17 And [Jesus] said to His disciples, Temptations (snares, traps set to entice to sin) are sure to come, but woe to him by or through whom they come!

² It would be more profitable for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were hurled into the sea than that he should cause to sin or be a snare to one of these little ones [^[a]lowly in rank or influence].

^3 [b]Pay attention and always be on your guard [looking out for one another]. If your brother sins (misses the mark), solemnly tell him so and reprove him, and if he repents (feels sorry for having sinned), forgive him.

⁴ And even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and turns to you seven times and says, I repent [I am sorry], you must forgive him (give up resentment and consider the offense as recalled and annulled).

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith (that trust and confidence that spring from our belief in God).

⁶ And the Lord answered, If you had faith (trust and confidence in God) even [so small] like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, Be pulled up by the roots, and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.

⁷ Will any man of you who has a servant plowing or tending sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, Come at once and take your place at the table?

⁸ Will he not instead tell him, Get my supper ready and gird yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; then afterward you yourself shall eat and drink?

⁹ Is he grateful and does he praise the servant because he did what he was ordered to do?

¹⁰ Even so on your part, when you have done everything that was assigned and commanded you, say, We are unworthy servants [possessing no merit, for we have not gone beyond our obligation]; we have [merely] done what was our duty to do.

¹¹ As He went on His way to Jerusalem, it occurred that [Jesus] was passing [along the border] between Samaria and Galilee.

¹² And as He was going into one village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance.

¹³ And they raised up their voices and called, Jesus, Master, take pity and have mercy on us!

¹⁴ And when He saw them, He said to them, Go [at once] and show yourselves to the priests. And as they went, they were cured and made clean.^(A)

¹⁵ Then one of them, upon seeing that he was cured, turned back, ^[c]recognizing and thanking and praising God with a loud voice;

¹⁶ And he fell prostrate at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. And he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Then Jesus asked, Were not [all] ten cleansed? Where are the nine?

¹⁸ Was there no one found to return and to ^[d]recognize and give thanks and praise to God except this alien?

¹⁹ And He said to him, Get up and go on your way. Your faith (your trust and confidence that spring from your belief in God) has restored you to health.

²⁰ Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display,

²¹ Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you].

²² And He said to the disciples, The time is coming when you will long to see [even] one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see [it].

²³ And they will say to you, Look! [He is] there! or, Look! [He is] here! But do not go out or follow [them].

²⁴ For like the lightning, that flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His [own] day.

²⁵ But first He must suffer many things and be disapproved and repudiated and rejected by this age and generation.

²⁶ And [just] as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the time of the Son of Man.

²⁷ [People] ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, right up to the day when Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.^(B)

²⁸ So also [it was the same] as it was in the days of Lot. [People] ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

²⁹ But on the [very] day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed [them] all.

³⁰ That is the way it will be on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.^(C)

³¹ On that day let him who is on the housetop, with his belongings in the house, not come down [and go inside] to carry them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back.

³² Remember Lot’s wife!^(D)

³³ Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve and ^[e]quicken it.

³⁴ I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.

³⁵ There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other will be left.

^36 [f]Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.

³⁷ Then they asked Him, Where, Lord? He said to them, Wherever the dead body is, there will the vultures or eagles be gathered together.

18 Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to ^[a]turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).

² He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man.

³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary.

⁴ And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, Though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man,

⁵ Yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and avenge her, lest she give me ^[b]intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming or ^[c]at the last she come and rail on me or ^[d]assault me or ^[e]strangle me.

⁶ Then the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says!

⁷ And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He ^[f]defer them and ^[g]delay help on their behalf?

⁸ I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [^[h]persistence in] faith on the earth?

⁹ He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [that they were upright and in right standing with God] and scorned and made nothing of all the rest of men:

¹⁰ Two men went up into the temple [^[i]enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

¹¹ The Pharisee ^[j]took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers—or even like this tax collector here.

¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain.

¹³ But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the ^[k]especially wicked sinner that I am!

¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified (forgiven and made upright and in right standing with God), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

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8 When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.

² Now the name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second, Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.

³ His sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

⁴ All the elders of Israel assembled and came to Samuel at Ramah

⁵ And said to him, Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint us a king to rule over us like all the other nations.

⁶ But it displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to govern us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord.

⁷ And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to the voice of the people in all they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not be King over them.

⁸ According to all the works which they have done since I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they also do to you.

⁹ So listen now to their voice; only solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.

¹⁰ So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked of him a king.

¹¹ And he said, These will be the ways of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.

¹² He will appoint them for himself to be commanders over thousands and over fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and equipment for his chariots.

¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.

¹⁴ He will take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive orchards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.

¹⁶ He will take your men and women servants and the best of your cattle and your donkeys and put them to his work.

¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves shall be his slaves.

¹⁸ In that day you will cry out because of your king you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not hear you then.

¹⁹ Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, No! We will have a king over us,

²⁰ That we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.

