One Year Bible.

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

¹Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”

²But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you on one condition, that I may put out everyone’s right eye and bring reproach upon all Israel.”

³“Hold off for seven days,” replied the elders of Jabesh, “and let us send messengers throughout Israel. If there is no one to save us, we will surrender to you.”

⁴When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and relayed these words in the hearing of the people, they all wept aloud.

⁵Just then Saul was returning from the field, behind his oxen. “What troubles the people?” asked Saul. “Why are they weeping?” And they relayed to him the words of the men from Jabesh.

⁶When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he burned with great anger. ⁷He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not march behind Saul and Samuel.”

Then the terror of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out together as one man. ⁸And when Saul numbered them at Bezek, there were 300,000 Israelites and 30,000 men of Judah. ⁹So they said to the messengers who had come, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’”

And when the messengers relayed this to the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced.

¹⁰Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do with us whatever seems good to you.”

¹¹The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions, and during the morning watch they invaded the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them, until the hottest part of the day. And the survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

¹²Then the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Bring those men here so we can kill them!”

¹³But Saul ordered, “No one shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.”

¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”

¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.

Samuel’s Farewell Address

¹Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have set over you a king. ²Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

³Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”

⁴“You have not cheated us or oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the hand of man.”

⁵Samuel said to them, “The LORD is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.”

“He is a witness,” they replied.

⁶Then Samuel said to the people, “The LORD is the One who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. ⁷Now present yourselves, so that I may confront you before the LORD with all the righteous acts He has done for you and your fathers.

⁸When Jacob went to Egypt, your fathers cried out to the LORD, and He sent them Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. ⁹But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.

¹⁰Then they cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve You.’

¹¹So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely. ¹²But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’— even though the LORD your God was your king.

¹³Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you requested. Behold, the LORD has placed a king over you.

¹⁴If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of the LORD, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the LORD your God, then all will be well. ¹⁵But if you disobey the LORD and rebel against His command, then the hand of the LORD will be against you as it was against your fathers.

¹⁶Now, therefore, present yourselves and see this great thing that the LORD will do before your eyes. ¹⁷Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king.”

¹⁸So Samuel called to the LORD, and on that day the LORD sent thunder and rain.

As a result, all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. ¹⁹They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”

²⁰“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. ²¹Do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty. ²²Indeed, for the sake of His great name, the LORD will not abandon His people, because He was pleased to make you His own.

²³As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.

²⁴Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you. ²⁵But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”

Saul Persecutes the Church

¹And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death.

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. ²God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. ³But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

⁴Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. ⁵Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. ⁶The crowds all paid close attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform. ⁷With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed. ⁸So there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Sorcerer

⁹Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great, ¹⁰and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.” ¹¹They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.

¹²But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ¹³Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.

¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. ¹⁹“Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! ²¹You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God. ²²Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart. ²³For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”

²⁴Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

²⁵And after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.

Philip and the Ethiopian

²⁶Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.

²⁹The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”

³⁰So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

³¹“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³²The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,

so He did not open His mouth.

³³In His humiliation He was deprived of justice.

Who can recount His descendants?

For His life was removed from the earth.”

³⁴“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”

³⁵Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

³⁶As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?” ³⁸And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

The Road to Damascus

¹Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest ²and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

³As Saul drew near to Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”

⁵“Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied. ⁶“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could not see a thing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was without sight, and he did not eat or drink anything.

Ananias Baptizes Saul

¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Here I am, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹“Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And now he is here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”

¹⁵“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel. ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”

¹⁷So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength. And he spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

Saul Preaches at Damascus

²⁰Saul promptly began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, declaring, “He is the Son of God.”

²¹All who heard him were astounded and asked, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem on those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”

²²But Saul was empowered all the more, and he confounded the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

The Escape from Damascus

²³After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, ²⁴but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him. ²⁵One night, however, his disciples took him and lowered him in a basket through a window in the wall.

Saul in Jerusalem

²⁶When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.

²⁸So Saul stayed with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. ³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

The Healing of Aeneas

³¹Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

³²As Peter traveled throughout the area, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. ³³There he found a man named Aeneas who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. ³⁴“Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and put away your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up, ³⁵and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

The Raising of Tabitha

³⁶In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated as Dorcas), who was always occupied with works of kindness and charity. ³⁷At that time, however, she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upper room. ³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to urge him, “Come to us without delay.”

³⁹So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

⁴⁰Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹Peter took her by the hand and helped her up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her to them alive.

⁴²This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. ⁴³And Peter stayed for several days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.