Daily Readings

¹ And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?² And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.³ And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.⁴ Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.⁵ And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.⁶ If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.⁷ If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.⁸ Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?⁹ And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?¹⁰ Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?¹¹ And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.¹² And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;¹³ The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.¹⁴ And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:¹⁵ But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.¹⁶ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.¹⁷ And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.¹⁸ Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.¹⁹ And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.²⁰ And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.²¹ And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth.²² But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.²³ And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever.²⁴ So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.²⁵ And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.²⁶ Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.²⁷ And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?²⁸ And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem:²⁹ And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table.³⁰ Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?³¹ For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.³² And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?³³ And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.³⁴ So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.³⁵ And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.³⁶ And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.³⁷ And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?³⁸ And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.³⁹ But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.⁴⁰ And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.⁴¹ And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.⁴² And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

¹ Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,² As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!³ When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.⁴ For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.⁵ Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.⁶ But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.⁷ And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.⁸ But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.⁹ Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.¹⁰ Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.¹¹ Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.¹² Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

¹ And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.² And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.³ And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.⁴ And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?⁵ For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?⁶ But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.⁷ And he arose, and departed to his house.⁸ But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.⁹ And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.¹⁰ And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?¹² But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.¹³ But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.¹⁴ Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?¹⁵ And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.¹⁶ No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.¹⁷ Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.¹⁸ While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.¹⁹ And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.²⁰ And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:²¹ For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.²² But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.²³ And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,²⁴ He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.²⁵ But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.²⁶ And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.²⁷ And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.²⁸ And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.²⁹ Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.³⁰ And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.³¹ But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.³² As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.³³ And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.³⁴ But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.³⁵ And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.³⁶ But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.³⁷ Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;³⁸ Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.