Old/New Testament
7 The men of Kiriath Jearim [6:21] came and took the Ark of the Lord [4:3] to Abinadab’s house on a hill. There they made Abinadab’s son Eleazar ·holy [consecrated; C set him apart] for the Lord so he could ·guard [have charge of] the Ark of the Lord.
The Lord Saves the Israelites
2 The Ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all. And the people of Israel ·began to follow [lamented; longed for] the Lord again. 3 Samuel spoke to ·the whole group [L all the people/house] of Israel, saying, “If you’re turning back to the Lord with all your hearts, you must ·remove [get rid of; banish] your foreign gods and your idols of Ashtoreth. You must ·give yourselves [commit; direct your hearts] fully to the Lord and serve only him. Then he will ·save [rescue; deliver] you from the Philistines.”
4 So the Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] ·put away [got rid of; banished] their idols of Baal and Ashtoreth, and they served only the Lord.
5 Samuel said, “·All Israel must meet [Gather/Assemble all of Israel] at Mizpah [C just north of Jerusalem within the tribe of Benjamin], and I will ·pray to [plead to; intercede with] the Lord for you.” 6 So the Israelites ·met together [gathered; assembled] at Mizpah. They drew water from the ground and poured it out before the Lord [C a ritual not commonly found in the OT] and fasted that day. They confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel ·served as judge of [judged] Israel at Mizpah.
7 The Philistines heard the Israelites were ·meeting [gathered; assembled] at Mizpah, so the Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords] came up to attack them. When ·the Israelites [sons/T children of Israel] heard they were coming, they were afraid. 8 They said to Samuel, “Don’t stop ·praying [pleading; interceding; crying out] to the Lord our God for us! Ask him to ·save [rescue; deliver] us from the [L hand of the] Philistines!” 9 Then Samuel took a ·baby [suckling] lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering [C an atonement sacrifice; Lev. 1]. He ·called to [pleaded/interceded with; cried out to] the Lord for Israel’s sake, and the Lord ·answered [heard] him.
10 While Samuel was ·burning [sacrificing] the [L burnt] offering, the Philistines came near to attack Israel. But [L on that day] the Lord thundered against them with ·loud thunder [a loud voice]. They were ·so frightened they became confused. So [… thrown into such a panic that] the Israelites ·defeated [routed] the Philistines in battle. 11 The men of Israel ·ran [rushed; L went] out of Mizpah and ·chased [pursued] the Philistines almost to Beth Car [C exact location is unknown], ·killing the Philistines [slaughtering them] along the way.
Peace Comes to Israel
12 After this happened Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen.[a] He named the stone Ebenezer [C “Stone of help”], saying, “The Lord has helped us ·to this point [this far].” 13 So the Philistines were ·defeated [subdued; humbled] and did not enter the Israelites’ ·land [borders] again.
The [L hand of the] Lord was against the Philistines all Samuel’s life. 14 Earlier the Philistines had taken towns from the Israelites, but ·the Israelites won them back [they were restored to Israel], from Ekron [5:10] to Gath [5:8]. They also took back from the [L hand of the] Philistines the ·lands [territory] near these towns. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.
15 Samuel ·continued as judge of [judged] Israel all [L the days of] his life. 16 Every year he went [L on circuit] from Bethel [C north of Jerusalem, near Ai in the central hill country] to Gilgal [C near Jericho] to Mizpah and judged the Israelites in all these towns. 17 But he always went back to Ramah [1:1], where his home was. There he judged Israel and built an altar to the Lord.
Israel Asks for a King
8 When Samuel was old, he ·made [appointed] his sons judges ·for [over] Israel. 2 His first son was named Joel, and his second son was named Abijah. Joel and Abijah were judges in Beersheba [C in the Negev to the extreme south]. 3 But Samuel’s sons did not ·live as he did [L walk/follow in his ways]. They ·tried to get money dishonestly [were greedy; wandered after money], and they accepted ·money secretly [bribes] ·to make wrong judgments [and perverted justice/made biased decisions].
4 So all the elders ·came together [assembled] and met Samuel at Ramah [1:1]. 5 They said to him, “You’re old, and your sons don’t ·live as you do [L walk/follow in your ways]. Give us a king to ·rule over [judge] us like all the other nations [Deut. 17:14].”
6 When the elders said, “Give us [Appoint; L Now, set for us] a king to ·rule over [judge] us,” ·Samuel was not pleased [L it was evil/wrong in the eyes of Samuel]. So he prayed to the Lord, 7 and the Lord told Samuel, “Listen to ·whatever [L the voice of] the people [L regarding what they] say to you. They have not rejected you. They have rejected me from being their king. 8 They are doing as they have always done. When I ·took them out of [brought them up from] Egypt, they ·left [abandoned; deserted; forsook] me and ·served [followed] other gods. They are doing the same to you. 9 Now ·listen to the people [listen to their voice; do as they ask], but [L solemnly] warn them ·what the king who rules over them will do [about the way/manner/custom in which he will rule/reign over them].”
