Saul Fights the Philistines

13 Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,^{[a] 2} Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in ^(A)Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in ^(B)Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. ³ Jonathan defeated ^(C)the garrison of the Philistines that was ^(D)at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul ^(E)blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” ⁴ And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops ^(F)like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of ^(G)Beth-aven. ⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves ^(H)in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, ⁷ and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

Saul's Unlawful Sacrifice

^8 (I)He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. ⁹ So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. ¹¹ Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, ¹² I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” ¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, ^(J)“You have done foolishly. ^(K)You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now ^(L)your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man ^(M)after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince^[b] over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” ¹⁵ And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal^[c] to ^(N)Gibeah of Benjamin.

And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, ^(O)about six hundred men. ¹⁶ And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in ^(P)Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. ¹⁷ And ^(Q)raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; ¹⁸ another company turned toward ^(R)Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of ^(S)Zeboim toward the wilderness.

^19 (T)Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” ²⁰ But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle,^{[d] 21} and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel^[e] for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel^[f] for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.^{[g] 22} So on the day of the battle ^(U)there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. ²³ And ^(V)the garrison of the Philistines went out to the ^(W)pass of ^(X)Michmash.

A Genealogy of David

2 These are the sons of ^(A)Israel: ^(B)Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, ^(C)Issachar, Zebulun, ^2 (D)Dan, ^(E)Joseph, ^(F)Benjamin, ^(G)Naphtali, ^(H)Gad, and Asher. ^3 (I)The sons of Judah: ^(J)Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death. ⁴ His daughter-in-law ^(K)Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

⁵ The ^(L)sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. ⁶ The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. ⁷ The son^[a] of Carmi: Achan, the troubler of Israel, who ^(M)broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing; ⁸ and Ethan's son was Azariah.

⁹ The sons of Hezron that were born to him: Jerahmeel, ^(N)Ram, and ^(O)Chelubai. ^10 (P)Ram fathered Amminadab, and ^(Q)Amminadab fathered ^(R)Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah. ¹¹ Nahshon fathered ^(S)Salmon,^[b] Salmon fathered ^(T)Boaz, ¹² Boaz fathered Obed, ^(U)Obed fathered Jesse. ^13 (V)Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, ^(W)Shimea the third, ¹⁴ Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, ¹⁵ Ozem the sixth, ^(X)David the seventh. ¹⁶ And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. ^(Y)The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three. ^17 (Z)Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was ^(AA)Jether the Ishmaelite.

^18 (AB)Caleb the son of Hezron fathered children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. ¹⁹ When Azubah died, ^(AC)Caleb married ^(AD)Ephrath, who bore him ^(AE)Hur. ²⁰ Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered ^(AF)Bezalel.

²¹ Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of ^(AG)Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub. ²² And Segub fathered Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. ^23 (AH)But Geshur and Aram took from them Havvoth-jair, Kenath, and its villages, sixty towns. All these were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead. ²⁴ After the death of Hezron, ^(AI)Caleb went in to Ephrathah,^[c] the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore him ^(AJ)Ashhur, the father of Tekoa.

²⁵ The sons of ^(AK)Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. ²⁶ Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. ²⁷ The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. ²⁸ The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. ²⁹ The name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. ³⁰ The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; and Seled died childless. ³¹ The son^[d] of Appaim: Ishi. ^(AL)The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. ³² The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died childless. ³³ The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel. ³⁴ Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, but Sheshan had an Egyptian slave whose name was Jarha. ³⁵ So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha his slave, and she bore him Attai. ³⁶ Attai fathered Nathan, and Nathan fathered ^(AM)Zabad. ^37 (AN)Zabad fathered Ephlal, and Ephlal fathered ^(AO)Obed. ³⁸ Obed fathered Jehu, and Jehu fathered Azariah. ³⁹ Azariah fathered Helez, and Helez fathered Eleasah. ⁴⁰ Eleasah fathered Sismai, and Sismai fathered Shallum. ⁴¹ Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered ^(AP)Elishama.

⁴² The sons of ^(AQ)Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mareshah^[e] his firstborn, who fathered Ziph. The son^[f] of Mareshah: ^(AR)Hebron.^{[g] 43} The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema. ⁴⁴ Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem fathered Shammai. ⁴⁵ The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon fathered Beth-zur. ⁴⁶ Ephah also, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez. ⁴⁷ The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. ⁴⁸ Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. ⁴⁹ She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea; and the ^(AS)daughter of Caleb was Achsah. ⁵⁰ These were the descendants of Caleb.