²¹ Samuel heard all the people’s words and repeated them in the Lord’s ears.

²² And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to their voice and appoint them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Go every man to his city.

9 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of wealth and valor.

² Kish had a son named Saul, a choice young man and handsome; among all the Israelites there was not a man more handsome than he. He was a head taller than any of the people.

³ The donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. Kish said to Saul, Take a servant with you and go, look for the donkeys.

⁴ And they passed through the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shalishah, but did not find them. Then they went through the land of Shaalim and the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.

⁵ And when they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, Come, let us return, lest my father stop worrying about the donkeys and become concerned about us.

⁶ The servant said to him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, a man held in honor; all that he says surely comes true. Now let us go there. Perhaps he can show us where we should go.

⁷ Then Saul said to his servant, But if we go, what shall we bring the man? The bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no gift for the man of God. What have we?

⁸ The servant replied, I have here a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God to tell us our way—

⁹ (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, Come, let us go to the seer, for he that is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)

¹⁰ Saul said to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was.

¹¹ As they went up the hill to the city, they met young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, Is the seer here?

¹² They answered, He is; behold, he is just beyond you. Hurry, for he came today to the city because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.

¹³ As you enter the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he comes to ask the blessing on the sacrifice. Afterward, those who are invited eat. So go on up, for about now you will find him.

¹⁴ So they went up to the city, and as they were entering, behold, Samuel came toward them, going up to the high place.

¹⁵ Now a day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel in his ear,

¹⁶ Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be leader over My people Israel; and he shall save them out of the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon the distress of My people, because their cry has come to Me.

¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, There is the man of whom I told you. He shall have authority over My people.

¹⁸ Then Saul came near to Samuel in the gate and said, Tell me where is the seer’s house?

¹⁹ Samuel answered Saul, I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind.

²⁰ As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be thinking about them, for they are found. And for whom are all the desirable things of Israel? Are they not for you and for all your father’s house?

²¹ And Saul said, Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And is not my family the least of all the families of the clans of Benjamin? Why then do you speak this way to me?

²² Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the guest room [at the high place] and had them sit in the chief place among the persons—about thirty of them—who were invited. [The other people feasted outside.]

²³ And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, Set it aside.

²⁴ And the cook lifted high the shoulder and what was on it [indicating that it was the priest’s honored portion] and set it before Saul. [Samuel] said, See what was reserved for you. Eat, for until the hour appointed it was kept for you, ever since I invited the people. So Saul ate that day with Samuel.

²⁵ When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel conversed with Saul on the top of the house.

²⁶ They arose early and about dawn Samuel called Saul [who was sleeping] on the top of the house, saying, Get up, that I may send you on your way. Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out on the street.

²⁷ And as they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us—and he passed on—but you stand still, first, that I may cause you to hear the word of God.

10 Then Samuel took the vial of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him and said, Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over His heritage Israel?

² When you have left me today, you will meet two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, The donkeys you sought are found. And your father has quit caring about them and is anxious for you, asking, What shall I do about my son?

³ Then you will go on from there and you will come to the oak of Tabor, and three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three kids, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin bottle of wine.

⁴ They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand.

⁵ After that you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is; and when you come to the city, you will meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying.

⁶ Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you will show yourself to be a prophet with them; and you will be turned into another man.

⁷ When these signs meet you, do whatever you find to be done, for God is with you.

⁸ You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you shall do.

⁹ And when [Saul] had turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all these signs came to pass that day.

¹⁰ When they came to the hill [Gibeah], behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he spoke under divine inspiration among them.

¹¹ And when all who knew Saul before saw that he spoke by inspiration among the [schooled] prophets, the people said one to another, What has come over [him, who is nobody but] the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?

¹² One from that same place answered, But who is the father of the others? So it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?

¹³ When [Saul] had ended his inspired speaking, he went to the high place.

¹⁴ Saul’s uncle said to him and to his servant, Where did you go? And Saul said, To look for the donkeys, and when we found them nowhere, we went to Samuel.

¹⁵ Saul’s uncle said, Tell me, what did Samuel say to you?

¹⁶ And Saul said to his uncle, He told us plainly that the donkeys were found. But of the matter of the kingdom of which Samuel spoke he told him nothing.

¹⁷ And Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah

¹⁸ And said to the Israelites, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: It was I Who brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians and of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.

¹⁹ But you have this day rejected your God, Who Himself saves you from all your calamities and distresses; and you have said to Him, No! Set a king over us. So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.

²⁰ And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken [probably by lot].

²¹ When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken. And Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he could not be found.

²² Therefore they inquired of the Lord further, if the man would yet come back. And the Lord answered, Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.^(A)

²³ They ran and brought him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was a head taller than any of them.

²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people, Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that none like him is among all the people? And all the people shouted and said, Long live the king!

²⁵ Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom [defining the position of the king in relation to God and to the people], and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.

²⁶ Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of valiant men whose hearts God had touched.

²⁷ But some worthless fellows said, How can this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no gift. But he held his peace and was as if deaf.