Category: DAB Readings

10 Then Samuel took a flask^(A) of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed^(B) you ruler over his inheritance?^{[a](C) 2} When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb,^(D) at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys^(E) you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried^(F) about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’

³ “Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel^(G) will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread,^(H) which you will accept from them.

⁵ “After that you will go to Gibeah^(I) of God, where there is a Philistine outpost.^(J) As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets^(K) coming down from the high place^(L) with lyres, timbrels,^(M) pipes^(N) and harps^(O) being played before them, and they will be prophesying.^{(P) 6} The Spirit^(Q) of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed^(R) into a different person. ⁷ Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever^(S) your hand^(T) finds to do, for God is with^(U) you.

⁸ “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal.^(V) I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven^(W) days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”

Saul Made King

⁹ As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed^(X) Saul’s heart, and all these signs^(Y) were fulfilled^(Z) that day. ¹⁰ When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit^(AA) of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.^{(AB) 11} When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this^(AC) that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”^(AD)

¹² A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”^{(AE) 13} After Saul stopped prophesying,^(AF) he went to the high place.

¹⁴ Now Saul’s uncle^(AG) asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”

“Looking for the donkeys,^(AH)” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”

¹⁵ Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”

¹⁶ Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys^(AI) had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

¹⁷ Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah^{(AJ) 18} and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed^(AK) you.’ ¹⁹ But you have now rejected^(AL) your God, who saves^(AM) you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king^(AN) over us.’^(AO) So now present^(AP) yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

²⁰ When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹ Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken.^(AQ) Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. ²² So they inquired^(AR) further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

²³ They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller^(AS) than any of the others. ²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?^(AT) There is no one like^(AU) him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live^(AV) the king!”

²⁵ Samuel explained^(AW) to the people the rights and duties^(AX) of kingship.^(AY) He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

²⁶ Saul also went to his home in Gibeah,^(AZ) accompanied by valiant men^(BA) whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷ But some scoundrels^(BB) said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts.^(BC) But Saul kept silent.

Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh

11 Nahash^[b](BD) the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead.^(BE) And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty^(BF) with us, and we will be subject to you.”

² But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition^(BG) that I gouge^(BH) out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace^(BI) on all Israel.”

³ The elders^(BJ) of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue^(BK) us, we will surrender^(BL) to you.”

⁴ When the messengers came to Gibeah^(BM) of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept^(BN) aloud. ⁵ Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

⁶ When Saul heard their words, the Spirit^(BO) of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. ⁷ He took a pair of oxen,^(BP) cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel,^(BQ) proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone^(BR) who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one.^{(BS) 8} When Saul mustered^(BT) them at Bezek,^(BU) the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.

⁹ They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. ¹⁰ They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender^(BV) to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”

¹¹ The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions;^(BW) during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites^(BX) and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

¹² The people then said to Samuel, “Who^(BY) was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”

¹³ But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today,^(BZ) for this day the Lord has rescued^(CA) Israel.”

¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal^(CB) and there renew the kingship.^(CC)” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal^(CD) and made Saul king^(CE) in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,^(A) and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[a](B) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;^(C) only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.^{(D) 48} I am the bread of life.^{(E) 49} Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.^{(F) 50} But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,^(G) which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread^(H) that came down from heaven.^(I) Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”^(J)

⁵² Then the Jews^(K) began to argue sharply among themselves,^(L) “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh^(M) of the Son of Man^(N) and drink his blood,^(O) you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.^{(P) 55} For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.^{(Q) 57} Just as the living Father sent me^(R) and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”^{(S) 59} He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples^(T) said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”^(U)

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?^{(V) 62} Then what if you see the Son of Man^(W) ascend to where he was before!^{(X) 63} The Spirit gives life;^(Y) the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit^[b] and life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known^(Z) from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.^{(AA) 65} He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”^(AB)

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples^(AC) turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.^(AD)

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him,^(AE) “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.^{(AF) 69} We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”^(AG)

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you,^(AH) the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”^{(AI) 71} (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,^(AJ) who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)^(AK)

BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

10 Then Samuel took a flask^(A) of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed^(B) you ruler over his inheritance?^{[a](C) 2} When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb,^(D) at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys^(E) you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried^(F) about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’

³ “Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel^(G) will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread,^(H) which you will accept from them.

