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Amnon and Tamar

13 David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Some time after this, David’s son Amnon fell in love with her. ² Amnon was so worked up that he made himself sick because of his sister Tamar. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for Amnon to do anything with her.

³ Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was a son of David’s brother Shimeah.^[a] Jonadab was a very clever man. ⁴ Jonadab said to Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so tired every morning? Won’t you tell me?”

Amnon said to him, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.”

⁵ Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. Your father will come to see you. Then you are to say to him, ‘Please! Have my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat. Have her prepare the food in my presence so that I can watch and eat it from her hand.’”

⁶ So Amnon went to bed and pretended to be sick, and the king came to see him. Amnon said to the king, “Please! Have my sister Tamar come and make special flatbread while I am watching. She should make two of them and let me eat them from her hand.”

⁷ So David sent a message to Tamar’s house: “Please, go to the house of your brother Amnon and make food for him.” ⁸ Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, where he was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made the flatbread as he was watching, and baked the loaves. ⁹ She took the pan and placed it before him, but he refused to eat.

Amnon said, “Send everyone away from me.” So everyone left.

¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom and let me eat from your hand.”

Tamar took the flatbread that she had made and brought it into the room to Amnon her brother. ¹¹ She brought it to him so he could eat.

He grabbed her and said to her, “Come, lie down with me, my sister.”

¹² She said to him, “No, my brother. Do not force me, for such a thing is not done in Israel. Do not do such a foolish thing. ¹³ And I—how will I get rid of my shame? And you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”

¹⁴ But he would not listen to her. He was stronger than she was, and he forced her to lie down with him.

¹⁵ Then Amnon’s hatred for her was even more intense than the love he had felt for her. Amnon said to her, “Get up. Get out.”

¹⁶ She said to him, “There is no excuse for that. To send me away is a greater wrong than what you already did to me.”

But he was not willing to listen to her. ¹⁷ He called the young man who was his servant and said, “Send this woman outside, away from me, and bolt the door behind her.”

¹⁸ She was wearing a special long robe that covered her arms and legs.^[b] The virgin daughters of the king wore such robes. His servant put her outside and bolted the door after her. ¹⁹ Tamar put ashes on her head and ripped the robe that she was wearing. She placed her hand on her head, and she went away, weeping loudly as she walked.

²⁰ Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now my sister, do not say anything. He is your brother. Do not take this matter to heart.”

So Tamar, a devastated woman, stayed in the house of her brother Absalom. ²¹ King David heard about all these things, and he was very angry.^[c]

²² Absalom did not speak with Amnon at all, neither anything bad nor anything good. Absalom hated Amnon because he had raped Tamar, his sister.

David and Absalom

²³ Two years passed. Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴ Absalom also came to the king and said, “Look! The sheepshearers are now at work for your servant. Will the king and his servants join your servant, please?”

²⁵ The king said to Absalom, “No, my son. Not all of us will go. We do not want to be a burden to you.”

Absalom pressured him, but David was not willing to go, though he did give Absalom a blessing. ²⁶ So Absalom said, “If not, can Amnon my brother join us, please?” The king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷ But Absalom kept pressuring him, so David sent Amnon and all the sons of the king with him.^[d]

²⁸ Absalom commanded his servants, “Pay attention to me, and when Amnon is feeling good because of the wine, I will say to you, ‘Strike Amnon.’ Then you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. I am the one who has given you the order. Be strong. Be brave.”

²⁹ Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had commanded. Then all the sons of the king got up. Each of them got on his mule and fled.

³⁰ While they were on the way, news reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons. There is not one of them left.” ³¹ The king got up, ripped his clothing, and lay down on the ground. All his servants who were standing nearby also ripped their clothing.

³² Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, responded, “My lord should not say they have killed all the young men who are sons of the king, for only Amnon is dead. This is what Absalom has been planning from the day Amnon raped Tamar, his sister. ³³ Now my lord the king should pay no attention to the report that says, ‘All the king’s sons are dead,’ because only Amnon is dead.”

³⁴ Absalom fled.

The young man who was serving as the watchman looked up and saw many people coming down the road west of him,^[e] along the side of the mountain. ⎣The watchman came and reported to the king, “I see men on the Horonaim road, along the side of the mountain.”⎦^[f]

³⁵ Jonadab said to the king, “Look. The king’s sons have come. It is just as your servant said.”

