Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Psalm of Praise.
150 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Praise God in His (A)sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty [c](B)expanse.
2 Praise Him for His (C)mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent (D)greatness.
3 Praise Him with (E)trumpet sound;
Praise Him with (F)harp and lyre.
4 Praise Him with (G)timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with (H)stringed instruments and (I)pipe.
5 Praise Him with loud (J)cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let (K)everything that has breath praise [d]the Lord.
[e]Praise [f]the Lord!
Goliath’s Challenge
17 Now (A)the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between (B)Socoh and (C)Azekah, in (D)Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in (E)the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. 4 Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named (F)Goliath, from (G)Gath, whose height was six [a]cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor [b]which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He also had bronze [c]greaves on his legs and a (H)bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. 7 (I)The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; (J)his shield-carrier also walked before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you (K)servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. 9 (L)If he is able to fight with me and [d]kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and [e]kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.” 10 Again the Philistine said, “(M)I defy the ranks 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.
12 Now David was (N)the son of [f]the (O)Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and (P)he had eight sons. And [g]Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men. 13 The three older sons of Jesse had [h]gone after Saul to the battle. And (Q)the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 (R)David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul, 15 (S)but David went back and forth from Saul (T)to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem. 16 The Philistine came [i]forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.
17 Then Jesse said to David his son, “(U)Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. 18 (V)Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, (W)and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back [j]news of them. 19 For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”
David Accepts the Challenge
20 So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the (X)circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle array, army against army. 22 Then David left his (Y)baggage in the [k]care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke (Z)these same words; and David heard them.
12 [a]At the hands of the apostles many (A)signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in (B)Solomon’s portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, (C)the people held them in high esteem. 14 And all the more (D)believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly (E)added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by (F)at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16 Also the [b]people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick [c]or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
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