Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 18
Praise for Deliverance
For the choir director. Of the servant of the Lord, David, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the grasp of all his enemies and from the power of Saul.(A) He said:
1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock,
my fortress, and my deliverer,(B)
my God, my rock where I seek refuge,
my shield(C) and the horn of my salvation,(D)
my stronghold.
3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,(E)
and I was saved from my enemies.(F)
4 The ropes of death were wrapped around me;
the torrents of destruction terrified me.(G)
5 The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.(H)
6 I called to the Lord in my distress,
and I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,(I)
and my cry to him reached his ears.(J)
43 You have freed me from the feuds among the people;
you have appointed me the head of nations;(A)
a people I had not known serve me.(B)
44 Foreigners submit to me cringing;
as soon as they hear they obey me.(C)
45 Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their fortifications.(D)
46 The Lord lives—blessed be my rock!
The God of my salvation is exalted.(E)
47 God—he grants me vengeance(F)
and subdues peoples under me.(G)
48 He frees me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my adversaries;
you rescue me from violent men.(H)
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, Lord;
I will sing praises about your name.(I)
50 He gives great victories to his king;(J)
he shows loyalty to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.(K)
The Death of Saul and His Sons
31 The Philistines fought against Israel,(A) and Israel’s men fled from them and were killed on Mount Gilboa.(B) 2 The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and killed his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. 3 When the battle intensified against Saul,(C) the archers found him and severely wounded him.[a] 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer,(D) “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men(E) will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer would not do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it.(F) 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him. 6 So on that day, Saul died together with his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men.
7 When the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and on the other side of the Jordan saw that Israel’s men had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. So the Philistines came and settled in them.
8 The next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news(G) in the temples of their idols(H) and among the people. 10 Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths(I) and hung his body(J) on the wall of Beth-shan.(K)
11 When the residents of Jabesh-gilead(L) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their brave men(M) set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.(N) 13 Afterward, they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree(O) in Jabesh(P) and fasted seven days.
Motivations for Giving
9 Now concerning the ministry to the saints, it is unnecessary for me to write to you. 2 For I know your eagerness, and I boast about you to the Macedonians,(A) “Achaia(B) has been ready since last year,” and your zeal(C) has stirred up most of them.(D) 3 But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter would not prove empty, and so that you would be ready just as I said. 4 Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, would be put to shame in that situation.[a] 5 Therefore I considered it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance the generous gift(E) you promised, so that it will be ready as a gift and not as an extortion.(F)
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