The Daily Audio Bible

15 Sh’mu’el said to Sha’ul, “Adonai sent me to anoint you king over his people, over Isra’el. Now listen to what Adonai has to say. ² Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘I remember what ‘Amalek did to Isra’el, how they fought against Isra’el when they were coming up from Egypt. ³ Now go and attack ‘Amalek, and completely destroy everything they have. Don’t spare them, but kill men and women, children and babies, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

⁴ Sha’ul summoned the people and reviewed them in T’la’im — 200,000 foot soldiers, with another 10,000 men from Y’hudah. ⁵ Sha’ul arrived at the city of ‘Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. ⁶ Sha’ul said to the Keni, “Go away, withdraw, leave your homes there with the ‘Amaleki. Otherwise, I might destroy you along with them, even though you were kind to all the people of Isra’el when they came out of Egypt. So the Keni went away from among the ‘Amaleki. ⁷ Then Sha’ul attacked ‘Amalek, starting at Havilah and continuing toward Shur, at the border of Egypt. ⁸ He took Agag the king of ‘Amalek alive; but he completely destroyed the people, putting them to the sword. ⁹ However, Sha’ul and the people spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, and even the second best, also the lambs, and everything that was good — they weren’t inclined to destroy these things. But everything that was worthless or weak they completely destroyed.

¹⁰ Then the word of Adonai came to Sh’mu’el: ¹¹ “I regret setting up Sha’ul as king, because he has turned back from following me and hasn’t obeyed my orders.” This made Sh’mu’el very sad, so that he cried to Adonai all night. ¹² Sh’mu’el got up early in the morning to meet Sha’ul; however, Sh’mu’el was told, “Sha’ul came to Karmel to set up a monument for himself there, but now he has left and is on his way down to Gilgal.” ¹³ Sh’mu’el went to Sha’ul; Sha’ul said to him, “May Adonai bless you! I have done what Adonai ordered.” ¹⁴ But Sh’mu’el answered, “If so, why do I hear sheep bleating and cows mooing?” ¹⁵ Sha’ul said, “They brought them from the ‘Amaleki, because the people spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to Adonai your God. But we completely destroyed the rest.” ¹⁶ Then Sh’mu’el said to Sha’ul, “Stop! I’m going to tell you what Adonai said to me last night.” He said, “Speak.” ¹⁷ Sh’mu’el then said, “You may be small in your own sight, but you are head of the tribes of Isra’el — Adonai anointed you king over Isra’el! ¹⁸ Now Adonai sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy ‘Amalek, those sinners; keep making war on them until they have been exterminated. ¹⁹ Why did you seize the spoil instead of paying attention to what Adonai said? From Adonai’s viewpoint, you have done an evil thing.” ²⁰ Sha’ul said to Sh’mu’el, “I did too pay attention to what Adonai said, and I carried out the mission on which Adonai sent me. I brought back Agag the king of ‘Amalek, and I completely destroyed ‘Amalek. ²¹ But the people took some of the spoil, the best of the sheep and cattle set aside for destruction, to sacrifice to Adonai your God in Gilgal.” ²² Sh’mu’el said,

²⁴ Sha’ul said to Sh’mu’el, “I have sinned. I violated the order of Adonai and your words too, because I was afraid of the people and listened to what they said. ²⁵ Now, please, pardon my sin; and come back with me, so that I can worship Adonai.” ²⁶ But Sh’mu’el said to Sha’ul, “I will not go back with you, because you have rejected the word of Adonai, and Adonai has rejected you as king over Isra’el.” ²⁷ As Sh’mu’el was turning around to leave, he took hold of the hem of his cloak, and it tore. ²⁸ Sh’mu’el said to him, “Adonai has torn the kingdom of Isra’el away from you today and given it to a fellow countryman of yours who is better than you. ²⁹ Moreover, the Eternal One of Isra’el will not lie or change his mind, because he isn’t a mere human being subject to changing his mind.” ³⁰ Then Sha’ul said, “I have sinned; but in spite of that, please show me respect now before the leaders of my people and before Isra’el by coming back with me, so that I can worship Adonai your God.” ³¹ So Sh’mu’el followed Sha’ul back, and Sha’ul worshipped Adonai.

³² Then Sh’mu’el said, “Bring Agag the king of ‘Amalek here to me. Agag came to him in chains and said, “Without doubt, mine will be a bitter death.” ³³ Sh’mu’el said,

Then Sh’mu’el cut Agag in pieces before Adonai in Gilgal.

³⁴ Sh’mu’el returned to Ramah, and Sha’ul went up to his house in Giv‘at-Sha’ul. ³⁵ Never again did Sh’mu’el see Sha’ul, until the day he died. But Sh’mu’el grieved over Sha’ul, and Adonai regretted that he had made Sha’ul king over Isra’el.

