Prayer for Relief from Tormentors

To the Chief Musician. Set to ^[a]“The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A Michtam of David when the ^(A)Philistines captured him in Gath.

God’s Righteous Judgment

2 Therefore you are ^(A)inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, ^(B)for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. ² But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. ³ And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you despise ^(C)the riches of His goodness, ^(D)forbearance, and ^(E)longsuffering, ^(F)not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵ But in accordance with your hardness and your ^[a]impenitent heart ^(G)you are ^[b]treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, ⁶ who ^(H)“will render to each one according to his deeds”: ⁷ eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; ⁸ but to those who are self-seeking and ^(I)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, ⁹ tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew ^(J)first and also of the ^[c]Greek; ^10 (K)but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹¹ For ^(L)there is no partiality with God.

¹² For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law ¹³ (for ^(M)not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; ¹⁴ for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ who show the ^(N)work of the law written in their hearts, their ^(O)conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) ^16 (P)in the day when God will judge the secrets of men ^(Q)by Jesus Christ, ^(R)according to my gospel.

The Jews Guilty as the Gentiles

^17 [d]Indeed ^(S)you are called a Jew, and ^(T)rest^[e] on the law, ^(U)and make your boast in God, ¹⁸ and ^(V)know His will, and ^(W)approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, ¹⁹ and ^(X)are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, ^(Y)having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. ^21 (Z)You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? ²² You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, ^(AA)do you rob temples? ²³ You who ^(AB)make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? ²⁴ For ^(AC)“the name of God is ^(AD)blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.

Circumcision of No Avail

^25 (AE)For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ Therefore, ^(AF)if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? ²⁷ And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, ^(AG)judge you who, even with your ^[f]written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? ²⁸ For ^(AH)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; ²⁹ but he is a Jew ^(AI)who is one inwardly; and ^(AJ)circumcision is that of the heart, ^(AK)in the Spirit, not in the letter; ^(AL)whose ^[g]praise is not from men but from God.

God’s Judgment Defended

3 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? ² Much in every way! Chiefly because ^(AM)to them were committed the ^[h]oracles of God. ³ For what if ^(AN)some did not believe? ^(AO)Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? ^4 (AP)Certainly not! Indeed, let ^(AQ)God be ^[i]true but ^(AR)every man a liar. As it is written:

⁵ But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? ^(AT)(I speak as a man.) ⁶ Certainly not! For then ^(AU)how will God judge the world?

⁷ For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? ⁸ And why not say, ^(AV)“Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their ^[j]condemnation is just.

Saul Proclaimed King

¹⁷ Then Samuel called the people together ^(A)to the Lord ^(B)at Mizpah, ¹⁸ and said to the children of Israel, ^(C)“Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ ^19 (D)But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your ^[a]clans.”

²⁰ And when Samuel had ^(E)caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. ²¹ When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. ²² Therefore they ^(F)inquired of the Lord further, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.”

²³ So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, ^(G)he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. ²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him ^(H)whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?”

So all the people shouted and said, ^(I)“Long^[b] live the king!”

²⁵ Then Samuel explained to the people ^(J)the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. ²⁶ And Saul also went home ^(K)to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. ^27 (L)But some ^(M)rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, ^(N)and brought him no presents. But he ^[c]held his peace.

Saul Saves Jabesh Gilead

11 Then ^(O)Nahash the Ammonite came up and ^[d]encamped against ^(P)Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, ^(Q)“Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”

² And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring ^(R)reproach on all Israel.”

³ Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to ^[e]save us, we will come out to you.”

⁴ So the messengers came ^(S)to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And ^(T)all the people lifted up their voices and wept. ⁵ Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, “What troubles the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. ^6 (U)Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. ⁷ So he took a yoke of oxen and ^(V)cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, ^(W)“Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.”

And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out ^[f]with one consent. ⁸ When he numbered them in ^(X)Bezek, the children ^(Y)of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ⁹ And they said to the messengers who came, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.’ ” Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. ¹⁰ Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you.”

¹¹ So it was, on the next day, that ^(Z)Saul put the people ^(AA)in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

¹² Then the people said to Samuel, ^(AB)“Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ ^(AC)Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”

¹³ But Saul said, ^(AD)“Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today ^(AE)the Lord has accomplished salvation in Israel.”

¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go ^(AF)to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king ^(AG)before the Lord in Gilgal. ^(AH)There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.