Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

ס (Samekh)

ע (‘Ayin)

⁶ As David and the others were returning from the slaughter of the P’lishti, the women came out of all the cities of Isra’el to meet King Sha’ul, singing and dancing joyfully with tambourines and three-stringed instruments. ⁷ In their merrymaking the women sang,

⁸ Sha’ul became very angry, because this song displeased him. He said, “They give David credit for tens of thousands, but me they give credit for only thousands. Now all he lacks is the kingdom!” ⁹ From that day on, Sha’ul viewed David with suspicion.

¹⁰ The following day an evil spirit from God came powerfully over Sha’ul, so that he fell into a frenzy in the house. David was there, playing his lyre as on other occasions. This time Sha’ul had his spear in his hand; ¹¹ and he threw the spear, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David dodged out of the way twice. ¹² Sha’ul became afraid of David, because Adonai was with him and had left Sha’ul. ¹³ Therefore Sha’ul put him at a distance from himself by making him commander over a thousand; his goings and comings became public knowledge. ¹⁴ David had great success in all his ways; Adonai was with him. ¹⁵ When Sha’ul saw how very successful he was, he became afraid of him. ¹⁶ But all Isra’el and Y’hudah loved David, because they knew about all his campaigns.

¹⁷ Sha’ul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merav. I will give her to you as your wife; only continue displaying your courage for me, and fight Adonai’s battles.” Sha’ul was thinking, “I don’t dare touch him, so let the P’lishtim do away with him.” ¹⁸ David’s response to Sha’ul was, “Who am I, that I should become the king’s son-in-law? I don’t have any kind of a life, and my father’s family has no rank in Isra’el.” ¹⁹ However, when it was time for Merav Sha’ul’s daughter to be given to David, she was given to Adri’el the Mecholati as his wife. ²⁰ But Mikhal Sha’ul’s daughter fell in love with David. They told Sha’ul, and it pleased him. ²¹ Sha’ul said, “I’ll give her to him, so that she can entrap him, and the P’lishtim can do away with him.” So Sha’ul said to David, “Today you will become my son-in-law through the second [daughter].” ²² Sha’ul ordered his servants to speak privately with David and say, “Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants like you; so become the king’s son-in-law.” ²³ Sha’ul’s servants said this to David; but David replied, “Do you think being the king’s son-in-law is something to be treated so casually, given that I’m a poor man without social standing?” ²⁴ Sha’ul’s servants reported back to him how David had responded. ²⁵ Sha’ul said, “Here’s what you are to say to David: ‘The king doesn’t want any dowry; he wants a hundred foreskins of the P’lishtim, so that he can have vengeance on the king’s enemies.” For Sha’ul was hoping to have David killed by the P’lishtim. ²⁶ When his servants said these words to David, it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. Even before the time [for him to be married], ²⁷ David got up and set out, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the P’lishtim. He brought their foreskins and gave all of them to the king in order to become the king’s son-in-law. Then Sha’ul gave him Mikhal his daughter as his wife.

²⁸ Sha’ul saw and understood that Adonai was with David and that Mikhal Sha’ul’s daughter loved him. ²⁹ This only made Sha’ul the more afraid of David, so that Sha’ul became David’s enemy for the rest of his life.

³⁰ The leaders of the P’lishtim would attack; but whenever they attacked, David was more successful than any of Sha’ul’s servants; so that David acquired a great reputation.

¹³ When a gentle southerly breeze began to blow, they thought that they had their goal within grasp; so they raised the anchor and started coasting by Crete close to shore. ¹⁴ But before long there struck us from land a full gale from the northeast, the kind they call an Evrakilon. ¹⁵ The ship was caught up and unable to face the wind, so we gave way to it and were driven along.

¹⁶ As we passed into the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with strenuous effort to get control of the lifeboat. ¹⁷ They hoisted it aboard, then fastened cables tightly around the ship itself to reinforce it. Fearing they might run aground on the Syrtis sandbars, they lowered the topsails and thus continued drifting. ¹⁸ But because we were fighting such heavy weather, the next day they began to jettison non-essentials; ¹⁹ and the third day, they threw the ship’s sailing equipment overboard with their own hands. ²⁰ For many days neither the sun nor the stars appeared, while the storm continued to rage, until gradually all hope of survival vanished.

²¹ It was then, when they had gone a long time without eating, that Sha’ul stood up in front of them and said, “You should have listened to me and not set out from Crete; if you had, you would have escaped this disastrous loss. ²² But now, my advice to you is to take heart; because not one of you will lose his life — only the ship will be lost. ²³ For this very night, there stood next to me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve. ²⁴ He said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Sha’ul! you have to stand before the Emperor. Look! God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵ So, men, take heart! For I trust God and believe that what I have been told will come true. ²⁶ Nevertheless, we have to run aground on some island.”

²⁷ It was the fourteenth night, and we were still being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, when around midnight the sailors sensed that we were nearing land. ²⁸ So they dropped a plumbline and found the water one hundred and twenty feet deep. A little farther on, they took another sounding and found it ninety feet. ²⁹ Fearing we might run on the rocks, they let out four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come.

³⁰ At this point, the crew made an attempt to abandon ship — they lowered the lifeboat into the sea, pretending that they were about to let out some anchors from the bow. ³¹ Sha’ul said to the officer and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain aboard the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.” ³² Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the lifeboat and let it go.

³³ Just before daybreak, Sha’ul urged them all to eat, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense, going hungry, eating nothing. ³⁴ Therefore I advise you to take some food; you need it for your own survival. For not one of you will lose so much as a hair from his head.” ³⁵ When he had said this, he took bread, said the b’rakhah to God in front of everyone, broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ With courage restored, they all ate some food themselves. ³⁷ Altogether there were 276 of us on board the ship. ³⁸ After they had eaten all they wanted, they lightened the ship by dumping the grain into the sea.