³⁶ When he was finished speaking, the king’s sons arrived. They raised their voices and wept loudly. The king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.

³⁷ Absalom fled. He went to Talmai son of Ammihud,^[g] the king of Geshur. King David mourned every day because of his son.

³⁸ Absalom fled and went to Geshur. He stayed there for three years. ³⁹ King David longed to reach out to Absalom, because he was no longer mourning for his deceased son Amnon.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

17 After Jesus had spoken these things, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you. ² For you gave him authority over all flesh, so that he may give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³ This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. ⁴ I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ Now, Father, glorify me at your own side with the glory I had at your side before the world existed.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

⁶ “I revealed your name to the men you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me, and they have held on to your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. ⁸ For I gave them the words you gave me, and they received them. They learned the truth that I came from you. They believed that you sent me.

⁹ “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, because they are yours. ¹⁰ All that is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine. And I am glorified in them. ¹¹ I am no longer going to be in the world, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name, which you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I kept those you gave me safe in your name.^[a] I protected them and not one of them was destroyed, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

¹³ “But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so that they may be filled with my joy. ¹⁴ I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I am not asking that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the Evil One. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

¹⁷ “Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world. ¹⁹ I sanctify myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

²⁰ “I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message. ²¹ May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be one^[b] in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. ²² I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one: ²³ I in them, and you in me. May they become completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am so that they may see my glory—the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world’s foundation. ²⁵ Righteous Father, the world did not know you, but I knew you, and these men knew that you sent me. ²⁶ I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have for me may be in them and that I may be in them.”

Kaph: A Wineskin in the Smoke

Lamed: Your Commands Have No Limits

David and Nathan

12 So the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came and told him this:

⁵ David’s anger flared up against that man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this is as good as dead. ⁶ In place of that lamb, he will restore four lambs, because he did this and had no pity.”

⁷ Nathan told David, “You are the man. This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says.”

The Message of Judgment Against David

¹³ David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan said to David, “The Lord himself has put away your sin. You will not die. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, because by this deed you have treated the Lord with utter contempt,^[a] the child that is born to you shall surely die.” ¹⁵ Then Nathan went to his house.

The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne for David, and the child became sick. ¹⁶ David sought the Lord’s mercy for the child. David fasted and spent the night lying on the ground. ¹⁷ The elders of his household stood beside him to pick him up off the ground, but he was not willing, and he would not eat food with them.

¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died. The servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, because they said, “Look! When the child was living, we spoke to David, but he did not listen to what we said. How will we speak to him now when the child is dead? He might do something harmful.”

¹⁹ When David saw that his servants were whispering together, he understood that the child was dead. So David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “Yes, he is dead.”

²⁰ Then David got up from the ground, washed, put on lotion, and changed his clothes. He went to the House of the Lord and worshipped. He then went back to his house and asked for food. So they prepared a meal for him, and he ate.

²¹ His servants said to him, “What are you doing? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept. But when the child died, you got up and ate food.”

²² He said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept because I said, ‘Who knows? Will the Lord be gracious to me and let my child live?’ ²³ Now he has died. Why should I fast? Am I able to return him to life again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

²⁴ David comforted Bathsheba, his wife. He went to her and lay down with her. She gave birth to a son. David called him Solomon. The Lord loved him, ²⁵ and the Lord sent a message by the hand of Nathan the prophet that he should be called Jedidiah^[b] because of the Lord.

The Defeat of the Ammonites

²⁶ Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city.

²⁷ He sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah. I have also captured the city’s water supply. ²⁸ Now gather the rest of the troops, set up camp against the city, and take it. If you do not, I might take the city, and it will be named after me.” ²⁹ So David gathered all the troops and went to Rabbah. He fought against it and took it.

³⁰ He removed the gold crown of their king^[c] from his head. It weighed seventy-five pounds,^[d] and it had a precious stone. It was placed on^[e] the head of David.

He brought out large quantities of plunder from the city. ³¹ He also brought the people out from it and made them work with saws, with iron picks and axes, and at brickmaking. He did the same to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.

