Bible Readings for May 14, 2015

Today our passages are 1 Samuel 15:1–16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; and Proverbs 15:8-10. The readings are the Contemporary English Version. 

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1 Samuel 15-16:23 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Samuel 15

Saul Disobeys the LORD

 ¹One day, Samuel told Saul:    The LORD had me choose you to be king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the LORD: ²"When the Israelites were on their way out of Egypt, the nation of Amalek attacked them. I am the LORD All-Powerful, and now I am going to make Amalek pay!
    ³"Go and attack the Amalekites! Destroy them and all their possessions. Don't have any pity. Kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. Slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys."
    ⁴Saul sent messengers who told every town and village to send men to join the army at Telaim. There were two hundred ten thousand troops in all, and ten thousand of these were from Judah. Saul organized them, ⁵then led them to a valley near one of the towns in ^[a] Amalek, where they got ready to make a surprise attack. ⁶Some Kenites lived nearby, and Saul told them, "Your people were kind to our nation when we left Egypt, and I don't want you to get killed when I wipe out the Amalekites. Leave here and stay away from them." The Kenites left, ⁷and Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah ^[b] to Shur, which is just east of Egypt. ⁸Every Amalekite was killed except King Agag. ⁹Saul and his army let Agag live, and they also spared the best sheep and cattle. They didn't want to destroy anything of value, so they only killed the animals that were worthless or weak. ^[c]

The LORD Rejects Saul

 ¹⁰The LORD told Samuel, ¹¹"Saul has stopped obeying me, and I'm sorry that I made him king."    Samuel was angry, and he cried out in prayer to the LORD all night. ¹²Early the next morning he went to talk with Saul. Someone told him, "Saul went to Carmel, where he had a monument built so everyone would remember his victory. Then he left for Gilgal."
    ¹³Samuel finally caught up with Saul, ^[d] and Saul told him, "I hope the LORD will bless you! I have done what the LORD told me." ¹⁴"Then why," Samuel asked, "do I hear sheep and cattle?"
    ¹⁵"The army took them from the Amalekites," Saul explained. "They kept the best sheep and cattle, so they could sacrifice them to the LORD your God. But we destroyed everything else."
    ¹⁶"Stop!" Samuel said. "Let me tell you what the LORD told me last night."
   "All right," Saul answered.
    ¹⁷Samuel continued, "You may not think you're very important, but the LORD chose you to be king, and you are in charge of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁸When the LORD sent you on this mission, he told you to wipe out those worthless Amalekites. ¹⁹Why didn't you listen to the LORD? Why did you keep the animals and make him angry?"
    ²⁰"But I did listen to the LORD!" Saul answered. "He sent me on a mission, and I went. I captured King Agag and destroyed his nation. ²¹All the animals were going to be destroyed ^[e] anyway. That's why the army brought the best sheep and cattle to Gilgal as sacrifices to the LORD your God." ²²"Tell me," Samuel said. "Does the LORD really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn't want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey him. ²³Rebelling against God or disobeying him because you are proud is just as bad as worshiping idols or asking them for advice. You refused to do what God told you, so God has decided that you can't be king."
    ²⁴"I have sinned," Saul admitted. "I disobeyed both you and the LORD. I was afraid of the army, and I listened to them instead. ²⁵Please forgive me and come back with me so I can worship the LORD."
    ²⁶"No!" Samuel replied, "You disobeyed the LORD, and I won't go back with you. Now the LORD has said that you can't be king of Israel any longer."
    ²⁷As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the edge of Samuel's robe. It tore! ²⁸Samuel said, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today, and he will give it to someone who is better than you. ²⁹Besides, the eternal ^[f] God of Israel isn't a human being. He doesn't tell lies or change his mind." ³⁰Saul said, "I did sin, but please honor me in front of the leaders of the army and the people of Israel. Come back with me, so I can worship the LORD your God."
    ³¹Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the LORD. ³²Then Samuel shouted, "Bring me King Agag of Amalek!"
   Agag came in chains, ^[g] and he was saying to himself, "Surely they won't kill me now." ^{[h] 33}But Samuel said, "Agag, you have snatched children from their mothers' arms and killed them. Now your mother will be without children." Then Samuel chopped Agag to pieces at the place of worship in Gilgal.
    ³⁴Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned to his home in Gibeah. ³⁵Even though Samuel felt sad about Saul, Samuel never saw him again.
   The LORD was sorry he had made Saul the king of Israel.
   

