Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and approached Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons don’t follow your ways. So now appoint over us a king to lead[a] us, just like all the other nations have.”
6 But this request displeased Samuel, for[b] they said, “Give us a king to lead us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Do everything the people request of you.[c] For it is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king. 8 Just as they have done[d] from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods. This is what they are also doing to you. 9 So now do as they say.[e] But you must warn[f] them and make them aware of the policies of the king who will rule over them.”[g]
10 So Samuel spoke all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “Here are the policies of the king who will rule over you: He will conscript your sons and put them in his chariot forces and in his cavalry; they will run in front of his chariot.
12 He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties,[a] as well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment. 13 He will take your daughters to be ointment makers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his own servants. 15 He will demand a tenth of your seed and of the produce of your vineyards and give it to his administrators[b] and his servants.
16 He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best cattle and your donkeys, and assign them for his own use. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his servants. 18 In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you in that day.”[a]
19 But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning.[b] Instead they said, “No! There will be a king over us! 20 We will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us[c] and fight our battles.”
14 Samuel said to the people, “Come on! Let’s go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, where[a] they established Saul as king in the Lord’s presence. They offered up peace offerings there in the Lord’s presence. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.
Psalm 138[a]
By David.
138 I will give you thanks with all my heart;
before the heavenly assembly[b] I will sing praises to you.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name,
because of your loyal love and faithfulness,
for you have exalted your promise above the entire sky.[c]
3 When[d] I cried out for help, you answered me.
You made me bold and energized me.[e]
4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks[f] to you, O Lord,
when they hear the words you speak.[g]
5 Let them sing about the Lord’s deeds,[h]
for the Lord’s splendor is magnificent.[i]
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks after the lowly,
and from far away humbles[j] the proud.
7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger,[k] you revive me.
You oppose my angry enemies,[l]
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord avenges me.[m]
O Lord, your loyal love endures.
Do not abandon those whom you have made.[n]
13 But since we have the same spirit of faith as that shown in[a] what has been written, “I believed; therefore I spoke,”[b] we also believe, therefore we also speak. 14 We do so[c] because we know that the one who raised up Jesus[d] will also raise us up with Jesus and will bring us with you into his presence. 15 For all these things are for your sake, so that the grace that is including[e] more and more people may cause thanksgiving to increase[f] to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not despair,[g] but even if our physical body[h] is wearing away, our inner person[i] is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, light suffering[j] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison 18 because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
Living by Faith, Not by Sight
5 For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in,[k] is dismantled,[l] we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens.
Jesus and Beelzebul
20 Now[a] Jesus[b] went home, and a crowd gathered so that they were not able to eat. 21 When his family[c] heard this they went out to restrain him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” 22 The experts in the law[d] who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,”[e] and, “By the ruler[f] of demons he casts out demons!” 23 So[g] he called them and spoke to them in parables:[h] “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If[i] a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom will not be able to stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan rises against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand and his end has come. 27 But no one is able to enter a strong man’s[j] house and steal his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can thoroughly plunder his house.[k] 28 I tell you the truth,[l] people will be forgiven for all sins, even all the blasphemies they utter.[m] 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin”[n] 30 (because they said, “He has an unclean spirit”[o]).
Jesus’ True Family
31 Then[p] Jesus’[q] mother and his brothers[r] came. Standing[s] outside, they sent word to him, to summon him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers[t] are outside looking for you.” 33 He answered them and said, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”[u] 34 And looking at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, “Here[v] are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is[w] my brother and sister and mother.”
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