19 And [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through it.

² And there was a man called Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, and [he was] rich.

³ And he was trying to see Jesus, which One He was, but he could not on account of the crowd, because he was small in stature.

⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass that way.

⁵ And when Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.

⁶ So he hurried and came down, and he received and welcomed Him joyfully.

⁷ And when the people saw it, they all ^[a]muttered among themselves and indignantly complained, He has gone in to be the guest of and lodge with a man who is devoted to sin and preeminently a sinner.

⁸ So then Zacchaeus stood up and solemnly declared to the Lord, See, Lord, the half of my goods I [now] give [by way of restoration] to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I [now] restore four times as much.^(A)

⁹ And Jesus said to him, Today is [^[b]Messianic and spiritual] salvation come to [all the members of] this household, since Zacchaeus too is a [real spiritual] son of Abraham;

¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.

¹¹ Now as they were listening to these things, He proceeded to tell a parable, because He was approaching Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God was going to be brought to light and shown forth immediately.

¹² He therefore said, A certain nobleman went into a distant country to obtain for himself a kingdom and then to return.

¹³ Calling ten of his [own] bond servants, he gave them ten minas [each equal to about one hundred days’ wages or nearly twenty dollars] and said to them, ^[c]Buy and sell with these ^[d]while I go and then return.

¹⁴ But his citizens detested him and sent an embassy after him to say, We do not want this man to become ruler over us.

¹⁵ When he returned after having received the kingdom, he ordered these bond servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know how much each one had made by ^[e]buying and selling.

¹⁶ The first one came before him, and he said, Lord, your mina has made ten [additional] minas.

¹⁷ And he said to him, Well done, excellent bond servant! Because you have been faithful and trustworthy in a very little [thing], you shall have authority over ten cities.

¹⁸ The second one also came and said, Lord, your mina has made five more minas.

¹⁹ And he said also to him, And you will take charge over five cities.

²⁰ Then another came and said, Lord, here is your mina, which I have kept laid up in a ^[f]handkerchief.

²¹ For I was [constantly] afraid of you, because you are a stern (hard, severe) man; you pick up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow.

²² He said to the servant, I will judge and condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked slave! You knew [did you] that I was a stern (hard, severe) man, picking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow?

²³ Then why did you not put my money in a bank, so that on my return, I might have collected it with interest?

²⁴ And he said to the bystanders, Take the mina away from him and give it to him who has the ten minas.

²⁵ And they said to him, Lord, he has ten minas [already]!

²⁶ And [said Jesus,] I tell you that to everyone who gets and has will more be given, but from the man who does not get and does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

²⁷ [The indignant king ended by saying] But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them—bring them here and ^[g]slaughter them in my presence!

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14 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor-bearer, Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side. But he did not tell his father.

² Saul was remaining in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron; and with him were about 600 men,

³ And Ahijah son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh, was wearing the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone.

⁴ Between the passes by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side; one was named Bozez, and the other Seneh.

⁵ The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

⁶ And Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For there is nothing to prevent the Lord from saving by many or by few.

⁷ And his armor-bearer said to him, Do all that is in your mind; I am with you in whatever you think [best].

⁸ Jonathan said, We will pass over to these men and we will let them see us.

⁹ If they say to us, Wait until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place and will not go up to them.

¹⁰ But if they say, Come up to us, we will go up, for the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be our sign.

¹¹ So both of them let the Philistine garrison see them. And the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.

¹² The garrison men said to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, Come up to us and we will show you a thing. Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into Israel’s hand.

¹³ Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, his armor-bearer after him; and the enemy fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him.

¹⁴ And that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made was about twenty men within about a half acre of land [which a yoke of oxen might plow].

¹⁵ And there was trembling and panic in the [Philistine] camp, in the field, and among all the men; the garrison, and even the raiders trembled; the earth quaked, and it became a terror from God.

¹⁶ Saul’s watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away and went hither and thither.

¹⁷ Then Saul said to the men with him, Number and see who is gone from us. When they numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were missing.

¹⁸ Saul said to Ahijah, Bring here the ark of God—for at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel.

¹⁹ While Saul talked to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp kept increasing. Then Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hand.

²⁰ Then Saul and all the people with him rallied and went into the battle, and behold, every [Philistine’s] sword was against his fellow in wild confusion.

²¹ Moreover, the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

²² Likewise, all the men of Israel who had hid themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also went after them in hot pursuit in the battle.

²³ So the Lord delivered Israel that day, and the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.

