1 Samuel 15–16; Luke 10:25–42

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1 Samuel 15–16

The Lord Rejects Saul

And Samuel said to Saul, cThe Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, I have noted what Amalek did to Israel din opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and edevote to destruction1 all that they have. Do not spare them, fbut kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.

So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. Then Saul said to gthe Kenites, Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. hFor you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. iAnd Saul defeated the Amalekites from jHavilah as far as kShur, which is east of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive land devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. mBut Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves2 and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 nI regret3 that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and ohas not performed my commandments. And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, Saul came to pCarmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal. 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, qBlessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord. 14 And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear? 15 Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites, rfor the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction. 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night. And he said to him, Speak.

17 And Samuel said, sThough you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed. 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? tWhy did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord? 20 And Saul said to Samuel, uI have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 vBut the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal. 22 And Samuel said,

wHas the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, xto obey is better than sacrifice,

and to listen than the fat of rams.

23  For rebellion is as the sin of divination,

and presumption is as iniquity and yidolatry.

Because zyou have rejected the word of the Lord,

ahe has also rejected you from being king.

24 Saul said to Samuel, bI 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 therefore, please pardon my sin and creturn with me that I may bow before the Lord. 26 And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you. dFor you have rejected the word of the Lord, eand the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel. 27 fAs Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. 28 And Samuel said to him, gThe 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 Glory of Israel hwill not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret. 30 Then he said, I have sinned; yet ihonor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, jand return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God. 31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord.

32 Then Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cheerfully.4 Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. 33 And Samuel said, kAs your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord lin Gilgal.

34 Then Samuel went mto Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in nGibeah of Saul. 35 oAnd Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, pbut Samuel grieved over Saul. qAnd the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

David Anointed King

The Lord said to Samuel, rHow long will you grieve over Saul, since sI have rejected him from being king over Israel? tFill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, ufor I have provided for myself a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with you and say, vI have come to sacrifice to the Lord. And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. wAnd you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you. Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city xcame to meet him trembling and said, yDo you come peaceably? And he said, Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. zConsecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they came, he looked on aEliab and thought, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him. But the Lord said to Samuel, bDo not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, cbut the Lord looks on the heart. Then Jesse called dAbinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. Then Jesse made dShammah pass by. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen these. 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? And he said, eThere remains yet the youngest,5 but behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, fSend and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here. 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was gruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, hArise, anoint him, for this is he. 13 Then Samuel took ithe horn of oil jand anointed him in the midst of his brothers. kAnd the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

David in Saul’s Service

14 lNow the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, mand a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants nwho are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will oplay it, and you will be well. 17 So Saul said to his servants, Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me. 18 One of the young men answered, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, pa man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, qand the Lord is with him. 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, Send me David your son, rwho is with the sheep. 20 sAnd Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. 21 And David came to Saul tand entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight. 23 And uwhenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre oand played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.


Luke 10:25–42

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 oAnd behold, a plawyer stood up to qput him to the test, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to rinherit eternal life? 26 He said to him, What is written in the Law? How do you read it? 27 And he answered, sYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and tyour neighbor as yourself. 28 And he said to him, You have answered correctly; udo this, and you will live.

29 But he, vdesiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? 30 Jesus replied, A man wwas going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a xpriest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise xa Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a ySamaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and zbound up his wounds, pouring on zoil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two adenarii1 and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back. 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? 37 He said, The one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, You go, and do likewise.

Martha and Mary

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus2 entered a village. And a woman named bMartha cwelcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called bMary, who dsat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me. 41 But the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, you are eanxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary.3 Mary has chosen fthe good portion, which will not be taken away from her.