Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 108[a]
A song, a psalm of David.
108 I am determined,[b] O God.
I will sing and praise you with my whole heart.[c]
2 Awake, O stringed instrument and harp.
I will wake up at dawn.[d]
3 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord.
I will sing praises to you before foreigners.[e]
4 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky,[f]
and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
5 Rise up[g] above the sky, O God.
May your splendor cover the whole earth.[h]
6 Deliver by your power[i] and answer me,
so that the ones you love may be safe.[j]
7 God has spoken in his sanctuary:[k]
“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem;
the Valley of Sukkoth I will measure off.[l]
8 Gilead belongs to me,
as does Manasseh.[m]
Ephraim is my helmet,[n]
Judah my royal scepter.[o]
9 Moab is my washbasin.[p]
I will make Edom serve me.[q]
I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”
10 Who will lead me into the fortified city?
Who will bring me to Edom?[r]
11 Have you not rejected us, O God?
O God, you do not go into battle with our armies.
12 Give us help against the enemy,
for any help men might offer is futile.[s]
13 By God’s power we will conquer;[t]
he will trample down[u] our enemies.
Israel Seeks a King
8 In his old age Samuel appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beer Sheba. 3 But his sons did not follow[a] his ways. Instead, they made money dishonestly, accepted bribes, and perverted justice.[b]
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[c] us, just like all the other nations have.”
6 But this request displeased Samuel, for[d] 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.[e] 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[f] 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.[g] But you must warn[h] them and make them aware of the policies of the king who will rule over them.”[i]
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,[j] 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[k] 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.”[l]
19 But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning.[m] 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[n] and fight our battles.”
21 So Samuel listened to everything the people said and then reported it to the Lord.[o] 22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Do as they say[p] and install a king over them.” Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Each of you go back to his own city.”
Satan’s Final Defeat
7 Now[a] when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive[b] the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog,[c] to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea.[d] 9 They[e] went up[f] on the broad plain of the earth[g] and encircled[h] the camp[i] of the saints and the beloved city, but[j] fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely.[k] 10 And the devil who deceived[l] them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur,[m] where the beast and the false prophet are[n] too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever.
The Great White Throne
11 Then[o] I saw a large[p] white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven[q] fled[r] from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then[s] books were opened, and another book was opened—the book of life.[t] So[u] the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds.[v] 13 The[w] sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death[x] and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. 14 Then[y] Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15 If[z] anyone’s name[aa] was not found written in the book of life, that person[ab] was thrown into the lake of fire.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.