Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

David and Goliath

17 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at ^(A)Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim.

⁴ And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named ^(A)Goliath, from ^(B)Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was ^[a]armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. ⁶ And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. ⁷ Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. ⁸ Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the ^(C)servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and ^(D)serve us.” ¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “I ^(E)defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

¹⁹ Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

²⁰ So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. ²¹ For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. ²² And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. ²³ Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke ^(A)according to the same words. So David heard them.

³² Then David said to Saul, ^(A)“Let no man’s heart fail because of him; ^(B)your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

³³ And Saul said to David, ^(C)“You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a ^(D)lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Moreover David said, ^(E)“The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, ^(F)“Go, and the Lord be with you!”

³⁸ So Saul clothed David with his ^[a]armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. ⁴¹ So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. ⁴² And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he ^(G)disdained^[b] him; for he was only a youth, ^(H)ruddy and good-looking. ⁴³ So the Philistine ^(I)said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ And the Philistine ^(J)said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. ^(K)But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have ^(L)defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give ^(M)the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, ^(N)that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord ^(O)does not save with sword and spear; for ^(P)the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

⁴⁸ So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ^(Q)ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

⁵⁷ Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul ^(A)with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ⁵⁸ And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?”

So David answered, ^(B)“I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

Saul Resents David

18 Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, ^(C)the ^[a]soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, ^(D)and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ² Saul took him that day, ^(E)and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. ³ Then Jonathan and David made a ^(F)covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴ And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.

⁵ So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and ^[b]behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

¹⁰ And it happened on the next day that ^(A)the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, ^(B)and he prophesied inside the house. So David ^(C)played music with his hand, as at other times; ^(D)but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. ¹¹ And Saul ^(E)cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.

¹² Now Saul was ^(F)afraid of David, because ^(G)the Lord was with him, but had ^(H)departed from Saul. ¹³ Therefore Saul removed him from ^[a]his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and ^(I)he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴ And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and ^(J)the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. ¹⁶ But ^(K)all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

Blessed Unity of the People of God

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

Marks of the Ministry

6 We then, as ^(A)workers together with Him also ^(B)plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ² For He says:

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

^3 (D)We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. ⁴ But in all things we commend ourselves ^(E)as ministers of God: in much ^[a]patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, ^5 (F)in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; ⁶ by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by ^[b]sincere love, ^7 (G)by the word of truth, by ^(H)the power of God, by ^(I)the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ⁸ by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; ⁹ as unknown, and ^(J)yet well known; ^(K)as dying, and behold we live; ^(L)as chastened, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many ^(M)rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

Be Holy

¹¹ O Corinthians! ^[c]We have spoken openly to you, ^(N)our heart is wide open. ¹² You are not restricted by us, but ^(O)you are restricted by your own affections. ¹³ Now in return for the same ^(P)(I speak as to children), you also be open.

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus^(A)

^35 (B)On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” ³⁶ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. ³⁸ But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ^(C)“Teacher, ^(D)do You not care that we are perishing?”

³⁹ Then He arose and ^(E)rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ^(F)“Peace,^[a] be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? ^(G)How^[b] is it that you have no faith?” ⁴¹ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”