10 So Samuel told those who had asked him for a king ·what [everything; L all the words] the Lord had said. 11 Samuel said, “If you have a king ·ruling [reigning] over you, ·this is what he will do [he will act this way; L this will be the way/manner/custom in which he will rule/reign over you]: He will ·take [draft] your sons and make them serve with his chariots and his ·horses [or charioteers; horsemen], and they will run in front of the king’s chariot. 12 He will make some of your sons commanders over thousands or over fifties. He will make some of your other sons plow his ·ground [fields] and ·reap his harvest [harvest his crops]. He will take others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to make perfume and cook and bake for him. 14 He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves and give them to his ·servants [officials; attendants]. 15 He will take ·one-tenth [a tithe] of your ·grain [crops; seed] and ·grapes [vineyards] and give it to his officers and ·servants [officials; attendants]. 16 He will take your male and female servants, your best cattle, and your donkeys and use them all for his own work. 17 He will take ·one-tenth [a tithe] of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his ·slaves [servants]. 18 ·When that time comes [L In that day], you will cry out because of the king you ·chose [selected]. But the Lord will not ·answer [help] you then.”
19 But the people ·would not [L refused to] listen to [L the voice of] Samuel. They said, “No! We ·want [are determined to have] a king to rule over us. 20 Then we will be the same as all the other nations. Our king will ·judge for [govern; rule over] us and go ·with [before] us and fight our battles.”
21 After Samuel ·heard [listened to] all that the people said, he repeated their words ·to the Lord [L in the Lord’s hearing/ears]. 22 The Lord answered, “You must ·listen to them [do as they say]. ·Give [Appoint] them a king.”
Then Samuel told the people of Israel, “Go back [L each of you] to your ·towns [own town/city].”
Saul Looks for His Father’s Donkeys
9 Kish, son of Abiel from the tribe of Benjamin, was an ·important man [man of wealth/rank/standing/valor]. (Abiel was the son of Zeror, who was the son of Becorath, who was the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.) 2 Kish had a son named Saul, who was a ·fine [handsome] young man. There was no Israelite ·better [more handsome] than he. Saul stood ·a head [head and shoulders] taller than any other man in Israel.
3 Now the donkeys of Saul’s father, Kish, were lost. So Kish said to Saul, his son, “Take one of the servants, and go and look for the donkeys.” 4 Saul went through the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim and the ·land [area; territory] of Shalisha, but he and the servant could not find the donkeys. They went into the ·land [area; territory] of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. They went through the ·land [area; territory] of Benjamin, but they still did not find them. 5 When they arrived in the area of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go back or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and will start worrying about us.”
6 But the servant answered, “A man of God [C a title for a prophet] is in this town. People ·respect [honor] him because everything he says comes true. Let’s go ·into the town now [L there]. Maybe he can tell us ·something about the journey we have taken [or what way to go].”
7 Saul said to his servant, “If we go into the town, what can we give him? The ·food [bread] in our bags is gone. We have no gift to give him. ·Do we have anything [What do we have]?”
8 Again the servant answered Saul. “Look, I have ·one-tenth of an ounce [L a quarter of a shekel] of silver. ·Give [or I will give] it to the man of God. Then he will tell us ·about our journey [L what to do/way to go].” 9 (In ·the past [L those days], if someone in Israel wanted to ·ask something from [inquire of] God, he would say, “Let’s go to the seer.” We call the person a prophet today, but in ·the past [L those days] he was called a seer.)
10 Saul said to his servant, “·That’s a good idea [Well said]. Come, let’s go.” So they went toward the town where the man of God was.
11 As Saul and the servant were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to ·get [draw] water. Saul and the servant asked them, “Is the seer here?”
12 The young women answered, “Yes, he’s here. He’s ahead of you. Hurry now. He has just come to our town today, because the people will offer a sacrifice at the ·place of worship [high place]. 13 As soon as you enter the town, you ·will [can] find him before he goes up to the ·place of worship [high place] to eat. The people will not begin eating until the seer comes, because he must bless the sacrifice. After that, the guests will eat. Go now, and you should find him [L quickly; at once].”
Saul Meets Samuel
14 Saul and the servant went up to the town. Just as they ·entered it [L arrived in the midst of the town], they saw Samuel coming toward them on his way up to the ·place of worship [high place].
15 The day before Saul came, the Lord had ·told [revealed this to] Samuel: 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the ·land [territory] of Benjamin. ·Appoint [Anoint] him ·to lead [L ruler/prince over] my people Israel. He will ·save [rescue; deliver] my people from the [L hand of the] Philistines. I have seen ·the suffering of my people, and I have listened to their cry [L my people because their cry has reached me].”
