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10 Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him; he said, “The Lord has anointed you ruler over his people Israel. You shall reign over the people of the Lord, and you will save them from the hand of their enemies all around. Now this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler[a] over his heritage:(A) When you depart from me today you will meet two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; they will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has stopped worrying about them and is worrying about you, saying: “What shall I do about my son?” ’(B) Then you shall go on from there further and come to the oak of Tabor; three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there: one carrying three kids, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.(C) They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from them. After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim,[b] at the place where the Philistine garrison is; there, as you come to the town, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the shrine with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre playing in front of them; they will be in a prophetic frenzy.(D) Then the spirit of the Lord will possess you, and you will be in a prophetic frenzy along with them and be turned into a different person.(E) Now when these signs meet you, do whatever you see fit to do, for God is with you.(F) And you shall go down to Gilgal ahead of me; then I will come down to you to present burnt offerings and offer sacrifices of well-being. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”(G)

Saul Prophesies

As he turned away to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.(H) 10 When they were going from there to Gibeah,[c] a band of prophets met him, and the spirit of God possessed him, and he fell into a prophetic frenzy along with them.(I) 11 When all who knew him before saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”(J) 12 A man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When his prophetic frenzy had ended, he went home.[d]

14 Saul’s uncle said to him and to the young man, “Where did you go?” And he replied, “To seek the donkeys, and when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 Saul said to his uncle, “He told us that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingship, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.(K)

Saul Proclaimed King

17 Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah(L) 18 and said to the Israelites, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’(M) 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said, ‘No, but set a king over us.’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”(N)

20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.(O) 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of the Matrites was taken by lot. Finally he brought the family of the Matrites near man by man,[e] and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Did the man come here?”[f] And the Lord said, “See, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”(P) 23 Then they ran and brought him from there. When he took his stand among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than any of them.(Q) 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”(R)

25 Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people back to their homes.(S) 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went warriors whose hearts God had touched.(T) 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered Jabesh-gilead.[g](U)

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

11 About a month later,[h] Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”(V) But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, namely, that I gouge out everyone’s right eye and thus put disgrace upon all Israel.”(W) 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.” When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the hearing of the people, and all the people wept aloud.(X)

Now Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen, and Saul said, “What is the matter with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the message from the inhabitants of Jabesh. And the spirit of God came upon Saul in power when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled.(Y) He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by 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.(Z) When he mustered them at Bezek, those from Israel were three hundred thousand and those from Judah seventy[i] thousand.(AA) They said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead: Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance.” When the messengers came and told the inhabitants of Jabesh, they rejoiced. 10 So the inhabitants of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.”(AB) 11 The next day Saul put the people in three companies. At the morning watch they came into the camp and cut down the Ammonites until the heat of the day, and those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.(AC)

12 The people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Give them to us so that we may put them to death.”(AD) 13 But Saul said, “No one shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has brought deliverance to Israel.”(AE)

14 Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.”(AF) 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they sacrificed offerings of well-being before the Lord, and there Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.(AG)

Samuel’s Farewell Address

12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to you in all that you have said to me and have set a king over you.(AH) See, it is the king who leads you now; I am old and gray, but my sons are with you. I have led you from my youth until this day.(AI) Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose 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 bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me,[j] and I will restore it to you.”(AJ) They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from the hand of anyone.” He said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”(AK)

Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is witness, who[k] appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of the land of Egypt.(AL) Now, therefore, take your stand so that I may enter into judgment with you before the Lord, and I will declare to you[l] all the righteous acts of the Lord that he performed for you and for your ancestors.(AM) When Jacob went into Egypt and the Egyptians oppressed them,[m] then your ancestors cried to the Lord, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought forth your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.(AN) But they forgot the Lord their God, and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of King Jabin of[n] Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.(AO) 10 Then they cried to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Astartes, but now rescue us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.’(AP) 11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak,[o] and Jephthah, and Samson[p] and rescued you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety.(AQ) 12 But when you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ though the Lord your God was your king.(AR) 13 See, here is the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; see, the Lord has set a king over you.(AS) 14 If you will fear the Lord and serve him and heed 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;(AT) 15 but if you will not heed 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.[q](AU) 16 Now, therefore, take your stand and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.(AV) 17 Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain, and you shall know and see that the wickedness that you have done in the sight of the Lord is great in demanding a king for yourselves.”(AW) 18 So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.(AX)

