Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Yahweh Will Redeem Israel

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 And it was told to Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” ²⁰ Then ^(C)Saul sent messengers to take David, but they saw ^(D)the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them. And the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and ^(E)they also prophesied. ²¹ This was told to Saul, and 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 So he went 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 ^[a]lay down ^[b](G)naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “^(H)Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Godly Sorrow Produces Repentance

^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)boldness toward you; great is my ^(E)boasting on your behalf. I have been 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 humbled, ^(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 repentance. For you were made to have ^[a]godly sorrow, so that you might not suffer loss in anything ^[b]through us. ¹⁰ For ^[c]godly sorrow produces a ^(O)repentance ^[d]without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death. ¹¹ For behold what earnestness this very thing—this ^[e]godly sorrow—has brought about 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 manifested 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 And 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 am encouraged about you.