Day 147 of 365

1 Sam 19:1–20:42

19:1 Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David.

19:2 Jonathan told David, saying, "Saul my father seeks to kill you. Now therefore, please take care of yourself in the morning, and live in a secret place, and hide yourself.

19:3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will talk with my father about you; and if I see anything, I will tell you."

19:4 Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, "Do not let the king sin against his servant, against David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you;

19:5 for he put his life in his hand, and struck the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?"

19:6 Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan: and Saul swore, "As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death."

19:7 Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as before.

19:8 There was war again. David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.

19:9 An evil spirit from the Lord was on Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand.

19:10 Saul sought to pin David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled, and escaped that night.

19:11 Saul sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, "If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed."

19:12 So Michal let David down through the window. He went, fled, and escaped.

19:13 Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with the clothes.

19:14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "He is sick."

19:15 Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him."

19:16 When the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head.

19:17 Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he is escaped?" Michal answered Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go! Why should I kill you?'"

19:18 Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and lived in Naioth.

19:19 It was told Saul, saying, "Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah."

19:20 Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

19:21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.

19:22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu: and he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" One said, "Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah."

19:23 He went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God came on him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

19:24 He also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

20:1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?"

20:2 He said to him, "Far from it; you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so."

20:3 David swore moreover, and said, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, '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."

20:4 Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you."

20:5 David said to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to dine with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening.

20:6 If your father miss me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.'

20:7 If he says, 'It is well;' your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil is determined by him.

20:8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you: but if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?"

20:9 Jonathan said, "Far be it from you; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come on you, then wouldn't I tell you that?"

20:10 Then David said to Jonathan, "Who shall tell me if perchance your father answers you roughly?"

20:11 Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." They both went out into the field.

20:12 Jonathan said to David, "By the Lord, the God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, shall I not then send to you, and disclose it to you?

20:13 The Lord do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I do not disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father.

20:14 You shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of the Lord, that I not die;

20:15 but also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever; no, not when the Lord has cut off the enemies of David everyone from the surface of the earth."

20:16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "The Lord will require it at the hand of David's enemies."

20:17 Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

20:18 Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

20:19 When you have stayed three days, you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and shall remain by the stone Ezel.

20:20 I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark.

20:21 Behold, I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the arrows!' If I tell the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;' then come; for there is peace to you and no hurt, as the Lord lives.

20:22 But if I say this to the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond you;' then go your way; for the Lord has sent you away.

20:23 Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever."

20:24 So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon had come, the king sat him down to eat food.

20:25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side: but David's place was empty.

20:26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day: for he thought, "Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean."

20:27 It happened on the next day after the new moon, the second day, that David's place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why doesn't the son of Jesse come to eat, neither yesterday, nor today?"

20:28 Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

20:29 He said, 'Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city. My brother has commanded me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers.' Therefore he has not come to the king's table."

20:30 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?

20:31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!"

20:32 Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"

20:33 Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

20:34 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 done him shame.

20:35 It happened in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.

20:36 He said to his boy, "Run, find now the arrows which I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

20:37 When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?"

20:38 Jonathan cried after the boy, "Go fast! Hurry! Do not delay!" Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

20:39 But the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

20:40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city."

20:41 As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another, and wept one with another, and David wept the most.

20:42 Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever.'" He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.

John 10:1–31

1 "Truly, truly, I tell you, one who does not enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.

4 Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

5 They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they do not know the voice of strangers."

6 Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Jesus therefore said to them again, "Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the sheep's door.

8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.

10 The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them.

13 The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and does not care for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me;

15 even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.

17 Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.

18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father."

19 Therefore a division arose again among the Jewish people because of these words.

20 Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?"

21 Others said, "These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It is not possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?"

22 It was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem.

23 It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon's porch.

24 The Jewish leaders therefore came around him and said to him, "How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."

25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify about me.

26 But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep.

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

28 I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

30 I and the Father are one."

31 Therefore the Jewish leaders took up stones again to stone him.

Eccl 2:12–18

12 I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly: for what can the king's successor do? Just that which has been done long ago.

13 Then I saw that wisdom excels folly, as far as light excels darkness.

14 The wise man's eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness-and yet I perceived that one event happens to them all.

15 Then said I in my heart, "As it happens to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?" Then said I in my heart that this also is vanity.

16 For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no memory for ever, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. Indeed, the wise man must die just like the fool!

17 So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

18 I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who comes after me.