Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Praise the Lord with Music

¹⁹ Your brothers are with Saul and the army in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

²⁰ Early in the morning David left the sheep with another shepherd. He took the food and left as Jesse had told him. When David arrived at the camp, the army was going out to their battle positions, shouting their war cry. ²¹ The Israelites and Philistines were lining up their men to face each other in battle.

²² David left the food with the man who kept the supplies and ran to the battle line to talk to his brothers. ²³ While he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out. He shouted things against Israel as usual, and David heard him. ²⁴ When the Israelites saw Goliath, they were very much afraid and ran away.

²⁵ They said, “Look at this man! He keeps coming out to challenge Israel. The king will give much money to whoever kills him. He will also let whoever kills him marry his daughter. And his father’s family will not have to pay taxes in Israel.”

²⁶ David asked the men who stood near him, “What will be done to reward the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? Who does this uncircumcised Philistine think he is? Does he think he can speak against the armies of the living God?”

²⁷ The Israelites told David what would be done for the man who would kill Goliath.

²⁸ When David’s oldest brother Eliab heard David talking with the soldiers, he was angry with David. He asked David, “Why did you come here? Who’s taking care of those few sheep of yours in the desert? I know you are proud and wicked at heart. You came down here just to watch the battle.”

²⁹ David asked, “Now what have I done wrong? Can’t I even talk?” ³⁰ When he turned to other people and asked the same questions, they gave him the same answer as before. ³¹ Yet what David said was told to Saul, and he sent for David.

³² David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged. I, your servant, will go and fight this Philistine!”

Leaders Try to Stop the Apostles

¹⁷ The high priest and all his friends (a group called the Sadducees) became very jealous. ¹⁸ They took the apostles and put them in jail. ¹⁹ But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and led the apostles outside. The angel said, ²⁰ “Go stand in the Temple and tell the people everything about this new life.” ²¹ When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple early in the morning and continued teaching.

When the high priest and his friends arrived, they called a meeting of the leaders and all the important elders. They sent some men to the jail to bring the apostles to them. ²² But, upon arriving, the officers could not find the apostles. So they went back and reported to the leaders. ²³ They said, “The jail was closed and locked, and the guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, the jail was empty!” ²⁴ Hearing this, the captain of the Temple guards and the leading priests were confused and wondered what was happening.

²⁵ Then someone came and told them, “Listen! The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple teaching the people.” ²⁶ Then the captain and his men went out and brought the apostles back. But the soldiers did not use force, because they were afraid the people would stone them to death.