1 Samuel 19; 1 Samuel 20; 1 Samuel 21; Luke 11:29-54

1 Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David, but Jonathan liked David very much.

2 So he warned David, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Watch out in the morning. Hide in a secret place.

3 I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are hiding, and I'll talk to him about you. Then I'll let you know what I find out."

4 When Jonathan talked to Saul his father, he said good things about David. Jonathan said, "The king should do no wrong to your servant David since he has done nothing wrong to you. What he has done has helped you greatly.

5 David risked his life when he killed Goliath the Philistine, and the Lord won a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and were happy. Why would you do wrong against David? He's innocent. There's no reason to kill him!"

6 Saul listened to Jonathan and then made this promise: "As surely as the Lord lives, David won't be put to death."

7 So Jonathan called to David and told him everything that had been said. He brought David to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

8 When war broke out again, David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them, and they ran away from him.

9 But once again an evil spirit from the Lord rushed upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. David was playing the harp.

10 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David jumped out of the way. So Saul's spear went into the wall, and David ran away that night.

11 Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, saying, "Tonight you must run for your life. If you don't, you will be dead in the morning."

12 So she let David down out of a window, and he ran away and escaped.

13 Then Michal took an idol, laid it on the bed, covered it with clothes, and put goats' hair at its head.

14 Saul sent messengers to take David prisoner, but Michal said, "He is sick."

15 Saul sent them back to see David, saying, "Bring him to me on his bed so I can kill him."

16 When the messengers entered David's house, they found just an idol on the bed with goats' hair on its head.

17 Saul said to Michal, "Why did you trick me this way? You let my enemy go so he could run away!" Michal answered Saul, "David told me if I did not help him escape, he would kill me."

18 After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything Saul had done to him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.

19 Saul heard that David was in Naioth at Ramah.

20 So he sent messengers to capture him. But they met a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there leading them. So the Spirit of God entered Saul's men, and they also prophesied.

21 When Saul heard the news, he sent more messengers, but they also prophesied. Then he sent messengers a third time, but they also prophesied.

22 Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah, to the well at Secu. He asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" The people answered, "In Naioth at Ramah."

23 When Saul went to Naioth at Ramah, the Spirit of God also rushed upon him. And he walked on, prophesying until he came to Naioth at Ramah.

24 He took off his robes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He lay that way all day and all night. That is why people ask, "Is even Saul one of the prophets?"

1 Then David ran away from Naioth in Ramah. He went to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How did I sin against your father? Why is he trying to kill me?"

2 Jonathan answered, "No! You won't die! See, my father doesn't do anything great or small without first telling me. Why would he keep this from me? It's not true!"

3 But David took an oath, saying, "Your father knows very well that you like me. He says to himself, 'Jonathan must not know about it, or he will tell David.' As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I am only a step away from death!"

4 Jonathan said to David, "I'll do anything you want me to do."

5 So David said, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon festival. I am supposed to eat with the king, but let me hide in the field until the third evening.

6 If your father notices I am gone, tell him, 'David begged me to let him go to his hometown of Bethlehem. Every year at this time his family group offers a sacrifice.'

7 If your father says, 'Fine,' I am safe. But if he becomes angry, you will know that he wants to hurt me.

8 Jonathan, be loyal to me, your servant. You have made an agreement with me before the Lord. If I am guilty, you may kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?"

9 Jonathan answered, "No, never! If I learn that my father plans to hurt you, I will warn you!"

10 David asked, "Who will let me know if your father answers you unkindly?"

11 Then Jonathan said, "Come, let's go out into the field." So the two of them went out into the field.

12 Jonathan said to David, "I promise this before the Lord, the God of Israel: At this same time the day after tomorrow, I will find out how my father feels. If he feels good toward you, I will send word to you and let you know.

13 But if my father plans to hurt you, I will let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord punish me terribly if I don't do this. And may the Lord be with you as he has been with my father.

14 But show me the kindness of the Lord as long as I live so that I may not die.

15 You must never stop showing your kindness to my family, even when the Lord has destroyed all your enemies from the earth."

16 So Jonathan made an agreement with David. He said, "May the Lord hold David's enemies responsible."

17 And Jonathan asked David to repeat his promise of love for him, because he loved David as much as he loved himself.

18 Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon festival. Your seat will be empty, so my father will miss you.

19 On the third day go to the place where you hid when this trouble began. Wait by the rock Ezel.

20 On the third day I will shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as if I am shooting at a target.

21 Then I will send a boy to find the arrows. If I say to him, 'The arrows are near you; bring them here,' you may come out of hiding. You are safe. As the Lord lives, there is no danger.

22 But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' you must go, because the Lord is sending you away.

23 Remember what we talked about. The Lord is a witness between you and me forever."

24 So David hid in the field. When the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat.

25 He sat where he always sat, near the wall. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.

26 That day Saul said nothing. He thought, "Maybe something has happened to David so that he is unclean."

27 But the next day was the second day of the month, and David's place was still empty. So Saul said to Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the feast yesterday or today?"

28 Jonathan answered, "David begged me to let him go to Bethlehem.

29 He said, 'Let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has ordered me to be there. Now if I am your friend, please let me go to see my brothers.' That is why he has not come to the king's table."

