Bible Reading Plan

1 Samuel 15

Chapter 15

Saul's Disobedience

¹ Then Samuel said to Saul, "^(C1)The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the ^(F1)words of the LORD.² "This is what the LORD of armies says: 'I will ^(F1)punish Amalek ^(C1)for what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.³ 'Now go and strike Amalek and ^(C1)completely destroy everything that he has, and do not spare him; but ^(C2)put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"

⁴ Then Saul summoned the people and ^(F1)counted them in ^(C1)Telaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah.⁵ And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ^(F1)wadi.⁶ But Saul said to ^(C1)the Kenites, "Go, get away, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you along with them; for ^(C2)you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they went up from Egypt." So the Kenites got away from among the Amalekites.⁷ Then ^(C1)Saul ^(F1)defeated the Amalekites, from ^(C2)Havilah ^(F2)going toward ^(C3)Shur, which is ^(F3)east of Egypt.⁸ He captured ^(C1)Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and ^(C2)completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.⁹ But Saul and the people ^(C1)spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the more valuable animals, the lambs, and everything that was good, and were unwilling to destroy them completely; but everything despicable and weak, that they completely destroyed.

Samuel Rebukes Saul

¹⁰ Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,¹¹ "^(C1)I regret that I have made Saul king, because ^(C2)he has turned back from ^(F1)following Me and has not carried out My commands." And Samuel was furious and ^(C3)cried out to the LORD all night.¹² Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was reported to Samuel, saying, "Saul came to ^(C1)Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on ^(F1)down to ^(C2)Gilgal."¹³ So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "^(C1)Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD."¹⁴ But Samuel said, "^(C1)What then is this ^(F1)bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the ^(F1)bellowing of the oxen which I hear?"¹⁵ Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites, for ^(C1)the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have completely destroyed."¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop, and let me inform you of what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak!"

¹⁷ So Samuel said, "^(F1)Is it not true, ^(C1)though you were ^(F2)insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the LORD anointed you as king over Israel.¹⁸ "And the LORD sent you on a ^(F1)mission, and said, '^(C1)Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are eliminated.'¹⁹ "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? ^(C1)Instead, you loudly rushed upon the spoils and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD!"

²⁰ Then Saul said to Samuel, "^(C1)I did obey the voice of the LORD, for I went on the ^(F1)mission on which the LORD sent me; and I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites.²¹ "But ^(C1)the people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things designated for destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal."²² Samuel said,

"^(C1)Does the LORD have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, ^(C2)to obey is better than a sacrifice,
And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.

²³ "For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of ^(C1)divination,
And insubordination is as reprehensible as ^(C2)false religion and idolatry.
Since you have rejected the word of the LORD,
^(C3)He has also rejected you from being king."

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, "^(C1)I have sinned, for ^(C2)I have violated the ^(F1)command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.²⁵ "Now then, ^(C1)please pardon my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the LORD."²⁶ But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; for ^(C1)you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel."²⁷ Then Samuel turned to go, but ^(C1)Saul grasped the edge of his robe, and it tore off.²⁸ So Samuel said to him, "^(C1)The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.²⁹ "Also the ^(F1)(C1)Glory of Israel ^(C2)will not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind."³⁰ Then Saul said, "I have sinned; ^(C1)but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before all Israel, and go back with me, ^(C2)so that I may worship the LORD your God."³¹ So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

³² Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites." And Agag came to him ^(F1)cheerfully. And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is gone!"³³ But Samuel said, "^(C1)As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.

³⁴ Then Samuel went to ^(C1)Ramah, but Saul went up to his house at ^(C2)Gibeah of Saul.³⁵ And ^(C1)Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, though Samuel ^(C2)mourned for ^(F1)Saul. And the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

Psalms 60

Chapter 60

Grieving over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.

¹ God, ^(C1)You have rejected us. You have ^(F1)(C2)broken us;
You have been ^(C3)angry; ^(C4)restore us!

² You have made the ^(F1)(C1)land quake, You have split it open;
^(C2)Heal its cracks, for it sways.