⁵ “After that you will go to Gibeah^(I) of God, where there is a Philistine outpost.^(J) As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets^(K) coming down from the high place^(L) with lyres, timbrels,^(M) pipes^(N) and harps^(O) being played before them, and they will be prophesying.^{(P) 6} The Spirit^(Q) of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed^(R) into a different person. ⁷ Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever^(S) your hand^(T) finds to do, for God is with^(U) you.

⁸ “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal.^(V) I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven^(W) days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”

Saul Made King

⁹ As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed^(X) Saul’s heart, and all these signs^(Y) were fulfilled^(Z) that day. ¹⁰ When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit^(AA) of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.^{(AB) 11} When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this^(AC) that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”^(AD)

¹² A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”^{(AE) 13} After Saul stopped prophesying,^(AF) he went to the high place.

¹⁴ Now Saul’s uncle^(AG) asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”

“Looking for the donkeys,^(AH)” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”

¹⁵ Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”

¹⁶ Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys^(AI) had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

¹⁷ Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah^{(AJ) 18} and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed^(AK) you.’ ¹⁹ But you have now rejected^(AL) your God, who saves^(AM) you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king^(AN) over us.’^(AO) So now present^(AP) yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

²⁰ When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹ Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken.^(AQ) Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. ²² So they inquired^(AR) further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

²³ They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller^(AS) than any of the others. ²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?^(AT) There is no one like^(AU) him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live^(AV) the king!”

²⁵ Samuel explained^(AW) to the people the rights and duties^(AX) of kingship.^(AY) He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

²⁶ Saul also went to his home in Gibeah,^(AZ) accompanied by valiant men^(BA) whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷ But some scoundrels^(BB) said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts.^(BC) But Saul kept silent.

Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh

11 Nahash^[b](BD) the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead.^(BE) And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty^(BF) with us, and we will be subject to you.”

² But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition^(BG) that I gouge^(BH) out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace^(BI) on all Israel.”

³ The elders^(BJ) of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue^(BK) us, we will surrender^(BL) to you.”

⁴ When the messengers came to Gibeah^(BM) of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept^(BN) aloud. ⁵ Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

⁶ When Saul heard their words, the Spirit^(BO) of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. ⁷ He took a pair of oxen,^(BP) cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel,^(BQ) proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone^(BR) who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one.^{(BS) 8} When Saul mustered^(BT) them at Bezek,^(BU) the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.

⁹ They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. ¹⁰ They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender^(BV) to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”

¹¹ The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions;^(BW) during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites^(BX) and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

¹² The people then said to Samuel, “Who^(BY) was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”

¹³ But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today,^(BZ) for this day the Lord has rescued^(CA) Israel.”

¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal^(CB) and there renew the kingship.^(CC)” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal^(CD) and made Saul king^(CE) in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,^(A) and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[a](B) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;^(C) only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.^{(D) 48} I am the bread of life.^{(E) 49} Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.^{(F) 50} But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,^(G) which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread^(H) that came down from heaven.^(I) Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”^(J)

⁵² Then the Jews^(K) began to argue sharply among themselves,^(L) “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh^(M) of the Son of Man^(N) and drink his blood,^(O) you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.^{(P) 55} For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.^{(Q) 57} Just as the living Father sent me^(R) and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”^{(S) 59} He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples^(T) said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”^(U)

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?^{(V) 62} Then what if you see the Son of Man^(W) ascend to where he was before!^{(X) 63} The Spirit gives life;^(Y) the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit^[b] and life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known^(Z) from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.^{(AA) 65} He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”^(AB)

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples^(AC) turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.^(AD)

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him,^(AE) “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.^{(AF) 69} We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”^(AG)

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you,^(AH) the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”^{(AI) 71} (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,^(AJ) who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)^(AK)

BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

Israel Asks for a King

8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed^(A) his sons as Israel’s leaders.^{[a] 2} The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah,^(B) and they served at Beersheba.^{(C) 3} But his sons^(D) did not follow his ways. They turned aside^(E) after dishonest gain and accepted bribes^(F) and perverted^(G) justice.

⁴ So all the elders^(H) of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.^{(I) 5} They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king^(J) to lead^[b](K) us, such as all the other nations^(L) have.”

