Saul’s Rash Vow

24 And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had ^qlaid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food. 25 Now when all the people¹ came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. 26 And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright. 28 Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’” And the people were faint. 29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.”

31 They struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint. 32 The people pounced on the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate them ^rwith the blood. 33 Then they told Saul, “Behold, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a great stone to me here.”² 34 And Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Let every man bring his ox or his sheep and slaughter them here and eat, and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night and they slaughtered them there. 35 And Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

36 Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 37 And Saul ^sinquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day. 38 And Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today. 39 For as the Lord lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But there was not a man among all the people who answered him. 40 Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” 41 Therefore Saul said, “O Lord God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day? If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O Lord, God of Israel, ^tgive Urim. But if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim.”³ And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. 42 Then Saul said, ^u“Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was taken.

43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, ^v“Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.” 44 And Saul said, ^w“God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.” 45 Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die. 46 Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Saul Fights Israel’s Enemies

47 When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, ^xagainst the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned he routed them. 48 And he did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.

49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger Michal. 50 And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. 51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

52 There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he ^yattached him to himself.

How Long, O Lord?

A Psalm of Asaph.

The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

1 ^qAnd the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them,¹ “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 ^rAn evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except ^sthe sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 ^tWhen the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and ^ubeware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, ^v“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 ^wDo you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and ^xhow many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and ^yhow many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

13 ^zNow when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say ^aJohn the Baptist, others say ^bElijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the ^cprophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, ^d“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ^ebut my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and ^fon this ^grock² I will ^hbuild my church, and the ⁱgates of hell³ shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the ^jkeys of the kingdom of heaven, and ^kwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed⁴ in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

21 ^lFrom that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the ^mthird day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!⁵ This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, ⁿ“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance⁶ to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

24 ^oThen Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and ^ptake up his cross and ^qfollow me. 25 ^rFor whoever would save his life⁷ will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he ^sgains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to ^tcome with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person ^uaccording to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are ^vsome standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

The Transfiguration

1 ^wAnd after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And ^xhe was ^ytransfigured before them, and his ^zface shone like the sun, and his clothes became ^awhite as light. 3 ^bAnd behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three ^ctents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright ^dcloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ^e“This is my beloved Son,^{8 f}with whom I am well pleased; ^glisten to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and ^htouched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 ⁱAnd as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ^j“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that ^kfirst Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him ^lwhatever they pleased. ^mSo also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of ⁿJohn the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

14 ^oAnd when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has ^pseizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your ^qdisciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus ^rrebuked the demon,⁹ and it¹⁰ came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.¹¹ 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus ^sprivately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and ^tnothing will be impossible for you.”¹²

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

22 ^uAs they were gathering¹³ in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the ^vthird day.” And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the ^wtwo-drachma ^xtax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.¹⁴ Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Who Is the Greatest?

1 ^yAt that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the ^zgreatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like ^achildren, you will never ^benter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever ^chumbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 ^d“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 ^ebut whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,^{15 f}it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!¹⁶ For it is necessary that temptations come, but ^gwoe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 ^hAnd if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell¹⁷ of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 ⁱ“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven ^jtheir angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.¹⁸ 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and ^kgo in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 ^lSo it is not the will of my¹⁹ Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

15 ^m“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, ⁿbetween you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have ^ogained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established ^pby the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, ^qlet him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, ^rwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed²⁰ in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, ^sif two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, ^tthere am I among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as ^useven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but ^vseventy-seven times.²¹

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to ^wsettle accounts with his servants.²² 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand ^xtalents.²³ 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be ^ysold, with his wife and ^zchildren and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant²⁴ fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and ^aforgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,²⁵ and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 ^bAnd should not you have had ^cmercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the ^djailers,²⁶ until he should pay all his debt. 35 ^eSo also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”