³ You have ^(F1)(C1)made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us ^(F2)wine to ^(C2)drink that makes us stagger.

⁴ You have given a ^(C1)banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah

^5 (C1)That Your ^(C2)beloved may be rescued,
^(C3)Save us with Your right hand, and answer ^(F1)us!

⁶ God has spoken in His ^(F1)(C1)holiness:
"I will triumph, I will divide up ^(C2)Shechem, and measure out the Valley of ^(C3)Succoth.

⁷ "^(C1)Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
^(C2)Ephraim also is the ^(F1)helmet of My head;
Judah is My ^(C3)scepter.

⁸ "^(C1)Moab is My washbowl;
I will throw My sandal over ^(C2)Edom;
Shout loud, ^(C3)Philistia, because of Me!"

⁹ Who will bring me into the besieged city?
Who ^(F1)will lead me to Edom?

¹⁰ Have You Yourself not ^(C1)rejected us, God?
And ^(C2)will You not go out with our armies, God?

¹¹ Oh give us help against the enemy,
For ^(C1)rescue ^(F1)by man is worthless.

^12 (F1)Through God we will ^(C1)do valiantly,
And it is He who will ^(C2)trample down our enemies.

Romans 6

Chapter 6

Believers Are Dead to Sin, Alive to God

^1 (C1)What shall we say then? Are we to ^(C2)continue in sin so that grace may increase?^2 (F1)(C1)Far from it! How shall we who ^(C2)died to sin still live in it?³ Or do you not know that all of us who have been ^(C1)baptized into ^(C2)Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?⁴ Therefore we have been ^(C1)buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was ^(C2)raised from the dead through the ^(C3)glory of the Father, so we too may walk in ^(C4)newness of life.⁵ For ^(C1)if we have become ^(F1)united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be ^(F2)in the likeness of His resurrection,⁶ knowing this, that our ^(C1)old ^(F1)self was ^(C2)crucified with Him, in order that our ^(C3)body of sin might be ^(F2)done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;⁷ for ^(C1)the one who has died is ^(F1)freed from sin.

⁸ Now ^(C1)if we have died with Christ, we believe that ^(C2)we shall also live with Him,⁹ knowing that Christ, having been ^(C1)raised from the dead, ^(F1)is never to die again; ^(C2)death no longer is master over Him.¹⁰ For ^(F1)the death that He died, He died to sin once for all time; but ^(F2)the life that He lives, He lives to ^(F3)God.¹¹ So you too, consider yourselves to be ^(C1)dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹² Therefore sin is not to ^(C1)reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,¹³ and do not go on ^(C1)presenting ^(F1)the parts of your body to sin as ^(F2)instruments of unrighteousness; but ^(C2)present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and ^(F3)your body's parts as ^(F2)instruments of righteousness for God.¹⁴ For ^(C1)sin shall not ^(C2)be master over you, for ^(C3)you are not under ^(F1)the Law but ^(C4)under grace.

¹⁵ What then? ^(C1)Are we to sin because we are not under ^(F1)the Law but under grace? ^(F2)(C2)Far from it!¹⁶ Do you not ^(C1)know that the one to whom you present yourselves as ^(C2)slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of ^(C3)sin ^(F1)resulting in death, or of obedience ^(F2)resulting in righteousness?¹⁷ But ^(C1)thanks be to God that ^(F1)though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that ^(F2)(C2)form of teaching to which you were entrusted,¹⁸ and after being ^(C1)freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness.^19 (C1)I am speaking ^(F1)in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just ^(C2)as you presented ^(F2)the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, ^(F3)resulting in further lawlessness, so now present ^(F2)your body's parts as slaves to righteousness, ^(F4)resulting in sanctification.

²⁰ For ^(C1)when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness.²¹ Therefore what ^(F1)(C1)benefit were you then ^(F2)deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is ^(C2)death.²² But now having been ^(C1)freed from sin and ^(C2)enslaved to God, you ^(F1)derive your ^(F2)(C3)benefit, ^(F3)resulting in sanctification, and ^(C4)the outcome, eternal life.²³ For the wages of ^(C1)sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is ^(C2)eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.