19 All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins the evil of demanding a king for ourselves.”(AY) 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart, 21 and do not turn aside after useless things that cannot profit or save, for they are useless.(AZ) 22 For the Lord will not cast away his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.(BA) 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.(BB) 24 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart, for consider what great things he has done for you.(BC) 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”(BD)

Footnotes

  1. 10.1 Gk: Heb lacks over his people Israel. You shall . . . anointed you ruler
  2. 10.5 Or the hill of God
  3. 10.10 Or the hill
  4. 10.13 Cn: Heb went to the shrine
  5. 10.21 Gk: Heb lacks Finally . . . man by man
  6. 10.22 Gk: Heb Is there yet a man to come here?
  7. 10.27 Q ms: MT lacks Now Nahash . . . entered Jabesh-gilead.
  8. 11.1 Q ms Gk: MT lacks About a month later
  9. 11.8 Q ms Gk OL: MT thirty
  10. 12.3 Gk: Heb lacks Testify against me
  11. 12.6 Gk: Heb lacks is witness, who
  12. 12.7 Gk: Heb lacks and I will declare to you
  13. 12.8 Gk: Heb lacks and the Egyptians oppressed them
  14. 12.9 Gk: Heb lacks King Jabin of
  15. 12.11 Gk Syr: Heb Bedan
  16. 12.11 Gk: Heb Samuel
  17. 12.15 Gk: Heb and your ancestors

10 Then Samuel took a flask(A) of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed(B) you ruler over his inheritance?[a](C) When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb,(D) at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys(E) you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried(F) about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’

“Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel(G) will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread,(H) which you will accept from them.

“After that you will go to Gibeah(I) of God, where there is a Philistine outpost.(J) As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets(K) coming down from the high place(L) with lyres, timbrels,(M) pipes(N) and harps(O) being played before them, and they will be prophesying.(P) The Spirit(Q) of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed(R) into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever(S) your hand(T) finds to do, for God is with(U) you.

“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal.(V) I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven(W) days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”

Saul Made King

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed(X) Saul’s heart, and all these signs(Y) were fulfilled(Z) that day. 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit(AA) of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.(AB) 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this(AC) that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”(AD)

12 A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”(AE) 13 After Saul stopped prophesying,(AF) he went to the high place.

14 Now Saul’s uncle(AG) asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”

“Looking for the donkeys,(AH)” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”

15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”

16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys(AI) had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah(AJ) 18 and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed(AK) you.’ 19 But you have now rejected(AL) your God, who saves(AM) you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king(AN) over us.’(AO) So now present(AP) yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

20 When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken.(AQ) Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired(AR) further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller(AS) than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?(AT) There is no one like(AU) him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live(AV) the king!”

25 Samuel explained(AW) to the people the rights and duties(AX) of kingship.(AY) He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah,(AZ) accompanied by valiant men(BA) whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some scoundrels(BB) said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts.(BC) But Saul kept silent.

Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh

11 Nahash[b](BD) the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead.(BE) And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty(BF) with us, and we will be subject to you.”

But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition(BG) that I gouge(BH) out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace(BI) on all Israel.”

The elders(BJ) of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue(BK) us, we will surrender(BL) to you.”

When the messengers came to Gibeah(BM) of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept(BN) aloud. Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

When Saul heard their words, the Spirit(BO) of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. He took a pair of oxen,(BP) cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel,(BQ) proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone(BR) who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one.(BS) When Saul mustered(BT) them at Bezek,(BU) the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.

