Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
4 Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath,(A) came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches[a][b] tall 5 and wore a bronze helmet and bronze scale armor that weighed one hundred twenty-five pounds.[c] 6 There was bronze armor on his shins, and a bronze javelin(B) was slung between his shoulders. 7 His spear shaft(C) was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed fifteen pounds.[d] In addition, a shield-bearer(D) was walking in front of him.
8 He stood and shouted to the Israelite battle formations, “Why do you come out to line up in battle formation?” He asked them, “Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul?(E) Choose one of your men and have him come down against me. 9 If he wins in a fight against me and kills me, we will be your servants. But if I win against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.”(F) 10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel today.(G) Send me a man so we can fight each other!” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.
19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.”
20 So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with someone to keep it, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had charged him.
He arrived at the perimeter of the camp(A) as the army was marching out to its battle formation shouting their battle cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines lined up in battle formation facing each other. 22 David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster(B) and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were. 23 While he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistine battle line and shouted his usual words,(C) which David heard.
32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him;(A) your servant will go(B) and fight this Philistine!”
33 But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.”
34 David answered Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth.(C) If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur,[a] strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”(D)
Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”(E)
38 Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and had him put on armor. 39 David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “I can’t walk in these,” David said to Saul, “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off. 40 Instead, he took his staff in his hand(F) and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.
41 The Philistine came closer and closer to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him(G) because he was just a youth, healthy[b](H) and handsome. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog(I) that you come against me with sticks?” [c] Then he cursed David by his gods.(J) 44 “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!” (K)
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel—you have defied him.(L) 46 Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses[d] of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,(M) 47 and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves,(N) for the battle is the Lord’s.(O) He will hand you over to us.”
48 When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine.(P) 49 David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground.
57 When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head still in his hand.(A) 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?”
“The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,”(B) David answered.
David’s Success
18 When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan was bound to David in close friendship,[a] and loved him as much as he loved himself.(C) 2 Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him return to his father’s house.
3 Jonathan made a covenant with David(D) because he loved him as much as himself. 4 Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David,(E) along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.
5 David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the fighting men, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well.
Saul Attempts to Kill David
10 The next day an evil spirit sent from God came powerfully on Saul,(A) and he began to rave[a] inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual,(B) but Saul was holding a spear,(C) 11 and he threw it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.”(D) But David got away from him twice.
12 Saul was afraid of David,(E) because the Lord was with David(F) but had left Saul.(G) 13 Therefore, Saul sent David away from him and made him commander over a thousand men. David led the troops(H) 14 and continued to be successful in all his activities because the Lord was with him.(I) 15 When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David(J) because he was leading their troops.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted,
a refuge in times of trouble.(A)
10 Those who know your name trust in you
because you have not abandoned
those who seek you, Lord.(B)
11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;(C)
proclaim his deeds among the nations.(D)
12 For the one who seeks an accounting
for bloodshed remembers them;(E)
he does not forget the cry of the oppressed.(F)
13 Be gracious to me, Lord;
consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me.(G)
Lift me up from the gates of death,(H)
14 so that I may declare all your praises.
I will rejoice in your salvation(I)
within the gates of Daughter Zion.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made;
their foot is caught in the net they have concealed.(J)
16 The Lord has made himself known;
he has executed justice,(K)
snaring the wicked
by the work of their hands.(L)Higgaion. Selah
Psalm 133
Living in Harmony
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 How delightfully good
when brothers live together in harmony!(A)
2 It is like fine oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down Aaron’s beard
onto his robes.(B)
3 It is like the dew of Hermon[a]
falling on the mountains of Zion.(C)
For there the Lord has appointed the blessing—
life forevermore.(D)
6 Working together with him, we also appeal to you, “Don’t receive the grace of God in vain.” 2 For he says:
See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!(B)
The Character of Paul’s Ministry
3 We are not giving anyone an occasion for offense, so that the ministry will not be blamed. 4 Instead, as God’s ministers, we commend ourselves in everything: by great endurance, by afflictions, by hardships, by difficulties, 5 by beatings, by imprisonments,(C) by riots, by labors, by sleepless nights, by times of hunger, 6 by purity,(D) by knowledge,(E) by patience,(F) by kindness,(G) by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,(H) 7 by the word of truth,[b](I) by the power of God;(J) through weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 8 through glory(K) and dishonor, through slander and good report; regarded as deceivers, yet true; 9 as unknown, yet recognized; as dying, yet see—we live; as being disciplined, yet not killed; 10 as grieving, yet always rejoicing;(L) as poor, yet enriching many; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. 11 We have spoken openly to you, Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide. 12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. 13 I speak as to my children; as a proper response, open your heart to us.
Wind and Waves Obey Jesus
35 On(A) that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm(B) arose, and the waves(C) were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 He was in the stern, sleeping(D) on the cushion. So they woke him up(E) and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” (F)
39 He got up, rebuked(G) the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence!(H) Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid?(I) Do you still have no faith?”
41 And they were terrified[a](J) and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey(K) him!” (L)
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