1 Samuel 7

New International Version

7 ¹So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark^(A) of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s^(B) house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. ²The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim^(C) a long time—twenty years in all.

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord.^(D) ³So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning^(E) to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid^(F) yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths^(G) and commit^(H) yourselves to the Lord and serve him only,^(I) and he will deliver^(J) you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

⁵Then Samuel^(K) said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah,^(L) and I will intercede^(M) with the Lord for you.” ⁶When they had assembled at Mizpah,^(N) they drew water and poured^(O) it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader^[a]^(P) of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid^(Q) because of the Philistines. ⁸They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying^(R) out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹Then Samuel^(S) took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.^(T)

¹⁰While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered^(U) with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic^(V) that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

¹²Then Samuel took a stone^(W) and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[b]^(X) saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

¹³So the Philistines were subdued^(Y) and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. ¹⁴The towns from Ekron^(Z) to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.^(AA)

¹⁵Samuel^(AB) continued as Israel’s leader^(AC) all^(AD) the days of his life. ¹⁶From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel^(AE) to Gilgal^(AF) to Mizpah, judging^(AG) Israel in all those places. ¹⁷But he always went back to Ramah,^(AH) where his home was, and there he also held court^(AI) for Israel. And he built an altar^(AJ) there to the Lord.

Footnotes

1 Samuel 7:6 Traditionally judge; also in verse 15
1 Samuel 7:12 Ebenezer means stone of help.

Job 24

New International Version

24 “Why does the Almighty not set times^(A) for judgment?^(B)
    Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?^(C)
²There are those who move boundary stones;^(D)
    they pasture flocks they have stolen.^(E)
³They drive away the orphan’s donkey
    and take the widow’s ox in pledge.^(F)
⁴They thrust the needy^(G) from the path
    and force all the poor^(H) of the land into hiding.^(I)
⁵Like wild donkeys^(J) in the desert,
    the poor go about their labor^(K) of foraging food;
    the wasteland^(L) provides food for their children.
⁶They gather fodder^(M) in the fields
    and glean in the vineyards^(N) of the wicked.^(O)
⁷Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
    they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.^(P)
⁸They are drenched^(Q) by mountain rains
    and hug^(R) the rocks for lack of shelter.^(S)
⁹The fatherless^(T) child is snatched^(U) from the breast;
    the infant of the poor is seized^(V) for a debt.^(W)
¹⁰Lacking clothes, they go about naked;^(X)
    they carry the sheaves,^(Y) but still go hungry.
¹¹They crush olives among the terraces^[a];
    they tread the winepresses,^(Z) yet suffer thirst.^(AA)
¹²The groans of the dying rise from the city,
    and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.^(AB)
    But God charges no one with wrongdoing.^(AC)

¹³“There are those who rebel against the light,^(AD)
    who do not know its ways
    or stay in its paths.^(AE)
¹⁴When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
    kills^(AF) the poor and needy,^(AG)
    and in the night steals forth like a thief.^(AH)
¹⁵The eye of the adulterer^(AI) watches for dusk;^(AJ)
    he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’^(AK)
    and he keeps his face concealed.
¹⁶In the dark, thieves break into houses,^(AL)
    but by day they shut themselves in;
    they want nothing to do with the light.^(AM)
¹⁷For all of them, midnight is their morning;
    they make friends with the terrors^(AN) of darkness.^(AO)

¹⁸“Yet they are foam^(AP) on the surface of the water;^(AQ)
    their portion of the land is cursed,^(AR)
    so that no one goes to the vineyards.^(AS)
¹⁹As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,^(AT)
    so the grave^(AU) snatches away those who have sinned.
²⁰The womb forgets them,
    the worm^(AV) feasts on them;^(AW)
the wicked are no longer remembered^(AX)
    but are broken like a tree.^(AY)
²¹They prey on the barren and childless woman,
    and to the widow they show no kindness.^(AZ)
²²But God drags away the mighty by his power;^(BA)
    though they become established,^(BB) they have no assurance of life.^(BC)
²³He may let them rest in a feeling of security,^(BD)
    but his eyes^(BE) are on their ways.^(BF)
²⁴For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;^(BG)
    they are brought low and gathered up like all others;^(BH)
    they are cut off like heads of grain.^(BI)

²⁵“If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?”^(BJ)

Footnotes

Job 24:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Revelation 1

New International Version

Prologue

1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave^(A) him to show his servants what must soon take place.^(B) He made it known by sending his angel^(C) to his servant John,^(D) ²who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God^(E) and the testimony of Jesus Christ.^(F) ³Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it,^(G) because the time is near.^(H)

Greetings and Doxology

⁴John,

To the seven churches^(I) in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you^(J) from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,^(K) and from the seven spirits^[a]^(L) before his throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,^(M) the firstborn from the dead,^(N) and the ruler of the kings of the earth.^(O)

To him who loves us^(P) and has freed us from our sins by his blood,^(Q) ⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests^(R) to serve his God and Father^(S)—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.^(T)

⁷“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”^[b]^(U)
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;^(V)
and all peoples on earth “will mourn^(W) because of him.”^[c]
So shall it be! Amen.

⁸“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”^(X) says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come,^(Y) the Almighty.”^(Z)

John’s Vision of Christ

⁹I, John,^(AA) your brother and companion in the suffering^(AB) and kingdom^(AC) and patient endurance^(AD) that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God^(AE) and the testimony of Jesus.^(AF) ¹⁰On the Lord’s Day^(AG) I was in the Spirit,^(AH) and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,^(AI) ¹¹which said: “Write on a scroll what you see^(AJ) and send it to the seven churches:^(AK) to Ephesus,^(AL) Smyrna,^(AM) Pergamum,^(AN) Thyatira,^(AO) Sardis,^(AP) Philadelphia^(AQ) and Laodicea.”^(AR)

¹²I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,^(AS) ¹³and among the lampstands^(AT) was someone like a son of man,^[d]^(AU) dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet^(AV) and with a golden sash around his chest.^(AW) ¹⁴The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.^(AX) ¹⁵His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace,^(AY) and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.^(AZ) ¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars,^(BA) and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword.^(BB) His face was like the sun^(BC) shining in all its brilliance.

¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet^(BD) as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me^(BE) and said: “Do not be afraid.^(BF) I am the First and the Last.^(BG) ¹⁸I am the Living One; I was dead,^(BH) and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!^(BI) And I hold the keys of death and Hades.^(BJ)

¹⁹“Write, therefore, what you have seen,^(BK) what is now and what will take place later. ²⁰The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand^(BL) and of the seven golden lampstands^(BM) is this: The seven stars are the angels^[e] of the seven churches,^(BN) and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.^(BO)