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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMRK">
 <div class="chapter ch1" data-usfm="MRK.1">
 <div class="label">1</div><div class="s1">John the Baptist Prepares the Way</div><div class="p"> 1The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,#1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One. the Son of God,#1:1 Some manuscripts do not have the Son of God. 2as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;I will send my messenger ahead of you,</div><div class="q2">who will prepare your way&#8221;#1:2 Mal. 3:1&#8212;</div><div class="q1"> 3&#8220;a voice of one calling in the wilderness,</div><div class="q1">&#8216;Prepare the way for the Lord,</div><div class="q2">make straight paths for him.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;#1:3 Isaiah 40:3</div><div class="m"> 4And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6John wore clothing made of camel&#8217;s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7And this was his message: &#8220;After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8I baptize you with#1:8 Or in water, but he will baptize you with#1:8 Or in the Holy Spirit.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Baptism and Testing of Jesus</div><div class="p"> 9At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11And a voice came from heaven: &#8220;You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted#1:13 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested. by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Announces the Good News</div><div class="p"> 14After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15&#8220;The time has come,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Calls His First Disciples</div><div class="p"> 16As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17&#8220;Come, follow me,&#8221; Jesus said, &#8220;and I will send you out to fish for people.&#8221; 18At once they left their nets and followed him.</div><div class="p"> 19When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit</div><div class="p"> 21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24&#8220;What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are&#8212;the Holy One of God!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25 &#8220;Be quiet!&#8221; said Jesus sternly. &#8220;Come out of him!&#8221; 26The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.</div><div class="p"> 27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, &#8220;What is this? A new teaching&#8212;and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.&#8221; 28News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Heals Many</div><div class="p"> 29As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30Simon&#8217;s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.</div><div class="p"> 32That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33The whole town gathered at the door, 34and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place</div><div class="p"> 35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: &#8220;Everyone is looking for you!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 38Jesus replied, &#8220;Let us go somewhere else&#8212;to the nearby villages&#8212;so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.&#8221; 39So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy</div><div class="p"> 40A man with leprosy#1:40 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. came to him and begged him on his knees, &#8220;If you are willing, you can make me clean.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 41Jesus was indignant.#1:41 Many manuscripts Jesus was filled with compassion He reached out his hand and touched the man. &#8220;I am willing,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Be clean!&#8221; 42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.</div><div class="p"> 43Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44&#8220;See that you don&#8217;t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.&#8221; 45Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch15" data-usfm="1SA.15">
 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">The Lord Rejects Saul as King</div><div class="p"> 1Samuel said to Saul, &#8220;I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2This is what the Lord Almighty says: &#8216;I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy#15:3 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 8, 9, 15, 18, 20 and 21. all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim&#8212;two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. 5Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6Then he said to the Kenites, &#8220;Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.&#8221; So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.</div><div class="p"> 7Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves#15:9 Or the grown bulls; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. and lambs&#8212;everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.</div><div class="p"> 10Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11&#8220;I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.&#8221; Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.</div><div class="p"> 12Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, &#8220;Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13When Samuel reached him, Saul said, &#8220;The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord&#8217;s instructions.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14But Samuel said, &#8220;What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Saul answered, &#8220;The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16&#8220;Enough!&#8221; Samuel said to Saul. &#8220;Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Tell me,&#8221; Saul replied.</div><div class="p"> 17Samuel said, &#8220;Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18And he sent you on a mission, saying, &#8216;Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.&#8217; 19Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20&#8220;But I did obey the Lord,&#8221; Saul said. &#8220;I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22But Samuel replied:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices</div><div class="q2">as much as in obeying the Lord?</div><div class="q1">To obey is better than sacrifice,</div><div class="q2">and to heed is better than the fat of rams.</div><div class="q1"> 23For rebellion is like the sin of divination,</div><div class="q2">and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.</div><div class="q1">Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,</div><div class="q2">he has rejected you as king.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24Then Saul said to Samuel, &#8220;I have sinned. I violated the Lord&#8217;s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26But Samuel said to him, &#8220;I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28Samuel said to him, &#8220;The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors&#8212;to one better than you. 29He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30Saul replied, &#8220;I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.&#8221; 31So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 32Then Samuel said, &#8220;Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Agag came to him in chains.#15:32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. And he thought, &#8220;Surely the bitterness of death is past.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33But Samuel said,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;As your sword has made women childless,</div><div class="q2">so will your mother be childless among women.&#8221;</div><div class="m">And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.</div><div class="p"> 34Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="1SA.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">Samuel Anoints David</div><div class="p"> 1The Lord said to Samuel, &#8220;How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2But Samuel said, &#8220;How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">The Lord said, &#8220;Take a heifer with you and say, &#8216;I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.&#8217; 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, &#8220;Do you come in peace?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5Samuel replied, &#8220;Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.&#8221; Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.</div><div class="p"> 6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, &#8220;Surely the Lord&#8217;s anointed stands here before the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7But the Lord said to Samuel, &#8220;Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, &#8220;The Lord has not chosen this one either.&#8221; 9Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, &#8220;Nor has the Lord chosen this one.&#8221; 10Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, &#8220;The Lord has not chosen these.&#8221; 11So he asked Jesse, &#8220;Are these all the sons you have?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;There is still the youngest,&#8221; Jesse answered. &#8220;He is tending the sheep.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Samuel said, &#8220;Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.</div><div class="p">Then the Lord said, &#8220;Rise and anoint him; this is the one.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.</div><div class="s1">David in Saul&#8217;s Service</div><div class="p"> 14Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil#16:14 Or and a harmful; similarly in verses 15, 16 and 23 spirit from the Lord tormented him.</div><div class="p"> 15Saul&#8217;s attendants said to him, &#8220;See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17So Saul said to his attendants, &#8220;Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18One of the servants answered, &#8220;I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, &#8220;Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.&#8221; 20So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.</div><div class="p"> 21David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. 22Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, &#8220;Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.</div>
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