No Greater Love—in Joy

16 “I have told you these things so that you will not fall away. ² They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who murders you will think he is offering a service to God. ³ They will do these things because they have not known the Father or me. ⁴ But I have told you these things so that when their^[a] time comes, you may remember that I told them to you. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

⁵ “But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ Yet because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth: It is good for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment: ⁹ about sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; ¹¹ about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

¹² “I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into^[b] all truth. For he will not speak on his own, but whatever he hears he will speak. He will also declare to you what is to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I said that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.

¹⁶ “In a little while you are not going to see me anymore, and again in a little while you will see me, because I am going away to the Father.”^[c]

¹⁷ Therefore some of his disciples asked one another, “What does he mean when he tells us, ‘In a little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going away to the Father’?” ¹⁸ So they kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he’s saying.”

¹⁹ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you trying to determine with one another what I meant by saying, ‘In a little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see me’? ²⁰ Amen, Amen, I tell you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. ²¹ A woman giving birth has pain, because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, because of her joy that a person has been born into the world.

²² “So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. ²³ In that day you will not ask me anything. Amen, Amen, I tell you: Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. ²⁴ Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be made complete.

²⁵ “I have told you these things using figurative language. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you using figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will make requests of the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸ I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am going to leave the world and go to the Father.”

²⁹ “Yes!” his disciples said. “Now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative language. ³⁰ Now we know that you know everything and do not need to have anyone ask you anything. For this reason we believe that you came from God.”

³¹ Jesus answered them, “Now do you believe? ³² Listen, a time is coming, in fact it is here, when you will be scattered, everyone to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not going to be alone, because the Father is with me. ³³ I have told you these things, so that you may have peace in me. In this world you are going to have trouble. But be courageous! I have overcome the world.”

Tet: It Is Good to Be Afflicted

Yod: Those Who Fear You

David and Mephibosheth

9 David said, “Is there anyone still left from the house of Saul, to whom I may show kindness for the sake of Jonathan?”

² There was a servant of Saul’s house named Ziba, so they summoned him to come to David.

The king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “I am.”

³ The king said, “Isn’t there still a man left who belongs to the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?”

Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan. He has crippled feet.”

⁴ The king said to him, “Where is he?”

Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

⁵ So King David sent and brought him from the house of Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar.

⁶ When Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, came to David, he bowed facedown to the ground.

David said, “Mephibosheth?” He said, “I am.”

⁷ David said to him, “Do not be afraid. I will certainly show kindness to you because of Jonathan, your father. I will return to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat bread at my table.”

⁸ He bowed down and said, “What is your servant that you have paid attention to a dead dog like me?”

⁹ The king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “Everything that belonged to Saul and to his entire house I am giving to your master’s son. ¹⁰ You are to work the soil for him, you and your sons and your servants. You are to bring in the crops, so your master’s son will have food to eat. Mephibosheth, your master’s son, will always eat bread at my table.”

(Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

¹¹ Ziba said to the king, “Everything that my lord the king commands his servant, your servant will do.”

So Mephibosheth began eating at the king’s table^[a] like one of the king’s sons.

¹² Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. Everyone living in Ziba’s house became servants of Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth took up residence in Jerusalem because he was always to eat at the table of the king. He was crippled in both his feet.

The War With Ammon

10 After this, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place.

² David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent his officials to express condolences to Hanun concerning his father. David’s officials arrived in the land of the Ammonites.

³ But the officials of the Ammonites said to Hanun their master, “Do you really think David was honoring your father when he sent messengers to express his sympathy to you? No, David sent his officials to you in order to gather information about the city and to spy on it, in order to overthrow it.”

⁴ So Hanun seized the officials of David, shaved off half of each one’s beard, cut off their clothing up to their buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵ David was told about this, and he sent messengers to meet them because the men were deeply humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown. Then return.”

⁶ The Ammonites saw that they had become a digusting stench to David, so they sent and hired twenty thousand foot soldiers from Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah, one thousand men from the king of Ma’akah, and twelve thousand men from Tob.^[b]

⁷ When David heard about it, he deployed Joab and the entire army, the strong warriors.

⁸ The Ammonites went out and lined up in battle formation in front of the entrance to the city gate. Aram Zobah and Aram Rehob, as well as the men of Tob and Ma’akah, were lined up by themselves in the open country.

