Saul's Rash Vow

²⁴ And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, ^(A)so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food. ²⁵ Now when all the people^[a] came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. ²⁶ And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. ²⁷ But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, ^(B)so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright. ²⁸ Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’” And the people were ^(C)faint. ²⁹ Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.”

³¹ They struck down the Philistines that day from ^(D)Michmash to ^(E)Aijalon. And the people were very ^(F)faint. ³² The people ^(G)pounced on the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate them ^(H)with the blood. ³³ Then they told Saul, “Behold, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating ^(I)with the blood.” And he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a great stone to me here.”^{[b] 34} And Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Let every man bring his ox or his sheep and slaughter them here and eat, and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night and they slaughtered them there. ³⁵ And Saul ^(J)built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

³⁶ Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But ^(K)the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” ³⁷ And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” ^(L)But he did not answer him that day. ³⁸ And Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today. ³⁹ For ^(M)as the Lord lives who saves Israel, ^(N)though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But there was not a man among all the people who answered him. ⁴⁰ Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” ⁴¹ Therefore Saul said, “O Lord God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day? If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O Lord, God of Israel, give Urim. But if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim.”^{[c] (O)}And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. ⁴² Then Saul said, ^(P)“Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was taken.

⁴³ Then Saul said to Jonathan, ^(Q)“Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, ^(R)“I tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.” ⁴⁴ And Saul said, ^(S)“God do so to me and more also; ^(T)you shall surely die, Jonathan.” ⁴⁵ Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! ^(U)As the Lord lives, ^(V)there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die. ⁴⁶ Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Saul Fights Israel's Enemies

⁴⁷ When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, ^(W)against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of ^(X)Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned he routed them. ⁴⁸ And he did valiantly ^(Y)and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.

^49 (Z)Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn was ^(AA)Merab, and the name of the younger Michal. ⁵⁰ And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. ^(AB)And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, ^(AC)Saul's uncle. ^51 (AD)Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of ^(AE)Abiel.

⁵² There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, ^(AF)he attached him to himself.

How Long, O Lord?

A Psalm of ^(A)Asaph.

The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

16 ^(A)And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and ^(B)to test him ^(C)they asked him to show them ^(D)a sign from heaven. ² He answered them,^{[a] (E)}“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ ^(F)You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret ^(G)the signs of the times. ^4 (H)An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So ^(I)he left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

⁵ When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. ⁶ Jesus said to them, “Watch and ^(J)beware of ^(K)the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ⁷ And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” ⁸ But ^(L)Jesus, aware of this, said, ^(M)“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? ^9 (N)Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember ^(O)the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹⁰ Or ^(P)the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹¹ How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? ^(Q)Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ^12 (R)Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of ^(S)the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

^13 (T)Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say ^(U)John the Baptist, others say ^(V)Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, ^(W)“You are ^(X)the Christ, ^(Y)the Son of ^(Z)the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, ^(AA)“Blessed are you, ^(AB)Simon Bar-Jonah! For ^(AC)flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ^(AD)but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, ^(AE)you are Peter, and ^(AF)on this rock^[b] I will build my church, and ^(AG)the gates of ^(AH)hell^[c] shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you ^(AI)the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and ^(AJ)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[d] in heaven.” ^20 (AK)Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

^21 (AL)From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that ^(AM)he must go to Jerusalem and ^(AN)suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on ^(AO)the third day be raised. ²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!^[e] This shall never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, ^(AP)“Get behind me, Satan! You are ^(AQ)a hindrance^[f] to me. For you ^(AR)are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^(AS)deny himself and ^(AT)take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For ^(AU)whoever would save his life^[g] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For ^(AV)what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or ^(AW)what shall a man give in return for his soul? ^27 (AX)For the Son of Man is going to come with ^(AY)his angels in the glory of his Father, and ^(AZ)then he will repay each person according to what he has done. ²⁸ Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ^(BA)taste death ^(BB)until they see the Son of Man ^(BC)coming in his kingdom.”

The Transfiguration

17 ^(BD)And after six days Jesus took with him ^(BE)Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² And he was ^(BF)transfigured before them, and ^(BG)his face shone like the sun, and ^(BH)his clothes became white as light. ³ And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴ And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for ^(BI)Elijah.” ⁵ He was still speaking when, behold, ^(BJ)a bright cloud overshadowed them, and ^(BK)a voice from the cloud said, ^(BL)“This is my beloved Son,^[h] with whom I am well pleased; ^(BM)listen to him.” ⁶ When ^(BN)the disciples heard this, ^(BO)they fell on their faces and were terrified. ⁷ But Jesus came and ^(BP)touched them, saying, “Rise, and ^(BQ)have no fear.” ⁸ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

^9 (BR)And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ^(BS)“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” ¹⁰ And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say ^(BT)that first Elijah must come?” ¹¹ He answered, “Elijah does come, and ^(BU)he will restore all things. ¹² But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but ^(BV)did to him whatever they pleased. ^(BW)So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” ^13 (BX)Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

^14 (BY)And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, ¹⁵ said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has ^(BZ)seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. ¹⁶ And I brought him to your disciples, and ^(CA)they could not heal him.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered, “O faithless and ^(CB)twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? ^(CC)How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” ¹⁸ And Jesus ^(CD)rebuked the demon,^[i] and it^[j] came out of him, and ^(CE)the boy was healed instantly.^{[k] 19} Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁰ He said to them, ^(CF)“Because of your little faith. For ^(CG)truly, I say to you, ^(CH)if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, ^(CI)you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and ^(CJ)nothing will be impossible for you.”^[l]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

^22 (CK)As they were gathering^[m] in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and he will be raised on ^(CL)the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

^24 (CM)When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of ^(CN)the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” ²⁵ He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ^(CO)“What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or ^(CP)tax? From their sons or from others?” ²⁶ And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷ However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.^[n] Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Who Is the Greatest?

18 ^(CQ)At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you ^(CR)turn and ^(CS)become like children, you ^(CT)will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ^4 (CU)Whoever humbles himself like this child is the ^(CV)greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

^5 (CW)“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ but ^(CX)whoever causes one of these ^(CY)little ones who believe in me to sin,^[o] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

⁷ “Woe to the world for ^(CZ)temptations to sin!^{[p] (DA)}For it is necessary that temptations come, ^(DB)but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! ^8 (DC)And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into ^(DD)the eternal fire. ^9 (DE)And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the ^(DF)hell^[q] of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise ^(DG)one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven ^(DH)their angels always ^(DI)see the face of my Father who is in heaven.^{[r] 12 (DJ)}What do you think? ^(DK)If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So ^(DL)it is not the will of my^[s] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

^15 (DM)“If your brother sins against you, ^(DN)go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have ^(DO)gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established ^(DP)by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, ^(DQ)tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, ^(DR)let him be to you as ^(DS)a Gentile and ^(DT)a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, ^(DU)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[t] in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you ^(DV)agree on earth about anything they ask, ^(DW)it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are ^(DX)gathered in my name, ^(DY)there am I among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

²¹ Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often ^(DZ)will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? ^(EA)As many as seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

²³ “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished ^(EB)to settle accounts with his servants.^{[u] 24} When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ^(EC)ten thousand ^(ED)talents.^{[v] 25 (EE)}And since he could not pay, his master ordered him ^(EF)to be sold, with his wife and ^(EG)children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the servant^{[w] (EH)}fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and ^(EI)forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred ^(EJ)denarii,^[x] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. ³² Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ^33 (EK)And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ^34 (EL)And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,^{[y] (EM)}until he should pay all his debt. ^35 (EN)So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother ^(EO)from your heart.”