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Israel’s Demand for a King
8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.(A) 2 His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba.(B) 3 However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.(C)
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.(D) 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.”(E)
6 When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. 7 But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king.(F) 8 They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me,[a] since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods. 9 Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them(G) and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.”
10 Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These are the rights of the king who will rule over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots. 12 He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties,(H) to plow his ground or reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war or the equipment for his chariots. 13 He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants.(I) 15 He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. 16 He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men,[b] and your donkeys and use them for his work. 17 He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves,(J) but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.”(K)
19 The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. 20 Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us,(L) and fight our battles.”
21 Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord.[c] 22 “Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.”(M)
Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”
Saul Anointed King
9 There was an influential man of Benjamin named Kish(N) son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, son of a Benjaminite. 2 He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man.(O) There was no one more impressive among the Israelites than he. He stood a head taller than anyone else.[d](P)
3 One day the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wandered off. Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the attendants with you and go look for the donkeys.” 4 Saul and his attendant went through the hill country of Ephraim(Q) and then through the region of Shalishah,(R) but they didn’t find them. They went through the region of Shaalim(S)—nothing. Then they went through the Benjaminite region but still didn’t find them.
5 When they came to the land of Zuph,(T) Saul said to the attendant who was with him, “Come on, let’s go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”(U)
6 “Look,” the attendant said, “there’s a man of God(V) in this city who is highly respected; everything he says is sure to come true.(W) Let’s go there now. Maybe he’ll tell us which way we should go.”(X)
7 “Suppose we do go,” Saul said to his attendant, “what do we take the man? The food from our packs is gone, and there’s no gift to take to the man of God.(Y) What do we have?”
8 The attendant answered Saul: “Here, I have a piece[e] of silver. I’ll give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way.”
9 Formerly in Israel, a man who was going to inquire of God would say, “Come, let’s go to the seer,” for the prophet of today was formerly called the seer.(Z)
10 “Good,” Saul replied to his attendant. “Come on, let’s go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11 As they were climbing the hill to the city, they found some young women coming out to draw water(AA) and asked, “Is the seer here?”
12 The women answered, “Yes, he is ahead of you. Hurry, he just now came to the city, because there’s a sacrifice(AB) for the people at the high place(AC) today. 13 If you go quickly, you can catch up with him before he goes to the high place to eat. The people won’t eat until he comes because he must bless the sacrifice; after that, the guests can eat. Go up immediately—you can find him now.” 14 So they went up toward the city.
Saul and his attendant were entering the city when they saw Samuel coming toward them on his way to the high place. 15 Now the day before Saul’s arrival, the Lord had informed Samuel,[f](AD) 16 “At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over My people Israel.(AE) He will save them from the hand of the Philistines because I have seen the affliction of My people,(AF) for their cry has come to Me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man I told you about;(AG) he will rule over My people.”
18 Saul approached Samuel in the gate area and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”
19 “I am the seer,” Samuel answered.[g] “Go up ahead of me to the high place and eat with me today. When I send you off in the morning, I’ll tell you everything that’s in your heart. 20 As for the donkeys that wandered away from you three days ago,(AH) don’t worry about them because they’ve been found. And who does all Israel desire(AI) but you and all your father’s family?”
21 Saul responded, “Am I not a Benjaminite(AJ) from the smallest of Israel’s tribes and isn’t my clan the least important of all the clans of the Benjaminite tribe?(AK) So why have you said something like this to me?”
22 Samuel took Saul and his attendant, brought them to the banquet hall, and gave them a place at the head of the 30[h] or so men who had been invited. 23 Then Samuel said to the cook, “Get the portion of meat that I gave you and told you to set aside.”
24 The cook picked up the thigh(AL) and what was attached to it and set it before Saul. Then Samuel said, “Notice that the reserved piece is set before you. Eat it because it was saved for you for this solemn event at the time I said, ‘I’ve invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 Afterward, they went down from the high place to the city, and Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof.[i](AM)
26 They got up early, and just before dawn, Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up, and I’ll send you on your way!” Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went outside. 27 As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the attendant to go on ahead of us, but you stay for a while, and I’ll reveal the word of God to you.” So the attendant went on.
The Bread of Life
22 The next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea knew there had been only one boat.[a](A) They also knew that Jesus had not boarded the boat with His disciples, but that His disciples had gone off alone. 23 Some boats from Tiberias(B) came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord gave thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi,(C) when did You get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “I assure you: You are looking for Me, not because you saw[b] the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that perishes(D) but for the food that lasts for eternal life,(E) which the Son of Man(F) will give you, because God the Father(G) has set His seal of approval on Him.”
28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.
29 Jesus replied, “This is the work(H) of God—that you believe in the One He has sent.”(I)
30 “What sign then are You going to do so we may see and believe You?” they asked. “What are You going to perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna(J) in the wilderness,(K) just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”[c](L)[d]
32 Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Moses(M) didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always!”
35 “I am(N) the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me(O) will ever be hungry,(P) and no one who believes in Me(Q) will ever be thirsty(R) again. 36 But as I told you, you’ve seen Me,[e] and yet you do not believe. 37 Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out.(S) 38 For I have come down from heaven,(T) not to do My will, but the will of Him(U) who sent Me. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I should lose none of those He has given Me but should raise(V) them up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father:(W) that everyone who sees the Son(X) and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise(Y) him up on the last day.”
41 Therefore the Jews started complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph,(Z) whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
32 They angered the Lord at the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered[a] because of them;(A)
33 for they embittered his spirit,[b]
and he spoke rashly with his lips.(B)
34 They did not destroy the peoples
as the Lord had commanded them(C)
35 but mingled with the nations
and adopted their ways.(D)
36 They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.(E)
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.(F)
38 They shed innocent blood—
the blood of their sons and daughters
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
so the land became polluted with blood.(G)
39 They defiled themselves by their actions
and prostituted themselves by their deeds.(H)
40 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against His people,
and He abhorred His own inheritance.(I)
41 He handed them over to the nations;
those who hated them ruled them.(J)
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were subdued under their power.(K)
43 He rescued them many times,
but they continued to rebel deliberately
and were beaten down by their sin.(L)
44 When He heard their cry,
He took note of their distress,(M)
45 remembered His covenant with them,
and relented according to the riches
of His faithful love.(N)
46 He caused them to be pitied
before all their captors.(O)
47 Save us, Yahweh our God,
and gather us from the nations,
so that we may give thanks to Your holy name
and rejoice in Your praise.(P)
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