⁹ Joab saw that the battle lines were drawn up against him both in front of him and behind him, so he chose some of the best troops of Israel and lined them up to confront the Arameans. ¹⁰ The rest of the men he placed under the command of his brother Abishai and lined them up to face the Ammonites. ¹¹ He said, “If Aram is too strong for me, then you are to rescue me. If the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come to rescue you. ¹² Be strong. We must show ourselves to be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his eyes.”

¹³ Joab and all the people with him advanced to join battle against the Arameans, and the Arameans fled from him. ¹⁴ When the Ammonites saw that Aram had fled, they also fled from Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came back to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped. ¹⁶ Hadadezer sent for Arameans from beyond the Euphrates. They came to Helam with Shobak, who was the commander of the army of Hadadezer, at their head.

¹⁷ When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans lined up to confront David and fought against him. ¹⁸ The Arameans fled from Israel. David killed seven hundred Aramean charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers.^[c] Shobak, the commander of their army, was wounded, and he died there. ¹⁹ All the kings who were the subjects of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, so they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. Then the Arameans were afraid to try to rescue the Ammonites anymore.

David and Bathsheba

11 Springtime arrived, the time when kings go out to war. David sent Joab out with his officers and with all Israel. They ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.

² One evening David had gotten up from his couch and was walking around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very good looking. ³ David sent to inquire about the woman, and he was told, “Isn’t this Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

⁴ David sent messengers to bring her. She came to him, and he lay down with her. (She had been purifying herself from her ceremonial uncleanness.)^[d] She then returned to her house.

⁵ The woman became pregnant, so she sent a message and told David, “I am pregnant.”

⁶ David sent a message to Joab, “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” So Joab sent Uriah to David, ⁷ and Uriah came to him.

David asked how Joab and the troops were doing, and how the war effort was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.”

When Uriah went out from the palace, the king sent a gift to him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all the servants of his master. He did not go down to his own house.

¹⁰ David was informed, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you come a long distance? Why didn’t you go down to your house?”

¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are living in shelters, and my master Joab and the servants of my master are camped on the bare ground in the open countryside. Should I go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie down with my wife? By your life, as surely as you live, I will not do such a thing.”

¹² Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also. Tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³ David summoned him, and Uriah ate as his guest, and David got him drunk. But in the evening he went and slept on his mat where the servants of his master were. He did not go to his own house.

¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and he sent it in the hands of Uriah. ¹⁵ In the letter he wrote, “Station Uriah opposite the fiercest fighting. Then withdraw from behind him so that he will be struck down and die.”

¹⁶ So when Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew that the enemy’s strongest warriors were. ¹⁷ The men of the city came out and fought against Joab, and some of the troops of David fell. Uriah the Hittite also died.

¹⁸ Joab sent a message to inform David about all the events of the war. ¹⁹ He instructed the messenger, “As you are finishing reporting all the events of the war to the king, ²⁰ if the king becomes angry and says to you, ‘Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would be shooting from on top of the wall? ²¹ Who killed Abimelek son of Jerubbesheth?^[e] Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone from the wall on him, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ Then you are to say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.’”

²² The messenger set out. He came and told David everything that Joab had sent him to say. ²³ The messenger said to David, “Their men gained an advantage over us and drove us back into the open country. But then we gained the upper hand and drove them back all the way to the entrance of the city gate. ²⁴ The archers shot at your troops from the wall. Some of the servants of the king died. And your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.”

²⁵ David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Do not take this too hard, because the sword devours people at random. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.’ Encourage Joab.”

²⁶ The wife of Uriah the Hittite heard that her husband was dead, so she mourned for her husband. ²⁷ When her mourning was completed, David sent for her and brought her to his house, and she became his wife. She gave birth to a son for him. But what David had done was evil in the eyes of the Lord.

No Greater Love—in Good Fruit

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.^{[a] 2} Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he is going to cut off. And he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will bear more fruit.

³ “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, and I am going to remain in you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Likewise, you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. Such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this: that you continue to bear much fruit and prove to be^[b] my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so also I have loved you. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you hold on to my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have held on to my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you these things so that my joy would continue to be in you and that your joy would be complete.

¹² “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ No one has greater love than this: that someone lays down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you continue to do the things I instruct you. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will endure, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. ¹⁷ These things I am instructing you, so that you love one another.

