Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Prayer for the King

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

13 Saul was thirty years old when he ·became king [began to reign/rule], and he ·was king [reigned; ruled] over Israel forty-two years.^{[a] 2} Saul chose three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand men stayed with him at Micmash in the ·mountains [hill country] of Bethel, and one thousand men stayed with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul sent the other men in the army back ·home [^Lto their tents].

³ Jonathan ·attacked [^Lstruck] the Philistine ·camp [garrison] in Geba, and the other Philistines heard about it. Saul said, “Let the Hebrews hear what happened.” So he told the men to blow ·trumpets [ram’s horns] through all the land of Israel. ⁴ All the Israelites heard the news. The men said, “Saul has ·defeated [struck] the Philistine camp [garrison; ^CSaul receives credit for Jonathan’s victory]. Now ·the Philistines will really hate us [^LIsrael will stink among the Philistines]!” Then the Israelites were called to join Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ The Philistines gathered to fight Israel with three thousand^[b] chariots and six thousand ·men to ride in them [horsemen; charioteers]. Their soldiers were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. The Philistines went and camped at Micmash, which is east of Beth Aven. ⁶ When the Israelites saw that they were in ·trouble [a tight spot; desperate straits], they went to hide in caves and ·bushes [thickets; or holes], among the ·rocks [cliffs; crevices], and in ·pits [cellars; tombs; vaults] and ·wells [cisterns]. ⁷ Some Hebrews even went across the Jordan River to the land of Gad and Gilead.

But Saul stayed at Gilgal, and all the men in his army were ·shaking with fear [trembling; quaking]. ⁸ Saul waited seven days, ·because Samuel had said he would meet him then [^Lthe period/time Samuel had set; ^Cas a priest, Samuel had to offer sacrifices before battle]. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the soldiers began to ·leave [scatter; slip away].

⁹ So Saul said, “Bring me the whole burnt offering and the ·fellowship [peace; communion] offerings.” Then Saul ·offered [sacrificed] the whole burnt offering. ¹⁰ Just as he finished, Samuel arrived, and Saul went to greet him.

¹¹ Samuel asked, “What have you ·done [been doing]?”

Saul answered, “I saw the soldiers ·leaving [scattering from] me, and you were not here ·when you said you would be [at the set/appointed time]. The Philistines were gathering at Micmash. ¹² Then I thought, ‘The Philistines will come against me at Gilgal, and I haven’t asked for the Lord’s ·approval [help; favor].’ So I ·forced myself [felt compelled/it necessary] to offer the whole burnt offering.”

¹³ Samuel said, “You acted foolishly [^Conly priests could legitimately offer sacrifices]! You haven’t ·obeyed [kept] the command of the Lord your God [^Cfrightened troops should have been allowed to leave; Deut. 20:8–9]. If you had obeyed him, the Lord would have ·made your kingdom continue [established your kingdom] ·in [over] Israel always [^CSaul rather than David would have had a dynasty], ¹⁴ but now your kingdom will not ·continue [last; endure]. The Lord has ·looked for the kind of man he wants [^Lsought a man after his own heart; 16:6–13]. He has appointed him to ·rule [^Lbe prince over] his people, because you haven’t ·obeyed his [kept the Lord’s] command.”

¹⁵ Then Samuel left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted the men who were still with him, and there were about six hundred.

A Story About Planting Seed^(A)

4 Again Jesus began teaching by the lake [^Cthe Sea of Galilee]. A great crowd gathered around him, so he sat down in a boat near the shore. All the people stayed on the shore close to the water. ² Jesus taught them many things, using ·stories [parables; see 3:23]. He said, ³ “Listen! A ·farmer [sower] went out to ·plant [sow] his seed. ⁴ While he was ·planting [sowing], some seed fell ·by the road [along the path], and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some seed fell on rocky ground where there wasn’t much dirt. That seed ·grew [sprang up] very fast, because the ground was not deep. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the plants ·dried up [were scorched and withered] because they did not have deep roots. ⁷ Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants. So those plants did not produce ·a crop [grain]. ⁸ Some other seed fell on good ground and began to grow. It got taller and produced ·a crop [grain]. Some plants made thirty times more, some made sixty times more, and some made a hundred times more.”

⁹ Then Jesus said, ·“Let those with ears use them and listen!” [^L“Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”]

Jesus Tells Why He Used Stories^(B)

¹⁰ Later, when Jesus was alone, the twelve apostles and others around him asked him about the ·stories [parables; see 3:23].

¹¹ Jesus said, “·You can know [To you has been given] the secret about the kingdom of God. But to ·other people [outsiders] I tell everything by using ·stories [parables] ¹² so that:

Jesus Explains the Seed Story^(C)

¹³ Then Jesus said to ·his followers [^Lthem], “Don’t you understand this ·story [parable]? If you don’t, how will you understand any ·story [parable; see 3:23]? ¹⁴ ·The farmer plants God’s message in people [^LThe sower sows the word]. ¹⁵ Sometimes the ·teaching [word; message] falls ·on the road [along the path]. This is like the people who hear the ·teaching of God [word; message], but Satan quickly comes and takes away the ·teaching [word; message] that was ·planted [sown] in them. ¹⁶ Others are like the seed ·planted [sown] on rocky ground. They hear the ·teaching [word; message] and quickly accept it with joy. ¹⁷ ·But since they don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives [^LBut since they have no root in themselves], they keep it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the ·teaching they accepted [word; message], they quickly ·give up [fall away; stumble]. ¹⁸ Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the ·teaching [word; message], ¹⁹ but the worries of this ·life [world; age], the ·temptation [deceitfulness; seduction] of wealth, and ·many other evil desires [desires for other things] ·keep the teaching from growing and producing fruit in their lives [^Lcome in and choke the word, making it unfruitful]. ²⁰ Others are like the seed ·planted [sown] in the good ground. They hear the ·teaching [word; message] and accept it. Then they grow and produce ·fruit [a crop]—sometimes thirty times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes a hundred times more.”