Israel Asks for a King

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Samuel Anoints David

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn^(A) for Saul, since I have rejected^(B) him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil^(C) and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse^(D) of Bethlehem. I have chosen^(E) one of his sons to be king.”

² But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show^(F) you what to do. You are to anoint^(G) for me the one I indicate.”

⁴ Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem,^(H) the elders of the town trembled^(I) when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?^(J)”

⁵ Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate^(K) yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab^(L) and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance,^(M) but the Lord looks at the heart.”^(N)

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab^(O) and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” ⁹ Jesse then had Shammah^(P) pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹ So he asked Jesse, “Are these all^(Q) the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”^(R)

Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

¹² So he^(S) sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome^(T) features.

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

¹³ So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed^(U) him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord^(V) came powerfully upon David.^(W) Samuel then went to Ramah.

David in Saul’s Service

¹⁴ Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed^(X) from Saul, and an evil^[a] spirit^(Y) from the Lord tormented him.^(Z)

¹⁵ Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶ Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre.^(AA) He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.”

¹⁷ So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.”

¹⁸ One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse^(AB) of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior.^(AC) He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with^(AD) him.”

¹⁹ Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.^(AE)” ²⁰ So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread,^(AF) a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.

²¹ David came to Saul and entered his service.^(AG) Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. ²² Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”

²³ Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit^(AH) would leave him.

God’s Promise to David^(A)

7 After the king was settled in his palace^(B) and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies^(C) around him,^{(D) 2} he said to Nathan^(E) the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house^(F) of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”^(G)

³ Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind,^(H) go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

¹⁷ Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

David’s Prayer^(AU)

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet^(A)

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ² “The kingdom of heaven is like^(B) a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his servants^(C) to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

⁴ “Then he sent some more servants^(D) and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

⁵ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. ⁶ The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers^(E) and burned their city.

⁸ “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹ So go to the street corners^(F) and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good,^(G) and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend^(H)?’ The man was speechless.

¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’^(I)

¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”^(J)

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar^(K)

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.^(L) “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax^[a](M) to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s,^(N) and to God what is God’s.”

²² When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.^(O)

Marriage at the Resurrection^(P)

²³ That same day the Sadducees,^(Q) who say there is no resurrection,^(R) came to him with a question. ²⁴ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.^{(S) 25} Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. ²⁷ Finally, the woman died. ²⁸ Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures^(T) or the power of God. ³⁰ At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage;^(U) they will be like the angels in heaven. ³¹ But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ³² ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’^[b]?^(V) He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

³³ When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.^(W)

The Greatest Commandment^(X)

³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,^(Y) the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law,^(Z) tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^{[c](AA) 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[d](AB) 40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”^(AC)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?^(AD)

⁴¹ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ⁴² “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

“The son of David,”^(AE) they replied.

⁴³ He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,

⁴⁵ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” ⁴⁶ No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.^(AG)