Saul Spares King Agag

15 Samuel also said to Saul, ^(A)“The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. ² Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, ^(B)how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. ³ Now go and ^(C)attack^[a] Amalek, and ^(D)utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

⁴ So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. ⁵ And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.

⁶ Then Saul said to ^(E)the Kenites, ^(F)“Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For ^(G)you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. ^7 (H)And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from ^(I)Havilah all the way to ^(J)Shur, which is east of Egypt. ^8 (K)He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and ^(L)utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. ⁹ But Saul and the people ^(M)spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

Saul Rejected as King

¹⁰ Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, ^11 (N)“I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has ^(O)turned back from following Me, ^(P)and has not performed My commandments.” And it ^(Q)grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.

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.

A Boy Is Healed^(O)

^14 (P)And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, ¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is ^[c]an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶ So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

¹⁷ Then Jesus answered and said, “O ^[d]faithless and ^(Q)perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” ¹⁸ And Jesus ^(R)rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

²⁰ So Jesus said to them, “Because of your ^[e]unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, ^(S)if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ^21 [f]However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(T)

^22 (U)Now while they were ^[g]staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly ^(V)sorrowful.

Peter and His Master Pay Their Taxes

^24 (W)When they had come to ^[h]Capernaum, those who received the ^[i]temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”

²⁵ He said, “Yes.”

And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from ^(X)strangers?”

²⁶ Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”

Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷ Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a ^[j]piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

² Indeed I, Paul, say to you that ^(A)if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. ³ And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised ^(B)that he is ^[a]a debtor to keep the whole law. ^4 (C)You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; ^(D)you have fallen from grace. ⁵ For we through the Spirit eagerly ^(E)wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. ⁶ For ^(F)in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but ^(G)faith working through love.

Love Fulfills the Law

⁷ You ^(H)ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. ^9 (I)A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰ I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

¹¹ And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, ^(J)why do I still suffer persecution? Then ^(K)the offense of the cross has ceased. ^12 (L)I could wish that those ^(M)who trouble you would even ^[b]cut themselves off!