Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

The Lord Calls Samuel

3 The boy Samuel ministered^(A) before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare;^(B) there were not many visions.^(C)

² One night Eli, whose eyes^(D) were becoming so weak that he could barely see,^(E) was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp^(F) of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house^(G) of the Lord, where the ark^(H) of God was. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.^(I)” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁶ Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know^(J) the Lord: The word^(K) of the Lord had not yet been revealed^(L) to him.

⁸ A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!^(M)”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

¹¹ And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.^{(A) 12} At that time I will carry out against Eli everything^(B) I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. ¹³ For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,^[a] and he failed to restrain^(C) them. ¹⁴ Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned^(D) for by sacrifice or offering.’”

¹⁵ Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶ but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

¹⁷ “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide^(E) it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely,^(F) if you hide from me anything he told you.” ¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”^(G)

¹⁹ The Lord was with^(H) Samuel as he grew^(I) up, and he let none^(J) of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. ²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba^(K) recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.^(L)

⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves,^(A) but Jesus Christ as Lord,^(B) and ourselves as your servants^(C) for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[a](D) made his light shine in our hearts^(E) to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.^(F)

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay^(G) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God^(H) and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side,^(I) but not crushed; perplexed,^(J) but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted,^(K) but not abandoned;^(L) struck down, but not destroyed.^{(M) 10} We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus,^(N) so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.^{(O) 11} For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake,^(P) so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.^(Q)

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(A)(B)

²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.^{(C) 24} The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”^(D)

²⁵ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest,^(E) he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat.^(F) And he also gave some to his companions.”^(G)

²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man,^(H) not man for the Sabbath.^{(I) 28} So the Son of Man^(J) is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue,^(K) and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely^(L) to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.^{(M) 3} Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians^(N) how they might kill Jesus.^(O)