Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Song of Ascents

A Prayer for Mercy

²⁷ But the next day, on the second day of the New Moon, David’s place was empty, and so Saul told his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t Jesse’s son come to the festival, either yesterday or today?”

²⁸ Jonathan answered Saul, “David urgently requested that I let him go to Bethlehem. ²⁹ He said, ‘Please let me go because our family has a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has ordered me to come. Now, if it’s acceptable to you,^[a] please let me get away so I can see my brothers.’ That’s the reason he didn’t come to the king’s table.”

Saul’s Anger toward Jonathan

³⁰ Saul flew into a rage and told Jonathan, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have chosen Jesse’s son to your shame and to the shame of your mother who bore you?^{[b] 31} As long as^[c] Jesse’s son lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established! Now send someone and bring David^[d] to me. He’s a dead man!”

³² Jonathan asked his father Saul, “Why should he be killed? What did he do?” ³³ Then Saul threw the spear that was beside him to strike Jonathan^[e] down. So Jonathan realized that his father was determined to kill David. ³⁴ So on the second day of the New Moon Jonathan angrily got up from the table without eating because he was upset about David, and because his father had humiliated him.

Jonathan Warns David

³⁵ In the morning Jonathan, accompanied by a servant,^[f] went out to the field for the appointment with David. ³⁶ Jonathan^[g] told his servant,^[h] “Run, find the arrows that I’m shooting.” As the servant^[i] ran, Jonathan^[j] shot the arrow beyond him. ³⁷ The servant^[k] came to the place where Jonathan had shot it, and Jonathan called out to him,^[l] “The arrow is beyond you, isn’t it?” ³⁸ Jonathan called out to the servant,^[m] “Hurry, be quick, don’t stand around.” Jonathan’s servant^[n] picked up the arrow and brought it to his master. ³⁹ The servant was not aware of anything. Only Jonathan and David understood what had happened.^[o]

⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant^[p] who was with him and told him, “Go, take these things to the city.” ⁴¹ The servant^[q] went. Then David came out from the south side of the rock,^[r] fell on his face, and bowed down three times. The men kissed each other, and both of them cried, but David even more. ⁴² Jonathan told David, “Go in peace since both of us swore in the name of the Lord: ‘May the Lord be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’”

^[s]Then David^[t] got up and left, while Jonathan went to the city.

Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit^(A)

³¹ Then Jesus^[a] went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and began teaching the people^[b] on Sabbath days.^{[c] 32} They were utterly amazed at what he taught, because his message was spoken^[d] with authority.

³³ In the synagogue was a man who had a demon.^[e] He screamed with a loud voice, ³⁴ “Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

³⁵ But Jesus rebuked him. “Be quiet,” he said, “and come out of him!” At this, the demon threw the man^[f] down in the middle of the synagogue^[g] and came out of him without hurting him.

³⁶ Overwhelmed with amazement, they all kept saying to one another, “What kind of statement is this?—because with authority and power he gives orders to unclean spirits, and they come out!” ³⁷ So news about him spread to every place in the surrounding region.