Israel Demands a King

8 And it came about when Samuel was old that ^(A)he appointed his sons judges over Israel. ² Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in ^(B)Beersheba. ³ His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and ^(C)took bribes and perverted justice.

⁴ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at ^(D)Ramah; ⁵ and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now ^(E)appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” ⁶ But the thing was ^[a](F)displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And ^(G)Samuel prayed to the Lord. ⁷ The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for ^(H)they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. ⁸ Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. ⁹ Now then, listen to their voice; ^(I)however, you shall solemnly ^[b]warn them and tell them of ^(J)the ^[c]procedure of the king who will reign over them.”

Warning concerning a King

¹⁰ So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to ^(K)the people who had asked of him a king. ¹¹ He said, “^(L)This will be the ^[d]procedure of the king who will reign over you: ^(M)he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and ^(N)they will run before his chariots. ^12 (O)He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to ^[e]do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. ^14 (P)He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. ¹⁶ He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and ^[f]use them for his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. ¹⁸ Then ^(Q)you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but ^(R)the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

¹⁹ Nevertheless, the people ^(S)refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, ^20 (T)that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” ²¹ Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, ^(U)he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing. ²² The Lord said to Samuel, “^(V)Listen to their voice and ^[g]appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

The Empty Tomb

20 ^(A)Now on the first day of the week ^(B)Mary Magdalene *came early to the tomb, while it *was still dark, and *saw ^(C)the stone already taken away from the tomb. ² So she *ran and *came to Simon Peter and to the other ^(D)disciple whom Jesus loved, and *said to them, “^(E)They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” ^3 (F)So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. ⁴ The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; ⁵ and ^(G)stooping and looking in, he *saw the ^(H)linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. ⁶ And so Simon Peter also *came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he *saw the linen wrappings lying there, ⁷ and ^(I)the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the ^(J)linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸ So the other disciple who ^(K)had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. ⁹ For as yet ^(L)they did not understand the Scripture, ^(M)that He must rise again from the dead. ¹⁰ So the disciples went away again ^(N)to their own homes.

^11 (O)But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she ^(P)stooped and looked into the tomb; ¹² and she *saw ^(Q)two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³ And they *said to her, “^(R)Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because ^(S)they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” ¹⁴ When she had said this, she turned around and *^(T)saw Jesus standing there, and ^(U)did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus *said to her, “^(V)Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him ^(W)in ^[a]Hebrew, “^(X)Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ^(Y)My brethren and say to them, ‘I ^(Z)ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” ^18 (AA)Mary Magdalene *came, ^(AB)announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

Jesus among His Disciples

¹⁹ So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for ^(AC)fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, “^[b](AD)Peace be with you.” ²⁰ And when He had said this, ^(AE)He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then ^(AF)rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ So Jesus said to them again, “^(AG)Peace be with you; ^(AH)as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” ²² And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ^23 (AI)If you forgive the sins of any, their sins ^[c]have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

²⁴ But ^(AJ)Thomas, one of ^(AK)the twelve, called ^[d](AL)Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in ^(AM)His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, ^(AN)I will not believe.”

^26 [e]After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been ^[f]shut, and stood in their midst and said, “^(AO)Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then He *said to Thomas, “^(AP)Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” ²⁸ Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? ^(AQ)Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

Why This Gospel Was Written

^30 (AR)Therefore many other ^[g](AS)signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these have been written ^(AT)so that you may believe that Jesus is ^[h]the Christ, ^(AU)the Son of God; and that ^(AV)believing you may have life in His name.

Jesus Appears at the Sea of Galilee

21 After these things Jesus ^[i](AW)manifested Himself ^(AX)again to the disciples at the ^(AY)Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. ² Simon Peter, and ^(AZ)Thomas called ^[j]Didymus, and ^(BA)Nathanael of ^(BB)Cana in Galilee, and ^(BC)the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter *said to them, “I am going fishing.” They *said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and ^(BD)that night they caught nothing.

⁴ But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not ^(BE)know that it was Jesus. ⁵ So Jesus *said to them, “Children, ^(BF)you do not have ^[k]any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” ⁶ And He said to them, “^(BG)Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. ^7 (BH)Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved *said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. ⁸ But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about ^[l]one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

⁹ So when they got out on the land, they *saw a charcoal ^(BI)fire already laid and ^(BJ)fish placed on it, and bread. ¹⁰ Jesus *said to them, “Bring some of the ^(BK)fish which you have now caught.” ¹¹ Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus Provides

¹² Jesus *said to them, “Come and have ^(BL)breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus *came and *took ^(BM)the bread and *gave it to them, and the ^(BN)fish likewise. ¹⁴ This is now the ^(BO)third time that Jesus ^[m]was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

The Love Motivation

¹⁵ So when they had ^(BP)finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you ^[n](BQ)love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I ^[o]love You.” He *said to him, “Tend ^(BR)My lambs.” ¹⁶ He *said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you ^[p]love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I ^[q]love You.” He *said to him, “^(BS)Shepherd My sheep.” ¹⁷ He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you ^[r]love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him ^(BT)the third time, “Do you ^[s]love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, ^(BU)You know all things; You know that I ^[t]love You.” Jesus *said to him, “^(BV)Tend My sheep.

Our Times Are in His Hand

¹⁸ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” ¹⁹ Now this He said, ^(BW)signifying by ^(BX)what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He *said to him, “^(BY)Follow Me!”

²⁰ Peter, turning around, *saw the ^(BZ)disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had ^(CA)leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” ²¹ So Peter seeing him *said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” ²² Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain ^(CB)until I come, what is that to you? You ^(CC)follow Me!” ²³ Therefore this saying went out among ^(CD)the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain ^(CE)until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴ This is the disciple who ^(CF)is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

²⁵ And there are also ^(CG)many other things which Jesus did, which if they *were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself *would not contain the books that *would be written.

Prayer for Deliverance.