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1 Samuel 15

Disobedience of Saul.

1Samuel said to Saul: “It was I the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel. Now, therefore, listen to the message of the LORD.^a

2Thus says the LORD of hosts: I will punish what Amalek did to the Israelites when he barred their way as they came up from Egypt.^b

3Go, now, attack Amalek, and put under the ban^* everything he has. Do not spare him; kill men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.”^c

4Saul alerted the army, and at Telaim reviewed two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah.^*

5Saul went to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the wadi.

6^d He warned the Kenites: “Leave Amalek, turn aside and come down so I will not have to destroy you with them, for you were loyal to the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.”^* After the Kenites left,

7Saul routed Amalek from Havilah to the approaches of Shur, on the frontier of Egypt.^e

8He took Agag, king of Amalek, alive, but the rest of the people he destroyed by the sword, putting them under the ban.

9He and his troops spared Agag and the best of the fat sheep and oxen, and the lambs. They refused to put under the ban anything that was worthwhile, destroying only what was worthless and of no account.

Samuel Rebukes Saul.

10Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel:

11I regret having made Saul king, for he has turned from me and has not kept my command. At this Samuel grew angry and cried out to the LORD all night.^f

12Early in the morning he went to meet Saul, but was informed that Saul had gone to Carmel, where he set up a monument in his own honor, and that on his return he had gone down to Gilgal.

13When Samuel came to him, Saul greeted him: “The LORD bless you! I have kept the command of the LORD.”

14But Samuel asked, “What, then, is this bleating of sheep that comes to my ears, the lowing of oxen that I hear?”

15Saul replied: “They were brought from Amalek. The people spared the best sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the LORD, your God; but the rest we destroyed, putting them under the ban.”

16Samuel said to Saul: “Stop! Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” “Speak!” he replied.

17Samuel then said: “Though little in your own eyes, are you not chief of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king of Israel^g

18and sent you on a mission, saying: Go and put the sinful Amalekites under a ban of destruction. Fight against them until you have exterminated them.^h

19Why then have you disobeyed the LORD? You have pounced on the spoil, thus doing what was evil in the LORD’s sight.”ⁱ

20Saul explained to Samuel: “I did indeed obey the LORD and fulfill the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought back Agag, the king of Amalek, and, carrying out the ban, I have destroyed the Amalekites.

21But from the spoil the army took sheep and oxen, the best of what had been banned, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”^j

22^k But Samuel said:

“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as in obedience to the LORD’s command?

Obedience is better than sacrifice,

to listen, better than the fat of rams.^*

23For a sin of divination is rebellion,

and arrogance, the crime of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,

the LORD in turn has rejected you as king.”^l

Rejection of Saul.

24Saul admitted to Samuel: “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the command of the LORD and your instructions. I feared the people and obeyed them.^m

25Now forgive my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD.”

26But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, because you rejected the word of the LORD and the LORD has rejected you as king of Israel.”ⁿ

27As Samuel turned to go, Saul seized a loose end of his garment, and it tore off.^o

28So Samuel said to him: “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.^p

29The Glory of Israel neither deceives nor repents,^* for he is not a mortal who repents.”^q

30But Saul answered: “I have sinned, yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Return with me that I may worship the LORD your God.”

31And so Samuel returned with him, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

Samuel Executes Agag.

32Afterward Samuel commanded, “Bring Agag, king of Amalek, to me.” Agag came to him struggling and saying, “So it is bitter death!”

33And Samuel said,

“As your sword has made women childless,

so shall your mother be childless among women.”

Then he cut Agag to pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.^r

34Samuel departed for Ramah, while Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul.

35Never again, as long as he lived, did Samuel see Saul. Yet he grieved over Saul, because the LORD repented that he had made him king of Israel.^s

1 Samuel 16

Samuel Is Sent to Bethlehem.

1^a The LORD said to Samuel: How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have rejected as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for from among his sons I have decided on a king.^*

2But Samuel replied: “How can I go? Saul will hear of it and kill me.” To this the LORD answered: Take a heifer along and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.”

