Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Goliath Challenges the Israelis
17 The Philistines assembled their army for battle. They were assembled at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.
4 A champion named Goliath from Gath came out from the Philistine camp. He was four cubits and a span[a] tall, 5 wore a bronze helmet on his head, and wore bronze scale armor that weighed about 5,000 shekels.[b] 6 He had bronze armor on his legs[c] and carried a bronze javelin slung[d] between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam and the iron point of his spear weighed 600 shekels.[e] A man carrying his shield walked in front of him.
8 He stood still and called out to the ranks of Israel, “Why should you move into position for battle? Am I not a Philistine and you Saul’s servants? Choose a man for yourselves to come down against me. 9 If he’s able to fight me and strike me down, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and strike him down, then you will become our servants and serve us.” 10 The Philistine said, “I defy[f] the ranks of Israel today. Send me one man and let’s fight together.” 11 When Saul and all the Israelis heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very frightened.
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.
32 David told Saul, “Let no one’s courage[a] fail because of him; your servant will go fight this Philistine.”
33 Saul told David, “You can’t go against this Philistine and fight him. You are only a young man, but he has been a warrior since his youth.”
34 David told Saul, “Your servant has been a shepherd for his father. When a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I would go out after it, strike it down, and rescue the lamb[b] from its mouth. Then when it rose up against me, I would grab it by its fur,[c] strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he defied[d] the armies of the living God.” 37 David continued, “The Lord who delivered me from the power of[e] the lion and the power of[f] the bear will also deliver me from the power of[g] this Philistine.”
Saul told David, “Go! And may the Lord be with you.”
38 Saul put his garments on David, set a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him. 39 David strapped Saul’s[h] sword over his garments and tried to walk, but[i] he was not used to the armor.[j] David told Saul, “I can’t walk in these because I’m not used to them,”[k] and then took them off. 40 He took his staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them in the pouch in his shepherd’s bag. He approached the Philistine with his sling in his hand.
David Defeats Goliath
41 With a man carrying his shield in front of him, the Philistine kept coming closer to David. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he had contempt for him, because he was only a young man. David had a dark, healthy complexion and was handsome. 43 The Philistine asked David, “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his own gods and 44 told David, “Come to me! I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and to the beasts of the field.”
45 Then David told the Philistine, “You come at me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied.[l] 46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I’ll strike you down and remove your head from you. And this very day I’ll give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and to the animals of the earth, so that all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and this whole congregation will know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or spear. Indeed, the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hands.”
48 When the Philistine got up and came closer to meet David, David quickly ran to the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David reached his hand into the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead. The stone sunk into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
57 When David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him to Saul with the Philistine’s head in his hand. 58 Saul told him, “Whose son are you, young man?”
David said, “The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
Jonathan and David’s Friendship
18 When David finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan became a close friend to David,[a] and Jonathan[b] loved him as himself. 2 Saul took David[c] that day and did not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as he loved himself. 4 Jonathan took off the robe that he had on and gave it to David, along with his coat, his sword, his bow, and his belt. 5 David went out and was successful everywhere Saul sent him, and Saul put him in charge of the troops. This pleased the entire army,[d] as well as Saul’s officials.[e]
10 The next day, while David was playing the lyre[a] as he had before, the evil spirit from the Lord attacked Saul, and he began to rave[b] inside the house with a spear in his hand. 11 Saul hurled it, thinking,[c] “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from him twice.
12 Now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him and had departed from Saul. 13 Saul removed David[d] from his presence and made him an officer over a division of soldiers.[e] So David led the troops in battle.[f] 14 David was successful in all that he did, for the Lord was with him. 15 When Saul saw that David[g] was highly successful, he feared him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David because he led them in battle.[h]
9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of distress.
10 Those who know your name will trust you,
for you have not forsaken those who seek you, Lord.
11 Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion;
declare his mighty deeds among the peoples.
12 As an avenger of blood, he remembers them;
he has not forgotten the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, Lord,
take note of my affliction,
because of those who hate me.
You snatch me away from the gates of death,
14 so I may declare everything for which you should be praised[a]
in the gates of the daughter of Zion,[b]
so I will rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk down into the pit they made,
their feet are ensnared in the trap[c] they set.
16 The Lord has made himself known,
executing judgment.
The wicked are ensnared
by what their hands have made.
17 The wicked will turn back to where the dead are[e]—
all the nations that have forgotten God.
18 For he will not always overlook the plight of the poor,
nor will the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19 Rise up, Lord,
do not let man prevail!
The nations will be judged in your presence.
20 Make them afraid, Lord,
Let the nations know that they are only human.[f]
A Davidic Song of Ascents
The Significance of Unity
133 Look how good and how pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil on the head,
descending to the beard—
even to Aaron’s beard—
and flowing down to the edge of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon
falling on Zion’s mountains.
For there the Lord commanded his blessing—
life everlasting.
Workers with God
6 Since, then, we are working with God,[a] we plead with you not to accept God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“At the right time I heard you,
and on a day of salvation I helped you.”[b]
Listen, now is really the “right time”! Now is the “day of salvation”!
We are God’s Servants
3 We do not put an obstacle in anyone’s way. Otherwise, fault may be found with our ministry. 4 Instead, in every way we demonstrate that we are God’s servants by tremendous endurance in the midst of difficulties, hardships, and calamities; 5 in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger; 6 with purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; with the Holy Spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and divine power; through the weapons of righteousness in the right and left hands; 8 through honor and dishonor; through ill repute and good repute; perceived[c] as deceivers and yet true, 9 as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet—as you see—very much alive, as punished and yet not killed, 10 as sorrowful and yet always rejoicing, as poor and yet enriching many, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken frankly[d] to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are wide open. 12 We have not cut you off, but you have cut off your own feelings toward us. 13 Do us a favor—I ask you as my children—and open wide your hearts.
Jesus Calms the Sea(A)
35 That day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross to the other side.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him away in a boat without making any special preparations.[a] Other boats were with him. 37 A violent windstorm came up, and the waves began breaking into the boat, so that the boat was rapidly[b] becoming swamped.
38 But Jesus[c] was in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?”
39 Then he got up, rebuked the wind, and told the sea, “Calm down! Be still!” Then the wind stopped blowing, and there was a great calm. 40 He asked them, “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith yet?”
41 Overcome with fear, they kept saying to one another, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
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