16 Adonai said to Sh’mu’el, “How much longer are you going to go on grieving for Sha’ul, now that I have rejected him as king over Isra’el? Fill your horn with oil, and set out; I will send you to Yishai the Beit-Lachmi, because I have chosen myself a king from among his sons.” ² Sh’mu’el said, “How can I go? If Sha’ul hears of it, he will have me killed.” Adonai said, “Take a female cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to Adonai.’ ³ Summon Yishai to the sacrifice. I will tell you what to do, and you are to anoint for me the person I point out to you.”

⁴ Sh’mu’el did what Adonai said and arrived at Beit-Lechem. The leaders of the city came trembling to meet him and asked, “Are you coming in peace?” ⁵ He answered, “In peace. I have come to sacrifice to Adonai. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He consecrated Yishai and his sons and summoned them to the sacrifice. ⁶ When they had come, he looked at Eli’av and said, “This has to be Adonai’s anointed one, here before him.” ⁷ But Adonai said to Sh’mu’el, “Don’t pay attention to how he looks or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. Adonai doesn’t see the way humans see — humans look at the outward appearance, but Adonai looks at the heart.” ⁸ Then Yishai called Avinadav and presented him to Sh’mu’el; but he said, “Adonai hasn’t chosen this one either.” ⁹ Yishai presented Shammah; again Sh’mu’el said, “Adonai hasn’t chosen this one either.” ¹⁰ Yishai presented seven of his sons to Sh’mu’el; but Sh’mu’el told Yishai, “Adonai has not chosen these. ¹¹ Are all your sons here?” Sh’mu’el asked Yishai. He replied, “There is still the youngest; he’s out there tending the sheep.” Sh’mu’el said to Yishai, “Send and bring him back, because we won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.” ¹² He sent and brought him in. With ruddy cheeks, red hair and bright eyes, he was a good-looking fellow. Adonai said, “Stand up and anoint him; he’s the one.” ¹³ Sh’mu’el took the horn of oil and anointed him there in his brothers’ presence. From that day on, the Spirit of Adonai would fall upon David with power. So Sh’mu’el set out and went to Ramah.

¹⁴ Now the Spirit of Adonai had left Sha’ul; instead, an evil spirit from Adonai would suddenly come over him. ¹⁵ Sha’ul’s servants said to him, “Do you notice that there’s an evil spirit from God that suddenly comes over you? ¹⁶ Let our lord now command your servants who are here with you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then, if the evil spirit from God comes over you, he will play; and it will do you good.” ¹⁷ Sha’ul said to his servants, “Find me a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” ¹⁸ One of the young men answered, “Here, I’ve seen one of the sons of Yishai the Beit-Lachmi who knows how to play. He’s a brave soldier, he can fight, he chooses his words carefully and he’s pleasant-looking. Besides, Adonai is with him.” ¹⁹ So Sha’ul sent messengers to Yishai saying, “Send me David your son, who is out with the sheep.” ²⁰ Yishai took a donkey, loaded it with bread, a bottle of wine and a kid, and sent them with David his son to Sha’ul. ²¹ David came to Sha’ul and presented himself to him. Sha’ul took a great liking to him and made him his armor-bearer. ²² Sha’ul sent a message to Yishai: “Please let David stay in my service, because I’m pleased with him.” ²³ So it was that whenever the [evil] spirit from God came over Sha’ul, David would take the lyre and play it, with the result that Sha’ul would find relief and feel better, as the evil spirit left him.

8 But Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. ² At daybreak, he appeared again in the Temple Court, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim brought in a woman who had been caught committing adultery and made her stand in the center of the group. ⁴ Then they said to him, “Rabbi, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. ⁵ Now in our Torah, Moshe commanded that such a woman be stoned to death. What do you say about it?” ⁶ They said this to trap him, so that they might have ground for bringing charges against him; but Yeshua bent down and began writing in the dust with his finger. ⁷ When they kept questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “The one of you who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Then he bent down and wrote in the dust again. ⁹ On hearing this, they began to leave, one by one, the older ones first, until he was left alone, with the woman still there. ¹⁰ Standing up, Yeshua said to her, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, sir.” Yeshua said, “Neither do I condemn you. Now go, and don’t sin any more.”

¹² Yeshua spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives life.” ¹³ So the P’rushim said to him, “Now you’re testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” ¹⁴ Yeshua answered them, “Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony is indeed valid; because I know where I came from and where I’m going; but you do not know where I came from or where I’m going. ¹⁵ You judge by merely human standards. As for me, I pass judgment on no one; ¹⁶ but if I were indeed to pass judgment, my judgment would be valid; because it is not I alone who judge, but I and the One who sent me. ¹⁷ And even in your Torah it is written that the testimony of two people is valid. ¹⁸ I myself testify on my own behalf, and so does the Father who sent me.”

¹⁹ They said to him, “Where is this ‘father’ of yours?” Yeshua answered, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father too.” ²⁰ He said these things when he was teaching in the Temple treasury room; yet no one arrested him, because his time had not yet come.