3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do; you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.^b

Samuel Anoints David.

4Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him. When he entered Bethlehem, the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and asked, “Is your visit peaceful, O seer?”

5He replied: “Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. So purify yourselves and celebrate with me today.” He also had Jesse and his sons purify themselves and invited them to the sacrifice.^c

6As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the anointed is here before the LORD.”

7But the LORD said to Samuel: Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The LORD looks into the heart.^d

8^e Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen him.”

9Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”

10In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”

11Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he arrives here.”^f

12Jesse had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth with beautiful eyes, and good looking. The LORD said: There—anoint him, for this is the one!^g

13Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David. Then Samuel set out for Ramah.^h

David Wins Saul’s Approval.

14^{* i} The spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and he was tormented by an evil spirit from the LORD.

15So the servants of Saul said to him: “Look! An evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

16If your lordship will order it, we, your servants here attending to you, will look for a man skilled in playing the harp. When the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he will play and you will feel better.”

17Saul then told his servants, “Find me a good harpist and bring him to me.”

18^j One of the servants spoke up: “I have observed that a son of Jesse of Bethlehem is a skillful harpist. He is also a brave warrior, an able speaker, and a handsome young man. The LORD is certainly with him.”

David Made Armor-Bearer.

19Accordingly, Saul dispatched messengers to ask Jesse to send him his son David, who was with the flock.

20Then Jesse took five loaves of bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them to Saul with his son David.^k

21Thus David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul became very fond of him and made him his armor-bearer.^l

22Saul sent Jesse the message, “Let David stay in my service, for he meets with my approval.”

23Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take the harp and play, and Saul would be relieved and feel better, for the evil spirit would leave him.

1 Samuel 17

The Challenge of Goliath.

1The Philistines rallied their forces for battle at Socoh in Judah and camped between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes-dammim.

2Saul and the Israelites rallied and camped in the valley of the Elah, drawing up their battle line to meet the Philistines.

3The Philistines were stationed on one hill and the Israelites on an opposite hill, with a valley between them.

4A champion named Goliath of Gath came out from the Philistine camp; he was six cubits and a span^* tall.

5He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a bronze breastplate of scale armor weighing five thousand shekels,

6bronze greaves, and had a bronze scimitar slung from his shoulders.

7The shaft of his javelin was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron head weighed six hundred shekels.^* His shield-bearer went ahead of him.^a

8He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel: “Why come out in battle formation? I am a Philistine, and you are Saul’s servants. Choose one of your men, and have him come down to me.

9If he beats me in combat and kills me, we will be your vassals; but if I beat him and kill him, you shall be our vassals and serve us.”

10The Philistine continued: “I defy the ranks of Israel today. Give me a man and let us fight together.”

11When Saul and all Israel heard this challenge of the Philistine, they were stunned and terrified.

David Comes to the Camp.^*

12David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah who had eight sons. In the days of Saul Jesse was old and well on in years.^b

13The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to war; the names of these three sons who had gone off to war were Eliab the firstborn; Abinadab the second; and Shammah the third.

14David was the youngest. While the three oldest had joined Saul,

15David would come and go from Saul’s presence to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.^c

16Meanwhile the Philistine came forward and took his stand morning and evening for forty days.

17Now Jesse said to his son David: “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves for your brothers, and bring them quickly to your brothers in the camp.

18Also take these ten cheeses for the field officer. Greet your brothers and bring home some token from them.

19Saul and your brothers, together with all Israel, are at war with the Philistines in the valley of the Elah.”

20Early the next morning, having left the flock with a shepherd, David packed up and set out, as Jesse had commanded him. He reached the barricade of the camp just as the army, on their way to the battleground, were shouting their battle cry.^d

21The Israelites and the Philistines drew up opposite each other in battle array.

22David entrusted what he had brought to the keeper of the baggage and hastened to the battle line, where he greeted his brothers.^e

23While he was talking with them, the Philistine champion, by name Goliath of Gath, came up from the ranks of the Philistines and spoke as before, and David listened.

