Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Lead Me to the Rock

For the choir director. On a stringed instrument. Of David.

David’s Lovingkindness to Mephibosheth

9 Then David said, “Is there yet ^[a]anyone left of the house of Saul, ^(A)that I may show him lovingkindness for Jonathan’s sake?” ² Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you ^(B)Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” ³ And the king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the ^(C)lovingkindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “^(D)There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” ⁴ So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is ^(E)in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” ⁵ Then King David sent and took him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. ^6 (F)So Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and ^(G)fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” ⁷ And David said to him, “Do not fear, for ^(H)I will surely show lovingkindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and ^(I)will restore to you all the ^[b]land of your ^[c]grandfather Saul; and ^(J)you shall ^[d]eat at my table continually.” ⁸ So he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard ^(K)a dead dog like me?”

⁹ Then the king called Saul’s young man Ziba and said to him, “^(L)All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s ^[e]grandson. ¹⁰ And you and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson may have food and eat of it; nevertheless ^(M)Mephibosheth your master’s grandson ^(N)shall ^[f]eat at my table continually.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According ^(O)to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at ^[g]David’s table as one of the king’s sons. ¹² Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for ^(P)he ate at the king’s table continually. Now ^(Q)he was lame in both feet.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now all the ^(A)tax collectors and the ^[a]sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. ² And both the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling, saying, “This man receives sinners and ^(B)eats with them.”

³ So He told them this parable, saying, ⁴ “^(C)What man among you, if he has one hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the ^[b]open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.