Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Praise with Shofar and Cymbals

Psalm 150

¹⁹ They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”

²⁰ So David rose up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, took the provisions and went as Jesse had commanded him. When he reached the camp, the army was going out to the battle line shouting the war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines drew up their battle lines, army against army. ²² Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered to check out his brothers’ welfare. ²³ But as he was talking with them, behold the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the ranks of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.

²⁴ Upon seeing him, all the men of Israel fled from him in great fear. ²⁵ All the men of Israel were saying, “Have you seen this man who keeps coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel! The man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches, give him his daughter in marriage and make his father’s house tax-free in Israel!”

²⁶ Then David asked the men who were standing by him saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the ranks of the living God?”

²⁷ The people answered him with the same speech saying, “Thus it will be done for the man who strikes him down.” ²⁸ Now when Eliab his oldest brother heard him speaking to the men, Eliab’s anger was kindled against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “So with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart! For you’ve come down here to watch the battle.”

²⁹ “What have I done now?” David said. “It was only a question!” ³⁰ Then he turned away from him toward someone else and asked the same question. So the people gave him the same answer as before.

³¹ The words that David said were overheard and reported before Saul. So he was taken to him. ³² David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

¹⁷ But the kohen gadol rose up, and all those with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. ¹⁸ They grabbed the emissaries and put them in a public jail. ¹⁹ But during the night an angel of Adonai opened the prison doors, and leading them out he said, ²⁰ “Go, stand in the Temple and speak to the people the whole message about this Life.” ²¹ Now when they heard that, they entered the Temple at daybreak and began teaching.

When the kohen gadol and those with him arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin, even the council of elders of Bnei-Yisrael, and sent to the prison to have the prisoners brought in. ²² But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison. So they returned and reported, ²³ saying, “We found the prison locked with maximum security and the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened up, we found no one inside.”

²⁴ When the captain of the Temple and the ruling kohanim heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering where this would lead. ²⁵ But someone came and reported to them, “The men you put in prison are standing in the Temple and teaching the people!” ²⁶ Then the captain went off with the officers and brought the emissaries—but not with force, because they feared they might be stoned by the people.