Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

19 ¶ And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and of how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

² Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if by tomorrow at this time I have not made thy person as one of them.

³ And when he saw that, he arose and departed to save his life and came to Beersheba, which is in 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 juniper tree; and desiring to die, he said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers.

⁵ And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him and said unto him, Arise and eat.

⁶ Then he looked and behold, there was a cake baked on the coals and a cruse of water at his head. And he ate and drank and went back to sleep.

⁷ And the angel of the LORD came again the second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat, for there is a great journey before thee.

⁸ And he arose and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights unto Horeb, the mount of God.

⁹ ¶ And there he went into a cave, where he lodged; and the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

¹⁰ And he replied, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of the hosts, for the sons of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left, and they seek me to take my life.

¹¹ And he said, Go forth and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind 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, a still small voice,

¹³ Which when Elijah heard it, he covered his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the door of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, saying, What doest thou here, Elijah?

¹⁴ And he replied, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of the hosts because the sons of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left, and they seek me to take my life.

¹⁵ And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way by the wilderness of Damascus; and thou shalt arrive there and anoint Hazael to be king over Syria;

To the Overcomer: Maschil, for the sons of Korah.

¹ ¶ As the hart pants after the water brooks, so does my soul pant after thee, O God.

² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?

³ My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

⁴ I will remember these things; I will pour out my soul in me. When I shall be included in the number; I will go with them to the house of God with voice of joy and praise, dancing in the multitude.

⁵ Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted against me? Wait thou for God, for I shall yet praise him for the wellbeing of his presence.

⁶ ¶ O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the mountain of Mizar.

⁷ Deep calls unto deep at the voice of thy waterspouts; all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

⁸ Yet the LORD will command his mercy in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

⁹ I will say unto God, My rock, why hast thou forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

¹⁰ It is as death in my bones when my enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

¹¹ Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Wait thou for God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the saving health of my countenance and my God.

¹ ¶ Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against those who are not merciful; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

² For thou art the God of my strength; why dost thou cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

³ O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me; let them bring me unto the mountain of thy holiness and to thy tabernacles.

⁴ Then I will enter in to the altar of God, unto the God of my exceeding joy; yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.

⁵ Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Wait for God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the saving health of my countenance and my God.

²³ But before faith came, we were under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

²⁴ Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

²⁵ But when faith is come, we are no longer under the hand of the schoolmaster.

²⁶ For ye are all sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁷ For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

²⁸ Here there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

²⁹ And if ye are Christ’s, then ye are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

²⁶ And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.

²⁷ And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, who had demons for a long time and wore no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.

²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.

²⁹ (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him, and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters, and he broke the bands and was driven of the demon into the wilderness.)

³⁰ And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion, because many demons were entered into him.

³¹ And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the abyss.

³² And there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain, and they besought him that he would allow them to enter into them. And he allowed them.

³³ Then the demons went out of the man and entered into the swine, and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake and were choked.

³⁴ When those that fed them saw what was done, they fled and went and told it in the city and in the country.

³⁵ Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus and found the man, out of whom the demons were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

³⁶ And those who saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the demons was saved.

³⁷ Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them, for they were taken with great fear; and he went up into the ship and returned back again.

³⁸ Now the man out of whom the demons were departed besought him that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,

³⁹ Return to thine own house and tell what great things God has done unto thee. And he went, preaching throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done unto him.