⁶ But when they said, “Give us a king^(M) to lead us,” this displeased^(N) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord told him: “Listen^(O) to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,^(P) but they have rejected me as their king.^{(Q) 8} As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking^(R) me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. ⁹ Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know^(S) what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

¹⁰ Samuel told^(T) all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take^(U) your sons and make them serve^(V) with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.^{(W) 12} Some he will assign to be commanders^(X) of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your^(Y) fields and vineyards^(Z) and olive groves and give them to his attendants.^{(AA) 15} He will take a tenth^(AB) of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. ¹⁶ Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle^[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer^(AC) you in that day.^(AD)”

¹⁹ But the people refused^(AE) to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want^(AF) a king^(AG) over us. ²⁰ Then we will be like all the other nations,^(AH) with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹ When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated^(AI) it before the Lord. ²² The Lord answered, “Listen^(AJ) to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

Samuel Anoints Saul

9 There was a Benjamite,^(AK) a man of standing,^(AL) whose name was Kish^(AM) son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. ² Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome^(AN) a young man as could be found^(AO) anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller^(AP) than anyone else.

³ Now the donkeys^(AQ) belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” ⁴ So he passed through the hill^(AR) country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha,^(AS) but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys^(AT) were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

⁵ When they reached the district of Zuph,^(AU) Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying^(AV) about us.”

⁶ But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God;^(AW) he is highly respected, and everything^(AX) he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”

⁷ Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift^(AY) to take to the man of God. What do we have?”

⁸ The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel^[d] of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.” ⁹ (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire^(AZ) of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)^(BA)

¹⁰ “Good,” Saul said to his servant. “Come, let’s go.” So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

¹¹ As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw^(BB) water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”

¹² “He is,” they answered. “He’s ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice^(BC) at the high place.^{(BD) 13} As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless^(BE) the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.”

¹⁴ They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place.

¹⁵ Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: ¹⁶ “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint^(BF) him ruler^(BG) over my people Israel; he will deliver^(BH) them from the hand of the Philistines.^(BI) I have looked on my people, for their cry^(BJ) has reached me.”

¹⁷ When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This^(BK) is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”

¹⁸ Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”

¹⁹ “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart. ²⁰ As for the donkeys^(BL) you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire^(BM) of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?”

²¹ Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe^(BN) of Israel, and is not my clan the least^(BO) of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?^(BP) Why do you say such a thing to me?”

²² Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited—about thirty in number. ²³ Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.”

²⁴ So the cook took up the thigh^(BQ) with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’” And Saul dined with Samuel that day.

²⁵ After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof^(BR) of his house. ²⁶ They rose about daybreak, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. ²⁷ As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.”

²² The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake^(A) realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.^{(B) 23} Then some boats from Tiberias^(C) landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.^{(D) 24} Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Jesus the Bread of Life

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi,^(E) when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me,^(F) not because you saw the signs^(G) I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures^(H) to eternal life,^(I) which the Son of Man^(J) will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal^(K) of approval.”

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe^(L) in the one he has sent.”^(M)

³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign^(N) then will you give that we may see it and believe you?^(O) What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna^(P) in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’^[a]”^(Q)

³² Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven^(R) and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”^(S)

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am^(T) the bread of life.^(U) Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes^(V) in me will never be thirsty.^{(W) 36} But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me^(X) will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven^(Y) not to do my will but to do the will^(Z) of him who sent me.^{(AA) 39} And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,^(AB) but raise them up at the last day.^{(AC) 40} For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son^(AD) and believes in him shall have eternal life,^(AE) and I will raise them up at the last day.”

⁴¹ At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph,^(AF) whose father and mother we know?^(AG) How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”^(AH)

The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron

5 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer^(A) to Ashdod.^{(B) 2} Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.^{(C) 3} When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen^(D) on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴ But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken^(E) off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. ⁵ That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.^(F)

⁶ The Lord’s hand^(G) was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation^(H) on them and afflicted them with tumors.^{[a](I) 7} When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.” ⁸ So they called together all the rulers^(J) of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”

They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.^(K)” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

⁹ But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic.^(L) He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.^{[b] 10} So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.^(M)

As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” ¹¹ So they called together all the rulers^(N) of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it^[c] will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. ¹² Those who did not die^(O) were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

The Ark Returned to Israel

6 When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, ² the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners^(P) and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”

³ They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift;^(Q) by all means send a guilt offering^(R) to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand^(S) has not been lifted from you.”