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, for that very reason the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the saying I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too. If they held on to my word, they will hold on to yours as well. ²¹ But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ The one who hates me also hates my Father. ²⁴ If I had not done the works among them that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ This was to fulfill the word which is written in their Law: ‘They hated me for no reason.’^[c]

²⁶ “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. ²⁷ And you also are going to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.”

Zayin: Comfort in Suffering

Ḥet: I Will Not Forget

More Advice for a Wise Son

The Lord’s Messianic Covenant With David

7 It happened that when the king was living in his palace, and when the Lord had given him rest from his enemies all around, ² the king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I live in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God sits under tent curtains.”

³ Nathan said to the king, “Go and do everything that is in your heart, because the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan. He said, ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David all these things.”

The Covenant

¹⁷ Nathan told David all the words that had been revealed in this vision.

David’s Response to the Covenant

¹⁸ Then King David went and sat before the Lord and said:

David’s Wars

8 After this, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. David took Metheg Ha’ammah^[g] from the control of the Philistines.

² He defeated Moab and measured the men with a length of rope after making them lie down on the ground. He measured two lengths to be put to death and one full length to live. The Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute.

³ David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control^[h] at the river Euphrates. ⁴ David captured seventeen hundred charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers^[i] from him. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but he left enough horses for a hundred chariots. ⁵ Arameans from Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, but David killed twenty-two thousand men in Aram. ⁶ Then David put garrisons in Damascus in the land of Aram,^[j] and the Arameans became subject to David and brought tribute.

The Lord gave victory to David everywhere he went.

⁷ David took the gold shields that belonged to the officials of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Betah and Berothai,^[k] cities of Hadadezer, King David took large amounts of bronze.

⁹ Toi^[l] king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer. ¹⁰ So Toi sent his son Joram^[m] to King David to petition him for peace and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, because Toi had been at war with Hadadezer. In his hand he brought items made of silver and items of gold and items of bronze.

¹¹ King David dedicated these things to the Lord along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued: ¹² from Aram, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoils of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ David made a name for himself when he returned from striking eighteen thousand Edomites^[n] in the Valley of Salt. ¹⁴ He put garrisons in Edom, in all of it, and all the Edomites became subject to David.

The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. ¹⁵ David was king over all Israel, and he treated all his people with justice and fairness.

David’s Officials

¹⁶ Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the record keeper.^{[o] 17} Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were priests. Seraiah was the secretary. ¹⁸ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Kerethites and the Pelethites. The sons of David were government ministers.^[p]

¹⁵ “If you love me, hold on to^[a] my commands. ¹⁶ I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. ¹⁷ He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him. You know him because he stays with you and will be in you.

¹⁸ “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. ¹⁹ In a little while the world will see me no longer, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹ The one who has my commands and holds on to them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father. I too will love him and show myself to him.”

²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, what has happened that you are going to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will hold on to my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ The one who does not love me does not hold on to my words. The word that you are hearing is not mine, but it is from the Father who sent me.

²⁵ “I have told you these things while staying with you. ²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you.

²⁷ “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid. ²⁸ You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.

²⁹ “I have told you now before it happens so that, when it does happen, you may believe. ³⁰ I will not speak with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me. ³¹ But I want the world to know that I love the Father and that I am doing exactly what the Father has instructed me.

“Get up. Let’s leave this place.”

He: That You May Be Feared

Vav: Speak Before Kings

The Death of Ishbosheth

4 When Saul’s son heard that Abner had died at Hebron, he lost his courage, and all Israel panicked.

² Saul’s son had two men who were commanders of raiding bands. One was named Ba’anah;^[a] the second was Rekab. They were Benjaminites, sons of Rimmon from Be’eroth. (Be’eroth is considered part of Benjamin. ³ The Be’erothites fled to Gittaim. They have lived there as aliens until the present time.)