They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. 10 They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender(BV) to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”

11 The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions;(BW) during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites(BX) and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

12 The people then said to Samuel, “Who(BY) was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”

13 But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today,(BZ) for this day the Lord has rescued(CA) Israel.”

14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal(CB) and there renew the kingship.(CC) 15 So all the people went to Gilgal(CD) and made Saul king(CE) in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

Samuel’s Farewell Speech

12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened(CF) to everything you said to me and have set a king(CG) over you. Now you have a king as your leader.(CH) As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons(CI) are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.(CJ) Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey(CK) have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe(CL) to make me shut my eyes? If I have done(CM) any of these things, I will make it right.”(CN)

“You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness(CO) against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything(CP) in my hand.(CQ)

“He is witness,” they said.

Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought(CR) your ancestors up out of Egypt. Now then, stand(CS) here, because I am going to confront(CT) you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts(CU) performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.

“After Jacob(CV) entered Egypt, they cried(CW) to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent(CX) Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

“But they forgot(CY) the Lord their God; so he sold them(CZ) into the hand of Sisera,(DA) the commander of the army of Hazor,(DB) and into the hands of the Philistines(DC) and the king of Moab,(DD) who fought against them. 10 They cried(DE) out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken(DF) the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths.(DG) But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,[c](DH) Barak,[d](DI) Jephthah(DJ) and Samuel,[e](DK) and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.

12 “But when you saw that Nahash(DL) king(DM) of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule(DN) over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king(DO) you have chosen, the one you asked(DP) for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you fear(DQ) the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel(DR) against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15 But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against(DS) his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

16 “Now then, stand still(DT) and see(DU) this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! 17 Is it not wheat harvest(DV) now? I will call(DW) on the Lord to send thunder(DX) and rain.(DY) And you will realize what an evil(DZ) thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”

18 Then Samuel called on the Lord,(EA) and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe(EB) of the Lord and of Samuel.

19 The people all said to Samuel, “Pray(EC) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die,(ED) for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil;(EE) yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless(EF) idols.(EG) They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake(EH) of his great name(EI) the Lord will not reject(EJ) his people, because the Lord was pleased to make(EK) you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray(EL) for you. And I will teach(EM) you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear(EN) the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart;(EO) consider(EP) what great(EQ) things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist(ER) in doing evil, both you and your king(ES) will perish.”(ET)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 10:1 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate over his people Israel? You will reign over the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies round about. And this will be a sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his inheritance:
  2. 1 Samuel 11:1 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls gifts. Now Nahash king of the Ammonites oppressed the Gadites and Reubenites severely. He gouged out all their right eyes and struck terror and dread in Israel. Not a man remained among the Israelites beyond the Jordan whose right eye was not gouged out by Nahash king of the Ammonites, except that seven thousand men fled from the Ammonites and entered Jabesh Gilead. About a month later, Nahash
  3. 1 Samuel 12:11 Also called Gideon
  4. 1 Samuel 12:11 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew Bedan
  5. 1 Samuel 12:11 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac Samson

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he[a] shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was being brought forward, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

Jesus Again Foretells His Death

While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples,(A) 44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.”(B) 45 But they did not understand this saying; its meaning remained concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.(C)

True Greatness

46 An argument arose among them concerning which one of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the least among all of you is the greatest.”(D)

Another Exorcist

49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he does not follow with us.”(E) 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”(F)

A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.(G) 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for his arrival,(H) 53 but they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”[b](I) 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then[c] they went on to another village.

Would-Be Followers of Jesus

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”(J) 60 And Jesus[d] said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 And Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

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Footnotes

  1. 9.39 Or it
  2. 9.54 Other ancient authorities add as Elijah did
  3. 9.56 Other ancient authorities read rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what spirit you are of, for the Son of Man has not come to destroy the lives of humans but to save them.” Then
  4. 9.60 Gk he

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy(A)

37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,”(B) Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”(C) 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it,(D) and they were afraid to ask him about it.

46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.(E) 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts,(F) took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.(G) For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”(H)

49 “Master,”(I) said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”(J)

Samaritan Opposition

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven,(K) Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.(L) 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan(M) village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John(N) saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[a]?”(O) 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus(P)

57 As they were walking along the road,(Q) a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man(R) has no place to lay his head.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”(S)

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”(T)

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”(U)

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 9:54 Some manuscripts them, just as Elijah did