Romans 9:30-10:21
Contemporary English Version
Israel and the Good News
30 What does all of this mean? It means that the Gentiles were not trying to be acceptable to God, but they found that he would accept them if they had faith. 31-32 It also means that the people of Israel were not acceptable to God. And why not? It was because they were trying[a] to be acceptable by obeying the Law instead of by having faith in God. The people of Israel fell over the stone that makes people stumble, 33 (A) just as God says in the Scriptures,
“Look! I am placing in Zion
a stone to make people
stumble and fall.
But those who have faith
in that one will never
be disappointed.”
10 Dear friends, my greatest wish and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know they love God, but they don't understand 3 what makes people acceptable to him. So they refuse to trust God, and they try to be acceptable by obeying the Law. 4 But Christ makes the Law no longer necessary[b] for those who become acceptable to God by faith.
Anyone Can Be Saved
5 (B) Moses said a person could become acceptable to God by obeying the Law. He did this when he wrote, “If you want to live, you must do all the Law commands.”
6 (C) But people whose faith makes them acceptable to God will never ask, “Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ down?” 7 Neither will they ask, “Who will go down into the world of the dead to raise him to life?”
8 All who are acceptable because of their faith simply say, “The message is as near as your mouth or your heart.” And this is the same message we preach about faith. 9 So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. 10 God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.
11 (D) The Scriptures say no one who has faith will be disappointed, 12 no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. 13 (E) All who call out to the Lord will be saved.
14 How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them? 15 (F) And how can anyone tell them without being sent by the Lord? The Scriptures say it is a beautiful sight to see even the feet of someone coming to preach the good news. 16 (G) Yet not everyone has believed the message. For example, the prophet Isaiah asked, “Lord, has anyone believed what we said?”
17 No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ. 18 (H) But am I saying that the people of Israel did not hear? No, I am not! The Scriptures say,
“The message was told
everywhere on earth.
It was announced
all over the world.”
19 (I) Did the people of Israel understand or not? Moses answered this question when he told that the Lord had said,
“I will make Israel jealous
of people
who are a nation
of nobodies.
I will make them angry
with people
who don't understand
a thing.”
20 (J) Isaiah was fearless enough to tell that the Lord had said,
“I was found by people
who were not looking
for me.
I appeared to the ones
who were not asking
about me.”
21 (K) And Isaiah said about the people of Israel,
“All day long the Lord
has reached out
to people who are stubborn
and refuse to obey.”
1 Samuel 19
Contemporary English Version
Saul Tries To Have David Killed
19 One day, Saul told his son Jonathan and his officers to kill David. But Jonathan and David were best friends, 2-3 and he warned David, “My father is trying to have you killed, so be very careful. Hide in a field tomorrow morning, and I'll bring him there. Then I'll talk to him about you, and if I find out anything, I'll let you know.”
4-5 The next morning, Jonathan reminded Saul about the many good things David had done for him. Then he said, “Why do you want to kill David? He hasn't done anything to you. He has served in your army and has always done what's best for you. He even risked his life to kill Goliath. The Lord helped Israel win a great victory that day, and it made you happy.”
6 Saul agreed and promised, “I swear by the living Lord that I won't have David killed!”
7 Jonathan went to David and told him what Saul had said. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in Saul's army just as he had done before.
8 The next time there was a war with the Philistines, David fought hard and forced them to retreat.
Michal Helps David Escape
9-10 One night, David was in Saul's home, playing the harp for him. Saul was sitting there, holding a spear, when an evil spirit from the Lord took control of him. Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but David dodged, and it stuck in the wall. David ran out of the house and escaped.
11 (A) Saul sent guards to watch David's house all night and then to kill him in the morning.
Michal, David's wife, told him, “If you don't escape tonight, they'll kill you tomorrow!” 12 She helped David leave through a window and climb down to the ground.[a] As David ran off, 13 Michal put a statue in his bed. She put goat hair on its head and dressed it in some of David's clothes.
14 The next morning, Saul sent guards to arrest David. But Michal told them, “David is sick.”
15 Saul sent the guards back and told them, “Bring David to me—bed and all—so I can kill him.”
16 When the guards went in, all they found in the bed was the statue with the goat hair on its head.
17 “Why have you tricked me this way?” Saul asked Michal. “You helped my enemy get away!”
She answered, “He said he would kill me if I didn't help him escape!”
Samuel Helps David Escape
18 Meanwhile, David went to Samuel at Ramah and told him what Saul had done. Then Samuel and David went to Prophets Village[b] and stayed there.
19 Someone told Saul, “David is at Prophets Village in Ramah.”
20 Saul sent a few soldiers to bring David back. They went to Ramah and found Samuel in charge of a group of prophets who were all prophesying. Then the Spirit of God took control of the soldiers and they started prophesying too.
21 When Saul heard what had happened, he sent some more soldiers, but they prophesied just like the first group. He sent a third group of soldiers, but the same thing happened to them. 22 Finally, Saul left for Ramah himself. He went as far as the deep pit[c] at the town of Secu, and he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”
“At Prophets Village in Ramah,” the people answered.
23 Saul left for Ramah. But as he walked along, the Spirit of God took control of him, and he started prophesying. Then, when he reached Prophets Village, 24 (B) he stripped off his clothes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He dropped to the ground and lay there naked all that day and night. That's how the saying started, “Is Saul now a prophet?”
Psalm 64
Contemporary English Version
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
Celebrate because of the Lord
1 Listen to my concerns, God,
and protect me
from my enemies' threats.
2 Keep me safe from secret plots
of corrupt and evil gangs.
3 Their words cut like swords,
and their cruel remarks
sting like sharp arrows.
4 They fearlessly ambush
and shoot innocent people.
5 They are determined to do evil,
and they tell themselves,
“Let's set traps!
No one can see us.”[a]
6 They make evil plans and say,
“We'll commit a perfect crime.
No one knows our thoughts.”[b]
7 But God will shoot his arrows
and quickly wound them.
8 They will be destroyed
by their own words,
and everyone who sees them
will tremble with fear.[c]
9 They will be afraid and say,
“Look at what God has done
and keep it all in mind.”
10 May the Lord bless his people
with peace and happiness
and let them celebrate.
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