Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
David Learns About Saul’s Death
1 Now Saul was dead. And after David had defeated the Amalekites, he returned to Ziklag. He stayed there two days.
David’s Song About Saul and Jonathan
17 David sang a funeral song about Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 David ordered that the people of Judah be taught this song. It is called “The Bow.” This song is written in the Book of Jashar:
19 “Israel, your leaders have been killed on the hills.
How the mighty men have fallen in battle!
20 Don’t tell it in Gath.
Don’t announce it in the streets of Ashkelon.
If you do, the daughters of the Philistines will be happy.
The daughters of the Philistines will rejoice.
21 “May there be no dew or rain on the mountains of Gilboa.
May their fields produce no grain.
This is because there the mighty warrior’s shield was dishonored.
Saul’s shield was no longer rubbed with oil.
22 Jonathan’s bow killed its share of enemies.
And Saul’s sword killed its share, too.
Their weapons are stained with the blood of dead men.
Their weapons have stabbed the flesh of strong men.
23 “We loved Saul and Jonathan.
We enjoyed them while they lived.
Saul and Jonathan are together even in death.
They were faster than eagles.
They were stronger than lions.
24 “You daughters of Israel, cry for Saul.
Saul clothed you with red dresses.
He put gold decorations on your dresses.
25 “How the mighty men have fallen in battle!
Jonathan is dead on Gilboa’s hills.
26 I cry for you, my brother Jonathan.
I enjoyed your friendship so much.
Your love to me was wonderful,
more wonderful than the love of women.
27 “How the mighty men have fallen in battle!
The weapons of war are gone.”
A Prayer for Mercy
A song for going up to worship.
130 Lord, I am in great trouble.
So I call out to you for help.
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Listen to my prayer for help.
3 Lord, if you punished people for all their sins,
no one would be left.
4 But you forgive us.
So you are respected.
5 I wait for the Lord to help me.
I trust his word.
6 I wait for the Lord to help me
more than night watchmen wait for the dawn,
more than night watchmen wait for the dawn.
7 People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord
because he is loving
and able to save.
8 He will save Israel
from all their sins.
7 You are rich in everything—in faith, in speaking, in knowledge, in truly wanting to help, and in the love you learned from us.[a] And so we want you to be rich also in this gift of giving.
8 I am not commanding you to give. But I want to see if your love is true love. I do this by showing you that others really want to help. 9 You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that Christ was rich, but for you he became poor. Christ did this so that by his being poor you might become rich.
10 This is what I think you should do: Last year you were the first to want to give. And you were the first who gave. 11 So now finish the work that you started. Then your “doing” will be equal to your “wanting to do.” Give from what you have. 12 If you want to give, your gift will be accepted. Your gift will be judged by what you have, not by what you do not have. 13 We do not want you to have troubles while other people are at ease. We want everything to be equal. 14 At this time you have plenty. What you have can help others who are in need. Then later, when they have plenty, they can help you when you are in need. Then all will be equal. 15 As it is written in the Scriptures, “The person who gathered more did not have too much. The person who gathered less did not have too little.”[b]
Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals A Sick Woman
21 Jesus went in the boat back to the other side of the lake. There, a large crowd gathered around him. 22 A ruler from the synagogue, named Jairus, came to that place. Jairus saw Jesus and bowed before him. 23 The ruler begged Jesus again and again. He said, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her. Then she will be healed and will live.” 24 So Jesus went with the ruler, and many people followed Jesus. They were pushing very close around him.
25 A woman was there who had been bleeding for the past 12 years. 26 She had suffered very much. Many doctors had tried to help her. She had spent all the money she had, but she was not improving. She was getting worse. 27 When the woman heard about Jesus, she followed him with the people and touched his coat. 28 The woman thought, “If I can even touch his coat, that will be enough to heal me.” 29 When she touched his coat, her bleeding stopped. She could feel in her body that she was healed.
30 At once Jesus felt power go out from him. So he stopped and turned around. Then he asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 The followers said, “There are so many people pushing against you! And you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 But Jesus continued looking around to see who had touched him. 33 The woman knew that she was healed. So she came and bowed at Jesus’ feet. Shaking with fear, she told him the whole story. 34 Jesus said to the woman, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace. You will have no more suffering.”
35 Jesus was still speaking to her when some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. The men said, “Your daughter is dead. There is now no need to bother the teacher.”
36 But Jesus paid no attention to what the men said. He said to the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; only believe.”
37 Jesus let only Peter, James, and John the brother of James go with him to Jairus’s house. 38 They came to the house of the synagogue ruler, and Jesus found many people there crying loudly. There was much confusion. 39 Jesus entered the house and said to the people, “Why are you crying and making so much noise? This child is not dead. She is only asleep.” 40 But they only laughed at Jesus. He told all the people to leave. Then he went into the room where the child was. He took the child’s father and mother and his three followers into the room with him. 41 Then he took hold of the girl’s hand and said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (This means, “Little girl, I tell you to stand up!”) 42 The girl stood right up and began walking. (She was 12 years old.) The father and mother and the followers were amazed. 43 Jesus gave the father and mother strict orders not to tell people about this. Then he told them to give the girl some food.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.