Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Psalm of Praise

¹⁹ Saul, your brothers,^[a] and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.” ²⁰ David got up early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the supplies,^[b] and went as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the encampment^[c] as the army was going out to the battle line, shouting the battle cry.

David Hears Goliath’s Challenge

²¹ Israel and the Philistines moved into position for battle, battle line facing battle line. ²² David left the supplies he had with him in the care of the supply keeper and ran to the battle line. When he arrived there, he asked his brothers about their well-being. ²³ As he was speaking with them, the Philistine champion named Goliath from Gath came up from the Philistine battle lines and spoke his usual words,^[d] as David listened. ²⁴ When all the Israelis saw the man, they fled from him and were very frightened.

²⁵ “Did all of you see this man coming up?” one Israeli asked. “He comes up to defy^[e] Israel, and the king will richly reward the man who kills him. He will give his daughter to him and will make his father’s house tax^[f] free in Israel.”

²⁶ David asked the men who were standing by him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? Indeed, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy^[g] the armies of the living God?”

²⁷ The people also told him the same thing,^[h] saying, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸ Eliab his oldest brother heard him talking to the men. Eliab was angry with David and said, “Why did you come down here? And who did you leave those few sheep with in the wilderness? I know your insolence and wicked intentions.^[i] You came down just to see the battle!”

²⁹ “What have I done now?” David asked. “It was just a question,^[j] wasn’t it?” ³⁰ Then he turned from him toward another person and asked the same thing. The people replied to him the same way as the first one had.

David Accepts the Challenge

³¹ When the words that David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, and he sent for him. ³² David told Saul, “Let no one’s courage^[k] fail because of him; your servant will go fight this Philistine.”

The Apostles are Tried before the Jewish Council

¹⁷ Then the high priest and all those from the sect of the Sadducees who were with him were filled with jealousy. So they went out, ¹⁸ arrested the apostles, and put them in the city jail. ¹⁹ But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and led them out. The angel^[a] told them, ²⁰ “Go, stand in the Temple, and keep on telling the people the whole message about this life they can have.”^[b]

²¹ After the apostles^[c] heard this, they went into the Temple at daybreak and began to teach. The high priest and those who were with him arrived, called the Council^[d] and all the elders of Israel together, and sent word^[e] to the prison to have the men brought in. ²² When the Temple police got there, they did not find them in the prison. They came back and reported, ²³ “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” ²⁴ When the commander of the Temple guards and the high priests heard these words, they were utterly at a loss as to what could have happened to them.

²⁵ Then someone came and told them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the Temple and teaching the people!” ²⁶ So the commander of the Temple guards went with his men to bring them back without force, because they were afraid of being stoned to death by the people.