1 Samuel 8

New International Version

Israel Asks for a King

8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed^(A) his sons as Israel’s leaders.^[a] ²The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah,^(B) and they served at Beersheba.^(C) ³But his sons^(D) did not follow his ways. They turned aside^(E) after dishonest gain and accepted bribes^(F) and perverted^(G) justice.

⁴So all the elders^(H) of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.^(I) ⁵They 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.”

⁶But when they said, “Give us a king^(M) to lead us,” this displeased^(N) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷And 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) ⁸As 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. ⁹Now 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.”

¹⁰Samuel told^(T) all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹He 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) ¹²Some 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. ¹³He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴He will take the best of your^(Y) fields and vineyards^(Z) and olive groves and give them to his attendants.^(AA) ¹⁵He will take a tenth^(AB) of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. ¹⁶Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle^[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. ¹⁷He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸When 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)”

¹⁹But the people refused^(AE) to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want^(AF) a king^(AG) over us. ²⁰Then 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.”

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

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

Notas al pie

1 Samuel 8:1 Traditionally judges
1 Samuel 8:5 Traditionally judge; also in verses 6 and 20
1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint; Hebrew young men

Job 25

New International Version

Bildad

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite^(A) replied:

²“Dominion and awe belong to God;^(B)
    he establishes order in the heights of heaven.^(C)
³Can his forces be numbered?
    On whom does his light not rise?^(D)
⁴How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
    How can one born of woman be pure?^(E)
⁵If even the moon^(F) is not bright
    and the stars are not pure in his eyes,^(G)
⁶how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
    a human being,^(H) who is only a worm!”^(I)

Revelation 2

New International Version

To the Church in Ephesus

2 “To the angel^[a] of the church in Ephesus^(A) write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand^(B) and walks among the seven golden lampstands.^(C) ²I know your deeds,^(D) your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested^(E) those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.^(F) ³You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,^(G) and have not grown weary.

⁴Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.^(H) ⁵Consider how far you have fallen! Repent^(I) and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand^(J) from its place. ⁶But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,^(K) which I also hate.

⁷Whoever has ears, let them hear^(L) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,^(M) I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,^(N) which is in the paradise^(O) of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸“To the angel of the church in Smyrna^(P) write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last,^(Q) who died and came to life again.^(R) ⁹I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!^(S) I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not,^(T) but are a synagogue of Satan.^(U) ¹⁰Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you,^(V) and you will suffer persecution for ten days.^(W) Be faithful,^(X) even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.^(Y)

¹¹Whoever has ears, let them hear^(Z) what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.^(AA)

To the Church in Pergamum

¹²“To the angel of the church in Pergamum^(AB) write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.^(AC) ¹³I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me,^(AD) not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,^(AE) who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.^(AF)

¹⁴Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:^(AG) There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam,^(AH) who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols^(AI) and committed sexual immorality.^(AJ) ¹⁵Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.^(AK) ¹⁶Repent^(AL) therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.^(AM)

¹⁷Whoever has ears, let them hear^(AN) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,^(AO) I will give some of the hidden manna.^(AP) I will also give that person a white stone with a new name^(AQ) written on it, known only to the one who receives it.^(AR)

To the Church in Thyatira

¹⁸“To the angel of the church in Thyatira^(AS) write:

These are the words of the Son of God,^(AT) whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.^(AU) ¹⁹I know your deeds,^(AV) your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

²⁰Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,^(AW) who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.^(AX) ²¹I have given her time^(AY) to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.^(AZ) ²²So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery^(BA) with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. ²³I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds,^(BB) and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.^(BC)

²⁴Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you,^(BD) ²⁵except to hold on to what you have^(BE) until I come.’^(BF)

²⁶To the one who is victorious^(BG) and does my will to the end,^(BH) I will give authority over the nations^(BI)— ²⁷that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter^(BJ) and will dash them to pieces like pottery’^[b]^(BK)—just as I have received authority from my Father. ²⁸I will also give that one the morning star.^(BL) ²⁹Whoever has ears, let them hear^(BM) what the Spirit says to the churches.