24When the Israelites saw the man, they all retreated before him, terrified.

25The Israelites had been saying: “Do you see this man coming up? He comes up to insult Israel. The king will make whoever kills him a very wealthy man. He will give his daughter to him and declare his father’s family exempt from taxes in Israel.”^f

26David now said to the men standing near him: “How will the man who kills this Philistine and frees Israel from disgrace be rewarded? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should insult the armies of the living God?”^g

27They repeated the same words to him and said, “That is how the man who kills him will be rewarded.”

28When Eliab, his oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he grew angry with David and said: “Why did you come down? With whom have you left those sheep in the wilderness? I know your arrogance and dishonest heart. You came down to enjoy the battle!”^h

29David protested, “What have I done now? I was only talking.”

30He turned from him to another and asked the same question; and everyone gave him the same answer as before.

31The words that David had spoken were overheard and reported to Saul, who sent for him.

David Challenges Goliath.

32Then David spoke to Saul: “My lord should not lose heart. Let your servant go and fight this Philistine.”

33But Saul answered David, “You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him, for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth.”

34ⁱ Then David told Saul: “Your servant used to tend his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or bear came to carry off a sheep from the flock,

35I would chase after it, attack it, and snatch the prey from its mouth. If it attacked me, I would seize it by the throat, strike it, and kill it.

36Your servant has killed both a lion and a bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be as one of them, because he has insulted the armies of the living God.”

37David continued: “The same LORD who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul answered David, “Go! the LORD will be with you.”^j

Preparation for the Encounter.

38Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic, putting a bronze helmet on his head and arming him with a coat of mail.

39David also fastened Saul’s sword over the tunic. He walked with difficulty, however, since he had never worn armor before. He said to Saul, “I cannot go in these, because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.

40Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag. With his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.

David’s Victory.

41^* With his shield-bearer marching before him, the Philistine advanced closer and closer to David.

42When he sized David up and saw that he was youthful, ruddy, and handsome in appearance, he began to deride him.

43He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods

44and said to him, “Come here to me, and I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.”^k

45David answered him: “You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have insulted.

46Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand; I will strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will feed your dead body and the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field; thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God.

47All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves. For the battle belongs to the LORD, who shall deliver you into our hands.”^l

48The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters, while David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.

49David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone, hurled it with the sling, and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone embedded itself in his brow, and he fell on his face to the ground.

50Thus David triumphed over the Philistine with sling and stone; he struck the Philistine dead, and did it without a sword in his hand.^m

51Then David ran and stood over him; with the Philistine’s own sword which he drew from its sheath he killed him, and cut off his head.ⁿ

Flight of the Philistines. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they fled.

52Then the men of Israel and Judah sprang up with a battle cry and pursued them to the approaches of Gath and to the gates of Ekron, and Philistines fell wounded along the road from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.

53When they returned from their pursuit of the Philistines, the Israelites looted their camp.

54^o David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he kept Goliath’s armor in his own tent.^*

David Presented to Saul.

55As Saul watched David go out to meet the Philistine, he asked his general Abner, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “On your life, O king, I have no idea.”^p

56And the king said, “Find out whose son the lad is.”

57So when David returned from slaying the Philistine, Abner escorted him into Saul’s presence. David was still holding the Philistine’s head.

58Saul then asked him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David replied, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

1 Corinthians 12:12-33

One Body, Many Parts.^*

12As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.^g

13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.^h

14Now the body is not a single part, but many.

15If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.

16Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.

17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?

18But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended.

19If they were all one part, where would the body be?

20But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.”

22Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary,

23and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,

24whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,

25so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.

26If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Application to Christ.^*

27Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.ⁱ

28Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles;^* second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues.^j

29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds?

