The Lord Rejects Saul as King

15 Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint^(A) you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. ² This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites^(B) for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. ³ Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally^(C) destroy^[a] all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

⁴ So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. ⁵ Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. ⁶ Then he said to the Kenites,^(D) “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

⁷ Then Saul attacked the Amalekites^(E) all the way from Havilah to Shur,^(F) near the eastern border of Egypt. ⁸ He took Agag^(G) king of the Amalekites alive,^(H) and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. ⁹ But Saul and the army spared^(I) Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves^[b] and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

¹⁰ Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: ¹¹ “I regret^(J) that I have made Saul king, because he has turned^(K) away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”^(L) Samuel was angry,^(M) and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

¹² Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel.^(N) There he has set up a monument^(O) in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”

¹³ When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

¹⁴ But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

¹⁵ Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

¹⁶ “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”

“Tell me,” Saul replied.

¹⁷ Samuel said, “Although you were once small^(P) in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. ¹⁸ And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ ¹⁹ Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder^(Q) and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

²⁰ “But I did obey^(R) the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. ²¹ The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

²² But Samuel replied:

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned.^(V) I violated^(W) the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid^(X) of the men and so I gave in to them. ²⁵ Now I beg you, forgive^(Y) my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”

²⁶ But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected^(Z) the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”

²⁷ As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe,^(AA) and it tore.^{(AB) 28} Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn^(AC) the kingdom^(AD) of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you.^{(AE) 29} He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie^(AF) or change^(AG) his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”

³⁰ Saul replied, “I have sinned.^(AH) But please honor^(AI) me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” ³¹ So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

³² Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.”

Agag came to him in chains.^[c] And he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

³³ But Samuel said,

And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.

³⁴ Then Samuel left for Ramah,^(AK) but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah^(AL) of Saul. ³⁵ Until the day Samuel^(AM) died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned^(AN) for him. And the Lord regretted^(AO) that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra,^(A) where a disciple named Timothy^(B) lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer^(C) but whose father was a Greek. ² The believers^(D) at Lystra and Iconium^(E) spoke well of him. ³ Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.^{(F) 4} As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders^(G) in Jerusalem^(H) for the people to obey.^{(I) 5} So the churches were strengthened^(J) in the faith and grew daily in numbers.^(K)

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

⁶ Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia^(L) and Galatia,^(M) having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.^{(N) 7} When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus^(O) would not allow them to. ⁸ So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.^{(P) 9} During the night Paul had a vision^(Q) of a man of Macedonia^(R) standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ After Paul had seen the vision, we^(S) got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel^(T) to them.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

¹¹ From Troas^(U) we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. ¹² From there we traveled to Philippi,^(V) a Roman colony and the leading city of that district^[a] of Macedonia.^(W) And we stayed there several days.

¹³ On the Sabbath^(X) we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴ One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira^(Y) named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart^(Z) to respond to Paul’s message. ¹⁵ When she and the members of her household^(AA) were baptized,^(AB) she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ Once when we were going to the place of prayer,^(AC) we were met by a female slave who had a spirit^(AD) by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God,^(AE) who are telling you the way to be saved.” ¹⁸ She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.^(AF)

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money^(AG) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(AH) and dragged^(AI) them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰ They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar^{(AJ) 21} by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans^(AK) to accept or practice.”^(AL)

²² The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.^{(AM) 23} After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer^(AN) was commanded to guard them carefully. ²⁴ When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.^(AO)

²⁵ About midnight^(AP) Paul and Silas^(AQ) were praying and singing hymns^(AR) to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.^(AS) At once all the prison doors flew open,^(AT) and everyone’s chains came loose.^{(AU) 27} The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.^{(AV) 28} But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

²⁹ The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.^{(AW) 30} He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”^(AX)

³¹ They replied, “Believe^(AY) in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved^(AZ)—you and your household.”^{(BA) 32} Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. ³³ At that hour of the night^(BB) the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.^{(BC) 34} The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he^(BD) was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

³⁵ When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” ³⁶ The jailer^(BE) told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”^(BF)

³⁷ But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,^(BG) and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

³⁸ The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.^{(BH) 39} They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.^{(BI) 40} After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,^(BJ) where they met with the brothers and sisters^(BK) and encouraged them. Then they left.

