Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 20^[a]

Prayer for the King in Time of War

¹ For the leader. A psalm of David.

I

II

III. Saul and David

Chapter 13

¹ [Saul was…years old when he became king and he reigned…-two years over Israel.]^[a]

Saul Offers Sacrifice. ² Saul chose three thousand of Israel, of whom two thousand remained with him in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the army back to their tents. ³ Now Jonathan struck the Philistine garrison^[b] in Gibeah, and the Philistines got word of it. Then Saul sounded the horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”^{(A) 4} Then all Israel heard the report, “Saul has struck the garrison of the Philistines! Israel has become odious to the Philistines!” Then the army was called up to Saul in Gilgal. ⁵ The Philistines also assembled for battle against Israel, with thirty thousand chariots,^[c] six thousand horsemen, and foot soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.^(B) They came up and encamped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.^{(C) 6} When the soldiers saw they were in danger because the army was hardpressed, they hid themselves in caves, thickets, rocks, caverns, and cisterns. ⁷ Other Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul, however, held out in Gilgal, all his army trembling in fear behind him.^{[d] 8} He waited seven days, until the appointed time Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come, and the army deserted Saul.^{(D) 9} He then said, “Bring me the burnt offering and communion offerings!” Then he sacrificed the burnt offering.

King Saul Reproved. ¹⁰ As he finished sacrificing the burnt offering, there came Samuel! So Saul went out toward him in order to greet him. ¹¹ Samuel asked him, “What have you done?” Saul explained: “When I saw that the army was deserting me and you did not come on the appointed day, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, ¹² I said to myself, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet sought the Lord’s blessing.’ So I thought I should sacrifice the burnt offering.” ¹³ Samuel replied to Saul: “You have acted foolishly! Had you kept the command the Lord your God gave you, the Lord would now establish your kingship in Israel forever; ¹⁴ but now your kingship shall not endure. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart^[e] to appoint as ruler over his people because you did not observe what the Lord commanded you.”^(E)

Philistine Invasion. ¹⁵ Then Samuel set out from Gilgal and went his own way; but what was left of the army went up after Saul to meet the soldiers, going from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul then counted the soldiers he had with him, about six hundred.^(F)

Chapter 4

The Parable of the Sower. ^1 [a]On another occasion^(A) he began to teach by the sea.^[b] A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.^{(B) 2} And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, ^3 [c]“Hear this! A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And 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 it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. ⁶ And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. ⁷ Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. ⁸ And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” ⁹ He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables. ¹⁰ And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. ^11 [d]He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, ¹² so that

^13 [e]Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?^(D) Then how will you understand any of the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. ¹⁶ And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. ¹⁷ But they have no root; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, ¹⁹ but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. ²⁰ But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”