The Plague of Darkness

²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness^(A) spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” ²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness^(B) covered all Egypt for three days. ²³ No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.^(C)

²⁴ Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go,^(D) worship the Lord. Even your women and children^(E) may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.”^(F)

²⁵ But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings^(G) to present to the Lord our God. ²⁶ Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the Lord our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord.”

²⁷ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,^(H) and he was not willing to let them go. ²⁸ Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.”

²⁹ “Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear^(I) before you again.”

Saul Takes His Life^(A)

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.^{(B) 2} The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons,^(C) and they killed his sons Jonathan,^(D) Abinadab and Malki-Shua.^{(E) 3} The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded^(F) him critically.

⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through,^(G) or these uncircumcised^(H) fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. ⁵ When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died^(I) together that same day.

⁷ When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines^(J) came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news^(K) in the temple of their idols and among their people.^{(L) 10} They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths^(M) and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.^(N)

¹¹ When the people of Jabesh Gilead^(O) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all their valiant men^(P) marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned^(Q) them. ¹³ Then they took their bones^(R) and buried them under a tamarisk^(S) tree at Jabesh, and they fasted^(T) seven days.^(U)

Day of Disaster

16 Then the word of the Lord came to me: ² “You must not marry^(A) and have sons or daughters in this place.” ³ For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers:^{(B) 4} “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried^(C) but will be like dung lying on the ground.^(D) They will perish by sword and famine,^(E) and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”^(F)

⁵ For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity^(G) from this people,” declares the Lord. ⁶ “Both high and low will die in this land.^(H) They will not be buried or mourned,^(I) and no one will cut^(J) themselves or shave^(K) their head for the dead. ⁷ No one will offer food^(L) to comfort those who mourn^(M) for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console^(N) them.

⁸ “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.^{(O) 9} For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds^(P) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride^(Q) and bridegroom in this place.^(R)

¹⁰ “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’^{(S) 11} then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped^(T) them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.^{(U) 12} But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors.^(V) See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts^(W) instead of obeying me. ¹³ So I will throw you out of this land^(X) into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known,^(Y) and there you will serve other gods^(Z) day and night, for I will show you no favor.’^(AA)

Psalm 31^[a](A)

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

²¹ When his family^[a] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”^(A)

²² And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem^(B) said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul!^(C) By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”^(D)

²³ So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables:^(E) “How can Satan^(F) drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. ²⁷ In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.^{(G) 28} Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”^(H)

³⁰ He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

2 My dear children,^(A) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate^(B) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,^(C) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.^(D)

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers

³ We know^(E) that we have come to know him^(F) if we keep his commands.^{(G) 4} Whoever says, “I know him,”^(H) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.^{(I) 5} But if anyone obeys his word,^(J) love for God^[a] is truly made complete in them.^(K) This is how we know^(L) we are in him: ⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.^(M)

⁷ Dear friends,^(N) I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.^(O) This old command is the message you have heard. ⁸ Yet I am writing you a new command;^(P) its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing^(Q) and the true light^(R) is already shining.^(S)

⁹ Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister^[b](T) is still in the darkness.^{(U) 10} Anyone who loves their brother and sister^[c] lives in the light,^(V) and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.^{(W) 11} But anyone who hates a brother or sister^(X) is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.^(Y) They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.^(Z)

Reasons for Writing

On Not Loving the World

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world.^(AL) If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[d] is not in them.^{(AM) 16} For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh,^(AN) the lust of the eyes,^(AO) and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away,^(AP) but whoever does the will of God^(AQ) lives forever.