Saul’s Rash Oath

²⁴ And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had ^(A)placed the people under oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. ^25 (B)Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was ^(C)honey on the ground. ²⁶ And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; 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; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his ^[a]countenance brightened. ²⁸ Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food this day.’ ” And the people were faint.

²⁹ But Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened 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 which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?”

³¹ Now they had ^[b]driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. So the people were very faint. ³² And the people rushed on the ^[c]spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them ^(D)with the blood. ³³ Then they told Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood!”

So he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone to me this day.” ³⁴ Then Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring me here every man’s ox and every man’s sheep, 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 slaughtered it there. ³⁵ Then Saul ^(E)built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

³⁶ Now Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them.”

And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.”

Then the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.”

³⁷ So Saul ^(F)asked counsel of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But ^(G)He did not answer him that day. ³⁸ And Saul said, ^(H)“Come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today. ³⁹ For ^(I)as the Lord lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not a man among all the people answered him. ⁴⁰ Then he said to all Israel, “You be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side.”

And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”

⁴¹ Therefore Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, ^(J)“Give^[d] a perfect lot.” ^(K)So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. ⁴² And Saul said, “Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me.” So Jonathan was taken. ⁴³ Then Saul said to Jonathan, ^(L)“Tell me what you have done.”

And Jonathan told him, and said, ^(M)“I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!”

⁴⁴ Saul answered, ^(N)“God do so and more also; ^(O)for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”

⁴⁵ But the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not! ^(P)As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked ^(Q)with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

⁴⁶ Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Jesus Transfigured on the Mount^(A)

17 Now ^(B)after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; ² and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³ And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. ⁴ Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, ^[a]let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

^5 (C)While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ^(D)“This is My beloved Son, ^(E)in whom I am well pleased. ^(F)Hear Him!” ^6 (G)And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. ⁷ But Jesus came and ^(H)touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” ⁸ When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

⁹ Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”

¹⁰ And His disciples asked Him, saying, ^(I)“Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

¹¹ Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming ^[b]first and will ^(J)restore all things. ^12 (K)But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they ^(L)did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise ^(M)the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” ^13 (N)Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Sons and Heirs Through Christ

4 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, ² but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. ³ Even so we, when we were children, ^(A)were in bondage under the elements of the world. ⁴ But ^(B)when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, ^(C)born^{[a] (D)}of a woman, ^(E)born under the law, ^5 (F)to redeem those who were under the law, ^(G)that we might receive the adoption as sons.

⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent forth ^(H)the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ^[b]“Abba, Father!” ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, ^(I)and if a son, then an heir ^[c]of God ^[d]through Christ.

Fears for the Church

⁸ But then, indeed, ^(J)when you did not know God, ^(K)you served those which by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now ^(L)after you have known God, or rather are known by God, ^(M)how is it that you turn again to ^(N)the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? ^10 (O)You observe days and months and seasons and years. ¹¹ I am afraid for you, ^(P)lest I have labored for you in vain.

¹² Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. ^(Q)You have not injured me at all. ¹³ You know that ^(R)because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. ¹⁴ And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me ^(S)as an ^[e]angel of God, ^(T)even as Christ Jesus. ^15 [f]What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

¹⁷ They ^(U)zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. ¹⁸ But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. ^19 (V)My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, ²⁰ I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.

Two Covenants^(W)

²¹ Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons: ^(X)the one by a bondwoman, ^(Y)the other by a freewoman. ²³ But he who was of the bondwoman ^(Z)was born according to the flesh, ^(AA)and he of the freewoman through promise, ²⁴ which things are symbolic. For these are ^[g]the two covenants: the one from Mount ^(AB)Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— ²⁵ for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— ²⁶ but the ^(AC)Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. ²⁷ For it is written:

²⁸ Now ^(AE)we, brethren, as Isaac was, are ^(AF)children of promise. ²⁹ But, as ^(AG)he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, ^(AH)even so it is now. ³⁰ Nevertheless what does ^(AI)the Scripture say? ^(AJ)“Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for ^(AK)the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” ³¹ So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

Christian Liberty

5 ^(A)Stand^[a] fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a ^(B)yoke of bondage.