Ascribe to the Lord Glory

A Psalm of David.

Samuel Judges Israel

³ And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ^(A)“If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then ^(B)put away the foreign gods and the ^(C)Ashtaroth from among you and ^(D)direct your heart to the Lord ^(E)and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at ^(F)Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ So they gathered at ^(G)Mizpah ^(H)and drew water and poured it out before the Lord ^(I)and fasted on that day and said there, ^(J)“We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. ⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And ^(K)Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. ^(L)But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. ¹¹ And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

¹² Then Samuel ^(M)took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen^[a] and called its name Ebenezer;^[b] for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” ^13 (N)So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴ The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.

^15 (O)Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶ And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. ¹⁷ Then he would return to ^(P)Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. ^(Q)And he built there an altar to the Lord.

¹⁹ and ^(A)taking food, he was strengthened.

Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues

For ^(B)some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. ²⁰ And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ^(C)“He is the Son of God.” ²¹ And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who ^(D)made havoc ^(E)in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul ^(F)increased all the more in strength, and ^(G)confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving ^(H)that Jesus was the Christ.

Saul Escapes from Damascus

^23 (I)When many days had passed, the Jews^[a] plotted to kill him, ²⁴ but their ^(J)plot became known to Saul. ^(K)They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and ^(L)let him down through an opening in the wall,^[b] lowering him in a basket.

Saul in Jerusalem

²⁶ And ^(M)when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(N)Barnabas took him and ^(O)brought him to the apostles and declared to them ^(P)how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and ^(Q)how at Damascus he had ^(R)preached boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So he went ^(S)in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he spoke and disputed against ^(T)the Hellenists.^[c] But ^(U)they were seeking to kill him. ³⁰ And when ^(V)the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off ^(W)to Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(X)the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And ^(Y)walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, ^(Z)it multiplied.