One Year Bible.

Saul’s Overthrow and Death

¹Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

²The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. ³When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him.

⁴Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

⁵When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died. ⁶So Saul died together with his three sons and all his house.

The Philistines Possess the Towns

⁷When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.

⁸The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. ¹⁰They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his head in the temple of Dagon.

Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul

¹¹When all the people of Jabesh-gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹²all their men of valor set out and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

¹³So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, ¹⁴and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

The Lord of the Sabbath

¹At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. ²When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

³Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.

⁵Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent? ⁶But I tell you that One greater than the temple is here.

⁷If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

⁹Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue, ¹⁰and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

¹¹He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹³Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other. ¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

God’s Chosen Servant

¹⁵Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all, ¹⁶warning them not to make Him known. ¹⁷This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸“Here is My Servant,

whom I have chosen,

My beloved,

in whom My soul delights.

I will put My Spirit on Him,

and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry out;

no one will hear His voice in the streets.

²⁰A bruised reed He will not break,

and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish,

till He leads justice to victory.

²¹In His name the nations will put their hope.”

A House Divided

²²Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see. ²³The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”

²⁴But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”

²⁵Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

²⁹Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

³⁰He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

The Unpardonable Sin

³¹Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³²Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.

Good and Bad Fruit

³³Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. ³⁶But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

³⁸Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

³⁹Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here. ⁴²The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.

An Unclean Spirit Returns

⁴³When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. ⁴⁴Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order. ⁴⁵Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

⁴⁶While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. ⁴⁷Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”

⁴⁸But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

The Triumphal Entry

¹As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two of His disciples ²and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³If anyone asks, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it shortly.’”

⁴So they went and found the colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. They untied it, ⁵and some who were standing there asked, “Why are you untying the colt?”

⁶The disciples answered as Jesus had instructed them, and the people gave them permission. ⁷Then they led the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, and He sat on it.

⁸Many in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields. ⁹The ones who went ahead and those who followed were shouting:

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

¹⁰“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest!”

¹¹Then Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

¹²The next day, when they had left Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing on it except leaves, since it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this statement.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹⁵When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. ¹⁶And He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷Then Jesus began to teach them, and He declared, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

¹⁸When the chief priests and scribes heard this, they looked for a way to kill Him. For they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

¹⁹And when evening came, Jesus and His disciples went out of the city.

The Withered Fig Tree

²⁰As they were walking back in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from its roots. ²¹Peter remembered it and said, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree You cursed has withered.”

²²“Have faith in God,” Jesus said to them. ²³“Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

²⁵And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.”

Jesus’ Authority Challenged

²⁷After their return to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking in the temple courts, and the chief priests, scribes, and elders came up to Him. ²⁸“By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You the authority to do them?”

²⁹“I will ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰John’s baptism — was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me!”

³¹They deliberated among themselves what they should answer: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ³²But if we say, ‘From men’ ...” they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John truly was a prophet. ³³So they answered, “We do not know.”

And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

¹Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

²At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. ³But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

⁴Then he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully.

⁵He sent still another, and this one they killed.

He sent many others; some they beat and others they killed.

⁶Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

⁷But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸So they seized the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰Have you never read this Scripture:

‘The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

¹¹This is from the Lord,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

¹²At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹³Later, they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to catch Jesus in His words. ¹⁴“Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and seek favor from no one. Indeed, You are impartial and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or not?”

¹⁵But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to inspect.” ¹⁶So they brought it, and He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they answered.

¹⁷Then Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

And they marveled at Him.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

¹⁸Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him: ¹⁹“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him. ²⁰Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died, leaving no children. ²¹Then the second one married the widow, but he also died and left no children. And the third did likewise. ²²In this way, none of the seven left any children. And last of all, the woman died. ²³In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.”

²⁴Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? ²⁵When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.

²⁶But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ²⁷He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

The Greatest Commandment

²⁸Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

²⁹Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

³²“Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied. “You have stated correctly that God is One and there is no other but Him, ³³and to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. This is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴When Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely, He said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

And no one dared to question Him any further.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

³⁵While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, He asked, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? ³⁶Speaking by the Holy Spirit, David himself declared:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand

until I put Your enemies

under Your feet.”’

³⁷David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how can He be David’s son?”

And the large crowd listened to Him with delight.

Beware of the Scribes

³⁸In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces, ³⁹and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁰They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Offering

⁴¹As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts. ⁴²Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.

⁴³Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the others into the treasury. ⁴⁴For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”