The Triumphal Entry

1 ^oNow when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus¹ sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The ^pLord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought ^qthe colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many ^rspread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ^s“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the ^tcoming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

The Light of the Gospel

1 Therefore, having this ministry ^rby the mercy of God,¹ we do not ^slose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. ^tWe refuse to practice² cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth ^uwe would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even ^vif our gospel is veiled, it is veiled ^wto those who are perishing. 4 In their case the ^xgod of this world has ^yblinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the ^zimage of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but ^aJesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your ^bservants³ for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, ^c“Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts ^dto give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Treasure in Jars of Clay

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 ^eWe are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 ^falways carrying in the body the death of Jesus, ^gso that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are ^halways being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So ⁱdeath is at work in us, but life in you.

13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, ^j“I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 ^kknowing that ^lhe who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and ^mbring us with you into his presence. 15 For ⁿit is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self⁴ is wasting away, our ^oinner self is being ^prenewed day by day. 17 For ^qthis light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look ^rnot to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

The Lord Our God Is Holy

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

1 Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a ^rtreaty with us, and we will serve you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.” 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days’ respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.” 4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud.

5 Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. 6 And the Spirit of God ^srushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen and ^tcut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. 8 When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have salvation.’” When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad. 10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.” 11 And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

The Kingdom Is Renewed

12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” 13 But Saul said, ^u“Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.” 14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

Samuel’s Farewell Address

1 And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have ^vobeyed your voice in all that you have said to me and have ^wmade a king over you. 2 And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray; and behold, ^xmy sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. 3 Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. ^yWhose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a ^zbribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me¹ and I will restore it to you.” 4 They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.” 5 And he said to them, “The Lord is ^awitness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything ^bin my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”

6 And Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is witness,² who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers. 8 ^cWhen Jacob went into Egypt, and ^dthe Egyptians oppressed them,³ then ^eyour fathers cried out to the Lord and ^fthe Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9 But they forgot the Lord their God. And he sold them ^ginto the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor,⁴ and ^hinto the hand of the Philistines, and ⁱinto the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. 10 And ^jthey cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now ^kdeliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ 11 And the Lord sent ^lJerubbaal and ^mBarak⁵ and ⁿJephthah and ^oSamuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived ^pin safety. 12 And ^qwhen you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, ^ryou ^ssaid to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when ^tthe Lord your God was your king. 13 And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. 15 But ^uif you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king.⁶ 16 Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 ^vIs it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, ^wwhich you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” 18 So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, ^xand all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19 And all the people said to Samuel, ^y“Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not ^zturn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot ^aprofit or deliver, for they are ^bempty. 22 For the Lord will not ^cforsake his people, ^dfor his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to ^emake you a people for himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

Saul Fights the Philistines

1 Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,⁷ 2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the ^fgarrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4 And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.

5 And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7 and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice

8 He waited seven days, ^gthe time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. ^hYou have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have ⁱestablished your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 ^jBut now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and ^kthe Lord has commanded him to be prince⁸ over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 15 And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal⁹ to Gibeah of Benjamin.

And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle,¹⁰ 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel¹¹ for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel¹² for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.¹³ 22 So on the day of the battle there was ^lneither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.