1 Samuel 16

The LORD Chooses David To Be King

 ¹One day he said, "Samuel, I've rejected Saul, and I refuse to let him be king any longer. Stop feeling sad about him. Put some olive oil ^[i] in a small container ^[j] and go visit a man named Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem. I've chosen one of his sons to be my king." ²Samuel answered, "If I do that, Saul will find out and have me killed."    "Take a calf with you," the LORD replied. "Tell everyone that you've come to offer it as a sacrifice to me, ³then invite Jesse to the sacrifice. ^[k] When I show you which one of his sons I have chosen, pour the olive oil on his head." ⁴Samuel did what the LORD told him and went to Bethlehem. The town leaders went to meet him, but they were terribly afraid and asked, "Is this a friendly visit?"
    ⁵"Yes, it is!" Samuel answered. "I've come to offer a sacrifice to the LORD. Get yourselves ready ^[l] to take part in the sacrifice and come with me." Samuel also invited Jesse and his sons to come to the sacrifice, and he got them ready to take part. ⁶When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel noticed Jesse's oldest son, Eliab. "He has to be the one the LORD has chosen," Samuel said to himself.
    ⁷But the LORD told him, "Samuel, don't think Eliab is the one just because he's tall and handsome. He isn't the one I've chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts."
    ⁸Jesse told his son Abinadab to go over to Samuel, but Samuel said, "No, the LORD hasn't chosen him."
    ⁹Next, Jesse sent his son Shammah to him, and Samuel said, "The LORD hasn't chosen him either."
    ¹⁰Jesse had all seven of his sons go over to Samuel. Finally, Samuel said, "Jesse, the LORD hasn't chosen any of these young men. ¹¹Do you have any more sons?"
   "Yes," Jesse answered. "My youngest son David is out taking care of the sheep."
   "Send for him!" Samuel said. "We won't start the ceremony until he gets here."
    ¹²Jesse sent for David. He was a healthy, good-looking boy with a sparkle in his eyes. As soon as David came, the LORD told Samuel, "He's the one! Get up and pour the olive oil on his head." ^{[m] 13}Samuel poured the oil on David's head while his brothers watched. At that moment, the Spirit of the LORD took control of David and stayed with him from then on.
   Samuel returned home to Ramah.
   

David Plays the Harp for Saul

 ¹⁴The Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD was terrifying him. ¹⁵"It's an evil spirit from God that's frightening you," Saul's officials told him. ¹⁶"Your Majesty, let us go and look for someone who is good at playing the harp. He can play for you whenever the evil spirit from God bothers you, and you'll feel better."     ¹⁷"All right," Saul answered. "Find me someone who is good at playing the harp and bring him here."
    ¹⁸"A man named Jesse who lives in Bethlehem has a son who can play the harp," one official said. "He's a brave warrior, he's good-looking, he can speak well, and the LORD is with him."
    ¹⁹Saul sent a message to Jesse: "Tell your son David to leave your sheep and come here to me."
    ²⁰Jesse loaded a donkey with bread and a goatskin full of wine, ^[n] then he told David to take the donkey and a young goat to Saul. ²¹David went to Saul and started working for him. Saul liked him so much that he put David in charge of carrying his weapons. ²²Not long after this, Saul sent another message to Jesse: "I really like David. Please let him stay with me." ²³Whenever the evil spirit from God bothered Saul, David would play his harp. Saul would relax and feel better, and the evil spirit would go away.
   

Footnotes:

1. 1 Samuel 15:5 one. . . in: Or "the town of."
2. 1 Samuel 15:7 from Havilah: Or "from the valley" (see 15.5).
3. 1 Samuel 15:9 animals. . . weak: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
4. 1 Samuel 15:13 Saul: One ancient translation adds "Saul had sacrificed to the LORD the best animals they had taken from Amalek, when Samuel came up to him. . ."
5. 1 Samuel 15:21 animals. . . destroyed: The Hebrew means things that were set aside for God. They could not be used for anything else, so they had to be destroyed.
6. 1 Samuel 15:29 eternal: Or "glorious."
7. 1 Samuel 15:32 in chains: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
8. 1 Samuel 15:32 Surely. . . now: Hebrew; one ancient translation "It would have been better to die in battle!"
9. 1 Samuel 16:1 olive oil: See the note at 9.16.
10. 1 Samuel 16:1 small container: Hebrew "horn"; animal horns were sometimes hollowed out and used as containers.
11. 1 Samuel 16:3 sacrifice: A sacrifice often involved a dinner where the meat from the sacrificed animal would be served.
12. 1 Samuel 16:5 Get yourselves ready: The people of Israel sometimes had to perform certain ceremonies to make themselves acceptable to God.
13. 1 Samuel 16:12 olive oil on his head: See the note at 9.16.
14. 1 Samuel 16:20 wine: Wine was sometimes kept in bottles made of goatskin sewn up with the fur on the outside.

