Bible Readings for May 10, 2015

Today our passages are 1 Samuel 8:1–9:27; John 6:22-42; Psalm 106:32-48; and Proverbs 14:34-35. The readings are the Contemporary English Version. 

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1 Samuel 8-9:27 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Samuel 8

The People of Israel Want a King

 ^1-2Samuel had two sons. The older one was Joel, and the younger one was Abijah. When Samuel was getting old, he let them be leaders ^[a] at Beersheba. ³But they were not like their father. They were dishonest and accepted bribes to give unfair decisions. ⁴One day the nation's leaders came to Samuel at Ramah ⁵and said, "You are an old man. You set a good example for your sons, but they haven't followed it. Now we want a king to be our leader, ^[b] just like all the other nations. Choose one for us!" ⁶Samuel was upset to hear the leaders say they wanted a king, so he prayed about it. ⁷The LORD answered:    Samuel, do everything they want you to do. I am really the one they have rejected as their king. ⁸Ever since the day I rescued my people from Egypt, they have turned from me to worship idols. Now they are turning away from you. ⁹Do everything they ask, but warn them and tell them how a king will treat them.
    ¹⁰Samuel told the people who were asking for a king what the LORD had said:
    ¹¹If you have a king, this is how he will treat you. He will force your sons to join his army. Some of them will ride in his chariots, some will serve in the cavalry, and others will run ahead of his own chariot. ^{[c] 12}Some of them will be officers in charge of a thousand soldiers, and others will be in charge of fifty. Still others will have to farm the king's land and harvest his crops, or make weapons and parts for his chariots. ¹³Your daughters will have to make perfume or do his cooking and baking. ¹⁴The king will take your best fields, as well as your vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his own officials. ¹⁵He will also take a tenth of your grain and grapes and give it to his officers and officials.
    ¹⁶The king will take your slaves and your best young men and your donkeys and make them do his work. ¹⁷He will also take a tenth of your sheep and goats. You will become the king's slaves, ¹⁸and you will finally cry out for the LORD to save you from the king you wanted. But the LORD won't answer your prayers.
    ^19-20The people would not listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want to be like other nations. We want a king to rule us and lead us in battle."
    ²¹Samuel listened to them and then told the LORD exactly what they had said. ²²"Do what they want," the LORD answered. "Give them a king."
   Samuel told the people to go back to their homes.
   

1 Samuel 9

Saul Meets Samuel

 ¹Kish was a wealthy man who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. His father was Abiel, his grandfather was Zeror, his great-grandfather was Becorath, and his great-great-grandfather was Aphiah. ²Kish had a son named Saul, who was better looking and more than a head taller than anyone else in all Israel.     ³Kish owned some donkeys, but they had run off. So he told Saul, "Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys."
    ⁴Saul and the servant went through the hill country of Ephraim and the territory of Shalishah, but they could not find the donkeys. Then they went through the territories of Shaalim and Benjamin, but still there was no sign of the donkeys. ⁵Finally they came to the territory where the clan of Zuph ^[d] lived. "Let's go back home," Saul told his servant. "If we don't go back soon, my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us!" ⁶"Wait!" the servant answered. "There's a man of God who lives in a town near here. He's amazing! Everything he says comes true. Let's talk to him. Maybe he can tell us where to look."
    ⁷Saul said, "How can we talk to the prophet when I don't have anything to give him? We don't even have any bread left in our sacks. What can we give him?"
    ⁸"I have a small piece of silver," the servant answered. "We can give him that, and then he will tell us where to look for the donkeys."
    ^9-10"Great!" Saul replied. "Let's go to the man who can see visions!" He said this because in those days God would answer questions by giving visions to prophets.
   Saul and his servant went to the town where the prophet lived. ¹¹As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to get water, ^[e] and the two men said to them, "We're looking for the man who can see visions. Is he in town?" ¹²"Yes, he is," they replied. "He's in town today because there's going to be a sacrifice and a sacred meal at the place of worship. In fact, he's just ahead of you. Hurry ¹³and you should find him right inside the town gate. He's on his way out to the place of worship to eat with the invited guests. They can't start eating until he blesses the sacrifice. If you go now, you should find him."
    ¹⁴They went to the town, and just as they were going through the gate, Samuel was coming out on his way to the place of worship.
    ¹⁵The day before Saul came, the LORD had told Samuel, ¹⁶"I've seen how my people are suffering, and I've heard their call for help. About this time tomorrow I'll send you a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who will rescue my people from the Philistines. I want you to pour olive oil ^[f] on his head to show that he will be their leader." ¹⁷Samuel looked at Saul, and the LORD told Samuel, "This is the man I told you about. He's the one who will rule Israel."
    ¹⁸Saul went over to Samuel in the gateway and said, "A man who can see visions lives here in town. Could you tell me the way to his house?"
    ¹⁹"I am the one who sees visions!" Samuel answered. "Go on up to the place of worship. You will eat with me today, and in the morning I'll answer your questions. ²⁰Don't worry about your donkeys that ran off three days ago. They've already been found. Everything of value in Israel now belongs to you and your family." ^{[g] 21}"Why are you telling me this?" Saul asked. "I'm from Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my clan is the least important in the tribe."
   