In Thessalonica

17 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,^(BL) where there was a Jewish synagogue. ² As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue,^(BM) and on three Sabbath^(BN) days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,^{(BO) 3} explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer^(BP) and rise from the dead.^(BQ) “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,”^(BR) he said. ⁴ Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas,^(BS) as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

⁵ But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.^(BT) They rushed to Jason’s^(BU) house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.^{[b] 6} But when they did not find them, they dragged^(BV) Jason and some other believers^(BW) before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world^(BX) have now come here,^{(BY) 7} and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”^{(BZ) 8} When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. ⁹ Then they made Jason^(CA) and the others post bond and let them go.

In Berea

¹⁰ As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas^(CB) away to Berea.^(CC) On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.^{(CD) 11} Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica,^(CE) for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures^(CF) every day to see if what Paul said was true.^{(CG) 12} As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.^(CH)

¹³ But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea,^(CI) some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. ¹⁴ The believers^(CJ) immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas^(CK) and Timothy^(CL) stayed at Berea. ¹⁵ Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens^(CM) and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.^(CN)

In Athens

¹⁶ While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue^(CO) with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸ A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news^(CP) about Jesus and the resurrection.^{(CQ) 19} Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus,^(CR) where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching^(CS) is that you are presenting? ²⁰ You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” ²¹ (All the Athenians^(CT) and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

²² Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus^(CU) and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.^{(CV) 23} For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship^(CW)—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it^(CX) is the Lord of heaven and earth^(CY) and does not live in temples built by human hands.^{(CZ) 25} And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.^{(DA) 26} From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.^{(DB) 27} God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.^{(DC) 28} ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’^[c](DD) As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’^[d]

²⁹ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.^{(DE) 30} In the past God overlooked^(DF) such ignorance,^(DG) but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.^{(DH) 31} For he has set a day when he will judge^(DI) the world with justice^(DJ) by the man he has appointed.^(DK) He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”^(DL)

³² When they heard about the resurrection of the dead,^(DM) some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” ³³ At that, Paul left the Council. ³⁴ Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus,^(DN) also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

42 Then all the army officers, including Johanan^(A) son of Kareah and Jezaniah^[a] son of Hoshaiah,^(B) and all the people from the least to the greatest^(C) approached ² Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray^(D) to the Lord your God for this entire remnant.^(E) For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few^(F) are left. ³ Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”^(G)

⁴ “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray^(H) to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell^(I) you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”^(J)

⁵ Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true^(K) and faithful^(L) witness^(M) against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. ⁶ Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well^(N) with us, for we will obey^(O) the Lord our God.”

⁷ Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. ⁸ So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers^(P) who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.^{(Q) 9} He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition,^(R) says:^{(S) 10} ‘If you stay in this land,^(T) I will build^(U) you up and not tear you down; I will plant^(V) you and not uproot you,^(W) for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.^{(X) 11} Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon,^(Y) whom you now fear.^(Z) Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save^(AA) you and deliver you from his hands.^{(AB) 12} I will show you compassion^(AC) so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’^(AD)

¹³ “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey^(AE) the Lord your God, ¹⁴ and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt,^(AF) where we will not see war or hear the trumpet^(AG) or be hungry for bread,’^{(AH) 15} then hear the word of the Lord,^(AI) you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, ¹⁶ then the sword^(AJ) you fear^(AK) will overtake you there, and the famine^(AL) you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.^{(AM) 17} Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague;^(AN) not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ ¹⁸ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath^(AO) have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,^(AP) so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse^[b](AQ) and an object of horror,^(AR) a curse^[c] and an object of reproach;^(AS) you will never see this place again.’^(AT)

¹⁹ “Remnant^(AU) of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’^(AV) Be sure of this: I warn you today ²⁰ that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’^{(AW) 21} I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you.^{(AX) 22} So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine^(AY) and plague^(AZ) in the place where you want to go to settle.”^(BA)

Psalm 40^[a](A)

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

Psalm 41^[f]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.