This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks will take you to additional translations. The entire chapter is included to provide context.
Information about the meaning the original Hebrew or Greek of what seem to be key words is provided in blue. It is provided beneath the specific reading they relate to.
Links to collections of other scriptures addressing principles similar to those set out in these readings are provided after each reading.
Excerpts collected in yellow at the end of this post tell us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him.
Excerpts collected in green at the end of this post tell us about something God wants us to do.
Excerpts collected in red at the end of this post tell us about something God does not want us to do.
Reading I:1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23
In those days, Saul went down to the desert of Ziph with three thousand picked men of Israel, to search for David in the desert of Ziph.
***
So David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade, with his spear thrust into the ground at his head and Abner and his men sleeping around him.
Abishai whispered to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not need a second thrust!” But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the LORD’s anointed and remain unpunished?”
***
So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head, and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening. All remained asleep, because the LORD had put them into a deep slumber.
Going across to an opposite slope, David stood on a remote hilltop at a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops.
***
He said: “Here is the king’s spear. Let an attendant come over to get it. The LORD will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness. Today, though the LORD delivered you into my grasp, I would not harm the LORD’s anointed.”
justice=צְדָקָה= ṣᵊḏāqâ Blue Letter Bible righteousness; righteousness (as vindicated); justification, salvation; truthfulness; ethically right; rectitude; virtue
faithfulness =אֱמוּנָה = 'ĕmûnâ Blue Letter Bible firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness;
Scriptures addressing similar principles are collected at Wisdom Principles—How to Deal With Those Who Do You Wrong
Responsorial Psalm:Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
R (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
R The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R The Lord is kind and merciful.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassionon his children, so the LORD has compassionon those who fear him.
R The Lord is kind and merciful.
kind, Merciful = רַחוּם= raḥûm Blue Letter Bible compassionate; full of compassion
merciful, gracious = חַנּוּן= ḥannûn Blue Letter Bible gracious; benignant, hearing the cry of the vexed debtor
bless = בָּרַךְ= bāraḵ Blue Letter Bibleto kneel; be adored; to praise, salute; celebrate, adore
benefits = גְּמוּל= gᵊmûl Blue Letter Bible dealing, recompense, benefit; treatment; that which he hath given; reward; work
pardons = סָלַח= sālaḥ Blue Letter Bible forgive, pardon; spare; lifting up
iniquities = עָוֹן=ʿāôn Blue Letter Bible perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity;fault, mischief
heals = רָפָא= rāp̄ā' Blue Letter Bible to heal, make healthful; mend, stich, sew together; make whole; repair; let down, relax; heal hurts of nation
redeems = גָּאַל= gā'al Blue Letter Bible to redeem, act as kinsman-redeemer, avenge, revenge, ransom, do the part of a kinsman; deliver; purchase; buy back
destruction = שַׁחַת= šaḥaṯ Blue Letter Bible pit, destruction, grave; corruption; sepulcher
crowns = עָטַר=ʿāṭar Blue Letter Bible surround, encircle; crown; bestow
kindness = חֶסֶד= ḥeseḏ Blue Letter Bible goodness, kindness, faithfulness; favour, good deed(-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy; kindness (especially as extended to the lowly, needy and miserable), mercy; lovely appearance; of God: kindness, lovingkindness in condescending to the needs of his creatures; redemption from enemies and troubles;in preservation of life from death; in quickening of spiritual life; in redemption from sin; in keeping the covenants; fidelity; abundant, plenteous in kindness (goodness); greatness of thy mercy; everlasting; plural mercies, deeds of kindness, the historic displays of lovingkindness; desire, ardor; zeal; benignity, benevolence, pity, mercy; grace
compassion = רַחַם= raḥam Blue Letter Bible womb, pity, mercy; tender love; grace, favor; tender affection
abounding= רַב= raḇ Blue Letter Bible much, many, great, vast; numerous, abundant, enough;exceedingly; plenteous
compassion= רָחַם= rāḥam Blue Letter Bible to love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection, have compassion; to fondle; behold with tenderest affection
fear = יָרֵא= yārē' Blue Letter Bible to fear, revere, be afraid; to stand in awe of, be awed; reverence, honour, respect; tremble for joy
Scriptures addressing similar principles are collected at Wisdom Principles—God Loves and Calls Us to Him, In Spite of our Sin
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
Brothers and sisters:
It is written, The first man, Adam, became a living being, the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual.
