Old/New Testament
Revival and Victory at Mizpah
7 The men of Kiriath Jearim came and brought up the ark of Yahweh, and they brought it to the house of Abinadab in Gibeah. They consecrated Eleazer his son to guard the ark of Yahweh. 2 From[a] the day the ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim, days multiplied and became twenty years[b] while all the house of Israel mourned after Yahweh. 3 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If with all your heart you are turning to Yahweh, remove the foreign gods and Ashtoreths[c] from your midst. Commit your hearts to Yahweh and serve him alone. Then he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites[d] removed the Baals[e] and the Ashtoreths, and they served Yahweh alone.
5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to Yahweh for you.” 6 So they gathered to Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before Yahweh. They fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against Yahweh!” So Samuel judged the Israelites[f] at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the Israelites[g] had gathered at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the Israelites[h] heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.[i] 8 Then the Israelites[j] said to Samuel, “You must not cease[k] from crying out to Yahweh our God, so that he will deliver us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a single nursing lamb[l] and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh. Then Samuel cried out to Yahweh on behalf of Israel, and Yahweh answered him. 10 While[m] Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near for the battle against Israel. But Yahweh thundered against the Philistines with a great noise on that day and threw them into confusion so that they were defeated before Israel. 11 Then the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and they struck them down as far as below Beth Car.
12 So Samuel took a single stone and put it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it Ebenezer and said, “Up to here Yahweh has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come into the territory of Israel again, and the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The towns[n] which the Philistines had taken from Israel were returned to Israel from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territories from the hand of the Philistines. Then there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
The Circuit Ministry of Samuel
15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 He used to go on the circuit from year to year.[o] He went around Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he returned[p] to Ramah, because his house was there, and there he judged Israel, and he built an altar to Yahweh there.
Israel’s Demand for a King
8 When Samuel grew old he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after gain, they took bribes, and they perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old and your sons do not follow in your ways. So then appoint a king for us to judge[q] us, like all the nations. 6 But the matter was displeasing to Samuel[r] when they said, “Give us a king to judge[s] us,” so Samuel prayed to Yahweh.
7 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people concerning all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Like all the deeds they have done from the day I brought them up from Egypt until this day, they have forsaken me and have served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 And so then, listen to their voice. However, you must earnestly warn them; you must explain to them the custom of the king who will rule over them.”
10 So Samuel spoke all the words of Yahweh to the people who were requesting a king from him. 11 He said, “This will be the custom of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and those to do his plowing[t] and to reap his harvest, and those to make weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters as his perfume makers and as cooks and as bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive trees and will give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and to his servants. 16 He will take your male slaves and your female slaves and the best of your young men[u] and your donkeys and will use them for his projects.[v] 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks,[w] and you yourselves will become his servants. 18 So you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but Yahweh will not answer you on that day!” 19 However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and they said, “No, but there must be a king over us, 20 so that we also[x] may be like all the nations, and our king may rule us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 Now when Samuel heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of Yahweh. 22 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and appoint a king for them.” So Samuel spoke to the men of Israel, “Each of you go to his own town.”
Saul, the Requested King, Introduced
9 Now there was a man from Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjaminite, a very wealthy man.[y] 2 He had a son whose name was Saul,[z] a young and handsome man. There was not a man from the Israelites[aa] more handsome than he was; from his shoulders up, he was taller than all the people.
3 Now the female donkeys of Kish the father of Saul got lost, and Kish said to Saul his son, “Please take one of the servants with you and get up; go and seek the female donkeys.” 4 So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim; he passed through the land of Shalisha but they did not find them. They passed through the land of Shaalim but they were not there. He passed through the land of Benjamin but did not find them.
5 When they entered the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us return, lest my father cease caring about the female donkeys and worry about us!” 6 But he[ab] said to him, “Look, a man of God is in this town, and the man is honored. All that he says certainly comes true. So then let us go there; perhaps he will tell us about our journey on which we have gone.” 7 So Saul said to his servant, “Look, we may go, but what should we bring to the man? For the bread is gone from our bags, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have with us?” 8 The servant again answered Saul and said, “Look, I have[ac] in my hand a quarter shekel of silver! I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us our way.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he would say: “Come, let us go up to the seer.” For the prophet of today was formerly called a seer.) 10 So Saul said to his servant, “Your suggestion is a good one.[ad] Come, let us go.” And they went to the town where the man of God was.
11 They were going up the ascent of the town when they found young women going out to draw water. They said to them, “Is there the seer here?” 12 They answered them and said, “There is. Look, he is just in front of you! Hurry now, because he has come to the town today, because there is a sacrifice for the people today at the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the town, you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice. Then afterward the invited guests will eat. So then, go up, because you will find him today!” 14 So they went up to the town. As they were entering into the middle of the town, Samuel was coming forth to meet them, to go up to the high place.
15 Now Yahweh had revealed this to[ae] Samuel the day before Saul arrived, saying, 16 “This time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you must anoint him as leader over my people Israel. He will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen the suffering of my people, because their cry of distress has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh answered him, “Here is the man about whom I told you! This is the one who will govern my people.”
18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate and said, “Please tell me, where is the house of the seer?” 19 Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me[af] to the high place, and you will eat with me today; then I will send you away in the morning. I will tell you all that is on your mind.[ag] 20 And as for your female donkeys that were lost three days ago,[ah] do not be concerned about them,[ai] because they have been found. For whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not for you and for all the house of your father?”
21 Saul answered and said, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the humblest of all the families of the tribes of Benjamin? Why do you speak to me in this way?”[aj] 22 So Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them to a room in the building and gave them a place at the head of the invited guests.[ak] There were about thirty men. 23 Then Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave to you, about which I said to you, ‘Keep it with you.’” 24 So the cook took up the shank and what was on it and put it before Saul, and he[al] said, “Look, the saved portion[am] is placed before you[an]—eat, because it has been kept for you for the appointed time,” and he said,[ao] “I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 When they came down from the high place to the town, he spoke with Saul on the roof. 26 They got up early, and as dawn was breaking,[ap] Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, so that I can send you away.” So Saul got up and the two of them, he and Samuel, went outside. 27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us. When he has passed, you stand here a while,[aq] so that I can make known to you the word of God.”
Peter’s Confession
18 And it happened that while he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered and[a] said, “John the Baptist, but others, Elijah, and others, that one of the ancient prophets has risen.” 20 And he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and[b] said, “The Christ of God.”
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
21 But he warned and[c] commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “It is necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised on the third day.
Taking Up One’s Cross to Follow Jesus
23 And he said to them all, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me, this person will save it. 25 For what is a person benefited if he[d] gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of this person when he comes in his glory and the glory[e] of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some of those standing here who will never experience death until they see the kingdom of God.”
The Transfiguration
28 Now it happened that about eight days after these words, he took along Peter and John and James and[f] went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face became different, and his clothing became white, gleaming like lightning.[g] 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and[h] were speaking about his departure which he was about to fulfill[i] in Jerusalem.
32 Now Peter and those with him were very sleepy,[j] but when they[k] became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who were standing with him. 33 And it happened that as they were going away from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. And let us make three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah,” not knowing what he was saying. 34 And while[l] he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. 35 And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!” 36 And after the voice had occurred, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
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