Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 20^[a]

Prayer in Praise of the Messiah King

¹ For the director.^[b] A psalm of David.

The Reign of Saul and the Introduction of David

Chapter 13

Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice. ¹ Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he ruled over Israel for forty-two years. ² Saul chose three thousand of the men of Israel for himself. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash in the hill country of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah in Benjamin. He sent the rest of the people to their homes.

³ Jonathan attacked an outpost of the Philistines at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Saul had trumpets blown all throughout the land and proclaimed, “Let the Hebrews hear!” ⁴ All of Israel heard the report: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become abhorrent to the Philistines.” The people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ The Philistines were assembled to fight against Israel. They had thirty thousand chariots,^[a] six thousand charioteers, and so many men that they seemed like the sand on the shore of the sea. They went up and camped outside of Michmash, to the east of Beth-haven. ⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble for the people were being hard pressed, they hid themselves in caves, in thickets, among the rocks, in cellars, and in cisterns. ⁷ Some Hebrews even crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

Saul was still in Gilgal, and all of the people who were following him trembled with fear. ⁸ He waited for seven days, the time period that Samuel had established, and yet Samuel had not yet arrived. The people began to drift away. ^9 [b]So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offerings and the peace offerings,” and he offered up the burnt offerings. ¹⁰ Just as he finished offering up the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to greet him. ¹¹ Samuel asked him, “What have you done?” Saul answered, “I did it because the people were drifting away from me, and you had not arrived at the established time, and the Philistines were assembled at Michmash. ¹² I thought, ‘The Philistines are coming down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet made entreaty to the Lord.’ I felt compelled to offer up a burnt offering.”

¹³ Samuel responded to Saul, “You have acted foolheartedly, you have not observed the command of the Lord, your God. If you had, the Lord would have established your reign over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your reign shall not endure because you have not observed what the Lord commanded you. The Lord has sought a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as leader over his people.”

¹⁵ Preparations for War. Samuel got up and left Gilgal for Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted those who were with him, and there were around six hundred men.

Chapter 4

The Parables—A Veiled Language^[a]

The Parable of the Sower. ¹ On another occasion he began to teach by the side of the lake. However, such a large crowd gathered that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while the whole crowd gathered on the shore facing the lake. ² Then he taught them many things in parables.

In the course of his teaching, he said to them: ³ “Listen! A sower went out to sow. ⁴ As he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. It sprouted quickly, since the soil had no depth, ⁶ but when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it lacked roots, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no crop. ⁸ But some seed fell onto rich soil and brought forth grain, increasing and yielding thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.” ⁹ He then added, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

¹⁰ The Reason for Parables. When he was alone, the Twelve and his other companions asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “To you has been granted knowledge of the mysteries^[b] of the kingdom of God, but to those outside, everything comes in parables, ¹² so that

¹³ The Explanation of the Parable of the Sower.^[d] He went on to say to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then are you to understand any of the parables? ¹⁴ What the sower is sowing is the word.

¹⁵ “Some people are like seed that falls along the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan immediately comes and carries off the word that has been sown in them.

¹⁶ “Others are like the seed sown on rocky ground. As soon as they hear the word they immediately receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But they have no deep root and they endure for only a short time. When some trial or tribulation arises on account of the word, they immediately fall away.

¹⁸ “Those sown among thorns are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ but worldly cares, the lure of riches, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.

²⁰ “But those sown in rich soil are those who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit and yield thirty or sixty or a hundred times what was sown.”