Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

We Will Boast in the Name of Yahweh

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

Saul Strikes Down the Philistines

13 ^[a]Saul was ^[b]thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned ^[c]forty-two years over Israel.

² And Saul chose for himself 3,000 men of Israel, of which 2,000 were with Saul in ^(A)Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while 1,000 were with Jonathan at ^(B)Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent away the rest of the people, each to his tent. ³ And Jonathan struck ^(C)the garrison of the Philistines that was in ^(D)Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul ^(E)blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” ⁴ Then all Israel heard ^[d]the news that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel ^(F)had become odious to the Philistines. The people were then summoned ^[e]to Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen and ^(G)people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of ^(H)Beth-aven. ⁶ Now the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were hard-pressed). Then ^(I)the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits. ⁷ Also some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of ^(J)Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

Saul Doesn’t Keep Yahweh’s Commandment

⁸ So ^(K)he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. ⁹ So Saul said, “Bring near to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And ^(L)he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ And as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and ^(M)Saul went out to meet him and to ^[f]greet him. ¹¹ But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that ^(N)the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, ¹² therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of Yahweh.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” ¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, “^(O)You have acted foolishly; ^(P)you have not kept the commandment of Yahweh your God, which He commanded you, for now Yahweh would have established your kingdom ^[g]over Israel ^(Q)forever. ¹⁴ But ^(R)now your kingdom shall not endure. ^(S)Yahweh has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him as ruler over His people because you have not kept what Yahweh commanded you.”

¹⁵ Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to ^(T)Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul ^[h]numbered the people who were present with him, ^(U)about six hundred men.

The Parable of the Sower

4 ^(A)And He began to teach again ^(B)by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that ^(C)He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. ² And He was teaching them many things in ^(D)parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, ³ “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; ⁴ and it happened that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. ⁶ And after the sun rose, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no ^[a]crop. ⁸ And other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they were yielding a ^[b]crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” ⁹ And He was saying, “^(E)He who has ears to hear, ^[c]let him hear.”

¹⁰ And when He was alone, ^[d]His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. ¹¹ And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to ^(F)those who are outside, everything comes ^(G)in parables, ¹² so that ^(H)while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, lest they return and be forgiven.”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

^13 (I)And He *said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown: when they hear, immediately ^(J)Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. ¹⁶ And in a similar way, these are the ones being sown on the rocky places: those who, when hearing the word, immediately receive it with joy; ¹⁷ and they have no root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they ^[e]fall away. ¹⁸ And others are those being sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of ^(K)the ^[f]world, and the ^(L)deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for anything else enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ And those are the ones which were sown on the good soil: they who hear the word and accept it and ^(M)are bearing fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”