Water from the Rock

1 ^wAll the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 ^xTherefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you ^ytest the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and ^zthe people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready ^ato stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with ^bwhich you struck the Nile, and go. 6 ^cBehold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place ^dMassah¹ and ^eMeribah,² because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Israel Defeats Amalek

8 ^fThen Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to ^gJoshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with ^hthe staff of God in my hand.” 10 So ^gJoshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and ⁱHur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses ^jheld up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and ⁱHur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And ^gJoshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of ^gJoshua, that ^kI will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses ^lbuilt an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, 16 saying, “A hand upon the throne³ of the Lord! ^kThe Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Make Your Face Shine upon Us

To the choirmaster: with ^vstringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

David and Jonathan’s Friendship

1 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan ^dloved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day ^eand would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because ^dhe loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David went out ^fand was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

Saul’s Jealousy of David

6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, ^gthe women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.¹ 7 And the women ^hsang to one another as they celebrated,

8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but ^jthe kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on.

10 The next day ^ka harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and ^lhe raved within his house while David was ^mplaying the lyre, as he did day by day. ⁿSaul had his spear in his hand. 11 And Saul ^ohurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.

12 ^pSaul was afraid of David because ^qthe Lord was with him ^rbut had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. ^sAnd he went out and came in before the people. 14 And David ^thad success in all his undertakings, ^qfor the Lord was with him. 15 And when Saul saw that ^the had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. 16 ^uBut all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

David Marries Michal

17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is ^vmy elder daughter Merab. ^wI will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me ^xand fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, ^ybut let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” 18 And David said to Saul, ^z“Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father’s clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” 19 But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to ^aAdriel the ^bMeholathite for a wife.

20 Now ^vSaul’s daughter Michal ^cloved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may ^dbe a snare for him ^eand that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time,^{2 f}“You shall now be my son-in-law.” 22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king’s son-in-law.’” 23 And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, ^g“Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?” 24 And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” 25 Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no ^hbride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ⁱthat he may be avenged of the king’s enemies.’” ^jNow Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. ^kBefore the time had expired, 27 David arose and went, ^lalong with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. ^mAnd David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. 28 But when Saul saw and knew that ⁿthe Lord was with David, ^oand that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, 29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.

30 ^pThen the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out ^qDavid had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one ^aof the priests who were in ^bAnathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of ^cJosiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in ^dthe thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of ^eJehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and ^funtil the end of the eleventh year of ^gZedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, ^huntil the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

The Call of Jeremiah

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, ^lI do not know how to speak, ^mfor I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me,

9 ^qThen the Lord put out his hand and ^rtouched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^u“Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond¹ branch.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see ^va boiling pot, facing away ^wfrom the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, ^w“Out of the north disaster² shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, ^xI am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, ^yand they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And ^zI will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil ^ain forsaking me. ^bThey have made offerings to other gods and ^cworshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, ^ddress yourself for work;³ arise, and ^esay to them everything that I command you. ^fDo not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day ^ga fortified city, ^han iron pillar, and ⁱbronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 ⁱThey will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for ^jI am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

Jesus Before Pilate

1 ^cThen the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man ^dmisleading our nation and ^eforbidding us to give tribute to ^fCaesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, ^ga king.” 3 ^hAnd Pilate asked him, ⁱ“Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, ^j“You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ^k“I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, ^lfrom Galilee even to this place.”

Jesus Before Herod

6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to ^mHerod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, ⁿfor he had long desired to see him, ^obecause he had heard about him, and he was hoping ^pto see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers ^qtreated him with contempt and ^rmocked him. Then, ^sarraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And ^tHerod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and ^uthe rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man ^vas one who was misleading the people. And ^wafter examining him before you, behold, I ^xdid not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15 Neither did Herod, for ^yhe sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. 16 ^zI will therefore punish and release him.”¹

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

18 ^aBut they all cried out together, ^b“Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and ^cfor murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” 22 A third time he said to them, “Why? ^dWhat evil has he done? ^eI have found in him no guilt deserving death. ^fI will therefore punish and release him.” 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison ^gfor insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, ^hbut he delivered Jesus over to their will.

The Crucifixion

26 ⁱAnd as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were ^jmourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, ^kthe days are coming when they will say, ^l‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 ^mThen they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For ⁿif they do these things when ^othe wood is green, what will happen ^owhen it is dry?”

32 ^pTwo others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 ^qAnd when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, ^pone on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, ^rforgive them, ^sfor they know not what they do.”² And they cast lots ^tto divide his garments. 35 And ^uthe people stood by, watching, ^vbut ^wthe rulers ^xscoffed at him, saying, ^y“He saved others; ^zlet him save himself, ^aif he is ^bthe Christ of God, ^chis Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and ^doffering him sour wine 37 and saying, ^e“If you are ^fthe King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 ^gThere was also an inscription over him,³ “This is ^fthe King of the Jews.”

39 ^hOne of the criminals who were hanged ⁱrailed at him,⁴ saying, “Are you not ^jthe Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me ^kwhen you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in ^lparadise.”

The Death of Jesus

44 ^mIt was now about the sixth hour,⁵ and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,⁶ 45 while the sun’s light failed. And ⁿthe curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, ^ocalling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, ^pinto your hands I ^qcommit my spirit!” And having said this ^rhe breathed his last. 47 Now ^swhen the centurion saw what had taken place, ^the praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home ^ubeating their breasts. 49 And all ^vhis acquaintances and ^wthe women who had followed him from Galilee ^xstood at a distance watching these things.

Jesus Is Buried

50 ^yNow there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he ^zwas looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and ^alaid him in a tomb cut in stone, ^bwhere no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of ^cPreparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.⁷ 55 ^dThe women ^ewho had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and ^fprepared spices and ointments.

On the Sabbath they rested ^gaccording to the commandment.