1 Samuel 8:4-20
New Living Translation
4 Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”
6 Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7 “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 8 Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9 Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”
Samuel Warns against a Kingdom
10 So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. 12 Some will be generals and captains in his army,[a] some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. 13 The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. 14 He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. 16 He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle[b] and donkeys for his own use. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. 20 “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”
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1 Samuel 8:4-20
New International Version
4 So all the elders(A) of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.(B) 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king(C) to lead[a](D) us, such as all the other nations(E) have.”
6 But when they said, “Give us a king(F) to lead us,” this displeased(G) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen(H) to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,(I) but they have rejected me as their king.(J) 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking(K) me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know(L) what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”
10 Samuel told(M) 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(N) your sons and make them serve(O) with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.(P) 12 Some he will assign to be commanders(Q) 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(R) fields and vineyards(S) and olive groves and give them to his attendants.(T) 15 He will take a tenth(U) 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[b] 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(V) you in that day.(W)”
19 But the people refused(X) to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want(Y) a king(Z) over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations,(AA) with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 8:5 Traditionally judge; also in verses 6 and 20
- 1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint; Hebrew young men
1 Samuel 11:14-15
New Living Translation
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us all go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom.” 15 So they all went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the Lord they made Saul king. Then they offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites were filled with joy.
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1 Samuel 11:14-15
New International Version
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal(A) and there renew the kingship.(B)” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal(C) and made Saul king(D) in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.
Psalm 138
New Living Translation
Psalm 138
A psalm of David.
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.
2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed
by all the honor of your name.
3 As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.
4 Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord,
for all of them will hear your words.
5 Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways,
for the glory of the Lord is very great.
6 Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,
but he keeps his distance from the proud.
7 Though I am surrounded by troubles,
you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand,
and the power of your right hand saves me.
8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me.
Psalm 138
New International Version
Psalm 138
Of David.
1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods”(A) I will sing(B) your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple(C)
and will praise your name(D)
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,(E)
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.(F)
3 When I called,(G) you answered me;(H)
you greatly emboldened(I) me.
4 May all the kings of the earth(J) praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing(K) of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord(L) is great.
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;(M)
though lofty, he sees them(N) from afar.
7 Though I walk(O) in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.(P)
You stretch out your hand(Q) against the anger of my foes;(R)
with your right hand(S) you save me.(T)
8 The Lord will vindicate(U) me;
your love, Lord, endures forever(V)—
do not abandon(W) the works of your hands.(X)
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
New Living Translation
13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”[a] 14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus,[b] will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are[c] being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
New Bodies
5 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
New International Version
13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[a](A) Since we have that same spirit of[b] faith,(B) we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead(C) will also raise us with Jesus(D) and present us with you to himself.(E) 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving(F) to overflow to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart.(G) Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly(H) we are being renewed(I) day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.(J) 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,(K) since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Awaiting the New Body
5 For we know that if the earthly(L) tent(M) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 4:13 Psalm 116:10 (see Septuagint)
- 2 Corinthians 4:13 Or Spirit-given
Mark 3:20-35
New Living Translation
Jesus and the Prince of Demons
20 One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. 21 When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.
22 But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan,[a] the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”
23 Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. 24 “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. 25 Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. 27 Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.
28 “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, 29 but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” 30 He told them this because they were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”
The True Family of Jesus
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. 32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers[b] are outside asking for you.”
33 Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 35 Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
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Mark 3:20-35
New International Version
Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law(A)(B)
20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered,(C) so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.(D) 21 When his family[a] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”(E)
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem(F) said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul!(G) By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”(H)
23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables:(I) “How can Satan(J) drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.(K) 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”(L)
30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived.(M) Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Footnotes
- Mark 3:21 Or his associates
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