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John 8:1-20 (Contemporary English Version)

John 8

 ¹but Jesus walked out to the Mount of Olives. ²Then early the next morning he went to the temple. The people came to him, and he sat down ^[a] and started teaching them. ³The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses brought in a woman who had been caught in bed with a man who wasn't her husband. They made her stand in the middle of the crowd. ⁴Then they said, "Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who isn't her husband. ⁵The Law of Moses teaches that a woman like this should be stoned to death! What do you say?"     ⁶They asked Jesus this question, because they wanted to test him and bring some charge against him. But Jesus simply bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger.
    ⁷They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, "If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!" ⁸Once again he bent over and began writing on the ground. ⁹The people left one by one, beginning with the oldest. Finally, Jesus and the woman were there alone.
    ¹⁰Jesus stood up and asked her, "Where is everyone? Isn't there anyone left to accuse you?"
    ¹¹"No sir," the woman answered.
   Then Jesus told her, "I am not going to accuse you either. You may go now, but don't sin anymore." ^[b]

Jesus Is the Light for the World

 ¹²Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, "I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won't be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life."     ¹³The Pharisees objected, "You are the only one speaking for yourself, and what you say isn't true!"
    ¹⁴Jesus replied:
   Even if I do speak for myself, what I say is true! I know where I came from and where I am going. But you don't know where I am from or where I am going. ¹⁵You judge in the same way that everyone else does, but I don't judge anyone. ¹⁶If I did judge, I would judge fairly, because I would not be doing it alone. The Father who sent me is here with me. ¹⁷Your Law requires two witnesses to prove that something is true. ¹⁸I am one of my witnesses, and the Father who sent me is the other one.
    ¹⁹"Where is your Father?" they asked.
   "You don't know me or my Father!" Jesus answered. "If you knew me, you would know my Father."
    ²⁰Jesus said this while he was still teaching in the place where the temple treasures were stored. But no one arrested him, because his time had not yet come. ^[c]

Footnotes:

1. John 8:2 sat down: See the note at 6.3,4.
2. John 8:11 don't sin anymore: Verses 1-11 are not in some manuscripts. In other manuscripts these verses are placed after 7.36 or after 21.25 or after Luke 21.38, with some differences in the text.
3. John 8:20 his time had not yet come: See the note at 2.4.

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Psalm 110:1-7 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 110

(A psalm by David.)

The LORD Gives Victory

 ¹The LORD said to my Lord,    "Sit at my right side, ^[a] until I make your enemies
   into a footstool for you."
    ²The LORD will let your power
   reach out from Zion,
   and you will rule
   over your enemies.
    ³Your glorious power
   will be seen
   on the day
   you begin to rule.
   You will wear the sacred robes
   and shine like the morning sun
   in all of your strength. ^{[b] 4}The LORD has made a promise
   that will never be broken:
   "You will be a priest forever,
   just like Melchizedek."
    ⁵My Lord is at your right side,
   and when he gets angry
   he will crush
   the other kings.
    ⁶He will judge the nations
   and crack their skulls,
   leaving piles of dead bodies
   all over the earth.
    ⁷He will drink from any stream
   that he chooses,
   while winning
   victory after victory. ^[c]

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 110:1 right side: See the note at 16.11.
2. Psalm 110:3 You will. . . strength: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Psalm 110:7 while. . . victory: Or " God will give him victory after victory."

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Proverbs 15:8-10 (Contemporary English Version)

⁸The LORD is disgusted
   by gifts from the wicked,
   but it makes him happy
   when his people pray.
    ⁹The LORD is disgusted
   with all who do wrong,
   but he loves everyone
   who does right.
    ¹⁰If you turn from the right way,
   you will be punished;
   if you refuse correction,
   you will die.

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Verse of the Day

“You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.” - Psalm 139:13-14

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge, Stephen Hawking wrote, “I believe things cannot make themselves impossible.”