⁴ Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son with crippled feet. This son had been five years old when the report had come from Jezre’el about Saul and Jonathan. His caregiver picked him up and fled. While she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.^[b]

⁵ Ba’anah and Rekab, the sons of Rimmon from Be’eroth, went out during the heat of the day and came to the house of Ishbosheth while he was lying down for his midday rest. ⁶ ⎣The doorkeeper of the house had been cleaning wheat, but she had grown drowsy and fallen asleep. So Rekab and his brother Ba’anah slipped in.⎦^[c] They came into the inner part of the house as if they were coming to get wheat. They stabbed Ishbosheth in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Ba’anah escaped. ⁷ They had gone into the house while Ishbosheth was lying on his bed in the room where he rested. They struck him, killed him, and cut off his head. Taking his head with them, they traveled on the Arabah Road all night.

⁸ They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and they said to the king, “Look! Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. This day the Lord has given my lord the king vengeance on Saul and his offspring.”

⁹ David answered Rekab and his brother Ba’anah, the sons of Rimmon from Be’eroth, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every evil, ¹⁰ the man who told me, ‘Look! Saul is dead,’ thought that he was bringing good news, but I seized him and killed him at Ziklag. That is what I gave him for his ‘good news.’ ¹¹ So now that wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his own bed, will I not require his blood from your hand! I will wipe you off the face of the earth.” ¹² Then David gave the orders to his young men, and they killed them, cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. They took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.

David Becomes King of All Israel

5 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron. They said, “Look, we are your flesh and blood.^{[d] 2} Day after day, even when Saul was king, you were the one leading Israel out to battle and back again. And you are the one to whom the Lord said, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel. You will become leader over Israel.’”

³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the presence of the Lord. They anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was thirty years old when he became king, and he ruled as king for forty years. ⁵ He was king over Judah at Hebron for seven years and six months. For thirty-three years he was king over all Israel and Judah at Jerusalem.

The Capture of Jerusalem

⁶ The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, who were living in the land. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here, because you could be kept out even by the blind and lame, who say, ‘David will not come in here.’” ⁷ Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, which became the City of David.

⁸ David said on that day, “Anyone who attacks the Jebusites must go up through the water shaft^[e] to get at those lame and blind enemies of David.” Therefore the saying came about, “The blind and the lame will not come into the house.”

⁹ David lived in the stronghold and called it the City of David. David built up all sides of the stronghold from the Millo^[f] inward. ¹⁰ David kept getting greater and greater, because the Lord, the God of Armies, was with him.

Events of David’s Reign

¹¹ Hiram king of Tyre sent representatives to David with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. ¹² David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had lifted up his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

¹³ David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he had come from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ These are the names of those born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

¹⁷ The Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel. So all the Philistines went up to search for David. David, however, heard about it and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸ The Philistines came and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ David asked the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?”

The Lord said to David, “Go up, because I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

²⁰ So David went to Baal Perazim and defeated them there. He said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a wall of water.” That is why he named that place Baal Perazim.^{[g] 21} The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

²² The Philistines came up again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ David inquired of the Lord, who said, “Do not go directly at them. Go around to their rear. Come upon them opposite the balsam trees.^{[h] 24} When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then get ready, because then the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the army of the Philistines.” ²⁵ So David did as the Lord commanded him. He struck the Philistines from Gibeon^[i] all the way to Gezer.

David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem

6 David once again gathered all of the thirty thousand specially chosen men of Israel. ² Then David and all the people who were with him set out and went to Baale Judah^[j] to bring up the Ark of God, who is called by the name “The Lord of Armies, who sits above the cherubim.”

³ They transported the Ark of God on a new cart. They brought it out from Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart ⁴ ⎣⎦^[k] with the Ark of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of the ark.

⁵ David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all kinds of instruments, castanets,^[l] lyres, harps, hand drums, rattles,^[m] and cymbals.

⁶ But when they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out for the Ark of God and grabbed it because the oxen stumbled. ⁷ The anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his irreverence. So he died there beside the Ark of God.

⁸ David was angry because the Lord had burst out so violently against Uzzah, and he called that place Perez Uzzah,^[n] as it is called to this day. ⁹ David was afraid of the Lord on that day. He said, “How can the Ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ David was not willing to move the Ark of the Lord to himself in the City of David.

So David diverted the ark to the house of Obed Edom the Gittite. ¹¹ The Ark of the Lord remained at the house of Obed Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom and his whole household. ¹² David was told, “Because of the Ark of God, the Lord has blessed the house of Obed Edom and all that belongs to him.”^[o]

With rejoicing, David went and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed Edom to the City of David. ¹³ When those carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six paces, David sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. ¹⁴ David danced with all his might before the Lord. He was wearing a linen vest.^{[p] 15} David and the entire house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of a ram’s horn.

