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1 Samuel 8-9

Israel Asks for a King

When Samuel grew old, he appointed(A) his sons as Israel’s leaders.[a] The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah,(B) and they served at Beersheba.(C) But his sons(D) did not follow his ways. They turned aside(E) after dishonest gain and accepted bribes(F) and perverted(G) justice.

So all the elders(H) of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.(I) They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king(J) to lead[b](K) us, such as all the other nations(L) have.”

But when they said, “Give us a king(M) to lead us,” this displeased(N) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen(O) to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,(P) but they have rejected me as their king.(Q) As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking(R) me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know(S) what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

10 Samuel told(T) all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take(U) your sons and make them serve(V) with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.(W) 12 Some he will assign to be commanders(X) of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your(Y) fields and vineyards(Z) and olive groves and give them to his attendants.(AA) 15 He will take a tenth(AB) of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer(AC) you in that day.(AD)

19 But the people refused(AE) to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want(AF) a king(AG) over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations,(AH) with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated(AI) it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen(AJ) to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

Samuel Anoints Saul

There was a Benjamite,(AK) a man of standing,(AL) whose name was Kish(AM) son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome(AN) a young man as could be found(AO) anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller(AP) than anyone else.

Now the donkeys(AQ) belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” So he passed through the hill(AR) country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha,(AS) but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys(AT) were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

When they reached the district of Zuph,(AU) Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying(AV) about us.”

But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God;(AW) he is highly respected, and everything(AX) he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”

Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift(AY) to take to the man of God. What do we have?”

The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel[d] of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.” (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire(AZ) of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)(BA)

10 “Good,” Saul said to his servant. “Come, let’s go.” So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

11 As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw(BB) water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”

12 “He is,” they answered. “He’s ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice(BC) at the high place.(BD) 13 As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless(BE) the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.”

14 They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place.

15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint(BF) him ruler(BG) over my people Israel; he will deliver(BH) them from the hand of the Philistines.(BI) I have looked on my people, for their cry(BJ) has reached me.”

17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This(BK) is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”

18 Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”

19 “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20 As for the donkeys(BL) you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire(BM) of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?”

21 Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe(BN) of Israel, and is not my clan the least(BO) of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?(BP) Why do you say such a thing to me?”

22 Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited—about thirty in number. 23 Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.”

24 So the cook took up the thigh(BQ) with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’” And Saul dined with Samuel that day.

25 After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof(BR) of his house. 26 They rose about daybreak, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. 27 As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.”

John 6:22-42

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake(A) realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.(B) 23 Then some boats from Tiberias(C) landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.(D) 24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Jesus the Bread of Life

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi,(E) when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me,(F) not because you saw the signs(G) I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures(H) to eternal life,(I) which the Son of Man(J) will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal(K) of approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe(L) in the one he has sent.”(M)

30 So they asked him, “What sign(N) then will you give that we may see it and believe you?(O) What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna(P) in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[a](Q)

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven(R) and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”(S)

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am(T) the bread of life.(U) Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes(V) in me will never be thirsty.(W) 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me(X) will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven(Y) not to do my will but to do the will(Z) of him who sent me.(AA) 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,(AB) but raise them up at the last day.(AC) 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son(AD) and believes in him shall have eternal life,(AE) and I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph,(AF) whose father and mother we know?(AG) How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”(AH)

Psalm 106:32-48

32 By the waters of Meribah(A) they angered the Lord,
    and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33 for they rebelled(B) against the Spirit(C) of God,
    and rash words came from Moses’ lips.[a](D)

34 They did not destroy(E) the peoples
    as the Lord had commanded(F) them,
35 but they mingled(G) with the nations
    and adopted their customs.
36 They worshiped their idols,(H)
    which became a snare(I) to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons(J)
    and their daughters to false gods.(K)
38 They shed innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons(L) and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39 They defiled themselves(M) by what they did;
    by their deeds they prostituted(N) themselves.

40 Therefore the Lord was angry(O) with his people
    and abhorred his inheritance.(P)
41 He gave them into the hands(Q) of the nations,
    and their foes ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed(R) them
    and subjected them to their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,(S)
    but they were bent on rebellion(T)
    and they wasted away in their sin.
44 Yet he took note of their distress
    when he heard their cry;(U)
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant(V)
    and out of his great love(W) he relented.(X)
46 He caused all who held them captive
    to show them mercy.(Y)

47 Save us,(Z) Lord our God,
    and gather us(AA) from the nations,
that we may give thanks(AB) to your holy name(AC)
    and glory in your praise.

48 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”(AD)

Praise the Lord.

Proverbs 14:34-35

34 Righteousness exalts a nation,(A)
    but sin condemns any people.

35 A king delights in a wise servant,
    but a shameful servant arouses his fury.(B)

New International Version (NIV)

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