30 Then Saul became very angry with Jonathan. He said, "You son of a wicked, worthless woman! I know you are on the side of David son of Jesse! You bring shame on yourself and on your mother who gave birth to you.

31 As long as Jesse's son lives, you will never be king or have a kingdom. Now send for David and bring him to me. He must die!"

32 Jonathan asked his father, "Why should David be killed? What wrong has he done?"

33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan, trying to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father really wanted to kill David.

34 Jonathan was very angry and left the table. That second day of the month he refused to eat. He was ashamed of his father and upset over David.

35 The next morning Jonathan went out to the field to meet David as they had agreed. He had a young boy with him.

36 Jonathan said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." When he ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.

37 The boy ran to the place where Jonathan's arrow fell, but Jonathan called, "The arrow is beyond you!"

38 Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and brought it back to his master.

39 (The boy knew nothing about what this meant; only Jonathan and David knew.)

40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him, "Go back to town."

41 When the boy left, David came out from the south side of the rock. He bowed facedown on the ground before Jonathan three times. Then David and Jonathan kissed each other and cried together, but David cried the most.

42 Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace. We have promised by the Lord that we will be friends. We said, 'The Lord will be a witness between you and me, and between our descendants always.'" Then David left, and Jonathan went back to town.

1 David went to Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech shook with fear when he saw David, and he asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?"

2 David answered him, "The king gave me a special order. He told me, 'No one must know what I am sending you to do or what I told you to do.' I told my men where to meet me.

3 Now, what food do you have with you? Give me five loaves of bread or anything you find."

4 The priest said to David, "I don't have any plain bread here, but I do have some holy bread. You may eat it if your men have kept themselves from women."

5 David answered, "No women have been near us for days. My men always keep themselves holy, even when we do ordinary work. And this is especially true when the work is holy."

6 So the priest gave David the holy bread from the presence of God because there was no other. Each day the holy bread was replaced with hot bread.

7 One of Saul's servants happened to be there that day. He had been held there before the Lord. He was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds.

8 David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or sword here? The king's business was very important, so I left without my sword or any other weapon."

9 The priest answered, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, the one you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the holy vest. If you want it, you may take it. There's no other sword here but that one." David said, "There is no other sword like it. Give it to me."

10 That day David ran away from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.

11 But the servants of Achish said to him, "This is David, the king of the Israelites. He's the man they dance and sing about, saying: 'Saul has killed thousands of his enemies, but David has killed tens of thousands.'"

12 David paid attention to these words and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath.

13 So he pretended to be crazy in front of Achish and his servants. While he was with them, he acted like a madman and clawed on the doors of the gate and let spit run down his beard.

14 Achish said to his servants, "Look at the man! He's crazy! Why do you bring him to me?

15 I have enough madmen. I don't need you to bring him here to act like this in front of me! Don't let him in my house!"

29 As the crowd grew larger, Jesus said, "The people who live today are evil. They want to see a miracle for a sign, but no sign will be given them, except the sign of Jonah.

30 As Jonah was a sign for those people who lived in Nineveh, the Son of Man will be a sign for the people of this time.

31 On the Judgment Day the Queen of the Southn will stand up with the people who live now. She will show they are guilty, because she came from far away to listen to Solomon's wise teaching. And I tell you that someone greater than Solomon is here.

32 On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up with the people who live now, and they will show that you are guilty. When Jonah preached to them, they were sorry and changed their lives. And I tell you that someone greater than Jonah is here.

33 "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a secret place or under a bowl, but on a lampstand so the people who come in can see.

34 Your eye is a light for the body. When your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But when your eyes are evil, your whole body will be full of darkness.

35 So be careful not to let the light in you become darkness.

36 If your whole body is full of light, and none of it is dark, then you will shine bright, as when a lamp shines on you."

37 After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him. So Jesus went in and sat at the table.

38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his handsn before the meal.

39 The Lord said to him, "You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are full of greed and evil.

40 You foolish people! The same one who made what is outside also made what is inside.

41 So give what is in your dishes to the poor, and then you will be fully clean.

42 How terrible for you Pharisees! You give God one-tenth of even your mint, your rue, and every other plant in your garden. But you fail to be fair to others and to love God. These are the things you should do while continuing to do those other things.

43 How terrible for you Pharisees, because you love to have the most important seats in the synagogues, and you love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.

44 How terrible for you, because you are like hidden graves, which people walk on without knowing."

45 One of the experts on the law said to Jesus, "Teacher, when you say these things, you are insulting us, too."

46 Jesus answered, "How terrible for you, you experts on the law! You make strict rules that are very hard for people to obey, but you yourselves don't even try to follow those rules.

47 How terrible for you, because you build tombs for the prophets whom your ancestors killed!

48 And now you show that you approve of what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you build tombs for them!

49 This is why in his wisdom God said, 'I will send prophets and apostles to them. They will kill some, and they will treat others cruelly.'

50 So you who live now will be punished for the deaths of all the prophets who were killed since the beginning of the world --

51 from the killing of Abel to the killing of Zechariah, who died between the altar and the Temple. Yes, I tell you that you who are alive now will be punished for them all.

52 "How terrible for you, you experts on the law. You have taken away the key to learning about God. You yourselves would not learn, and you stopped others from learning, too."

53 When Jesus left, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to give him trouble, asking him questions about many things,

54 trying to catch him saying something wrong.