¹⁶ When the Ark of the Lord arrived at the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked out the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ When David finished presenting the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Armies. ¹⁹ He distributed one loaf of bread, one cake of dates,^[q] and one cake of raisins to all the people, to the whole crowd from Israel, to men and women, to each and every person. Then all the people left. All of them went to their own houses, ²⁰ and David returned to bless his house.

Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David. She said, “How the king of Israel has brought honor to himself today by exposing himself in the sight of his female servants, just as a vulgar person exposes himself!”

²¹ David said to Michal, “I did this before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his house, when he appointed me leader over the people of the Lord, over Israel. I will rejoice before the Lord, ²² and I will make myself even more lowly than this. I will be humble in my own eyes, but among the servant girls you have spoken about, among them I will be honored.”

²³ Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child to the day of her death.

³¹ After Judas left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him.^{[a] 32} If God is glorified in him,^[b] God will also glorify the Son in himself and will glorify him at once.”

Jesus Warns Peter

³³ “Dear children, I am going to be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

³⁴ “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so also you are to love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

³⁶ Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

³⁷ Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!”

³⁸ Jesus replied, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Amen, Amen, I tell you: The rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times.”

No Greater Love—in Peace

14 “Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many mansions.^[c] If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.^{[d] 3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am. ⁴ You know where I am going, and you know the way.”

⁵ “Lord, we don’t know where you are going,” Thomas replied, “so how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. ⁷ If you know me, you would also know my Father.^[e] From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸ “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that is enough for us.”

⁹ “Have I been with you so long,” Jesus answered, “and you still do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I am telling you I am not speaking on my own, but the Father who remains in me is doing his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Or else believe^[f] because of the works themselves.

¹² “Amen, Amen, I tell you: The one who believes in me will do the works that I am doing. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me^[g] for anything in my name, I will do it.

Gimel: Open My Eyes

Dalet: A Changed Heart

¹² Abner son of Ner and the followers of Ishbosheth son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³ Joab son of Zeruiah and the followers of David went out and confronted them at the pool^[a] of Gibeon. They took up positions on the opposite sides of the pool.

¹⁴ Abner said to Joab, “The young men should get up and compete in front of us.”

Joab said, “Yes, let them do so.”

¹⁵ So twelve representatives for Benjamin and Ishbosheth son of Saul got up and crossed over to confront twelve representatives for David. ¹⁶ Each one grabbed his opponent’s head and thrust his sword into his side. Together, they all fell. So that place, which is near Gibeon, was called Helkath Hatsurim.^{[b] 17} A fierce battle took place that day. Abner and the men of Israel were beaten by the followers of David.

¹⁸ Three sons of Zeruiah were there, namely, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like one of the gazelles out in the fields. ¹⁹ Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn aside to the right or to the left from his pursuit.

²⁰ Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”

He said, “Yes, it is.”

²¹ Abner said to him, “Turn to your right hand or to your left and capture one of the young men for yourself and strip off his equipment for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside.

²² So Abner warned him again, “Turn aside. Stop following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I face Joab your brother?” ²³ But Asahel refused to turn aside, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the pointed butt of his spear. The spear came out his back, and he fell down and died right there. Everyone stopped and just stood there when they came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai keep pursuing Abner. The sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah in front of Giah, on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵ The Benjaminites rallied together behind Abner, joined in one formation, and took their stand on the top of one hill.

²⁶ Abner called to Joab, “Will the sword continue to devour? Do you not know that it will be bitter when all this is over? How long will you delay telling the people to stop pursuing their brothers?”

²⁷ Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely it would have been morning before the people would have given up pursuing their brothers.” ²⁸ So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the people stopped pursuing Israel. They did not continue to fight.

²⁹ Abner and his men traveled through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan, marched through the entire region of Bithron,^[c] and came to Mahanaim.

³⁰ Joab returned from pursuing Abner and gathered together all his troops. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were missing. ³¹ The followers of David had struck dead three hundred sixty of Abner’s men from the tribe of Benjamin. ³² The men of Judah picked up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem.

Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron as it was becoming light.