⁴ The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?”

They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number^(T) of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague^(U) has struck both you and your rulers. ⁵ Make models of the tumors^(V) and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory^(W) to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. ⁶ Why do you harden^(X) your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them,^(Y) did they^(Z) not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?

⁷ “Now then, get a new cart^(AA) ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked.^(AB) Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. ⁸ Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, ⁹ but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh,^(AC) then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”

¹⁰ So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. ¹¹ They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. ¹² Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

¹³ Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat^(AD) in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. ¹⁴ The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering^(AE) to the Lord. ¹⁵ The Levites^(AF) took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock.^(AG) On that day the people of Beth Shemesh^(AH) offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. ¹⁶ The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

¹⁷ These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each^(AI) for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. ¹⁸ And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

¹⁹ But God struck down^(AJ) some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy^[d] of them to death because they looked^(AK) into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. ²⁰ And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand^(AL) in the presence of the Lord, this holy^(AM) God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”

²¹ Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim,^(AN) saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.” 7 ¹ So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark^(AO) of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s^(AP) house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. ² The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim^(AQ) a long time—twenty years in all.

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord.^{(AR) 3} So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning^(AS) to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid^(AT) yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths^(AU) and commit^(AV) yourselves to the Lord and serve him only,^(AW) and he will deliver^(AX) you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

⁵ Then Samuel^(AY) said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah,^(AZ) and I will intercede^(BA) with the Lord for you.” ⁶ When they had assembled at Mizpah,^(BB) they drew water and poured^(BC) it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader^[e](BD) of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷ When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid^(BE) because of the Philistines. ⁸ They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying^(BF) out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ Then Samuel^(BG) took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.^(BH)

¹⁰ While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered^(BI) with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic^(BJ) that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone^(BK) and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[f](BL) saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

¹³ So the Philistines were subdued^(BM) and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. ¹⁴ The towns from Ekron^(BN) to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.^(BO)

¹⁵ Samuel^(BP) continued as Israel’s leader^(BQ) all^(BR) the days of his life. ¹⁶ From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel^(BS) to Gilgal^(BT) to Mizpah, judging^(BU) Israel in all those places. ¹⁷ But he always went back to Ramah,^(BV) where his home was, and there he also held court^(BW) for Israel. And he built an altar^(BX) there to the Lord.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand^(A)

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs^(B) he had performed by healing the sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside^(C) and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Festival^(D) was near.

⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip,^(E) “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages^[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother,^(F) spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”^(G)

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks,^(H) and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign^(I) Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”^{(J) 15} Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king^(K) by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.^(L)

Jesus Walks on the Water^(M)

¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷ where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. ¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles,^[b] they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water;^(N) and they were frightened. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”^{(O) 21} Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

²² Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything^(A) his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women^(B) who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³ So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. ²⁴ No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. ²⁵ If one person sins against another, God^[a] may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will^(C) intercede^(D) for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.

²⁶ And the boy Samuel continued to grow^(E) in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.^(F)

Prophecy Against the House of Eli

²⁷ Now a man of God^(G) came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? ²⁸ I chose^(H) your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense,^(I) and to wear an ephod^(J) in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings^(K) presented by the Israelites. ²⁹ Why do you^[b] scorn my sacrifice and offering^(L) that I prescribed for my dwelling?^(M) Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’

³⁰ “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.^(N)’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor,^(O) but those who despise^(P) me will be disdained.^{(Q) 31} The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age,^{(R) 32} and you will see distress^(S) in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age.^{(T) 33} Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants^(U) will die in the prime of life.

³⁴ “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign^(V) to you—they will both die^(W) on the same day.^{(X) 35} I will raise up for myself a faithful priest,^(Y) who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed^(Z) one always. ³⁶ Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead,^(AA) “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.^(AB)”’”

The Lord Calls Samuel

3 The boy Samuel ministered^(AC) before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare;^(AD) there were not many visions.^(AE)

² One night Eli, whose eyes^(AF) were becoming so weak that he could barely see,^(AG) was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp^(AH) of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house^(AI) of the Lord, where the ark^(AJ) of God was. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.^(AK)” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁶ Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know^(AL) the Lord: The word^(AM) of the Lord had not yet been revealed^(AN) to him.

