Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.

A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. A Psalm of David.

The Shunammite’s Son

¹⁸ When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father to the reapers. ¹⁹ He said to his father, “My head, my head.” And he said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her ^[a]lap until noon, and then died. ²¹ She went up and ^(A)laid him on the bed of ^(B)the man of God, and shut the door behind him and went out. ²² Then she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.” ²³ He said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither ^(C)new moon nor sabbath.” And she said, “It will be well.” ²⁴ Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward; do not slow down ^[b]the pace for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went and came to the man of God to ^(D)Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, ^[c]there is the Shunammite. ²⁶ Please run now to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she ^[d]answered, “It is well.” ²⁷ When she came to the man of God ^(E)to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away; but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is ^[e]troubled within her; and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” ²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘^(F)Do not deceive me’?”

²⁹ Then he said to Gehazi, “^(G)Gird up your loins and ^(H)take my staff in your hand, and go your way; if you meet any man, do not ^(I)salute him, and if anyone salutes you, do not answer him; and ^(J)lay my staff on the lad’s face.” ³⁰ The mother of the lad said, “^(K)As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” And he arose and followed her. ³¹ Then Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the lad’s face, but there was no sound or ^[f]response. So he returned to meet him and told ^[g]him, “The lad ^(L)has not awakened.”

Great Generosity

8 Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been ^(A)given in the churches of ^(B)Macedonia, ² that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the ^(C)wealth of their liberality. ³ For I testify that ^(D)according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, ⁴ begging us with much urging for the ^(E)favor ^[a]of participation in the ^[b](F)support of the ^[c]saints, ⁵ and this, not as we had ^[d]expected, but they first ^(G)gave themselves to the Lord and to us by ^(H)the will of God. ⁶ So we ^(I)urged ^(J)Titus that as he had previously ^(K)made a beginning, so he would also complete in you ^(L)this gracious work as well.

⁷ But just as you ^(M)abound ^(N)in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the ^[e]love we inspired in you, see that you ^(O)abound in this gracious work also.