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Israel’s Demand for a King
8 When Samuel grew old he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after gain, they took bribes, and they perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old and your sons do not follow in your ways. So then appoint a king for us to judge[a] us, like all the nations. 6 But the matter was displeasing to Samuel[b] when they said, “Give us a king to judge[c] us,” so Samuel prayed to Yahweh.
7 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people concerning all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Like all the deeds they have done from the day I brought them up from Egypt until this day, they have forsaken me and have served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 And so then, listen to their voice. However, you must earnestly warn them; you must explain to them the custom of the king who will rule over them.”
10 So Samuel spoke all the words of Yahweh to the people who were requesting a king from him. 11 He said, “This will be the custom of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and those to do his plowing[d] and to reap his harvest, and those to make weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters as his perfume makers and as cooks and as bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive trees and will give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and to his servants. 16 He will take your male slaves and your female slaves and the best of your young men[e] and your donkeys and will use them for his projects.[f] 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks,[g] and you yourselves will become his servants. 18 So you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but Yahweh will not answer you on that day!” 19 However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and they said, “No, but there must be a king over us, 20 so that we also[h] may be like all the nations, and our king may rule us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 Now when Samuel heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of Yahweh. 22 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and appoint a king for them.” So Samuel spoke to the men of Israel, “Each of you go to his own town.”
Saul, the Requested King, Introduced
9 Now there was a man from Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjaminite, a very wealthy man.[i] 2 He had a son whose name was Saul,[j] a young and handsome man. There was not a man from the Israelites[k] more handsome than he was; from his shoulders up, he was taller than all the people.
3 Now the female donkeys of Kish the father of Saul got lost, and Kish said to Saul his son, “Please take one of the servants with you and get up; go and seek the female donkeys.” 4 So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim; he passed through the land of Shalisha but they did not find them. They passed through the land of Shaalim but they were not there. He passed through the land of Benjamin but did not find them.
5 When they entered the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us return, lest my father cease caring about the female donkeys and worry about us!” 6 But he[l] said to him, “Look, a man of God is in this town, and the man is honored. All that he says certainly comes true. So then let us go there; perhaps he will tell us about our journey on which we have gone.” 7 So Saul said to his servant, “Look, we may go, but what should we bring to the man? For the bread is gone from our bags, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have with us?” 8 The servant again answered Saul and said, “Look, I have[m] in my hand a quarter shekel of silver! I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us our way.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he would say: “Come, let us go up to the seer.” For the prophet of today was formerly called a seer.) 10 So Saul said to his servant, “Your suggestion is a good one.[n] Come, let us go.” And they went to the town where the man of God was.
11 They were going up the ascent of the town when they found young women going out to draw water. They said to them, “Is there the seer here?” 12 They answered them and said, “There is. Look, he is just in front of you! Hurry now, because he has come to the town today, because there is a sacrifice for the people today at the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the town, you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice. Then afterward the invited guests will eat. So then, go up, because you will find him today!” 14 So they went up to the town. As they were entering into the middle of the town, Samuel was coming forth to meet them, to go up to the high place.
15 Now Yahweh had revealed this to[o] Samuel the day before Saul arrived, saying, 16 “This time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you must anoint him as leader over my people Israel. He will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen the suffering of my people, because their cry of distress has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh answered him, “Here is the man about whom I told you! This is the one who will govern my people.”
18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate and said, “Please tell me, where is the house of the seer?” 19 Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me[p] to the high place, and you will eat with me today; then I will send you away in the morning. I will tell you all that is on your mind.[q] 20 And as for your female donkeys that were lost three days ago,[r] do not be concerned about them,[s] because they have been found. For whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not for you and for all the house of your father?”
21 Saul answered and said, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the humblest of all the families of the tribes of Benjamin? Why do you speak to me in this way?”[t] 22 So Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them to a room in the building and gave them a place at the head of the invited guests.[u] There were about thirty men. 23 Then Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave to you, about which I said to you, ‘Keep it with you.’” 24 So the cook took up the shank and what was on it and put it before Saul, and he[v] said, “Look, the saved portion[w] is placed before you[x]—eat, because it has been kept for you for the appointed time,” and he said,[y] “I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 When they came down from the high place to the town, he spoke with Saul on the roof. 26 They got up early, and as dawn was breaking,[z] Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, so that I can send you away.” So Saul got up and the two of them, he and Samuel, went outside. 27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us. When he has passed, you stand here a while,[aa] so that I can make known to you the word of God.”
Discourse About the Bread of Life
22 On the next day, the crowd that was on the other side of the sea saw that other boats were not there (except one), and that Jesus had not entered with his disciples into the boat, but his disciples had departed alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after[a] the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.
25 And when they[b] found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus replied to them and said, “Truly, truly I say to you, you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were satisfied! 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but the food that remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has set his seal on this one.”
28 So they said to him, “What shall we do that we can accomplish the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one whom that one sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign will you perform, so that we can see it[c] and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[d]
32 Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven! 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 So they said to him, “Sir, always give us this bread!”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty again. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and do not believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father gives to me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never throw out, 38 because I have come down from heaven not that I should do my will, but the will of the one who sent me. 39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me: that everyone whom he has given me, I would not lose any of them,[e] but raise them[f] up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks at the Son and believes in him would have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
41 Now the Jews began to grumble[g] about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” 42 and they were saying, “Is this one not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
32 They also angered God at the waters of Meribah,
and it went badly for Moses on account of them,
33 because they rebelled against his Spirit,[a]
and he spoke thoughtlessly with his lips.
34 They did not exterminate the peoples,
as Yahweh had commanded them, [b]
35 but they mingled with the nations
and learned their works,
36 and served their idols,
which became[c] a snare to them.
37 They even sacrificed their sons and daughters
to the demons,
38 and they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and so the land was defiled with the blood.[d]
39 And they became unclean by their works,
and were unfaithful in their deeds.
40 So Yahweh’s anger burned against his people,
and he abhorred his inheritance.
41 Then he gave them into the hand of the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
42 And their enemies oppressed them,
and they were subdued under their hand.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they rebelled in their counsel,
and were brought low by their iniquity.
44 Yet he looked upon their distress
when he heard their cry.
45 And he remembered his covenant with them,
and relented based on the abundance of his loyal love.
46 And he let them find compassion[e]
before all their captors.
47 Save us, O Yahweh our God,
and gather us from the nations,
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and boast in your praise.
48 Blessed is Yahweh, the God of Israel,
from everlasting and to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise Yah.[f]
34 Righteousness will exalt a nation,
but sin is a reproach to a people.
35 The favor of a king is for the servant who deals wisely,
but his wrath will be on him who acts shamefully.
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