⁸ A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!^(AO)”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

¹¹ And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.^{(AP) 12} At that time I will carry out against Eli everything^(AQ) I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. ¹³ For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,^[c] and he failed to restrain^(AR) them. ¹⁴ Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned^(AS) for by sacrifice or offering.’”

¹⁵ Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶ but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

¹⁷ “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide^(AT) it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely,^(AU) if you hide from me anything he told you.” ¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”^(AV)

¹⁹ The Lord was with^(AW) Samuel as he grew^(AX) up, and he let none^(AY) of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. ²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba^(AZ) recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.^{(BA) 21} The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed^(BB) himself to Samuel through his word.

4 And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer,^(BC) and the Philistines at Aphek.^{(BD) 2} The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. ³ When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why^(BE) did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark^(BF) of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh,^(BG) so that he may go with us^(BH) and save us from the hand of our enemies.”

⁴ So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim.^(BI) And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

⁵ When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout^(BJ) that the ground shook. ⁶ Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew^(BK) camp?”

When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, ⁷ the Philistines were afraid.^(BL) “A god has^[d] come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before. ⁸ We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck^(BM) the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues^(BN) in the wilderness. ⁹ Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they^(BO) have been to you. Be men, and fight!”

¹⁰ So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated^(BP) and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. ¹¹ The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.^(BQ)

Death of Eli

¹² That same day a Benjamite^(BR) ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust^(BS) on his head. ¹³ When he arrived, there was Eli^(BT) sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.

¹⁴ Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”

The man hurried over to Eli, ¹⁵ who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes^(BU) had failed so that he could not see. ¹⁶ He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”

Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”

¹⁷ The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead,^(BV) and the ark of God has been captured.”^(BW)

¹⁸ When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led^[e](BX) Israel forty years.^(BY)

¹⁹ His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. ²⁰ As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.

²¹ She named the boy Ichabod,^[f](BZ) saying, “The Glory^(CA) has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. ²² She said, “The Glory^(CB) has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”^(CC)

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me^(A) has eternal life^(B) and will not be judged^(C) but has crossed over from death to life.^{(D) 25} Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come^(E) when the dead will hear^(F) the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life^(G) in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge^(H) because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸ “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming^(I) when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.^{(J) 30} By myself I can do nothing;^(K) I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just,^(L) for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.^(M)

Testimonies About Jesus

³¹ “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.^{(N) 32} There is another who testifies in my favor,^(O) and I know that his testimony about me is true.

³³ “You have sent to John and he has testified^(P) to the truth. ³⁴ Not that I accept human testimony;^(Q) but I mention it that you may be saved.^{(R) 35} John was a lamp that burned and gave light,^(S) and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

³⁶ “I have testimony weightier than that of John.^(T) For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing^(U)—testify that the Father has sent me.^{(V) 37} And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me.^(W) You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,^{(X) 38} nor does his word dwell in you,^(Y) for you do not believe^(Z) the one he sent.^{(AA) 39} You study^[a] the Scriptures^(AB) diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life.^(AC) These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,^{(AD) 40} yet you refuse to come to me^(AE) to have life.

⁴¹ “I do not accept glory from human beings,^{(AF) 42} but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. ⁴³ I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God^[b]?^(AG)

⁴⁵ “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses,^(AH) on whom your hopes are set.^{(AI) 46} If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.^{(AJ) 47} But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”^(AK)

Psalm 106^(A)

The Birth of Samuel

1 Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim Zuphim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² And he had two wives; the name of one was Hannah and the name of the second was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³ This man went up out of his city annually to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh. And there the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the Lord. ⁴ When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters. ⁵ But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved Hannah, but the Lord had closed her womb. ⁶ Now her rival provoked her greatly, making her miserable because the Lord had closed her womb. ⁷ Thus it was yearly, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her. So Hannah wept and did not eat. ⁸ Then said Elkanah her husband to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? And why do you not eat? Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

⁹ So Hannah arose after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a seat by the door of the tabernacle of the Lord. ¹⁰ And she was bitter, and prayed to the Lord, and wept severely. ¹¹ So she made a vow and said, “O Lord of Hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant, and remember me and not forget Your maidservant, but will give to Your maidservant a baby boy, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”^[a]

¹² And as she was praying before the Lord, Eli watched her mouth. ¹³ Now Hannah was speaking in her heart. Her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴ So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine from you.”

