴ Great is my ^(D)confidence ^[a]in you; great is my ^(E)boasting on your behalf. I am filled with ^(F)comfort; I am overflowing with ^(G)joy in all our affliction.

⁵ For even when we came into ^(H)Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were ^(I)afflicted on every side: ^(J)conflicts without, fears within. ⁶ But ^(K)God, who comforts the ^[b]depressed, ^(L)comforted us by the coming of ^(M)Titus; ⁷ and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more. ⁸ For though I ^(N)caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— ⁹ I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything ^[c]through us. ¹⁰ For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a ^(O)repentance ^[d]without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. ¹¹ For behold what earnestness this very thing, this ^[e]godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what ^(P)longing, what zeal, what ^(Q)avenging of wrong! In everything you ^(R)demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. ¹² So although ^(S)I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of ^(T)the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. ¹³ For this reason we have been ^(U)comforted.

And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of ^(V)Titus, because his ^(W)spirit has been refreshed by you all. ¹⁴ For if in anything I have ^(X)boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before ^(Y)Titus proved to be the truth. ¹⁵ His ^[f]affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the ^(Z)obedience of you all, how you received him with ^(AA)fear and trembling. ¹⁶ I rejoice that in everything ^(AB)I have confidence in you.