Living for Christ at Home: An Encouragement for Teens

The Armor of God: Well Used Against Injury

Freedom in Forgiveness: Discover the Healing in Letting Go by Sara Brunsvold

ChangeMakers: Unsung Women of the Bible (Vol 2)

Reading With the People of God #10 Kingdom

This Is the Day

The Good News

A Great Harvest

Play-by-Play: John (3/3)

3-Day Bible Plan: How to Truly Love Thy Neighbor in Today’s World

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch28" data-usfm="1SA.28">
 <div class="label">28</div><div class="p"> 1In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, &#8220;You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2David said, &#8220;Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Achish replied, &#8220;Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Saul and the Medium at Endor</div><div class="p"> 3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.</div><div class="p"> 4The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. 5When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. 6He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. 7Saul then said to his attendants, &#8220;Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;There is one in Endor,&#8221; they said.</div><div class="p"> 8So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. &#8220;Consult a spirit for me,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and bring up for me the one I name.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9But the woman said to him, &#8220;Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Saul swore to her by the Lord, &#8220;As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Then the woman asked, &#8220;Whom shall I bring up for you?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Bring up Samuel,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p"> 12When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, &#8220;Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13The king said to her, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid. What do you see?&#8221;</div><div class="p">The woman said, &#8220;I see a ghostly figure#28:13 Or see spirits; or see gods coming up out of the earth.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;What does he look like?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;An old man wearing a robe is coming up,&#8221; she said.</div><div class="p">Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.</div><div class="p"> 15Samuel said to Saul, &#8220;Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I am in great distress,&#8221; Saul said. &#8220;The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Samuel said, &#8220;Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? 17The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors&#8212;to David. 18Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 19The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel&#8217;s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.</div><div class="p"> 21When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, &#8220;Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 22Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23He refused and said, &#8220;I will not eat.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.</div><div class="p"> 24The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. 25Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch29" data-usfm="1SA.29">
 <div class="label">29</div><div class="s1">Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag</div><div class="p"> 1The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. 2As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. 3The commanders of the Philistines asked, &#8220;What about these Hebrews?&#8221;</div><div class="p">Achish replied, &#8220;Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, &#8220;Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master&#8217;s favor than by taking the heads of our own men? 5Isn&#8217;t this the David they sang about in their dances:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Saul has slain his thousands,</div><div class="q2">and David his tens of thousands&#8217;?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So Achish called David and said to him, &#8220;As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don&#8217;t approve of you. 7Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;But what have I done?&#8221; asked David. &#8220;What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can&#8217;t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Achish answered, &#8220;I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, &#8216;He must not go up with us into battle.&#8217; 10Now get up early, along with your master&#8217;s servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkROM">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="ROM.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">The Remnant of Israel</div><div class="p"> 1I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don&#8217;t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah&#8212;how he appealed to God against Israel: 3&#8220;Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me&#8221;#11:3 1 Kings 19:10,14? 4And what was God&#8217;s answer to him? &#8220;I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.&#8221;#11:4 1 Kings 19:18 5So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.</div><div class="p"> 7What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8as it is written:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;God gave them a spirit of stupor,</div><div class="q2">eyes that could not see</div><div class="q2">and ears that could not hear,</div><div class="q1">to this very day.&#8221;#11:8 Deut. 29:4; Isaiah 29:10</div><div class="m"> 9And David says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;May their table become a snare and a trap,</div><div class="q2">a stumbling block and a retribution for them.</div><div class="q1"> 10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,</div><div class="q2">and their backs be bent forever.&#8221;#11:10 Psalm 69:22,23</div><div class="s1">Ingrafted Branches</div><div class="p"> 11Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!</div><div class="p"> 13I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.</div><div class="p"> 17If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19You will say then, &#8220;Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.&#8221; 20Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.</div><div class="p"> 22Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!</div><div class="s1">All Israel Will Be Saved</div><div class="p"> 25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26and in this way#11:26 Or and so all Israel will be saved. As it is written:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;The deliverer will come from Zion;</div><div class="q2">he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.</div><div class="q1"> 27And this is#11:27 Or will be my covenant with them</div><div class="q2">when I take away their sins.&#8221;#11:27 Isaiah 59:20,21; 27:9 (see Septuagint); Jer. 31:33,34</div><div class="p"> 28As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29for God&#8217;s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now#11:31 Some manuscripts do not have now. receive mercy as a result of God&#8217;s mercy to you. 32For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.</div><div class="s1">Doxology</div><div class="q1"> 33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and#11:33 Or riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!</div><div class="q2">How unsearchable his judgments,</div><div class="q2">and his paths beyond tracing out!</div><div class="q1"> 34&#8220;Who has known the mind of the Lord?</div><div class="q2">Or who has been his counselor?&#8221;#11:34 Isaiah 40:13</div><div class="q1"> 35&#8220;Who has ever given to God,</div><div class="q2">that God should repay them?&#8221;#11:35 Job 41:11</div><div class="q1"> 36For from him and through him and for him are all things.</div><div class="q2">To him be the glory forever! Amen.</div>
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