Mark 12:13–27; 2 Corinthians 8; Psalm 103:1; 1 Samuel 19–20

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Mark 12:13–27

Paying Taxes to Caesar

13 yAnd they sent to him some of zthe Pharisees and some of zthe Herodians, to atrap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, Teacher, bwe know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For cyou are not swayed by appearances,1 but truly teach dthe way of God. Is it lawful to pay etaxes to fCaesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not? 15 But, knowing gtheir hypocrisy, he said to them, Why hput me to the test? Bring me ia denarius2 and let me look at it. 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, Whose likeness and inscription is this? They said to him, Caesar’s. 17 Jesus said to them, jRender to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him.

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

18 And kSadducees came to him, lwho say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 Teacher, Moses wrote for us that mif a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man3 must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.

24 Jesus said to them, Is this not the reason you are wrong, because nyou know neither the Scriptures nor othe power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither pmarry nor pare given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, qhave you not read in rthe book of Moses, in sthe passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, tI am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.


2 Corinthians 8

Encouragement to Give Generously

We want you to know, brothers,1 about the grace of God that has been hgiven among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and itheir extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave jaccording to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly kfor the favor2 of taking part in lthe relief of the saints and this, not as we expected, but they mgave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, nwe urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you othis act of grace. But as pyou excel in everythingin faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you3qsee that you excel in this act of grace also.

rI say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that sthough he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter tI give my judgment: uthis benefits you, who va year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable waccording to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply xtheir need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, yWhoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.

Commendation of Titus

16 But zthanks be to God, awho put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For bhe not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going4 to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending5 cthe brother who is famous among dall the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been eappointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of fgrace that is being ministered by us, gfor the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for hwe aim at what is honorable inot only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is jmy partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers6 of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of kour boasting about you to these men.


Psalm 103:1

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

Of David.

yBless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!


1 Samuel 19–20

Saul Tries to Kill David

And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. rBut Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. And Jonathan told David, Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you. And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, Let not the king ssin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. For the took his life in his hand uand he struck down the Philistine, vand the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against winnocent blood by killing David without cause? And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, xAs the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death. And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence yas before.

And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. zThen a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. aAnd David was playing the lyre. 10 bAnd Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

11 cSaul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed. 12 dSo Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13 Michal took ean image1 and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. 14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him. 16 And when the messengers came in, behold, ethe image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go. fWhy should I kill you?

18 Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at gRamah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. 19 And it was told Saul, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. 20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, hthe Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, iand they also prophesied. 21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, iand they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, iand they also prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in gRamah. 23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. jAnd the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 kAnd he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, lIs Saul also among the prophets?

Jonathan Warns David

Then David fled from Naioth min Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life? And he said to him, Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so. But David vowed again, saying, Your father knows well that nI have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved. But truly, oas the Lord lives and pas your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death. Then Jonathan said to David, Whatever you say, I will do for you. David said to Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is qthe new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, rthat I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. sIf your father misses me at all, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me to run tto Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly usacrifice there for all the clan. If he says, Good! it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that vharm is determined by him. Therefore deal kindly with your servant, wfor you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. xBut if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father? And Jonathan said, Far be it from you! If I knew that vit was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you? 10 Then David said to Jonathan, Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly? 11 And Jonathan said to David, Come, let us go out into the field. So they both went out into the field.

12 And Jonathan said to David, The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness!2 When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 But should it please my father to do you harm, ythe Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. zMay the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; 15 aand do not cut off3 your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, bMay4 the Lord take vengeance on David’s enemies. 17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, cfor he loved him as he loved his own soul.

18 Then Jonathan said to him, dTomorrow is the new moon, and eyou will be missed, because fyour seat will be empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap.5 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 And behold, I will send the boy, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I say to the boy, Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them, then you are to come, for, gas the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the youth, hLook, the arrows are beyond you, then go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 iAnd as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, jthe Lord is between you and me forever.

24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite,6 and Abner sat by Saul’s side, kbut David’s place was empty.

26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, Something has happened to him. lHe is not clean; surely he is not clean. 27 But on mthe second day, the day after the new moon, kDavid’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today? 28 Jonathan answered Saul, nDavid earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers. For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.

30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled 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? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die. 32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, oWhy should he be put to death? What has he done? 33 pBut Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew qthat his father was determined to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan rose 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 disgraced him.

35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36 And he said to his boy, Run and find the arrows that I shoot. As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, rIs not the arrow beyond you? 38 And Jonathan called after the boy, Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay! So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, Go and carry them to the city. 41 And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap7 and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, sGo in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, tThe Lord shall be between me and you, uand between my offspring and your offspring, forever. And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.8