²⁴ But the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had caused them to take an oath, saying, Cursed be the man who eats any food before evening and until I have taken vengeance on my enemies. So none of the men tasted any food.

²⁵ And all the people of the land came to a wood, and there was honey on the ground.

²⁶ When the men entered the wood, behold, the honey was dripping, but no man tasted it, for the men feared the oath.

²⁷ But Jonathan had not heard when his father charged the people with the oath. So he dipped the end of the rod in his hand into a honeycomb and put it to his mouth, and his [weary] eyes brightened.

²⁸ Then one of the men told him, Your father strictly charged the men with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man who eats any food today. And the people were exhausted and faint.

²⁹ Then Jonathan said, My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

³⁰ How much better if the men had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter of the Philistines has not been great.

³¹ They smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint.

³² [When night came and the oath expired] the men flew upon the spoil. They took sheep, oxen, and calves, slew them on the ground, and ate them [raw] with the blood.

³³ Then Saul was told, Behold, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood. And he said, You have transgressed; roll a great stone to me here.

³⁴ Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people and tell them, Bring me every man his ox or his sheep, and butcher them here and eat; and sin not against the Lord by eating the blood. So all the men brought each one his ox that night and butchered it there.

³⁵ And Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar he built to the Lord.

³⁶ Then Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night and seize and plunder them until daylight, and let us not leave a man of them. They said, Do whatever seems good to you. Then the priest said, Let us draw near here to God.

³⁷ And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel? But He did not answer him that day.

³⁸ Then Saul said, Draw near, all the chiefs of the people, and let us see how this sin [causing God’s silence] arose today.

³⁹ For as the Lord lives, Who delivers 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 I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side. The people said to Saul, Do what seems good to you.

⁴¹ Therefore Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, Give a perfect lot and show the right. And Saul and Jonathan were taken [by lot], but the other men went free.

⁴² Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken.

⁴³ Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. And Jonathan said, I tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. And behold, I must die.

⁴⁴ Saul answered, May God do so, and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan.

⁴⁵ But the people said to Saul, Shall Jonathan, who has wrought this great deliverance to Israel, die? God forbid! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head perish, for he has wrought this great deliverance with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

⁴⁶ Then Saul ceased pursuing the Philistines, and they went to their own place.

⁴⁷ When Saul took over the kingdom of Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he made it worse for them.

⁴⁸ He did valiantly and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.

⁴⁹ Now Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were, of the firstborn, Merab; and of the younger, Michal.

⁵⁰ The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.

⁵¹ Kish the father of Saul and Ner the father of Abner were sons of Abiel.

⁵² There was severe war against the Philistines all the days of Saul, and whenever Saul saw any mighty or [outstandingly] courageous man, he attached him to himself.

15 Samuel told Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now listen and heed the words of the Lord.

² Thus says the Lord of hosts, I have considered and will punish what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way when [Israel] came out of Egypt.

³ Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.

⁴ So Saul assembled the men and numbered them at Telaim—200,000 men on foot and 10,000 men of Judah.

⁵ And Saul came to the city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley.

⁶ Saul warned the Kenites, Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

⁷ Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.

⁸ And he took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, though he utterly destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.

⁹ Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but all that was undesirable or worthless they destroyed utterly.

¹⁰ Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,

¹¹ I regret making Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commands. And Samuel was grieved and angry [with Saul], and he cried to the Lord all night.

¹² When Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, he was told, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up for himself a monument or trophy [of his victory] and passed on and went down to Gilgal.

¹³ And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the Lord. I have performed what the Lord ordered.

¹⁴ And Samuel said, What then means this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

¹⁵ Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but the rest we have utterly destroyed.

¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me tonight. Saul said to him, Say on.

¹⁷ Samuel said, When you were small in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed you king over Israel?

¹⁸ And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites; and fight against them until they are consumed.

¹⁹ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but swooped down upon the plunder and did evil in the Lord’s sight?

²⁰ Saul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

²¹ But the people took from the spoil sheep and oxen, the chief of the things to be utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.

²² Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

²³ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim (household good luck images). Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.

²⁴ And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

²⁵ Now, I pray you, pardon my sin and go back with me, that I may worship the Lord.

²⁶ And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.

²⁷ And as Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of Samuel’s mantle, and it tore.

²⁸ And Samuel said to him, The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you.

²⁹ And also the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent; for He is not a man, that He should repent.

³⁰ Saul said, I have sinned; yet honor me now, I pray you, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.

³¹ So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

³² Then Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

³³ Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

³⁴ Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.

³⁵ And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death, though Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord repented that He had made Saul king over Israel.