Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Elijah Flees Jezebel

19 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how ^(A)he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ^(B)“So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” ³ Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to ^(C)Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

⁴ But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. ^(D)And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

⁵ And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” ⁶ And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. ⁷ And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”

⁸ And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food ^(A)forty days and forty nights to ^(B)Horeb, the mount of God.

The Lord Speaks to Elijah

⁹ There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, ^(C)the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰ He said, “I have been very ^(D)jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, ^(E)thrown down your altars, and ^(F)killed your prophets with the sword, ^(G)and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” ¹¹ And he said, “Go out and ^(H)stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and ^(I)a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind ^(J)an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.^{[a] 13} And when Elijah heard it, ^(K)he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, ^(L)there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁴ He said, ^(M)“I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, ^(N)thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” ¹⁵ And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.

Book Two

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

To the choirmaster. A Maskil^[a] of ^(A)the Sons of Korah.

Send Out Your Light and Your Truth

²³ Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, ^(A)imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴ So then, ^(B)the law was our ^(C)guardian until Christ came, ^(D)in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus ^(E)you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as ^(F)were baptized ^(G)into Christ have ^(H)put on Christ. ^28 (I)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave^[a] nor free, ^(J)there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And ^(K)if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, ^(L)heirs according to promise.

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

^26 (A)Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes,^[a] which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus^[b] had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house ^(B)but among the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he ^(C)cried out and fell down before him and said ^(D)with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, ^(E)Son of ^(F)the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” ²⁹ For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon ^(G)into the desert.) ³⁰ Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, ^(H)“Legion,” for many demons had entered him. ³¹ And they begged him not to command them to depart into ^(I)the abyss. ³² Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into ^(J)the lake and drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵ Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting ^(K)at the feet of Jesus, ^(L)clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ³⁶ And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed^[c] man had been healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes ^(M)asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your home, and ^(N)declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.