Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 130[a]
Prayer for Pardon and Mercy
1 A song of ascents.
I
Out of the depths[b] I call to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my cry!
May your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.(A)
3 If you, Lord, keep account of sins,
Lord, who can stand?(B)
4 But with you is forgiveness
and so you are revered.[c]
II
5 I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits
and I hope for his word.(C)
6 My soul looks for the Lord
more than sentinels for daybreak.(D)
More than sentinels for daybreak,
7 let Israel hope in the Lord,
For with the Lord is mercy,
with him is plenteous redemption,(E)
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all its sins.(F)
Chapter 20
David Consults with Jonathan. 1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went to Jonathan. “What have I done?” he asked him. “What crime or what offense does your father hold against me that he seeks my life?”(A) 2 Jonathan answered him: “Heaven forbid that you should die! My father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. Why, then, should my father conceal this from me? It cannot be true!” 3 But David replied: “Your father is well aware that I am favored with your friendship, so he has decided, ‘Jonathan must not know about this or he will be grieved.’ Nevertheless, as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.” 4 Jonathan then said to David, “I will do whatever you say.” 5 David answered: “Tomorrow is the new moon, when I should in fact dine with the king. Let me go and hide in the open country until evening.(B) 6 If it turns out that your father misses me, say, ‘David urged me to let him go on short notice to his city Bethlehem, because his whole clan is holding its seasonal sacrifice there.’(C) 7 If he says, ‘Very well,’ your servant is safe. But if he becomes quite angry, you can be sure he has planned some harm. 8 (D)Do this kindness for your servant because of the Lord’s covenant into which you brought us: if I am guilty, kill me yourself! Why should you give me up to your father?” 9 But Jonathan answered: “Not I! If ever I find out that my father is determined to harm you, I will certainly let you know.” 10 David then asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father gives you a harsh answer?”
Mutual Agreement. 11 Jonathan replied to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” When they were out in the open country together, 12 Jonathan said to David: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, I will sound out my father about this time tomorrow. Whether he is well disposed toward David or not, I will inform you. 13 (E)Should it please my father to bring any harm upon you, may the Lord do thus to Jonathan and more,[a] if I do not inform you of it and send you on your way in peace. May the Lord be with you even as he was with my father. 14 Only this: if I am still alive, may you show me the kindness of the Lord. But if I die, 15 never cut off your kindness from my house. And when the Lord cuts off all the enemies of David from the face of the land, 16 the name of Jonathan must never be cut off from the family of David, or the Lord will make you answer for it.” 17 And in his love for David, Jonathan renewed his oath to him, because he loved him as he loved himself.
18 Jonathan then said to him: “Tomorrow is the new moon; you will be missed, since your place will be vacant. 19 On the third day you will be missed all the more. Go to the spot where you hid on the other occasion and wait near the mound there.(F) 20 On the third day of the month I will shoot arrows to the side of it, as though aiming at a target. 21 I will then send my attendant to recover the arrows. If in fact I say to him, ‘Look, the arrow is this side of you; pick it up,’ come, for you are safe. As the Lord lives, there will be nothing to fear. 22 But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrow is beyond you,’ go, for the Lord sends you away. 23 However, in the matter which you and I have discussed, the Lord shall be between you and me forever.” 24 So David hid in the open country.
David’s Absence. On the day of the new moon, when the king sat down at the feast to dine, 25 he took his usual place against the wall. Jonathan sat facing him, while Abner sat at the king’s side. David’s place was vacant.
III. The Collection for Jerusalem[a]
Chapter 8
Generosity in Giving. 1 [b]We want you to know, brothers,[c] of the grace of God[d] that has been given to the churches of Macedonia,(A) 2 [e]for in a severe test of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their profound poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 [f]For according to their means, I can testify, and beyond their means, spontaneously, 4 they begged us insistently for the favor of taking part in the service to the holy ones,(B) 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us[g] through the will of God, 6 so that we urged Titus[h] that, as he had already begun, he should also complete for you this gracious act also.(C) 7 [i]Now as you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you,(D) may you excel in this gracious act also.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.