Old/New Testament
Chapter 15[a]
Saul’s Disobedience. 1 Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Therefore, hearken to the sound of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will remember what the Amalekites did to Israel when they waylaid them as they were coming up out of Egypt. 3 Go now, and attack Amalek. Wipe out everything that belongs to them. Do not spare any of them, kill men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”
4 Saul summoned the people and counted them at Telaim. There were two hundred thousand soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. 5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the valley.
6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites, so that I not destroy you along with them. You were kind to all of the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.[b]
7 Saul then struck down the Amalekites from Havilah down to Shur which lies to the east of Egypt. 8 He captured Agag, the king of the Amalekites alive, but he put all of the people to the sword. 9 Saul and the people spared Agag, all of the best of the sheep and oxen, the fat calves and lambs, everything that was good. Yet, everything that was weak and useless they totally destroyed.
10 Samuel Rebukes Saul. The word of the Lord came to Samuel saying, 11 “I am sorry that I appointed Saul as king, for he has turned away from me by not observing my commandments.” Samuel was disturbed, and he cried out to the Lord all that night. 12 Early in the morning, Samuel went out to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. He set up a monument there for himself, so he turned around and traveled on, going down to Gilgal.”[c]
13 Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “May you be blessed. I have fulfilled the command of the Lord.” 14 Samuel responded, “Then what is the bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul answered, “They have brought them from the Amalekites. The people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord, your God. We have totally destroyed the rest of it.” 16 Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me tonight.” He said, “Keep speaking.” 17 Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own opinion, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? Has the Lord not anointed you as king over Israel? 18 The Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites. Fight against them until they are wiped out.’ 19 Why did you not heed the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil, doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”
20 Saul answered Samuel, “But I did hearken to the voice of the Lord. I went on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have wiped out Agag, the king of Amalek, and the Amalekites. 21 The people took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of the dedicated things, to sacrifice them to the Lord, your God, in Gilgal.”
22 [d]But Samuel replied, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in heeding the voice of the Lord? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, being attentive is better than the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft, arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
24 Saul Asks for Pardon. Saul answered Samuel, “I have sinned against the command of the Lord and against your instruction because I was afraid of the people and I listened to their complaints. 25 Now, I beg you, forgive my sin and return with me, so that I can worship the Lord.” 26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you because you have rejected the word of the Lord. The Lord has rejected you as king over Israel.”
27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed on to the hem of his garment and tore it. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn away the kingdom of Israel from you today. He has given it to one of your neighbors, someone who is better than you. 29 He who is the strength of Israel does not lie nor does he repent, for he is not a man that he should change his mind.”
30 He said, “I have sinned. Please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me so that I might worship the Lord, your God.” 31 Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
32 Agag’s Death. Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” Agag came before him cheerfully, for Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” 33 Then Samuel said, “As your sword made women childless, so among women your mother will be childless.” Samuel then hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord.
34 After this Samuel traveled to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Samuel did not go back to visit Saul again until the day of his death, though Samuel mourned for Saul. The Lord regretted that he had appointed Saul as king over Israel.
Chapter 16
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you continue to mourn for Saul, for I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and go, I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem. I have seen a king for myself among his sons.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I am going to make a sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You will anoint for me whomever I point out to you.”
David Is Anointed as King. 4 Samuel did what the Lord had said. When he arrived in Bethlehem, the elders of the city came out to him trembling with fear. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” 5 Samuel answered, “Yes. In peace I have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he purified Jesse and his sons, and he invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely his anointed one stands before the Lord.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or how tall he stands, for the Lord has rejected him. He does not see the way that men see, for men look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8 Jesse then summoned Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. He said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. He said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 10 Jesse made his seven sons pass in front of Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these either.”
11 Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all of the children?” He said, “There is still the youngest; he is watching the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him and fetch him. We will not sit down until he has arrived.”
12 And so he sent for and brought him. He was ruddy, with a fine and handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Rise up and anoint him, for he is the one.” 13 Samuel took the horn of oil, and he anointed him in the midst of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward, and Samuel then returned to Ramah.
14 Saul’s Armor-Bearer.[e][f]Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit oppressed him.[g] 15 Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold, an evil spirit from God is troubling you. 16 Let our lord command your servants to seek out someone who is talented in playing the harp. When an evil spirit from God descends upon you, he can play and you will feel better.” 17 Saul said to his servants, “Find someone for me who plays well and bring him to me.” 18 One of his servants said, “I have seen a son of Jesse from Bethlehem who is talented at playing. He is strong and a brave warrior. He is prudent in his speech and handsome, and the Lord is with him.” 19 [h]So Saul sent messengers to Jesse saying, “Send me David, your son, who is tending the sheep.”
20 Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and he sent them with David, his son, to Saul. 21 David came to Saul and entered into his service. He loved him very much, and he became his armor-bearer.
22 Saul sent to Jesse saying, “Please let David be in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 Whenever an evil spirit came upon Saul, David took a harp and played it. Saul revived and he felt better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
25 The Greatest Commandment.[a]And behold, a lawyer came forward to test Jesus by asking, “Teacher, what must I do to gain eternal life?” 26 Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 Jesus then said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
29 The Parable of the Good Samaritan. But because the man wished to justify himself, he asked, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down[b] from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him and beat him, and then went off leaving him half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be traveling along that same road, but when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 A Levite[c] likewise came to that spot and saw him, but he too passed by on the other side.
33 “But a Samaritan who was traveling along that road came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. 34 He went up to him and bandaged his wounds after having poured oil and wine on them. Then he brought him upon his own animal to an inn and looked after him.
35 “The next day, he took out two denarii[d] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Look after him, and when I return I will repay you for anything more you might spend.’
36 “Which of those three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He answered, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”[e]
38 Martha and Mary.[f] In the course of their journey, he came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.
40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks. So she came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 The Lord answered her: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and upset about many things, 42 when only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.