Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

ש Sin and Shin

¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ¹⁸ “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. ¹⁹ Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’^(A) Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood,^(B) dogs^(C) will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”

²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”^(D)

“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold^(E) yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. ²¹ He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male^(F) in Israel—slave or free.^{[a](G) 22} I will make your house^(H) like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’^(I)

²³ “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs^(J) will devour Jezebel by the wall of^[b] Jezreel.’

²⁴ “Dogs^(K) will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds^(L) will feed on those who die in the country.”

²⁵ (There was never^(M) anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. ²⁶ He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites^(N) the Lord drove out before Israel.)

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth^(O) and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.^(P)

²⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ²⁹ “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled^(Q) himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day,^(R) but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”^(S)

On Denying the Incarnation

4 Dear friends,^(A) do not believe every spirit,^(B) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.^{(C) 2} This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh^(D) is from God,^{(E) 3} but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,^(F) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.^(G)

⁴ You, dear children,^(H) are from God and have overcome them,^(I) because the one who is in you^(J) is greater than the one who is in the world.^{(K) 5} They are from the world^(L) and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.^(M) This is how we recognize the Spirit^[a] of truth^(N) and the spirit of falsehood.^(O)