Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Song of Ascents
A Prayer for Mercy
130 I cry to you from the depths, Lord,
2 Lord, listen to my voice;
let your ears pay attention
to what I ask of you![a]
3 Lord,[b] if you were to record iniquities,
Lord, who could remain standing?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that you may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord;
my soul waits,
and I will hope in his word.
6 My soul looks to the Lord
more than watchmen look for the morning—
more, indeed, than[c] watchmen for the morning.
7 Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is gracious love,
along with abundant redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all its sins.
David and Jonathan’s Discussion
20 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and said, “What have I done? What is my crime, and how have I wronged your father so that he’s determined to kill me?[a]
2 Jonathan[b] told him, “Far from it! You won’t die. Look, my father never does anything, great or small, without telling me;[c] so why should my father hide this thing from me? It’s not like that!”
3 David again took an oath: “Your father certainly knows that I’ve found favor with you, and so he told himself,[d] ‘Jonathan must not know this so he won’t be upset.’ But as certainly as the Lord is alive and living, and as certainly as I’m alive and living, too, there is only a step between me and death.”
4 Jonathan told David, “Whatever you say, I’ll do.”
5 David told Jonathan, “Look, the New Moon is tomorrow, and I’m expected to sit down with the king to eat. Let me go so I can hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow.[e] 6 If your father actually notices that I’m not there,[f] then you are to say, ‘David urgently requested that I allow him to run to his hometown of Bethlehem because the yearly sacrifice for the entire family was taking place there.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant will be safe.[g] But if he actually gets angry, you will know that his intentions are evil.[h] 8 Now, show gracious kindness to your servant because you have entered into a sacred covenant[i] with your servant. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself—why should you bring me to your father?”
9 “Nonsense!” Jonathan replied. “If I actually knew that my father intended evil against you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?”
10 Then David told Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
David and Jonathan Make a Covenant
11 Then Jonathan told David, “Come, let’s go into the field.” So the two of them went into the field. 12 Jonathan told David, “The Lord God of Israel is my witness[j] that I’ll carefully question my father by tomorrow or the next day. And if the response[k] is favorable for David, will I not then send word[l] to you and let you know?[m] 13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord strike me dead[n] if I don’t let you know and send you away so you may go safely. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father. 14 If I remain alive, don’t fail to show me the Lord’s gracious love so that I don’t die. 15 And don’t stop showing your gracious love to my family forever, not even when the Lord eliminates each of David’s enemies from the surface of the earth.” 16 Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: “May the Lord punish any violation of this covenant by the hand of David’s enemies.”[o] 17 Jonathan made David vow again out of his love for him, because he loved him as himself.
Jonathan’s Signal to David
18 Jonathan told him, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed because your seat is empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly and come to the place where you hid earlier.[p] Remain beside the rock at Ezel. 20 I’ll shoot three arrows to the side of the rock[q] as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I’ll send a servant,[r] saying,[s] ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the servant,[t] ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come out because it’s safe for you, and, as surely as the Lord lives, there is no danger.[u] 22 But if I say this to the young man: ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 As for the matter about which you and I spoke, remember that[v] the Lord is a witness[w] between us forever.”
Jonathan Intercedes for David
24 David hid in the field. When the New Moon arrived, the king sat down to eat. 25 The king sat down at his place as before, in the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood while Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty.
The Collection for the Christians in Jerusalem
8 We want you to know, brothers, about God’s grace that was given to the churches of Macedonia. 2 In spite of their terrible ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and deep poverty have led them to be abundantly generous. 3 I can testify that by their own free will they have given to the utmost of their ability, yes, even beyond their ability. 4 They begged us earnestly for the privilege[a] of participating in this ministry to the saints. 5 We did not expect that! They gave themselves to the Lord first and then to us, since this was God’s will. 6 So we urged Titus to finish this work of kindness[b] among you in the same way that he had started it. 7 Indeed, the more your faith, speech, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love for us increase, the more we want you to be rich in this work of kindness.[c]
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