The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven.
As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.
Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.
spiritual = πνευματικός = pneumatikos Blue Letter Bible relating to the human spirit, or rational soul, as part of the man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument or organ; belonging to a spirit, or a being higher than man but inferior to God; belonging to the Divine Spirit; one who is filled with and governed by the Spirit of God; non-carnal; supernatural, regenerate, religious; emanating from the Divine Spirit, or exhibiting its effects and so its character;one who is filled with and governed by the Spirit of God
natural = ψυχικός = psychikos Blue Letter Bible the principal of animal life, which men have in common with the brutes; the sensuous nature with its subjection to appetite and passion; sensual; subjection to appetite and passion; in harmony with the corrupt desires and affections, and springing from them
Alleluia: John 13:34
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
love= ἀγαπάω = agapaō Blue Letter Bible to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing; to take pleasure in the thing, prize it above other things, be unwilling to abandon it or do without it; to welcome with desire, long for to be full of good-will and exhibit the same; to have a preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon greet with affection, show affection for; persuade, entreat; to be fond of, prize, desire; to be well pleased, contented
Gospel: Luke 6:27-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do goodto those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offerthe other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who lovethem. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Your reward might also include practical benefits now, as illustrated by the first reading
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.
hear = ἀκούω = akouō Blue Letter Bible harkin to; to attend to, consider what is or has been said; to understand, perceive the sense of what is said; to give ear to a teaching or a teacher; to comprehend; to perceive anyone's voice; to yield to, hear and obey; have regard to; to perceive the distinct words of a voice; to yield obedience to the voice; to perceive in the soul; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon hearken, give ear; listen to; obey; hear and understand
love–see above
enemies = ἐχθρός = echthros Blue Letter Bible an adjective, primarily denoting “hated” or “hateful,” denotes “hating, hostile;” hated, odious, hateful; hostile, hating, and opposing another; a man that is hostile; an adversary, foe; given up to their evil passions; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon hated, hateful, hating, hostile; averse from insolence; one who is at war; one who has long been alienated and refuses to be reconciled; William J. Slater, Lexicon to Pindar hostile to arrogance; with hostile intent; Georg Autenrieth, A Homeric Dictionary hateful, odious
good= καλῶς = kalōs Blue Letter Bible beautifully, finely, excellently, well; rightly, so that there shall be no room for blame, well, truly; excellently, nobly, commendably;honourably, in honour; fitly;Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon beautiful, of outward form; beauteous; good, of fine quality; auspicious;noble, honourable; moral beauty, virtue, honour; rightly; fairly; thoroughly; rightly, deservedly
hate= μισέω = miseō Blue Letter Bible Malicious and unjustifiable feelings towards others, whether towards the innocent or by mutual animosity; Relative preference for one thing over another, by way of expressing either aversion from, or disregard for, the claims of one person or thing relatively to those of another; detest; To love less; to postpone in love or esteem, to slight; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon would not suffer
bless = εὐλογέω = eulogeō Blue Letter Bible speak well of; to praise, to celebrate with praises; "to cause to prosper, to make happy, to bestow blessings on; favoured of God; speak well of; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon speak well of, praise, honour
curse = καταράομαι = kataraomai Blue Letter Bible to pray against, to wish evil against a person or thing; imprecate evil upon; to doom; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon call down curses upon; Georg Autenrieth, A Homeric Dictionary utter imprecations, denoting the substance of the prayer
pray = προσεύχομαι = proseuchomai Blue Letter Bible supplicate; worship; pray earnestly for, make prayer; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon offer prayers, worship or vows
mistreat = ἐπηρεάζω = epēreazō Blue Letter Bible to insult, treat abusively, despitefully, revile; accuse falsely; despitefully use; to treat abusively; threaten; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon threaten abusively; deal despitefully with, act despitefully towards; oppose insolently; be insolent; the action of a disease