17 When Samuel first saw Saul, the Lord said to Samuel, “This is the man I told you about. He will ·organize [rule over; govern] my people.”
18 Saul approached Samuel at the gate and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”
19 Samuel answered, “I am the seer. Go ·with [ahead of] me to the ·place of worship [high place]. Today you and your servant are to eat with me. Tomorrow morning I will ·answer all your questions [L tell you all that is in your heart/mind] and send you home. 20 Don’t worry about the donkeys you lost three days ago, because they have been found. Soon all the ·wealth [desires] of Israel will ·belong to [be focused/fixed on; turn to] you and your family.”
21 Saul answered, “·But I am [L Am I not…?] from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel. And ·my family group is [L is not my family/clan…?] the ·smallest [least] in the tribe of Benjamin. Why are you ·saying such things [talking this way to me]?”
22 Then Samuel took Saul and his servant into ·a large room [the hall] and ·gave them a choice place at [placed them at the head of] the table. About thirty guests were there. 23 Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the meat I gave you, the portion I told you to set aside.”
24 So the cook took the thigh and put it on the table in front of Saul. Samuel said, “This is the meat saved for you. Eat it, because it was set aside for you for this ·special [appointed] time. ·As I said, ‘I had invited the people.’ [or … even before I invited these others].” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 After they finished eating, they came down from the ·place of worship [high place] and went to the town. Then Samuel ·talked with [or prepared a bed for] Saul on the roof of his house [C the flat roofs of Israelite houses served as living space]. 26 At dawn they got up, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof. He said, “Get up, and I will send you on your way.” So Saul got up and went out of the house with Samuel. 27 As Saul, his servant, and Samuel were getting near the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay, ·because I have a message from [so I may give/proclaim the word of] God for you.”
Jesus Is the Christ(A)
18 One time when Jesus was praying alone, his ·followers [disciples] were with him, and he asked them, “Who do the ·people [crowds] say I am?”
19 They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah [see 9:8; 1 Kin. 17]. And others say you are one of the prophets from long ago who has ·come back to life [risen/appeared again].”
20 Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are ·the Christ from God [God’s Messiah; the Messiah sent from God].”
Jesus Speaks of His Crucifixion(B)
21 Jesus ·warned [sternly commanded] them not to tell anyone, saying, 22 “The Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the Jewish elders, the ·leading [T chief] priests, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. He will be killed and ·after three days [L on the third day] will be raised from the dead.”
23 Jesus said to all of them, “If ·people want [L anyone wants] to follow me, they must ·give up the things they want [deny themselves; set aside their own interests]. They must ·be willing to give up their lives [L take up their cross] daily and follow me. 24 [L For] Those who want to save their lives will ·give up true life [L lose their life/soul; C Greek psychē can mean “life” or “soul”]. But those who ·give up [lose; sacrifice] their lives for ·me [my sake] will ·have true life [save their lives/souls]. 25 ·It is worthless [L What good/profit/benefit is it…?] to ·have [gain] the whole world if they themselves are destroyed or lost. 26 ·If people are [L For whoever is] ashamed of me and my ·teaching [message; words], then the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and with the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some people standing here will not ·die [L taste death] before they see the kingdom of God.” [C “Seeing the kingdom of God” may refer to the Transfiguration which follows (9:28–36), Jesus’ resurrection, or the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70.]
The Transfiguration on the Mountain(C)
28 About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, John, and James and went up on a mountain to pray. 29 While Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face ·changed [was altered], and his clothes ·became shining white [or flashed white like lightning]. 30 Then [L look; T behold] two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with Jesus. [C God had given the Law through Moses, and Elijah was an important prophet (see 9:8); together they signify that Jesus fulfills the OT.] 31 They appeared in ·heavenly glory [L glory], talking about his departure [C Greek: exodos, perhaps recalling the Exodus from Egypt, and referring to Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension] which he ·would soon bring about [L was about to fulfill/accomplish] in Jerusalem. 32 [L Now; But] Peter and the others were ·very sleepy [L weighed down with sleep], but when they awoke fully, they saw the glory of Jesus and the two men standing with him. 33 When Moses and Elijah were ·about to leave [L leaving him], Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three ·tents [shelters; shrines; tabernacles; Lev. 23:42]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [C Perhaps Peter wanted to prolong their stay or to commemorate their visit.] (Peter did not ·know what he was talking about [L realize/know what he was saying].)
34 While he was saying these things, a cloud came and ·covered [overshadowed] them, and they became afraid as ·the cloud covered them [L they entered the cloud]. 35 [L And; Then] A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son [Ps. 2:7], ·whom I have chosen [or my Chosen One; Is. 42:1]. Listen to him [Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22]!”
36 When the voice finished speaking, only Jesus was there. Peter, John, and James ·said nothing [kept silent] and told no one at that time what they had seen.
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