Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁹ They, along with Saul and all the soldiers of Israel, are in the Elah Valley fighting the Philistines.”

²⁰ David got up early in the morning and had someone else watch ⌞the sheep⌟. He took ⌞the food⌟ and went, as Jesse ordered him. He went to the camp as the army was going out to the battle line shouting their war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines formed their battle lines facing each other. ²² David left the supplies behind in the hands of the quartermaster, ran to the battle line, and greeted his brothers. ²³ While he was talking to them, the Philistine champion, Goliath from Gath, came from the battle lines of the Philistines. He repeated his words, and David heard them. ²⁴ When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they fled from him because they were terrified. ²⁵ The men of Israel said, “Did you see that man coming ⌞from the Philistine lines⌟? He keeps coming to challenge Israel. The king will make the man who kills this Philistine very rich. He will give his daughter to that man to marry and elevate the social status of his family.”

²⁶ David asked the men who were standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and gets rid of Israel’s disgrace? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should challenge the army of the living God?”

²⁷ The soldiers repeated ⌞to David⌟ how the man who kills Goliath would be treated.

²⁸ Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard David talking to the men. Then Eliab became angry with David. “Why did you come here,” he asked him, “and with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how overconfident and headstrong you are. You came here just to see the battle.”

²⁹ “What have I done now?” David snapped at him. “Didn’t I ⌞merely⌟ ask a question?” ³⁰ He turned to face another man and asked the same question, and the other soldiers gave him the same answer.

³¹ What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, who then sent for him. ³² David told Saul, “No one should be discouraged because of this. I will go and fight this Philistine.”

The Apostles’ Trial in Front of the Jewish Council

¹⁷ The chief priest and the whole party of the Sadducees who were with him were extremely jealous. So they took action ¹⁸ by arresting the apostles and putting them in the city jail. ¹⁹ But at night an angel from the Lord opened the doors to their cell and led them out of the prison. ²⁰ The angel told them, “Stand in the temple courtyard, and tell the people everything about life ⌞in Christ⌟.”

²¹ Early in the morning, after they had listened to the angel, the apostles went into the temple courtyard and began to teach.

The chief priest and those who were with him called together the Jewish council, that is, all the leaders of Israel. They also sent men to the prison to get the apostles. ²² When the temple guards arrived at the prison, they didn’t find the apostles. The guards came back and reported, ²³ “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors. However, when we opened the doors, we found no one inside.” ²⁴ When the officer of the temple guards and the chief priests heard this, they were puzzled about what could have happened.

²⁵ Then someone told them, “The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courtyard. They’re teaching the people.”

²⁶ Then the officer of the temple guards went with some of his men to bring back the apostles without using force. After all, the officer and his guards were afraid that the people would stone them to death for using force.