¹⁵ And Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrow. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not consider your handmaid to be a sinful woman, for out of the abundance of my concern and provocation I have spoken until now.”

¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant you your request that you have asked of Him.”

¹⁸ And she said, “Let your handmaid find grace in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was not sad as before.

¹⁹ They rose up in the morning early and worshipped before the Lord. And they returned and came to their house to Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ And it came to pass that Hannah conceived and bore a son. And she called his name Samuel saying, “Because I have asked him of the Lord.”

The Dedication of Samuel

²¹ Then the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. ²² But Hannah did not go, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord and live there forever.”

²³ So Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems good to you. Wait until you have weaned him; only may the Lord establish His word.” So the woman remained, and nursed her son until she weaned him.

²⁴ When she had weaned him, she took him up with her with three bulls, one ephah^[b] of flour, and a bottle of wine. And she brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, though the boy was young. ²⁵ Then they slaughtered a bull, and they brought the boy to Eli. ²⁶ And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman that stood by you here praying to the Lord. ²⁷ For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. ²⁸ Therefore also I have let the Lord have him. As long as he lives he will be dedicated to the Lord.” And he worshipped the Lord there.

The Prayer of Hannah

2 Hannah prayed, saying:

¹¹ Then Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the boy ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.

Wicked Sons of Eli

¹² Now the sons of Eli were corrupt. They did not know the Lord. ¹³ The priest’s custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant came while the flesh was cooking with a three-pronged fork in his hand. ¹⁴ And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot, and all that the fork brought up the priest took for himself. This they did in Shiloh to all the children of Israel who came there. ¹⁵ Even before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast. For he will not take boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

¹⁶ If any man said to him, “Let them first burn the fat and then take as much as you wish,” then he would answer him, “No, but you will give it to me now, and if not, I will take it by force.”

¹⁷ Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord. For the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

God Blesses Hannah

¹⁸ But Samuel ministered before the Lord, as a boy, wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁹ Now his mother would make him a little coat and brought it to him every year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰ And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “The Lord give you offspring from this woman for the sake of the request which was made to the Lord.” Then they would return to their home. ²¹ The Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.

The Healing at the Pool

5 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ² Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda, having five porches. ³ In these lay a great crowd of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. ⁴ For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water. After the stirring of the water, whoever stepped in first was healed of whatever disease he had. ⁵ A certain man was there who had an illness for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been in that condition now a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

⁷ The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred. But while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

⁸ Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” ⁹ Immediately the man was healed, took up his bed, and walked.

That day was the Sabbath. ¹⁰ The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath day. It is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”

¹¹ He answered them, “He who healed me said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ”

¹² So they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”

¹³ Now the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in that place.

¹⁴ Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have become whole. Sin no more lest something worse happens to you.” ¹⁵ The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

¹⁶ So the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath day. ¹⁷ Jesus answered them, “My Father is working still, and I am working.” ¹⁸ So the Jews sought even more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

The Authority of the Son

¹⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do. For whatever He does, likewise the Son does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself does. And He will show Him greater works than these so that you may marvel. ²¹ For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. ²² The Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all men should honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Ruth Meets Boaz

2 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a man of prominence and means from the clan of Elimelek. His name was Boaz.

² Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the field and glean among the heads of grain behind anyone in whose eyes I may find favor.”

Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter.” ³ So she went to glean in the field behind the harvesters. She happened to come to a part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.

⁴ Just then Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, “May the Lord be with you!”

And they said to him, “May the Lord bless you.”

⁵ Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?”

⁶ So the servant who was in charge of his harvesters answered, “She is the young Moabitess woman who came back with Naomi from the land of Moab. ⁷ She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather grain among the bundles behind the harvesters.’ So she came and has remained from morning until now, though she rested a little while in the house.”

⁸ Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field and leave this one. Stay close to my young women. ⁹ Keep your eyes on the field in which they reap and follow after them. I have commanded the men not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

¹⁰ So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should acknowledge me, a foreigner?”

¹¹ Boaz answered and said to her, “I have been told all that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, and how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to a people you did not know before. ¹² May the Lord reward your deeds. May you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

¹³ Then she said, “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and have spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not like one of your servant girls.”

¹⁴ At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here, and eat some bread, and dip your piece in the vinegar.”

