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Psalm 107

1  O give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, ♦︎
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.
2  Let the redeemed of the Lord say this, ♦︎
   those he redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
3  And gathered out of the lands
      from the east and from the west, ♦︎
   from the north and from the south.
4  Some went astray in desert wastes ♦︎
   and found no path to a city to dwell in.
5  Hungry and thirsty, ♦︎
   their soul was fainting within them.
6  So they cried to the Lord in their trouble ♦︎
   and he delivered them from their distress.
7  He set their feet on the right way ♦︎
   till they came to a city to dwell in.
8  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his goodness ♦︎
   and the wonders he does for his children.
9  For he satisfies the longing soul ♦︎
   and fills the hungry soul with good.
10  Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, ♦︎
   bound fast in misery and iron,
11  For they had rebelled against the words of God ♦︎
   and despised the counsel of the Most High.
12  So he bowed down their heart with heaviness; ♦︎
   they stumbled and there was none to help them.
13  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, ♦︎
   and he delivered them from their distress.
14  He brought them out of darkness and out of the shadow of death, ♦︎
   and broke their bonds asunder.
15  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his goodness ♦︎
   and the wonders he does for his children.
16  For he has broken the doors of bronze ♦︎
   and breaks the bars of iron in pieces.
17  Some were foolish and took a rebellious way, ♦︎
   and were plagued because of their wrongdoing.
18  Their soul abhorred all manner of food ♦︎
   and drew near to the gates of death.
19  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, ♦︎
   and he delivered them from their distress.
20  He sent forth his word and healed them, ♦︎
   and saved them from destruction.
21  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his goodness ♦︎
   and the wonders he does for his children.
22  Let them offer him sacrifices of thanksgiving ♦︎
   and tell of his acts with shouts of joy.
23  Those who go down to the sea in ships ♦︎
   and ply their trade in great waters,
24  These have seen the works of the Lord ♦︎
   and his wonders in the deep.
25  For at his word the stormy wind arose ♦︎
   and lifted up the waves of the sea.
26  They were carried up to the heavens
      and down again to the deep; ♦︎
   their soul melted away in their peril.
27  They reeled and staggered like a drunkard ♦︎
   and were at their wits’ end.
28  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, ♦︎
   and he brought them out of their distress.
29  He made the storm be still ♦︎
   and the waves of the sea were calmed.
30  Then were they glad because they were at rest, ♦︎
   and he brought them to the haven they desired.
31  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his goodness ♦︎
   and the wonders he does for his children.
32  Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people ♦︎
   and praise him in the council of the elders.

David Spares Saul’s Life

24When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, ‘David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.’ ²Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to look for David and his men in the direction of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. ³He came to the sheepfolds beside the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself.^* Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. ⁴The men of David said to him, ‘Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, “I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.” ’ Then David went and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak. ⁵Afterwards David was stricken to the heart because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak. ⁶He said to his men, ‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to raise my hand against him; for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ ⁷So David scolded his men severely and did not permit them to attack Saul. Then Saul got up and left the cave, and went on his way.

8 Afterwards David also rose up and went out of the cave and called after Saul, ‘My lord the king!’ When Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. ⁹David said to Saul, ‘Why do you listen to the words of those who say, “David seeks to do you harm”? ¹⁰This very day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you into my hand in the cave; and some urged me to kill you, but I spared^* you. I said, “I will not raise my hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed.” ¹¹See, my father, see the corner of your cloak in my hand; for by the fact that I cut off the corner of your cloak, and did not kill you, you may know for certain that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you are hunting me to take my life. ¹²May the Lord judge between me and you! May the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. ¹³As the ancient proverb says, “Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness”; but my hand shall not be against you. ¹⁴Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A single flea? ¹⁵May the Lord therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and you. May he see to it, and plead my cause, and vindicate me against you.’

16 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, ‘Is that your voice, my son David?’ Saul lifted up his voice and wept. ¹⁷He said to David, ‘You are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. ¹⁸Today you have explained how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. ¹⁹For who has ever found an enemy, and sent the enemy safely away? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. ²⁰Now I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. ²¹Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not wipe out my name from my father’s house.’ ²²So David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home; but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

The Parable of the Sower

4Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. ²He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ³‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. ⁶And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. ⁸Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ ⁹And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’

The Purpose of the Parables

10 When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret^* of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; ¹²in order that
“they may indeed look, but not perceive,
   and may indeed listen, but not understand;
so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” ’

13 And he said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴The sower sows the word. ¹⁵These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. ¹⁶And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. ¹⁷But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.^{* 18}And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. ²⁰And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’