30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

31Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

The Way of Love. But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

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THE BOOKS OF 1 Samuel

These books describe the rise and development of kingship in Israel. Samuel is a pivotal figure. He bridges the gap between the period of the Judges and the monarchy, and guides Israel’s transition to kingship. A Deuteronomistic editor presents both positive and negative traditions about the monarchy, portraying it both as evidence of Israel’s rejection of the Lord as their sovereign (1 Sm 8:6–22; 12:1–25) and as part of God’s plan to deliver the people (1 Sm 9:16; 10:17–27; 2 Sm 7:8–17). Samuel’s misgivings about abuse of royal power foreshadow the failures and misdeeds of Saul and David and the failures of subsequent Israelite kings.

Although the events described in 1 and 2 Samuel move from the last of the judges to the decline of David’s reign and the beginning of a legendary “Golden Age” under Solomon’s rule, this material does not present either a continuous history or a systematic account of this period. The author/editor developed a narrative timeline around freely composed speeches, delivered by prophets like Samuel (e.g., 1 Sm 15:10–31; 28:15–19) and Nathan (2 Sm 12:1–12), who endorse Deuteronomistic perspectives regarding the establishment of the monarchy, the relationship between worship and obedience, and the divine covenant established with the house of David.

These books include independent blocks (e.g., the Ark Narrative [1 Sm 4:1–7:1], Saul’s rise to power [1 Sm 9:1–11:15], David’s ascendancy over Saul [1 Sm 16–31], the Succession Narrative [2 Sm 9–20; 1 Kgs 1–2]), which the editor shaped into three narrative cycles, the last two marked by transitional passages in 1 Sm 13:1 and 2 Sm 1:1. Each section focuses on a major figure in the development of the monarchy: Samuel, the reluctant king maker (1 Sm 1–12); Saul, the king whom the Lord rejects (1 Sm 13–31); David, the king after the Lord’s own heart (2 Sm 1–24). A common theme unites these narratives: Israel’s God acts justly, prospering those who remain faithful and destroying those who reject his ways (1 Sm 2:9). Along with the rest of the Deuteronomistic History, the Books of Samuel become an object lesson for biblical Israel as it tries to re-establish its religious identity after the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of its homeland (587/586 B.C.).

The contents of the Books of Samuel may be divided as follows:

1. The Last Judges, Eli and Samuel (1 Sm 1:1–7:17)
2. Establishment of the Monarchy (1 Sm 8:1–12:25)
3. Saul and David (1 Sm 13:1–2 Sm 2:7)
4. The Reign of David (2 Sm 2:8–20:26)
5. Appendixes (2 Sm 21:1–24:25)

THE FIRST BOOK OF 1 SAMUEL

The book of 1 Corinthians

THE FIRST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

Paul’s first letter to the church of Corinth provides us with a fuller insight into the life of an early Christian community of the first generation than any other book of the New Testament. Through it we can glimpse both the strengths and the weaknesses of this small group in a great city of the ancient world, men and women who had accepted the good news of Christ and were now trying to realize in their lives the implications of their baptism. Paul, who had founded the community and continued to look after it as a father, responds both to questions addressed to him and to situations of which he had been informed. In doing so, he reveals much about himself, his teaching, and the way in which he conducted his work of apostleship. Some things are puzzling because we have the correspondence only in one direction. For the person studying this letter, it seems to raise as many questions as it answers, but without it our knowledge of church life in the middle of the first century would be much poorer.

Paul established a Christian community in Corinth about the year 51, on his second missionary journey. The city, a commercial crossroads, was a melting pot full of devotees of various pagan cults and marked by a measure of moral depravity not unusual in a great seaport. The Acts of the Apostles suggests that moderate success attended Paul’s efforts among the Jews in Corinth at first, but that they soon turned against him (Acts 18:1–8). More fruitful was his year and a half spent among the Gentiles (Acts 18:11), which won to the faith many of the city’s poor and underprivileged (1 Cor 1:26). After his departure the eloquent Apollos, an Alexandrian Jewish Christian, rendered great service to the community, expounding “from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus” (Acts 18:24–28).

