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Samuel’s Charge to Israel
12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Look, I have listened to your voice regarding all that you have said to me, so I have set a king over you. 2 And so then here is the king walking about before you. Now I am old and gray, but my sons (look at them!) are with you; and I have walked about before you from my youth until this day. 3 Here I am! Testify against me before Yahweh and before his anointed one! Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe, that I may shut my eyes regarding[a] him?–then I will restore it to you.” 4 Then they said, “You have not exploited us or oppressed us, and you have not taken anything from the hand of anyone.” 5 So he said to them, “Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed one is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” Then they said, “He is witness.” 6 Then Samuel said to the people, “Yahweh is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your ancestors[b] up from the land of Egypt. 7 So then take your stand, so that I may judge you before Yahweh with regard to all the deeds of justice[c] of Yahweh that he performed with both you and your ancestors.[d]
8 “When Jacob came to Egypt, your ancestors[e] cried out to Yahweh, so he sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your ancestors[f] out from Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 But they forgot Yahweh their God, so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the hosts of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10 So they cried out to Yahweh and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken Yahweh and have served the Baals[g] and the Ashtoreths.[h] But now deliver us from the hand of our enemies and we will serve you!’ 11 So Yahweh sent Jerub-Baal and Bedan[i] and Jephthah and Samuel. Then he delivered you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you lived in security.
12 “And when you saw that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites,[j] was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king shall reign over us,’ although Yahweh your God is your king. 13 So then look! Here is the king you have chosen, for whom you have asked! Look, Yahweh has placed a king over you! 14 If you will fear Yahweh, and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not be rebellious against what Yahweh says,[k] and both you and the king who rules over you will follow after Yahweh your God, all will be well. 15 But, if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh, and you rebel against what Yahweh says,[l] then the hand of Yahweh will be against you[m] as it was against your ancestors.[n] 16 So then take your stand again and see this great thing that Yahweh is going to do before your eyes. 17 Is the wheat harvest not today? I will call out to Yahweh so that he still sends thunder and rain, so that you will know and will see that your wickedness is great that you have done in the eyes of Yahweh by asking for a king for yourselves.”
18 So Samuel called out to Yahweh, and Yahweh brought thunder and rain that same day, so all the people feared Yahweh and Samuel greatly. 19 Then all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God so that we will not die, because we have added to all our sins by requesting a king for ourselves.” 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear! You have done all this evil; only do not turn aside from following[o] Yahweh. But you must serve Yahweh with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside after the triviality,[p] which have no value and cannot deliver, for they are triviality. 22 For Yahweh will not forsake his people for the sake of his great name, because Yahweh has decided to make you his own people. 23 Also, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin[q] against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the good and righteous way. 24 Only fear Yahweh and serve him faithfully with all of your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.[r] 25 But if you continue to do wickedness, both you and your king will be swept away.”
Saul Rules over Israel
13 Saul was thirty[s] years old[t] at the beginning of his reign, and he reigned forty-two years[u] over Israel. 2 He chose for himself three thousand from Israel. Two thousand of these were with Saul at Micmash in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. He sent away the rest of the people, each to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 And all Israel did hear, saying, “Saul has defeated the garrison of the Philistines; and also, Israel has become a stench among the Philistines!” So the people were called out after Saul at Gilgal.
Saul’s Blunder
5 And the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and an army as numerous as sand which is on the seashore. And they came up and encamped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.
6 When the men of Israel saw that it was too difficult[v] for them, because the army was hard pressed, the people hid themselves in the caves, in the thorn bushes, in the cliffs, in the vaults[w] and in the wells. 7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the army followed him trembling.[x] 8 He waited seven days according to the appointed time Samuel determined, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army started to slip away from him.[y] 9 So Saul said, “Bring here to me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” Then he offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as[z] he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Samuel was coming. So Saul went out to meet him and to bless him. 11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “Because I saw that the army was scattering[aa] from me and you did not come at the appointed time[ab] and that the Philistines had gathered at Micmash, 12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet implored the face of Yahweh.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.”
