Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
David Slays Goliath with Sling and Stone
17 Now the Philistines assembled their armies to battle. They were gathered at Socoh of Judah, and camped in Ephes-dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.
4 Then a champion stepped out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and a breastplate of scale armor; the weight of the bronze breastplate was 5,000 shekels[a]. 6 He also had bronze shin-guards on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed 600 shekels[b] of iron; and his shield-bearer was marching ahead of him.
8 Then he stood and shouted out to the ranks of Israel saying to them, “Why come out to line up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and aren’t you Saul’s servants? Choose for yourselves a man and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then will we become your slaves; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then will you become our slaves and serve us.” 10 The Philistine added, “Today I defy the ranks of Israel—give me a man, so we may fight together!”
11 But when Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very terrified.
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.
32 David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
33 Then Saul said to David, “You can’t go fight this Philistine—for you’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb out of its mouth. If it rose up against me, I grabbed him by its fur, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, so this uncircumcised Philistine will become like one of them—since he has defied the ranks of the living God.” 37 Then David said, “Adonai, who has delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
“Go!” said Saul to David, “and may Adonai be with you.”
38 Then Saul clothed David with his own garb, put a bronze helmet on his head, and clothed him in armor. 39 David strapped his sword on his garment and tried to walk, but he was not used to it. So David said to Saul, “I cannot walk in these, for I am not used to them.” So David took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the valley, put them in the pocket of the shepherd’s bag that he had, and with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.
41 Meanwhile, the Philistine drew nearer and approached David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 Now when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was just a ruddy boy with a handsome appearance. 43 Then the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, so I may give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.”
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You are coming to me with a sword, a spear and a javelin, but I am coming to you in the Name of Adonai-Tzva’ot, God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This very day Adonai will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and take your head off you, and I will give the carcasses of the Philistines’ camp today to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth. Then all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and so all this assembly will know that Adonai delivers not with sword and spear—for the battle belongs to Adonai—and He will give you into our hands.”
48 Then when the Philistine rose and began to advance, drawing near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took from it a stone and slung it, striking the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.
57 So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58 “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul said to him.
David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.”
Jonathan’s Covenant Love for David
18 Now it came to pass, when David had finished speaking to Saul, Jonathan’s soul was knit to David’s soul, and Jonathan loved him as himself. 2 Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan cut a covenant with David, because he loved him as himself. 4 Jonathan stripped off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, along with his armor: his sword, bow and belt.
Saul’s Jealousy
5 So David went out wherever Saul sent him and had success, so Saul set him over the men of war. It was pleasing in the eyes of all the people as well as in the eyes of Saul’s courtiers.
10 It came about the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, so that he was raving within the palace. While David was playing music with his hand, as he did day by day, Saul had his spear in his hand, 11 and Saul hurled the spear, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall!” But David eluded him—twice.
12 Now Saul became afraid of David, because Adonai was with him but had departed from Saul. 13 Therefore Saul removed him from his entourage by appointing him as a captain of a thousand. So David went out and came in before the troops. 14 David had success in all his undertakings, since Adonai was with him. 15 When Saul saw that he had great success, he dreaded him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.
9 He judges the world in righteousness
and governs the peoples justly.
10 Adonai is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a high tower in times of trouble.
11 Those who know Your Name trust You—
for You, Adonai, never have forsaken those who seek You.
12 Sing praises to Adonai, who dwells in Zion.
Declare His deeds among the peoples.
13 He who avenges blood remembers.
He will not forget the cry of the afflicted.
14 Be compassionate to me, Adonai.
See my affliction from those hating me.
Lift me up from the gates of death.
15 Then I will tell all your praises
in the gates of the daughter of Zion,
rejoicing in Your salvation.
16 The nations sank into the pit they made.
The net they hid caught their own foot.
17 Adonai is known for executing judgment.
The wicked one is trapped in the work of his own hands.
Selah
18 The wicked will turn to Sheol,
as will all the nations that forget God.
19 For the needy will not forever be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
20 Arise, Adonai, do not let man triumph.
Let the nations be judged before You.
Blessing of Unity
Psalm 133
1 A Song of Ascents. Of David.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
for brothers to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
coming down upon the beard—Aaron’s beard—
coming down on the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
coming down upon the mountains of Zion.
For there Adonai commanded the blessing
—life forevermore!
6 Since we are co-laboring, we also urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For He says,
“At a favorable time I listened to you,
in a day of salvation I helped you.”[a]
Behold, now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We give no cause for offense in anything, so that our ministry may not be blamed. 4 But as God’s servants, we are commending ourselves in every way—in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, 5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in troubles, in sleeplessness, in hunger; 6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Ruach ha-Kodesh, in genuine love, 7 in truthful speech, in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through evil report and good report. We are regarded as deceivers and yet true; 9 as unknown and yet well-known; as dying, yet behold, we live; as disciplined yet not put to death; [b] 10 as grieving yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken openly to you, O Corinthians; our heart is open wide! 12 You are not restricted by us, yet you are restricted in your own feelings. 13 Now in return—I speak as to my children—open wide to us also.
Power Over Nature
35 Now on that same day in the evening, He says to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side.” 36 After leaving the crowd, they take Him along in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him.
37 A great windstorm arises, and the waves were rushing into the boat. The boat was beginning to fill up. 38 But Yeshua was in the back of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They wake Him up and say to Him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?”
39 So He woke up and rebuked the wind. And He said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and it became totally calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Even now you have no faith?”
41 They were struck with awe and said to one another, “Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.