Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Samekh.

Ayin.

⁸ Then there was war again, and David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with a great slaughter, and they fled before him. ⁹ Then an evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand. ¹⁰ Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence, so that Saul only stuck the spear into the wall. Then David fled and escaped that night.

¹¹ Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch for him, so that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” ¹² So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled and escaped. ¹³ And Michal took the ^[a]household idol and laid it on the bed, put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothes. ¹⁴ And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” ¹⁵ Then Saul sent the messengers [again] to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed [if necessary], so that I may kill him.” ¹⁶ When the messengers came in, there was the ^[b]household idol on the bed with a quilt of goats’ hair at its head. ¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’”

Jesus Walks on the Water

⁴⁵ Jesus immediately insisted that His disciples get into the boat and go ahead [of Him] to the other side to Bethsaida, while He was dismissing the crowd.^{(A) 46} And after He said goodbye to them, He went to the mountain to pray.

⁴⁷ Now when evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ Seeing the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night (3:00-6:00 a.m.) He came to them, walking on the sea. And [acted as if] He intended to pass by them.^{(B) 49} But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost, and cried out [in horror]; ⁵⁰ for they all saw Him and were shaken and terrified. But He immediately spoke with them and said, “Take courage! It is I (I Am)! Stop being afraid.”^{(C) 51} Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased [as if exhausted by its own activity]; and they were completely overwhelmed, ⁵² because they had not understood [the miracle of] the loaves [how it revealed the power and deity of Jesus]; but [in fact] their heart was hardened [being oblivious and indifferent to His amazing works].