Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Adonai lives! Blessed Be My Rock
Psalm 18
1 For the music director: a psalm of David the servant of Adonai. He chanted the words of this song to Adonai on the day Adonai delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
2 He said, I love You, Adonai my strength!
3 Adonai is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.
My God is my rock, in Him I take refuge,
my shield, my horn of salvation, my stronghold.
4 I called upon Adonai, worthy of praise,
and I was rescued from my enemies.
5 Cords of death entangled me.
Torrents of Belial overwhelmed me.
6 Cords of Sheol coiled around me.
Snares of death came before me.
43 Then I beat them as fine as dust before the wind.
I pour them out like mud in the streets.
44 You free me from strifes of the people.
You set me as head of the nations—
people I did not know are serving me.
45 As soon as they hear, they obey me.
Children of foreigners cringe before me.
46 Children of foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their hideouts.
47 Adonai lives! And blessed be my Rock!
Exalted be God my salvation!
48 God—He gives me vengeance
and subdues peoples under me.
49 He delivers me from my enemies.
Indeed You lift me up above those who rise up against me.
You deliver me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I praise You among the nations,
Adonai, and sing praises to Your Name.[a]
Saul Dies on Mount Gilboa
10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons. The Philistines killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchi-shua. 3 The battle raged around Saul and the archers spotted him and he was wounded by the archers.
4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, so that these uncircumcised will not come and torture me.”
But his armor-bearer refused to do it, because he was terrified. Therefore Saul took the sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. 6 So Saul and his three sons died; his whole household died together. 7 Now when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. The Philistines then came and lived in them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines proclaiming the good news to their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the house of their gods, and hung his head in the house of Dagon.
11 Now when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
13 So Saul died because of his unfaithful acts that he committed against the word of Adonai, which he did not keep, and he even consulted a medium for guidance 14 rather than inquire of Adonai. So He put him to death and transferred the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.
The Secret of Prayer
14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a big crowd around them and the Torah scholars arguing with them. 15 Suddenly, when the whole crowd saw Yeshua, they were amazed and began running to greet Him. 16 He questioned them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
17 And a man from the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes stiff. I told Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t!”
19 And answering them, He said, “Oh faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me.”
20 They brought the boy to Yeshua. When the spirit saw Him, immediately it threw the boy into a convulsion. The boy fell to the ground and began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21 Yeshua asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
“Since he was a child,” the man answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion and help us!”
23 “‘If You can’?” Yeshua said to him. “All things are possible for one who believes!”
24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I believe! Help my unbelief!”
25 When Yeshua saw that a crowd was gathering fast, He rebuked the unclean spirit, telling it, “I command you, deaf and mute spirit, come out of him and do not ever enter him again!”
26 After howling and shaking the boy wildly, it came out. The boy became so much like a corpse that many were saying, “He’s dead!” 27 But Yeshua took him by the hand and lifted him, and the boy stood up.
28 After Yeshua came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him in private, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out except by prayer.”[a]
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.