Saul Eats with Samuel and Stays at His House

 ²²Samuel took Saul and his servant into the dining room at the place of worship. About thirty people were there for the dinner, but Samuel gave Saul and his servant the places of honor. ^23-24Then Samuel told the cook, "I gave you the best piece of meat and told you to set it aside. Bring it here now."    The cook brought the meat over and set it down in front of Saul. "This is for you," Samuel told him. "Go ahead and eat it. I had this piece saved especially for you, and I invited these guests to eat with you."
   After Saul and Samuel had finished eating, ²⁵they went down from the place of worship and back into town. A bed was set up for Saul on the flat roof ^[h] of Samuel's house, ²⁶and Saul slept there. About sunrise the next morning, ^[i] Samuel called up to Saul on the roof, "Time to get up! I'll help you get started on your way." Saul got up. He and Samuel left together ²⁷and had almost reached the edge of town when Samuel stopped and said, "Have your servant go on. Stay here with me for a few minutes, and I'll tell you what God has told me."
   After the servant had gone,
   

Footnotes:

1. 1 Samuel 8:1 leader: The Hebrew word could mean an army commander, a judge, and a religious leader.
2. 1 Samuel 8:5 leader: The Hebrew word could mean an army commander, a judge, and a religious leader.
3. 1 Samuel 8:11 others. . . chariot: These men were probably his bodyguards.
4. 1 Samuel 9:5 Zuph: Samuel's father Elkanah was from the Zuph clan.
5. 1 Samuel 9:11 water: Towns were often built on a hill near a source of water, which would often be down in the valley outside of the town. It was usually the job of women to get water for their family.
6. 1 Samuel 9:16 olive oil: Olive oil was poured on the head of someone who was chosen to be a priest, a prophet, or a king.
7. 1 Samuel 9:20 Everything. . . family: Or "You and your family are what all Israel wants."
8. 1 Samuel 9:25 roof: Guests often slept on the flat roof of their host's house, where it was cool and breezy.
9. 1 Samuel 9:26 was set. . . morning: One ancient translation; Hebrew "Samuel spoke with Saul on the flat roof of his house. They got up early the next morning, around sunrise, and. . . "

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John 6:22-42 (Contemporary English Version)

