Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul, and the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
David Anointed to Succeed Saul
16 The Lord told Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I’ve rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I’m sending you to Jesse from Bethlehem because I’ve chosen for myself one of his sons as king.”
2 Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about this[a] and kill me!”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer[b] with you and say, ‘I’ve come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 You are to invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I’ll show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the one I tell you.”
4 Samuel did what the Lord said and went to Bethlehem. The elders of the town came out to meet him trembling, and said, “May your coming be in peace.”
5 He said, “Peace, I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Samuel[c] consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, Samuel[d] saw Eliab, and said, “Surely he’s the Lord’s[e] anointed.”[f]
7 The Lord told Samuel, “Don’t look at his appearance or his height,[g] for I’ve rejected him. Truly, God does not see[h] what man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord sees the heart.”
8 Then Jesse summoned Abinadab and brought him before Samuel, and he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse brought Shammah, and he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse brought seven of his sons before Samuel, and Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
11 Then Samuel told Jesse, “Are these all the young men?” He said, “There yet remains the youngest one, and right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send someone to get him,[i] for we won’t do anything else[j] until he arrives here.” 12 So he sent and brought him. He had a dark, healthy complexion, with beautiful eyes, and he was handsome. The Lord said, “Get up and anoint him, for this is the one.”
God’s Spirit Comes on David and Departs from Saul
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David[k] in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came on David from that day forward. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
A Prayer for Victory
20 May the Lord answer you in the day of distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob[a] protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and may he sustain you from Zion.
3 May he remember all your gifts,
and may he accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you what your heart desires,
and may he fulfill all your plans.
5 May we shout for joy at your deliverance
and unfurl our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the Lord has delivered his anointed;
he has answered him from his sanctuary
with the strength of his right hand of deliverance.
7 Some boast[b] in chariots,
others in horses;
but we will boast in[c] the name of the Lord our God.
8 While they bowed down and fell,
we arose and stood upright.
9 Deliver us, Lord!
Answer us, our King,[d] on the day we cry out!
6 Therefore, we are always confident, and we know that as long as we are at home in this body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from this body and to live with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away from home, our goal is to be pleasing to him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah,[a] so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or worthless.[b]
The Messiah’s Love Controls Us
11 Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences. 12 We are not recommending ourselves to you again but are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who are proud of outward things rather than inward character.[a] 13 So if we were crazy, it was for God; if we are sane, it is for you.
14 The love of the Messiah[a] controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died. 15 He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.
16 So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view.[b] Even if we did think of the Messiah[c] from a human point of view,[d] we don’t think of him that way anymore. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah,[e] he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and—look!—all things have become new!
The Parable about a Growing Seed
26 He was also saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. 27 He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn’t know how 28 the ground produces grain by itself—first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come.”
The Parable about a Mustard Seed(A)
30 He was also saying, “How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it? 31 It’s like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it’s the smallest of[a] all the seeds on earth, 32 when it’s planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade.”
Why Jesus Used Parables(B)
33 With many other parables like these, Jesus[b] kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand. 34 He did not tell them anything without using[c] a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.