Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Blessed Unity of the People of God

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

⁴ Then David said to him, ^(A)“How did the matter go? Please tell me.”

And he answered, “The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and ^(B)Jonathan his son are dead also.”

⁵ So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”

⁶ Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on ^(C)Mount Gilboa, there was ^(D)Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. ⁷ Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for ^[a]anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ ¹⁰ So I stood over him and ^(E)killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and ^(F)tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. ¹² And they ^(G)mourned and wept and ^(H)fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the ^(I)people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³ Then David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?”

And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.”

¹⁴ So David said to him, “How ^(J)was it you were not ^(K)afraid to ^(L)put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” ¹⁵ Then ^(M)David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and execute him!” And he struck him so that he died. ¹⁶ So David said to him, ^(N)“Your blood is on your own head, for ^(O)your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”

The Song of the Bow

¹⁷ Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, ^18 (P)and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written ^(Q)in the Book ^[b]of Jasher:

Relief to Judea

²⁷ And in these days ^(A)prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ Then one of them, named ^(B)Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of ^(C)Claudius Caesar. ²⁹ Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send ^(D)relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. ^30 (E)This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.