1 Samuel 13–14
1 Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel.
2 Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Mikmash and in mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent each to his tent.
3 Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4 All Israel heard that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.
5 The Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, with people like the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and camped in Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When Israel’s fighting men saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in hollows, among rocks, and in cellars and cisterns. 7 Some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling. 8 He waited seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him. 9 Saul said, “Bring here to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered the burnt offering. 10 When he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him to greet him.
11 Samuel said, “What have you done?”
And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come to the appointed assembly days, and the Philistines are gathering themselves together at Mikmash, 12 therefore I said, ‘The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not yet appeased the face of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. Truly now, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over His people, because you have not kept that which the Lord commanded you.”
15 Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.
16 Now Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were with them, were staying in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Mikmash. 17 Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned to the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual. 18 And another company turned the way to Beth Horon. And another company turned to the way of the border that looks to the Valley of Zeboyim toward the wilderness.
19 Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel. For the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make for themselves swords or spears.” 20 So all the children of Israel went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plow-point, his axe, his adze and his hoe. 21 The sharpening charge was two-thirds of a shekel for plow-points, axes, pitchforks, and adzes, and to fix an ox-goad.
22 So it came to pass on the day of battle, that neither sword nor spear were found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found in the hand of Saul and Jonathan his son.
23 And the garrison of the Philistines had marched out to the ravine of Mikmash.
Chapter 14
1 A day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man that bore his armor, “Come, and let us cross over to the Philistine garrison which is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
2 Now Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron. And the people that were with him were about six hundred men. 3 And Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, was wearing the ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
4 Between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The crag of the one rose north opposite Mikmash, and the other faced southward opposite Geba.
6 Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. Perhaps the Lord will work for us. For the Lord is not limited to save by many or by few.”
7 His armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Turn yourself, and I will be with you according to your heart.”
8 Then Jonathan said, “Now we will cross over to these men, and we will reveal ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.”
11 So the two of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the caves where they have hidden themselves.” 12 The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will teach you something.”
So Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me. For the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”
13 Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet with his armor bearer behind him. And they fell before Jonathan. And his armor bearer was dealing death blows after him. 14 That first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men within about a half-acre field.
15 There was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled, and the ground quaked. It was the fear of God.
16 The watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away, and they went even here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people that were with him, “Number now, and see who has gone from us.” And when they had numbered, Jonathan nor his armor bearer were there.
18 Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring here the ark of God.” For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel. 19 It came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
20 Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle. And every man’s sword was against his fellow, so that there was very great confusion. 21 Even the Hebrews who were with the Philistines the days before, who went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the children of Israel that were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Also all of Israel’s fighting men, who had hidden themselves in mountains of Ephraim, heard that the Philistines fled, and even they followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle passed beyond Beth Aven.
24 Now Israel’s fighting men were distressed that day. For Saul had placed the people under a curse, saying, “Cursed is the man that eats any food before it is evening, and I have been avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted any food.
25 All the people of the land came to the forest, and there was honey on the ground. 26 When the people came into the forest there was flowing honey. But no man put his hand to his mouth, because the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard when his father made the people swear. Therefore he put forward the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb. Then he put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were brightened. 28 Then one of the people answered, and said, “Your father surely made the people swear, saying, ‘Cursed is the man that eats any food this day.’” And the people were weary.
29 Then said Jonathan, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have brightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much more, if the people had surely eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found? But now the defeat of the Philistines has not been great.”
31 And they struck the Philistines that day from Mikmash to Aijalon, and the people were very weary. 32 The people rushed upon the spoil; they took sheep, oxen, and calves and slew them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood. 33 Then they reported to Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating the blood.”
And he said, “You have dealt faithlessly. Roll a great stone to me this day.” 34 Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring to me here every man his ox or sheep. And slaughter them here, and eat. But you shall not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’”
And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there. 35 And Saul built an altar to the Lord. It was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
36 Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light. And let us not leave a man of them.”
And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.”
Then the priest said, “Let us draw near here to God.”
37 Saul asked of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him that day.
38 Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and observe and see how this sin has come about this day. 39 For, as the Lord lives, who saves Israel, even if it is in Jonathan my son, he will surely die.” But there was not one who answered him from among all the people.
40 Then he said to all Israel, “You will be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.”
And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”
41 Therefore Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” And Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. 42 Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.
43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.”
And Jonathan told him, and said, “I indeed tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am. I must die.”
44 Saul said, “May God do so to me and more also, for you will surely die, Jonathan.”
45 The people said to Saul, “Will Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? God forbid. As the Lord lives, there will not one hair of his head fall to the ground. For he has worked with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.
46 Then Saul went up from following the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
47 So Saul took the kingdom over Israel and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the Ammonites, against Edom and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Whatever place he turned himself, he defeated them. 48 He gathered an army, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hand of its plunderers.
49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. And the names of his two daughters were Merab, the firstborn, and Michal, the youngest. 50 And the name of the wife of Saul was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his army was Abner, the son of Ner, the uncle of Saul. 51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52 There was strong war against the Philistines all the days of Saul, and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he took him into his service.
Luke 10:1–24
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of Him into every city and place where He Himself was about to come. 2 He said to them, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your ways. Listen, I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no shoes, and greet no one on the road.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ 6 If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return upon you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they give, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Do not go from house to house.
8 “When you enter a city and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a city and they do not receive you, go your way out into their streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to us, we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 12 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable on that Day for Sodom than for that city.
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done for you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be thrust down to hell.
16 “He who listens to you listens to Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name.”
18 He said to them, “I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Look, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
21 At that time Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for it was Your good pleasure.
22 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. And no one knows who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son and he to whom the Son desires to reveal Him.”
23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see. 24 For I tell you, many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”