War with the Philistines

13 Saul was ^[a]thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for ^[b]forty-two years over Israel.

² Now Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel, of whom two thousand were with Saul in ^(A)Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while a thousand were with Jonathan at ^(B)Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent the rest of the people away, each to his tent. ³ And Jonathan attacked ^(C)the garrison of the Philistines that was in ^(D)Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul ^(E)blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” ⁴ And all Israel heard ^[c]the news that Saul had attacked the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel ^(F)had become repulsive to the Philistines. Then the people were summoned ^[d]to Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and ^(G)people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of ^(H)Beth-aven. ⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard-pressed), then ^(I)the people kept themselves hidden in caves, in crevices, in cliffs, in crypts, and in pits. ⁷ And some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of ^(J)Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling.

⁸ Now ^(K)he waited for seven days, until the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. ⁹ So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And ^(L)he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ But as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and ^(M)Saul went out to meet him and to ^[e]greet him. ¹¹ But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Since I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come at the appointed ^[f]time, and that ^(N)the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, ¹² I ^[g]thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not ^[h]asked the favor of the Lord.’ So I worked up the courage and offered the burnt offering.” ¹³ But Samuel said to Saul, “^(O)You have acted foolishly! ^(P)You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for the Lord would now have established your kingdom ^[i]over Israel ^(Q)forever. ¹⁴ But ^(R)now your kingdom shall not endure. ^(S)The Lord has sought for Himself a man ^[j]after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

¹⁵ Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal to ^(T)Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul ^[k]counted the people who were ^[l]present with him, ^(U)about six hundred men. ¹⁶ Now Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were ^[m]present with them were staying in ^(V)Geba of Benjamin while the Philistines camped at Michmash. ¹⁷ Then ^(W)[n]raiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three ^[o]companies: one ^[p]company turned ^[q]toward ^(X)Ophrah, to the land of Shual, ¹⁸ and another ^[r]company turned ^[s]toward ^(Y)Beth-horon, and another ^[t]company turned ^[u]toward the border that overlooks the Valley of ^(Z)Zeboim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹ Now ^(AA)no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make ^[v](AB)swords or spears.” ²⁰ So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe. ²¹ The charge was ^[w]two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to fix the ^[x]cattle goads. ²² So it came about on the day of battle that ^(AC)neither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan. ²³ And ^(AD)the garrison of the Philistines went out to ^(AE)the gorge of Michmash.

Israel Has Not Been Rejected

11 I say then, God has not ^(A)rejected His people, has He? ^[a](B)Far from it! For ^(C)I too am an Israelite, ^[b]a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God ^(D)has not rejected His people whom He ^(E)foreknew. ^(F)Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? ³ “Lord, ^(G)they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” ⁴ But what ^[c]is the divine response to him? “^(H)I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵ In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time ^(I)a remnant according to God’s ^[d]gracious choice. ⁶ But ^(J)if it is by grace, it is no longer ^[e]on the basis of works, since otherwise grace is no longer grace.

⁷ What then? What ^(K)Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but ^[f]those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were ^(L)hardened; ⁸ just as it is written:

⁹ And David says,

^11 (P)I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? ^[g](Q)Far from it! But by their wrongdoing ^(R)salvation has come to the Gentiles, to ^(S)make them jealous. ¹² Now if their wrongdoing proves to be riches for the world, and their failure, riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their ^[h](T)fulfillment be! ¹³ But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Therefore insofar as ^(U)I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴ if somehow I may ^(V)move ^(W)my ^[i]own people to jealousy and ^(X)save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection proves to be the ^(Y)reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but ^(Z)life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the ^(AA)first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are as well.

¹⁷ But if some of the ^(AB)branches were broken off, and ^(AC)you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the ^[j]rich root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that ^(AD)it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. ^19 (AE)You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you ^(AF)stand by your faith. ^(AG)Do not be conceited, but fear; ²¹ for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. ²² See then the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s ^(AH)kindness, ^(AI)if you continue in His kindness; for otherwise you too ^(AJ)will be cut off. ²³ And they also, ^(AK)if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

²⁵ For ^(AL)I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this ^(AM)mystery—so that you will not be ^(AN)wise in your own estimation—that a partial ^(AO)hardening has happened to Israel until the ^(AP)fullness of the Gentiles has come in; ²⁶ and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written:

²⁸ In relation to the gospel they are ^(AT)enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved ^(AU)on account of the fathers; ²⁹ for the gifts and the ^(AV)calling of God ^(AW)are irrevocable. ³⁰ For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. ³² For ^(AX)God has shut up all in disobedience, so that He may show mercy to all.

³³ Oh, the depth of ^(AY)the riches, ^[l]both of the ^(AZ)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(BA)How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! ³⁴ For ^(BB)who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? ³⁵ Or ^(BC)who has first given to Him, ^[m]that it would be paid back to him? ³⁶ For ^(BD)from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. ^(BE)To Him be the glory ^[n]forever. Amen.

Prophecy against Babylon

50 The word which the Lord spoke concerning ^(A)Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:

³ For a nation has come up against her from the ^(G)north; it will make her land ^(H)an object of horror, and there will be ^(I)no inhabitant in it. Whether people or animals, they have wandered off, they have gone!

⁴ “In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, they and the sons of Judah ^(J)as well; they will go along ^(K)weeping as they go, and it will be ^(L)the Lord their God whom they will seek. ⁵ They will ^(M)ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces ^[c]in its direction; ^[d]they ^[e]will come so that they may join themselves to the Lord in an ^(N)everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

¹⁷ “Israel is a ^(AN)scattered ^[q]flock, the ^(AO)lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the ^(AP)king of Assyria, and this last one who has gnawed his bones is ^(AQ)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. ¹⁸ Therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I ^(AR)punished the king of Assyria. ¹⁹ And I will ^(AS)bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his ^[r]desire will be satisfied in the ^(AT)hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. ²⁰ In those days and at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for the wrongdoing of Israel, but ^(AU)there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will forgive those ^(AV)whom I leave as a remnant.’

⁴⁴ “^(CU)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase them away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is ^(CV)chosen. For who is ^(CW)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can ^(CX)stand against Me?” ⁴⁵ Therefore hear the ^(CY)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has in mind against the land of the Chaldeans: ^(CZ)they will certainly drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; He will certainly make their pasture desolate because of them. ⁴⁶ At the ^[al]shout, “Babylon has been conquered!” the ^(DA)earth quakes, and an ^(DB)outcry is heard among the nations.

A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.

A Psalm of David.

The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.

A Psalm of David.