Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

An Exuberant Declaration of Faith

A Psalm of David.

³⁴ Then Samuel went to ^(A)Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at ^(B)Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵ And ^(C)Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

David Anointed King

16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, ^(D)“How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? ^(E)Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to ^(F)Jesse the Bethlehemite. For ^(G)I have ^[a]provided Myself a king among his sons.”

² And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.”

But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ^(H)‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.”

⁴ So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town ^(I)trembled at his coming, and said, ^(J)“Do you come peaceably?”

⁵ And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. ^(K)Sanctify^[b] yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ So it was, when they came, that he looked at ^(L)Eliab and ^(M)said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, ^(N)“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have ^[c]refused him. ^(O)For^[d] the Lord does not see as man sees; for man ^(P)looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the ^(Q)heart.”

⁸ So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹ And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the ^(R)sheep.”

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not ^[e]sit down till he comes here.” ¹² So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ^(S)ruddy, ^(T)with ^[f]bright eyes, and good-looking. ^(U)And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and ^(V)the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

Matthew the Tax Collector^(A)

^27 (B)After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ^(C)“Follow Me.” ²⁸ So he left all, rose up, and ^(D)followed Him.

^29 (E)Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And ^(F)there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. ^30 [a]And their scribes and the Pharisees ^[b]complained against His disciples, saying, ^(G)“Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

³¹ Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ^32 (H)I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”