Mark 14:53–65; Galatians 3:1–14; Psalm 112:2; 1 Samuel 13

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Mark 14:53–65

Jesus Before the Council

53 vAnd wthey led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. 54 wAnd xPeter had followed him at a distance, yright into zthe courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with athe guards and bwarming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole council1 were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 56 cFor many bore false witness against him, but their testimony ddid not agree. 57 And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, 58 eWe heard him say, fI will destroy this temple gthat is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, hnot made with hands. 59 Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?2 61 But ihe remained silent and made no answer. jAgain the high priest asked him, Are you kthe Christ, the Son of lthe Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am, and myou will see the Son of Man nseated at the right hand of Power, and mcoming with the clouds of heaven. 63 And the high priest otore his garments and said, What further witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard phis blasphemy. What is your decision? And they qall condemned him as rdeserving death. 65 sAnd some began tto spit on him and uto cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, Prophesy! And the guards received him vwith blows.


Galatians 3:1–14

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? zIt was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly aportrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: bDid you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by chearing with faith? Are you so foolish? dHaving begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by1 the flesh? eDid you suffer2 so many things in vainif indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and fworks miracles among you do so gby works of the law, or by hearing with faith just as hAbraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness?

Know then that it is ithose of faith who are jthe sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that kGod would justify3 the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, lIn you shall all the nations be blessed. So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

10 For all who rely on works of the law are munder a curse; for it is written, nCursed be everyone who does not oabide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them. 11 Now it is evident that pno one is justified before God by the law, for qThe righteous shall live by faith.4 12 But the law is not of faith, rather rThe one who does them shall live by them. 13 Christ sredeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for usfor it is written, tCursed is everyone who is hanged uon a tree 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might vcome to the Gentiles, so that wwe might receive xthe promised Spirit5 through faith.


Psalm 112:2

His koffspring will be mighty in the land;

lthe generation of the upright will be blessed.


1 Samuel 13

Saul Fights the Philistines

Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,1 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in kMichmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in lGibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. Jonathan defeated mthe garrison of the Philistines that was nat Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul oblew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. 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.

And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops plike the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of qBeth-aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves rin caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 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

sHe waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 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, tYou have done foolishly. uYou have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now vyour kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man wafter his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince2 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 Gilgal3 to xGibeah of Benjamin.

And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, yabout six hundred men. 16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in zGeba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And araiders 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 bBeth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of cZeboim toward the wilderness.

19 dNow 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,4 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel5 for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel6 for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.7 22 So on the day of the battle ethere was neither 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 fthe garrison of the Philistines went out to the gpass of hMichmash.