13 Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have behaved foolishly! You have not kept the command of Yahweh your God which he commanded you. For then, Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now, your kingdom will not endure. Yahweh has sought for himself a man according to his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him as leader over his people, because you have not kept what Yahweh commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel got up and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul mustered the people who were found with him, about six hundred men. 16 Saul and Jonathan his son and the army that remained with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, and the Philistines encamped at Micmash. 17 The raiders[ac] went out from the camp of the Philistines in three divisions. One division turned on the road[ad] to Ophrah toward the land of Shual. 18 One division turned on the road[ae] to Beth Horon, and one turned on the road[af] toward the border overlooking the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19 Now no skilled craftsman could be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “So that the Hebrews cannot make swords or spears for themselves.” 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to have his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his iron plowshare[ag] sharpened. 21 The charge[ah] was two-thirds of a shekel[ai] for the plowshare and for the mattock, and a third of a shekel for the pick[aj] and for the axe, and to set the goading sticks. 22 So[ak] on the day of battle, there was not a sword or a spear found in the hands of all the army that was with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.[al] 23 Now the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Micmash.
Jesus’ Brothers Do Not Believe in Him
7 And after these things Jesus was going about in Galilee. For he did not want to go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the feast of the Jews—the feast of Tabernacles—was near. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Depart from here and go to Judea, so that your disciples also can see your works that you are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret and yet he himself desires to be publicly recognized.[a] If you are doing these things, reveal yourself to the world!” 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.)
Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles
6 So Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it, that its deeds are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not[b] going up to this feast, because my time is not yet completed.[c] 9 And when he[d] had said these things, he remained in Galilee.
10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not openly, but (as it were) in secret. 11 So the Jews were looking for him at the feast, and were saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was a lot of grumbling concerning him among the crowds; some were saying, “He is a good man,” but others were saying, “No, but he deceives the crowd.” 13 However, no one was speaking openly about him for fear of the Jews.
14 Now when the feast was already half over,[e] Jesus went to the temple courts[f] and began to teach.[g] 15 Then the Jews were astonished, saying, “How does this man possess knowledge,[h] because he[i] has not been taught?” 16 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not mine, but is from the one who sent me. 17 If anyone wants to do his will, he will know about my[j] teaching, whether it is from God or I am speaking from myself. 18 The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. But the one who seeks the glory of the one who sent him—this one is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law, and none of you carries out the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”
20 The crowd replied, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I performed one work, and you are all astonished. 22 Because of this Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses would not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a whole man well[k] on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to outward appearance, but judge according to righteous judgment!”
Is Jesus the Christ?
25 Then some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem began to say,[l] “Is this not the one whom they are seeking to kill? 26 And behold, he is speaking openly and they are saying nothing to him! Can it be that the rulers truly know that this man is the Christ? 27 Yet we know where this man is from, but the Christ, whenever he comes—no one knows where he is from!”
28 Then Jesus cried out in the temple courts,[m] teaching and saying, “You both know me and you know where I am from! And I have not come from myself, but the one who sent me is true, whom you do not know. 29 I know him, because I am from him and he sent me.”
30 So they were seeking to seize him, and no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
Prayer to Yahweh for Victory over Enemies
A song. A psalm of David.[a]
108 My heart is steadfast, O God.
I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
2 Awake, harp and lyre.
I will awake the dawn.[b]
3 I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Yahweh;
I will give you praise among the nations,
4 because your loyal love is great above the heavens,
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted above the heavens, O God,
and let your glory be above all the earth,
6 so that your beloved ones may be rescued.
Save by your right hand and answer me.
7 God has spoken in his holiness,
“I will exult, I will divide up Shechem,
and portion out the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine. Manasseh is mine.
And Ephraim is the helmet for[c] my head.
Judah is my scepter;[d]
9 Moab is my washing pot.
Over Edom I will cast my sandal;
Over Philistia I will shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Have you not rejected us, O God,
and not gone out with our armies, O God?
12 Give us help against the enemy,
for the help of humankind is futile.
13 Through God we will do valiantly,[e]
and it is he who will tread down our enemies.
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