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
10 The Philistines(A) fought against Israel, and Israel’s men fled from them. Many were killed on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. 3 When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers spotted him and severely wounded him. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me.” But his armor-bearer would not do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died. 6 So Saul and his three sons died—his whole house died together.
7 When all the men of Israel in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their 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 sons dead on Mount Gilboa. 9 They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news to their idols and the people. 10 Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his skull in the temple of Dagon.(B)
11 When all Jabesh-gilead heard of everything the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their brave men set out and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak[a] in Jabesh(C) and fasted seven days.
13 Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord because he did not keep the Lord’s word.(D) He even consulted a medium for guidance,(E) 14 but he did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.(F)
The Power of Faith over a Demon
14 When(A) they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing(B) with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran to greet him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?”
17 Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher,(C) I brought my son to you. He has a spirit(D) that makes him unable to speak.(E) 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”
19 He replied to them, “You unbelieving(F) generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20 So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father.
“From childhood,” he said. 22 “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy(G) him. But if you can do anything, have compassion(H) on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’?[a] Everything is possible(I) for the one who believes.”(J)
24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked(K) the unclean(L) spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf(M) spirit, I command you: Come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 Then it came out, shrieking and throwing him into terrible convulsions.(N) The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him,(O) and he stood up.
28 After he had gone into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 And he told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.”[b](P)
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