While Paul was in Ephesus on his third journey (1 Cor 16:8; Acts 19:1–20), he received disquieting news about Corinth. The community there was displaying open factionalism, as certain members were identifying themselves exclusively with individual Christian leaders and interpreting Christian teaching as a superior wisdom for the initiated few (1 Cor 1:10–4:21). The community lacked the decisiveness to take appropriate action against one of its members who was living publicly in an incestuous union (1 Cor 5:1–13). Other members engaged in legal conflicts in pagan courts of law (1 Cor 6:1–11); still others may have participated in religious prostitution (1 Cor 6:12–20) or temple sacrifices (1 Cor 10:14–22).

The community’s ills were reflected in its liturgy. In the celebration of the Eucharist certain members discriminated against others, drank too freely at the agape, or fellowship meal, and denied Christian social courtesies to the poor among the membership (1 Cor 11:17–22). Charisms such as ecstatic prayer, attributed freely to the impulse of the holy Spirit, were more highly prized than works of charity (1 Cor 13:1–2, 8), and were used at times in a disorderly way (1 Cor 14:1–40). Women appeared at the assembly without the customary head-covering (1 Cor 11:3–16), and perhaps were quarreling over their right to address the assembly (1 Cor 14:34–35).

Still other problems with which Paul had to deal concerned matters of conscience discussed among the faithful members of the community: the eating of meat that had been sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 8:1–13), the use of sex in marriage (1 Cor 7:1–7), and the attitude to be taken by the unmarried toward marriage in view of the possible proximity of Christ’s second coming (1 Cor 7:25–40). There was also a doctrinal matter that called for Paul’s attention, for some members of the community, despite their belief in the resurrection of Christ, were denying the possibility of general bodily resurrection.

To treat this wide spectrum of questions, Paul wrote this letter from Ephesus about the year 56. The majority of the Corinthian Christians may well have been quite faithful. Paul writes on their behalf to guard against the threats posed to the community by the views and conduct of various minorities. He writes with confidence in the authority of his apostolic mission, and he presumes that the Corinthians, despite their deficiencies, will recognize and accept it. On the other hand, he does not hesitate to exercise his authority as his judgment dictates in each situation, even going so far as to promise a direct confrontation with recalcitrants, should the abuses he scores remain uncorrected (1 Cor 4:18–21).

The letter illustrates well the mind and character of Paul. Although he is impelled to insist on his office as founder of the community, he recognizes that he is only one servant of God among many and generously acknowledges the labors of Apollos (1 Cor 3:5–8). He provides us in this letter with many valuable examples of his method of theological reflection and exposition. He always treats the questions at issue on the level of the purity of Christian teaching and conduct. Certain passages of the letter are of the greatest importance for the understanding of early Christian teaching on the Eucharist (1 Cor 10:14–22; 11:17–34) and on the resurrection of the body (1 Cor 15:1–58).

Paul’s authorship of 1 Corinthians, apart from a few verses that some regard as later interpolations, has never been seriously questioned. Some scholars have proposed, however, that the letter as we have it contains portions of more than one original Pauline letter. We know that Paul wrote at least two other letters to Corinth (see 1 Cor 5:9; 2 Cor 2:3–4) in addition to the two that we now have; this theory holds that the additional letters are actually contained within the two canonical ones. Most commentators, however, find 1 Corinthians quite understandable as a single coherent work.

The principal divisions of the First Letter to the Corinthians are the following:

1. Address (1:1–9)
2. Disorders in the Corinthian Community (1:10–6:20)
   1. Divisions in the Church (1:10–4:21)
   2. Moral Disorders (5:1–6:20)
3. Answers to the Corinthians’ Questions (7:1–11:1)
   1. Marriage and Virginity (7:1–40)
   2. Offerings to Idols (8:1–11:1)
4. Problems in Liturgical Assemblies (11:2–14:40)
   1. Women’s Headdresses (11:3–16)
   2. The Lord’s Supper (11:17–34)
   3. Spiritual Gifts (12:1–14:40)
5. The Resurrection (15:1–58)
   1. The Resurrection of Christ (15:1–11)
   2. The Resurrection of the Dead (15:12–34)
   3. The Manner of the Resurrection (15:35–58)
6. Conclusion (16:1–24)