Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 1 Samuel chapters
20 and 21, as well as Psalm 59. Chapter 20 Then
David fled from Nait in Ramah, and went and said
to Jonathan, What have I done? What is my iniquity,
and what is my sin before your father, that he
seeks my life? So Jonathan said to him, By no
means you shall not die. Indeed, my father will
do nothing either great or small without first
telling me. And why should my father hide this
thing from me? It is not so. Then David took
an oath again and said, Your father certainly
knows that I have found favor in your eyes. And
he has said, Do not let Jonathan know this, lest
he be grieved. But truly, as the Lord lives and
as your soul lives, there is but a step between
me and death. So Jonathan said to David, Whatever
you yourself desire, I will do it for you. And
David said to Jonathan, Indeed, tomorrow is the
new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the
king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in
the field until the third day at evening. If
your father misses me at all, then say, David
earnestly asked permission of me that he might
run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is
a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
If he says thus, it is well, your servant will
be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that
evil is determined by him. Therefore you shall
deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought
your servant into a covenant of the Lord with
you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me,
kill me yourself, for why should you bring me
to your father? But Jonathan said, Far be it
from you, for if I knew certainly that evil was
determined by my father to come upon you, then
would I not tell you? Then David said to Jonathan,
Who will tell me, or what if your father answers
you roughly? And Jonathan said to David, Come,
let us go out into the field. So both of them
went out into the field. Then Jonathan said to
David, The Lord God of Israel is witness. When
I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow,
or the third day, and indeed there is good toward
David, and I do not send to you and tell you,
may the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan.
But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then
I will report it to you and send you away, that
you may go in safety, and the Lord be with you
as he has been with my father. And you shall
not only show me the kindness of the Lord while
I still live, that I may not die, but you shall
not cut off your kindness from my house forever.
No, not when the Lord has cut off every one of
the enemies of David from the face of the earth.
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of
David, saying, Let the Lord require it at the
hand of David's enemies. Now Jonathan again caused
David to vow because he loved him, for he loved
him as he loved his own soul. Then Jonathan said
to David, Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will
be missed, because your seat will be empty. And
when you have stayed three days, go down quickly
and come to the place where you hid on the day
of the deed, and remain by the stone Ezel. Then
I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though
I shot at a target, and there I will send a lad
saying, Go find the arrows. If I expressly say
to the lad, Look, the arrows are on this side
of you, get them and come. Then as the Lord lives,
there is safety for you and no harm. But if I
say thus to the young man, Look, the arrows are
beyond you. Go your way, for the Lord has sent
you away. And as for the matter which you and
I have spoken of, indeed the Lord be between
you and me forever. Then David hid in the field.
And when the new moon had come, the king sat
down to eat the feast. Now the king sat on his
seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall.
And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side.
But David's place was empty. Nevertheless, Saul
did not say anything that day. for he thought
something has happened to him. He is unclean,
surely he is unclean. And it happened the next
day, the second day of the month, that David's
place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his
son, Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat,
either yesterday or today? So Jonathan answered
Saul, David earnestly asked permission of me
to go to Bethlehem. And he said, Please let me
go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city,
and my brother has commanded me to be there.
And now if I have found favor in your eyes, please
let me get away and see my brothers. Therefore
he has not come to the king's table. Then Saul's
anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said
to him, You son of a perverse, rebellious woman,
do I not know that you have chosen the son of
Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your
mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of
Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established,
nor your kingdom. Now therefore send and bring
him to me, for he shall surely die. And Jonathan
answered Saul his father and said to him, Why
should he be killed? What has he done? Then Saul
cast a spear at him to kill him. by which Jonathan
knew that it was determined by his father to
kill David. So Jonathan arose from the table
in fierce anger and ate no food the second day
of the month, for he was grieved for David, because
his father had treated him shamefully. And so
it was in the morning that Jonathan went out
into the field at the time appointed with David,
and a little lad was with him. Then he said to
his lad, Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.
As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
When the lad had come to the place where the
arrow was, which Jonathan... had shot Jonathan
cried out after the lad and said is not the arrow
beyond you and Jonathan cried out after the lad
make haste hurry do not delay so Jonathan's lad
gathered up the arrows and came back to his master
but the lad did not know anything only Jonathan
and David knew of the matter then Jonathan gave
his weapons to his lad and said to him go carry
them to the city Chapter 21 Now David came to
Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was
afraid when he met David, and said to him, Why
are you alone, and no one is with you? So David
said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has ordered
me on some business, and said to me, Do not let
anyone know anything about the business on which
I send you, or what I have commanded you. And
I have directed my young men to such and such
a place. Now therefore, what have you on hand?
Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever
can be found. And the priest answered David and
said, There is no common bread on hand, but there
is holy bread, if the young men have at least
kept themselves from women. Then David answered
the priest and said to him, Truly women have
been kept from us about three days since I came
out, and the vessels of the young men are holy,
and the bread is in effect common, even though
it was consecrated in the vessel this day. So
the priest gave him holy bread, for there was
no bread there but the show bread which had been
taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot
bread in its place on the day when it was taken
away. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul
was there that day, detained before the Lord,
and his name was Doeg and Edomite, the chief
of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul. And David
said to Ahimelech, Is there not here on hand
a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither
my sword nor my weapons with me, because the
king's business required haste. So the priest
said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom
you killed in the valley of Elah, there it is,
wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will
take that, take it, for there is no other except
that one here. And David said, There is none
like it, give it to me. Then David arose and
fled that day from before Saul. And went to Achish
the king of Gath, and the servants of Achish
said to him, Is this not David the king of the
land? Did they not sing of him to one another
in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands? Now David took these
words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish
the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior
before them, pretended madness in their hands,
scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his
saliva fall down on his beard. Then Akish said
to his servants, Look, you see the man is insane.
Why have you brought him to me? Have I need of
madmen, that you have brought this fellow to
play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow
come into my house? Psalm 59 Deliver me from
my enemies, O my God. Defend me from those who
rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers
of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men.
For look, they lie in wait for my life. The mighty
gather against me. Not for my transgression,
nor for my sin, O Lord. They run and prepare
themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to
help me, and behold, you therefore, O Lord God
of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish
all the nations. Do not be merciful to any wicked
transgressors. Salah At evening they return,
they growl like a dog, and go all around the
city. Indeed, they belch with their mouth, swords
are in their lips, for they say, Who hears? But
you, O Lord, shall laugh at them. You shall have
all the nations in derision. I will wait for
you, O you, his strength. For God is my defense.
My God of mercy shall come to meet me. God shall
let me see my desire on my enemies. Do not slay
them, lest my people forget. Scatter them by
your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our
shield. For the sin of their mouth and the words
of their lips, let them even be taken in their
pride. And for the cursing and lying which they
speak, consume them in wrath, consume them, that
they may not be. And let them know that God rules
in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Salah. And
at evening they return. They growl like a dog
and go all around the city. They wander up and
down for food and howl if they are not satisfied.
But I will sing of your power. Yes, I will sing
aloud of your mercy in the morning. For you have
been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.
To you, O my strength, I will sing praises. For
God is my defense, my God of mercy. I hope you
enjoyed today's reading as much as I did and
I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow to
continue on our journey. God bless you and have
a great day.