offer = παρέχω = parechō Blue Letter Bible to have near; to hold out or towards; to reach forth; to afford, furnish, provide, supply; show or present one's self; exhibit; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon hand over, present or offer for a purpose; give oneself up, submit oneself allow, grant; ; furnish, supply, yield, produce
give, given = δίδωμι = didōmi Blue Letter Bible bestow, the implied idea being that of giving freely; grant; offer; yield, produce; to supply, furnish, necessary things; to furnish, endue; to cause, profuse, give forth from one's self; minister; to give one to someone to care for his interests; give up for;Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon give freely, to be ready to give, offer; provide well for
do good =ἀγαθοποιέω = agathopoieō Blue Letter Bible do well; o the benefit of another; "acting for another's benefit; do something which profits others; to be a good help to someone; to do someone a favour; to benefit; do right; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon exert beneficent influence; do well, act rightly
kind = χρηστός = chrēstos Blue Letter Bible good, virtuous, mild, pleasant, in contrast to what is hard, harsh, sharp, bitter; kind, gracious; serviceable; manageable; kind, benevolent; useful; fit for use, able to be used; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon useful, good of its kind, serviceable; wholesome; auspicious; pleasant; pleasant, benefits, kindness; propitious, merciful, bestowing health or wealth; well, properly
ungrateful = ἀχάριστος = acharistos Blue Letter Bible ungracious, unpleasing; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon ungracious, unpleasant; without grace or charm; with a bad grace, with an ill will, sulkily
wicked = πονηρός = ponēros Blue Letter Bibleactive form of evil; evil that causes labor, pain, sorrow, malignant evil; bad, worthless, in the physical sense; toilsome, painful; full of labours, annoyances, hardships; bringing toils, annoyances, perils; causing pain and trouble;Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon toilsome, painful, grievous; useless, good-for-nothing; injurious; worthless, knavish; base, cowardly
merciful = οἰκτίρμων = oiktirmōn Blue Letter Bible compassionate for the ills of others; of tender mercy; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon pity, compassion; compassionate feelings
judging = κρίνω = krinō Blue Letter Bible to call in question; to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose; to be of opinion, deem, think, to be of opinion; to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong; to subject to censure; pass judgment on the deeds and words of others; to contend together, of warriors and combatants; to dispute; to go to law, have suit at law; try, condemn, punish; avenge; condemn, damn; condemning and decreeing (or inflicting) penalty on; subject to censure; to rule, govern; to preside over; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon separate, put asunder, distinguish; pick out, choose; decide disputes; expound, interpret in a particular way; decide in favour of, prefer, choose; pass sentence upon, condemn
condemn, condemned = καταδικάζω = katadikazō Blue Letter Bible to pronounce judgment, to condemn; to pronounce guilty; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon; declare by express judgement
forgive, forgiven = ἀπολύω = apolyō Blue Letter Bible to lose from, dismiss; to set free, release, loose; put away; to bid depart; to dismiss from the house, to repudiate; sever by loosening; undo; Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott,A Greek-English Lexiconset free, release, relieve from; let go, let alone, leave one; discharge, disband; do away with, remove; do away with, refute calumnies against one; to be separated or detached
What these readings tell us about God/His ways:
The LORD will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness
The Lord is kind and merciful.
all his benefits
The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD
slow to anger
abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassionon his children, so the LORD has compassionon those who fear him.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
I have loved you.
your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High
he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
your Father is merciful.
Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give, and gifts will be given to you
the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.
What these readings tell us to do:
Do not harm him
Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being
bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul
pardons
heals
redeems
kindness
compassion.
Merciful
Gracious
abounding in kindness.
compassion
compassion
fear him.
love one another as I have loved you.
Hear
love your enemies
do goodto those who hate you
bless those who curse you
pray for those who mistreat you.
Give to everyone who asks of you
from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
love your enemies and do good to them
be children of the Most High
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Forgive
Give
What these readings tell us not to do:
forget not all his benefits
judging
condemning
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