Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁵⁵ When Sha’ul saw David go out to fight the P’lishti, he said to Avner, the army’s commander, “Avner, whose son is this boy?” “By your life, O king,” Avner replied, “I don’t know.” ⁵⁶ The king said, “Find out whose son this boy is.” ⁵⁷ As David returned from killing the P’lishti, Avner took him and brought him to Sha’ul with the head of the P’lishti in his hand. ⁵⁸ Sha’ul asked him, “Young man, whose son are you?” David answered, “I am the son of your servant Yishai the Beit-Lachmi.”

18 By the time David had finished speaking to Sha’ul, Y’honatan found himself inwardly drawn by David’s character, so that Y’honatan loved him as he did himself. ² That day, Sha’ul took David into his service and would not let him go home to his father’s house any more. ³ Y’honatan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as he did himself. ⁴ Y’honatan removed the cloak he was wearing and gave it to David, his armor too, including his sword, bow and belt. ⁵ David would go out, and no matter where Sha’ul sent him, he was successful. Sha’ul put him in charge of the fighting men; all the people thought it good, and so did Sha’ul’s servants.

21 After we had torn ourselves away from the Ephesian elders, we set sail and made a straight run to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. ² On finding a ship that was crossing over to Phoenicia, we embarked and set sail. ³ After sighting Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria and landed at Tzor, because that was where the ship was unloading its cargo. ⁴ Having searched out the talmidim there, we remained for a week. Guided by the Spirit, they told Sha’ul not to go up to Yerushalayim; ⁵ but when the week was over, we left to continue our journey. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the town. Kneeling on the beach and praying, ⁶ we said good-bye to each other. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home.

⁷ When the voyage from Tzor was over, we arrived at Ptolemais. There we greeted the brothers and stayed with them overnight. ⁸ The following day, we left and came to Caesarea, where we went to the home of Philip the proclaimer of the Good News, one of the Seven, and stayed with him. ⁹ He had four unmarried daughters with the gift of prophecy.

¹⁰ While we were staying there, a prophet named Agav came down from Y’hudah ¹¹ to visit us. He took Sha’ul’s belt, tied up his own hands and feet and said, “Here is what the Ruach HaKodesh says: the man who owns this belt — the Judeans in Yerushalayim will tie him up just like this and hand him over to the Goyim.” ¹² When we heard this, both we and the people there begged him not to go up to Yerushalayim; ¹³ but Sha’ul answered, “What are you doing, crying and trying to weaken my resolve? I am prepared not only to be tied up, but even to die in Yerushalayim for the name of the Lord Yeshua.” ¹⁴ And when he would not be convinced, we said, “May the Lord’s will be done,” and kept quiet.

¹⁵ So at the end of our stay, we packed and went up to Yerushalayim; ¹⁶ and with us went some of the talmidim from Caesarea. They brought us to the home of the man with whom we were to stay, Mnason from Cyprus, who had been a talmid since the early days.