Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 40^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

Psalm 54^[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song^[b] by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed Saul: “David is hiding with us.”^[c]

Psalm 51^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet confronted him after David’s affair with Bathsheba.^[b]

The Death of Saul

31 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. The men of Israel fled from the Philistines and many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines stayed right on the heels^[a] of Saul and his sons. They^[b] struck down Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. ³ Saul himself was in the thick of the battle;^[c] the archers^[d] spotted him and wounded him severely.

⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and stab me with it! Otherwise these uncircumcised people will come, stab me, and torture me.” But his armor-bearer refused to do it, because he was very afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. ⁵ When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that day.

⁷ When the men of Israel who were in the valley and across the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. The Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines came to strip loot from the corpses, they discovered Saul and his three sons lying dead^[e] on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off Saul’s^[f] head and stripped him of his armor. They sent messengers to announce the news in the temple of their idols and among their people throughout the surrounding land of the Philistines. ¹⁰ They placed Saul’s armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths^[g] and hung his corpse on the city wall of Beth Shan.

¹¹ When the residents of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all their warriors set out and traveled throughout the night. They took Saul’s corpse and the corpses of his sons from the city wall of Beth Shan and went^[h] to Jabesh, where they burned them. ¹³ They took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh; then they fasted for seven days.

¹² The whole group kept quiet^[a] and listened to Barnabas and Paul while they explained all the miraculous signs^[b] and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ¹³ After they stopped speaking,^[c] James replied,^[d] “Brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴ Simeon^[e] has explained^[f] how God first concerned himself^[g] to select^[h] from among the Gentiles^[i] a people for his name. ¹⁵ The^[j] words of the prophets agree^[k] with this, as it is written,

¹⁹ “Therefore I conclude^[w] that we should not cause extra difficulty^[x] for those among the Gentiles^[y] who are turning to God, ²⁰ but that we should write them a letter^[z] telling them to abstain^[aa] from things defiled^[ab] by idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled^[ac] and from blood. ²¹ For Moses has had those who proclaim him in every town from ancient times,^[ad] because he is read aloud^[ae] in the synagogues^[af] every Sabbath.”

Restoration and Healing

²¹ When Jesus had crossed again in a boat^[a] to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea. ²² Then^[b] one of the synagogue leaders,^[c] named Jairus,^[d] came up, and when he saw Jesus,^[e] he fell at his feet. ²³ He asked him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be healed and live.” ²⁴ Jesus^[f] went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around him.

²⁵ Now^[g] a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage^[h] for twelve years.^{[i] 26} She had endured a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,^{[j] 28} for she kept saying,^[k] “If only I touch his clothes, I will be healed.”^{[l] 29} At once the bleeding stopped,^[m] and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰ Jesus knew at once that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” ³¹ His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you and you say, ‘Who touched me?’” ³² But^[n] he looked around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.^[o] Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

³⁵ While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s^[p] house saying, “Your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher any longer?” ³⁶ But Jesus, paying no attention to what was said, told the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” ³⁷ He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James,^[q] and John, the brother of James. ³⁸ They came to the house of the synagogue leader where^[r] he saw noisy confusion and people weeping and wailing loudly.^{[s] 39} When he entered he said to them, “Why are you distressed and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep!” ⁴⁰ And they began making fun of him.^[t] But he forced them all outside,^[u] and he took the child’s father and mother and his own companions^[v] and went into the room where the child was.^{[w] 41} Then, gently taking the child by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” ⁴² The girl got up at once and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). They were completely astonished at this.^{[x] 43} He strictly ordered that no one should know about this,^[y] and told them to give her something to eat.