Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

ס Samek

ע Ayin

⁶ As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,^(A) singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. ⁷ As they danced, the women sang:

⁸ Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” ^{(C) 9} So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.

Saul Attempts to Kill David

¹⁰ The next day an evil spirit sent from God came powerfully on Saul,^(D) and he began to rave^[a] inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual,^(E) but Saul was holding a spear,^{(F) 11} and he threw it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.”^(G) But David got away from him twice.

¹² Saul was afraid of David,^(H) because the Lord was with David^(I) but had left Saul.^{(J) 13} Therefore, Saul sent David away from him and made him commander over a thousand men. David led the troops^{(K) 14} and continued to be successful in all his activities because the Lord was with him.^{(L) 15} When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him. ¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David^(M) because he was leading their troops. ¹⁷ Saul told David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I’ll give her to you as a wife^(N) if you will be a warrior for me and fight the Lord’s battles.”^(O) But Saul was thinking, “I don’t need to raise a hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”^(P)

¹⁸ Then David responded, “Who am I,^(Q) and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” ¹⁹ When it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.^(R)

David’s Marriage to Michal

²⁰ Now Saul’s daughter Michal^(S) loved David, and when it was reported to Saul, it pleased him. ²¹ “I’ll give her to him,” Saul thought. “She’ll be a trap for him, and the hand of the Philistines will be against him.”^(T) So Saul said to David a second time, “You can now be my son-in-law.”^(U)

²² Saul then ordered his servants, “Speak to David in private and tell him, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Therefore, you should become the king’s son-in-law.’”

²³ Saul’s servants reported these words directly to David, but he replied, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor commoner.”^(V)

²⁴ The servants reported back to Saul, “These are the words David spoke.”

²⁵ Then Saul replied, “Say this to David: ‘The king desires no other bride-price^(W) except a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’”^(X) Actually, Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.^(Y)

²⁶ When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived, ²⁷ David and his men went out and killed two hundred^[b] Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them as full payment to the king to become his son-in-law. Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David as his wife.^{(Z) 28} Saul realized^[c] that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, ²⁹ and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on.

³⁰ Every time the Philistine commanders came out to fight,^(AA) David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers.^(AB) So his name became well known.

Storm-Tossed Ship

¹³ When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. ¹⁴ But before long, a fierce wind called the “northeaster” rushed down from the island. ¹⁵ Since the ship was caught and unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. ¹⁶ After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda,^[a] we were barely able to get control of the skiff. ¹⁷ After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and girded the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the drift-anchor, and in this way they were driven along. ¹⁸ Because we were being severely battered by the storm, they began to jettison the cargo the next day.^{(A) 19} On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. ²⁰ For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and the severe storm kept raging. Finally all hope was fading that we would be saved.

²¹ Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss. ²² Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. ²³ For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me^{(B) 24} and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. It is necessary for you to appear before Caesar. And indeed, God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵ So take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me.^{(C) 26} But we have to run aground on some island.”^(D)

²⁷ When the fourteenth night came, we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, and about midnight the sailors thought they were approaching land. ²⁸ They took soundings and found it to be a hundred twenty feet^[b] deep; when they had sailed a little farther and sounded again, they found it to be ninety feet^[c] deep. ²⁹ Then, fearing we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come. ³⁰ Some sailors tried to escape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow. ³¹ Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” ³² Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away.

³³ When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing. ³⁴ So I urge you to take some food. For this is for your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.”^{(E) 35} After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and after he broke it, he began to eat.^{(F) 36} They all were encouraged and took food themselves. ³⁷ In all there were 276 of us on the ship.^{(G) 38} When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.