The Bread That Gives Life

 ²²The people who had stayed on the east side of the lake knew that only one boat had been there. They also knew that Jesus had not left in it with his disciples. But the next day ²³some boats from Tiberias sailed near the place where the crowd had eaten the bread for which the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴They saw that Jesus and his disciples had left. Then they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus. ²⁵They found him on the west side of the lake and asked, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"     ²⁶Jesus answered, "I tell you for certain that you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles, ^[a] but because you ate all the food you wanted. ²⁷Don't work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so." ²⁸"What exactly does God want us to do?" the people asked.
    ²⁹Jesus answered, "God wants you to have faith in the one he sent."
    ³⁰They replied, "What miracle will you work, so that we can have faith in you? What will you do? ³¹For example, when our ancestors were in the desert, they were given manna ^[b] to eat. It happened just as the Scriptures say, `God gave them bread from heaven to eat.' " ³²Jesus then told them, "I tell you for certain that Moses wasn't the one who gave you bread from heaven. My Father is the one who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³And the bread that God gives is the one who came down from heaven to give life to the world."
    ³⁴The people said, "Lord, give us this bread and don't ever stop!"
    ³⁵Jesus replied:
   I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty. ³⁶I have told you already that you have seen me and still do not have faith in me. ³⁷Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won't turn any of them away.
    ³⁸I didn't come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me, ³⁹and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost. Instead, he wants me to raise them to life on the last day. ^{[c] 40}My Father wants everyone who sees the Son to have faith in him and to have eternal life. Then I will raise them to life on the last day. ⁴¹The people started grumbling because Jesus had said he was the bread that had come down from heaven. ⁴²They were asking each other, "Isn't he Jesus, the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father and mother? How can he say that he has come down from heaven?"
   

Footnotes:

1. John 6:26 miracles: The Greek text has " signs" here and " sign" in verse 30 (see the note at 2.11).
2. John 6:31 manna: When the people of Israel were wandering through the desert, the Lord gave them a special kind of food to eat. It tasted like a wafer and was called " manna," which in Hebrew means, " What is this?"
3. John 6:39 the last day: When God will judge all people.

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Psalm 106:32-48 (Contemporary English Version)

³²At Meribah Spring ^[a] they turned against you
   and made you furious.
    ³³Then Moses got into trouble
   for speaking in anger.
    ³⁴Our LORD, they disobeyed you
   by refusing to destroy
   the nations.
    ³⁵Instead they were friendly
   with those foreigners
   and followed their customs.
    ³⁶Then they fell into the trap
   of worshiping idols.
    ³⁷They sacrificed their sons
   and their daughters
   to demons
    ³⁸and to the gods of Canaan.
   Then they poured out the blood
   of these innocent children
   and made the land filthy.
    ³⁹By doing such gruesome things,
   they also became filthy.
    ⁴⁰Finally, LORD, you were angry
   and terribly disgusted
   with your people.
    ⁴¹So you put them in the power
   of nations
   that hated them.
    ⁴²They were mistreated and abused
   by their enemies,
    ⁴³but you saved them
   time after time.
   They were determined to rebel,
   and their sins caused
   their downfall.
    ⁴⁴You answered their prayers
   when they were in trouble.
    ⁴⁵You kept your agreement
   and were so merciful
    ⁴⁶that their enemies
   had pity on them.
    ⁴⁷Save us, LORD God!
   Bring us back
   from among the nations.
   Let us celebrate and shout
   in praise of your holy name.
    ⁴⁸LORD God of Israel,
   you deserve to be praised
   forever and ever.
   Let everyone say, "Amen!
   Shout praises to the LORD!"
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 106:32 Meribah Spring: See the note at 81.7.

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Proverbs 14:34-35 (Contemporary English Version)

³⁴Doing right brings honor
   to a nation,
   but sin brings disgrace.
    ³⁵Kings reward servants
   who act wisely,
   but they punish those
   who act foolishly.

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Verse of the Day

“[When Someone Sins][(Luke 17.3)]If one of my followers sins against you, go and point out what was wrong. But do it in private, just between the two of you. If that person listens, you have won back a follower.” - Matthew 18:15

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

English novelist, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era, whose pen name was Mary Ann Evans, George Eliot wrote, “Life began with waking up and loving my mother's face.”