Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Hope in the Lord’s Forgiving Love.

A Song of Ascents.

²⁷ But it came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty again; so Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” ²⁸ And Jonathan answered Saul, “^(A)David earnestly requested leave of me to go to Bethlehem. ²⁹ He said, ‘Please let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has ordered me to attend. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me slip away so that I may see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”

Saul Is Angry with Jonathan

³⁰ Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? ³¹ For, ^[a]as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now then, send men and bring him to me, for ^(B)he is ^[b]doomed to die!” ³² But Jonathan replied to his father Saul and said to him, “^(C)Why must he be put to death? What has he done?” ³³ Then ^(D)Saul hurled his spear at him to strike and kill him; ^(E)so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death. ³⁴ Then Jonathan got up from the table in the heat of anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, because he was worried about David since his father had insulted him.

³⁵ Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out to the field at the time agreed upon with David, and a little boy was with him. ³⁶ He said to his boy, “^(F)Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” The boy ran, and he shot ^[c]an arrow past him. ³⁷ When the boy reached the location of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “^(G)Is the arrow not beyond you?” ³⁸ Then Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s boy picked up the arrow and came to his master. ³⁹ But the boy was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter. ⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.” ⁴¹ When the boy was gone, David got up from the south side, then he fell on his face to the ground and ^(H)bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, until ^(I)David wept immeasurably. ⁴² Then Jonathan said to David, “^(J)Go ^[d]in safety, since we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘^(K)The Lord will be between me and you, and between my ^[e]descendants and your ^[f]descendants forever.’” ^[g]So David set out and went on his way, while Jonathan went into the city.

³¹ And ^(A)He came down to ^(B)Capernaum, a city of Galilee; and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; ³² and ^(C)they were amazed at His teaching, because ^(D)His ^[a]message was delivered with authority. ³³ In the synagogue there was a man ^[b]possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴ “Leave us alone! ^[c](E)What business do You have with us, Jesus ^[d]of ^(F)Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—^(G)the Holy One of God!” ³⁵ But Jesus ^(H)rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, it came out of him without doing him any harm. ³⁶ And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another, saying, “What is ^[e]this message? For ^(I)with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” ³⁷ And ^(J)the news about Him was spreading into every locality of the surrounding region.