So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he passed her some roasted grain. She ate and was full and had some left over. ¹⁵ When she got up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, “Let her glean even among the bundles, and do not harm her. ¹⁶ Also pull out some grain for her from the bundles and leave it so that she may glean it, and do not rebuke her.”

¹⁷ So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah^[a] of barley. ¹⁸ She took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She drew it out and gave her what she had left, after she had been satisfied.

¹⁹ Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today, and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.”

So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.”

²⁰ Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn His kindness to the living and to the dead.” Naomi said to her, “This man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeeming relatives.”

²¹ Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “He even told me, ‘You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ”

²² Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is better, my daughter, that you go with his young women, for in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”

²³ So she stayed close to the young women of Boaz to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth’s Redemption

3 One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, why should I not find a home that will be good for you? ² Now is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you have been working? Tonight he winnows barley on the threshing floor. ³ Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ When he lies down, notice the place where he is lying. Go in and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what you will do.”

⁵ She said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.” ⁶ So she went down to the threshing floor and did all that her mother-in-law had instructed.

⁷ When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. ⁸ At midnight, the man was startled and rolled over; and there, a woman was lying at his feet.

⁹ He said, “Who are you?”

And she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Spread your cloak over me, for you are a redeeming kinsman.”

¹⁰ He said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last act of kindness to be greater than the first, because you have not pursued young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ So now, my daughter, do not worry. All that you ask me, I will do for you. All of my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. ¹² Now it is true that I am a redeeming kinsman. Yet there is another redeemer closer than I am. ¹³ Stay here tonight, and in the morning if he wants to redeem you, very well. Let him do so. Yet if he does not want to redeem you, then I will redeem you. I will, as the Lord lives! Sleep here until morning.”

¹⁴ So she lay at his feet until morning, but she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, “It must not be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”

¹⁵ He said, “Bring me the shawl you have on you, and hold it.” So she held it, and he poured six measures of barley into it and placed it on her. Then she went into the city.

¹⁶ When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi said, “How did it go, my daughter?”

Then she told her all that Boaz had done for her. ¹⁷ She said, “He gave me these six ephahs of barley, for he said to me, ‘Do not return to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ”

¹⁸ Then Naomi said, “Wait here, my daughter, until you learn what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”

Boaz Marries Ruth

4 So Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. And now the redeemer of whom he had spoken passed by, and Boaz said, “Come over, friend, and sit here.” So he went over and sat down.

² Then Boaz took ten men from among the elders of the town and said, “Sit here.” So they sat down. ³ He said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, must sell the plot of land belonging to our brother Elimelek. ⁴ I thought I should inform you and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not redeem it, tell me so that I know, for there is no one prior to you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ”

So he said, “I will redeem it.”

⁵ Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased, to perpetuate the name of the deceased through his inheritance.”

⁶ The redeemer replied, “I am not able to redeem it for myself lest I ruin my own inheritance. Take my redemption rights for yourself, for I cannot do it.”

⁷ (Now this was the custom in ancient times in Israel for redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, a man would remove his sandal and give it to his neighbor. This was a binding act in Israel.)

⁸ Therefore the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself,” and he removed his sandal.

⁹ Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have bought everything that belonged to Elimelek, Kilion, and Mahlon from Naomi. ¹⁰ Moreover I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, to be my wife, in order to preserve the name of the deceased man for his inheritance, so that his name will not be cut off from among his brothers or from his town. You are witnesses this day.”

¹¹ Then all the people who were at the gate, along with the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you do well in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem! ¹² May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

The Genealogy of David

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she bore a son. ¹⁴ Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a redeemer. May he become famous in Israel! ¹⁵ He will be a comfort for your soul and support you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child, laid him on her lap, and became his nurse. ¹⁷ The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸ Now these are the descendants of Perez:

The Healing of the Nobleman’s Son^(A)

⁴³ After the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. ⁴⁴ For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. ⁴⁵ Then, when He came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Him, having seen all the things He did at Jerusalem at the feast. For they had also gone to the feast.

⁴⁶ So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick in Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him, pleading that He would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

⁴⁹ The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your son lives.”

And the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. ⁵¹ While he was going down, his servants met him and told him, “Your son lives!” ⁵² When he inquired of them the hour when he began to heal, they answered, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”

⁵³ Then the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” So he and his whole household believed.

⁵⁴ This was the second sign that Jesus did when He had come from Judea to Galilee.