The sons^[h] of Hur the firstborn of ^(AT)Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim, ^51 (AU)Salma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader. ⁵² Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: ^(AV)Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. ⁵³ And the clans of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the ^(AW)Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. ⁵⁴ The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. ⁵⁵ The clans also of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. These are the ^(AX)Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of ^(AY)the house of Rechab.

Descendants of David

3 ^(AZ)These are the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite; the second, ^(BA)Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelite, ² the third, Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith; ³ the fifth, Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah; ⁴ six were born to him in Hebron, ^(BB)where he reigned for seven years and six months. ^(BC)And he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem. ^5 (BD)These were born to him in Jerusalem: ^(BE)Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and ^(BF)Solomon, four by ^(BG)Bath-shua, the daughter of ^(BH)Ammiel; ⁶ then Ibhar, ^(BI)Elishama, Eliphelet, ⁷ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁸ Elishama, ^(BJ)Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine. ⁹ All these were David's sons, besides the sons of the concubines, ^(BK)and Tamar was their sister.

¹⁰ The son of Solomon was ^(BL)Rehoboam, ^(BM)Abijah his son, ^(BN)Asa his son, ^(BO)Jehoshaphat his son, ^11 (BP)Joram his son, ^(BQ)Ahaziah his son, ^(BR)Joash his son, ^12 (BS)Amaziah his son, ^(BT)Azariah his son, ^(BU)Jotham his son, ^13 (BV)Ahaz his son, ^(BW)Hezekiah his son, ^(BX)Manasseh his son, ^14 (BY)Amon his son, ^(BZ)Josiah his son. ¹⁵ The sons of Josiah: ^(CA)Johanan the firstborn, the second ^(CB)Jehoiakim, the third ^(CC)Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. ¹⁶ The descendants of ^(CD)Jehoiakim: ^(CE)Jeconiah his son, ^(CF)Zedekiah his son; ¹⁷ and the sons of Jeconiah, the ^(CG)captive: ^(CH)Shealtiel his son, ¹⁸ Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah; ¹⁹ and the sons of Pedaiah: ^(CI)Zerubbabel and Shimei; and the sons of ^(CJ)Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their sister; ²⁰ and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed, five. ²¹ The sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, his son^[i] Rephaiah, his son Arnan, his son Obadiah, his son Shecaniah. ²² The son^[j] of Shecaniah: ^(CK)Shemaiah. And the sons of Shemaiah: ^(CL)Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six. ²³ The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam, three. ²⁴ The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani, seven.

Paul's Visions and His Thorn

12 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and ^(A)revelations of the Lord. ² I know a man ^(B)in Christ who fourteen years ago was ^(C)caught up to ^(D)the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, ^(E)God knows. ³ And I know that this man was caught up into ^(F)paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, ^(G)God knows— ⁴ and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. ⁵ On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, ^(H)except of my weaknesses— ⁶ though if I should wish to boast, ^(I)I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. ⁷ So ^(J)to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,^{[a] (K)}a thorn was given me in the flesh, ^(L)a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ^8 (M)Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, ^(N)“My grace is sufficient for you, for ^(O)my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that ^(P)the power of Christ may rest upon me. ^10 (Q)For the sake of Christ, then, ^(R)I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For ^(S)when I am weak, then I am strong.

Concern for the Corinthian Church

^11 (T)I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was ^(U)not at all inferior to these super-apostles, ^(V)even though I am nothing. ^12 (W)The signs of a true apostle were performed among you ^(X)with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. ¹³ For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that ^(Y)I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

¹⁴ Here ^(Z)for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for ^(AA)I seek not what is yours but you. For ^(AB)children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but ^(AC)parents for their children. ^15 (AD)I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If ^(AE)I love you more, am I to be loved less? ¹⁶ But granting that ^(AF)I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. ¹⁷ Did I take advantage of you ^(AG)through any of those whom I sent to you? ^18 (AH)I urged Titus to go, and sent ^(AI)the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?

¹⁹ Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is ^(AJ)in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and ^(AK)all for your upbuilding, beloved. ²⁰ For I fear that perhaps ^(AL)when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. ²¹ I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those ^(AM)who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, ^(AN)sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.