3 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David kept getting stronger, and the house of Saul kept getting weaker.

David’s Sons

² Sons were born to David at Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, who was born to Ahinoam from Jezre’el. ³ His second was Kileab, who was born to Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. The third was Absalom, who was the son of Ma’akah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. ⁴ The fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital. ⁵ The sixth, Ithream, was born to David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

Abner and Ishbosheth

⁶ While the war was going on between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner kept gaining power within the house of Saul.

⁷ Saul had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone to the concubine of my father?”

⁸ Abner became very angry because of the words of Ishbosheth and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? To this day I have acted with loyalty toward the house of your father Saul, to his relatives, and to his friends. In addition, I have not handed you over to David, but today you make accusations against me concerning this woman! ⁹ May God punish me severely and double it,^[d] if I do not do for David what the Lord has sworn about him ¹⁰ by transferring the kingdom from the house of Saul and establishing the throne of David over both Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” ¹¹ Ishbosheth was not able to say anything to Abner anymore because he was afraid of him.

Abner and David

¹² Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David. They said, “Whose land is it? Make a covenant with me. Look, my hand is with you to turn the allegiance of all Israel to you.”

¹³ David said, “Good. I will make a covenant with you, but I require one thing from you. You will not see my face unless you bring to me Michal, the daughter of Saul, when you come.”

¹⁴ David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son. They delivered this demand: “Give me my wife Michal, whom I obtained as my wife with a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”

¹⁵ Ishbosheth sent and took her away from her husband, Paltiel son of Laish. ¹⁶ Her husband accompanied her to Bahurim, weeping all the way, but Abner told him, “Go back,” so he went home.

¹⁷ Abner also delivered the following message to the elders of Israel: “Day after day you have been seeking to have David as king over you. ¹⁸ Now do it, because the Lord said to David, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will rescue^[e] my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’”

¹⁹ Abner also spoke to the tribe of Benjamin. Then he spoke to David in Hebron about everything that Israel and all the house of Benjamin had approved.

²⁰ Abner and twenty men along with him came to David at Hebron, and David held a feast for Abner and his men. ²¹ Abner said to David, “I will go and gather all Israel to my lord the king. They will make a covenant with you. You will rule over all that your heart desires.” David sent Abner away in peace.

Abner and Joab

²² Just then the soldiers of David and Joab came back from a raid. They brought a large amount of plunder with them. Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away in peace. ²³ When Joab and all the army with him arrived, Joab was informed that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that David had sent him away in peace.

²⁴ So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you. Why have you sent him away? You let him get away! ²⁵ You know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to learn about your comings and goings and everything that you are doing.”

²⁶ Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the cistern at Sirah without David’s knowledge. ²⁷ So Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab took him aside into the gatehouse to speak with him. There he stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner was killed because of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.

²⁸ Afterward David heard about it and said, “I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord forever concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. ²⁹ May his blood splash down on the head of Joab and on the entire house of his father. May the house of Joab never lack a man who has an oozing sore, who is a leper, who holds a spindle,^[f] who falls by the sword, or who has no bread.”

³⁰ Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had caused the death of their brother Asahel during the battle at Gibeon.

³¹ David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothing. Put on sackcloth and mourn for Abner.” King David walked behind the stretcher^[g] that was carrying his body. ³² They buried Abner at Hebron, and the king wept loudly at the grave of Abner. All the people also wept. ³³ The king lamented over Abner, “Should Abner have died as a fool dies? ³⁴ Your hands were not tied up, and your feet were not bound with iron shackles. You have fallen as one falls before the wicked.” All the people continued to weep over him.

³⁵ All the people came to try to persuade David to eat on that day, but David swore, “May God punish me severely and double it, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.”

³⁶ All the people took notice and approved of this, as they approved of everything that the king did. ³⁷ All the people, all Israel, knew on that day that it was not the king’s idea to kill Abner son of Ner. ³⁸ The king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a great commander has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹ Today I am weak, even though I am the anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard for me. I pray that the Lord will pay back the evildoer in proportion to his wickedness.”

No Greater Love—in Service

13 Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved those who were his own in the world, he loved them to the end.^[a]

² By the time the supper took place, the Devil had already put the idea into the heart of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

³ Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God. ⁴ He got up from the supper and laid aside his outer garment. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. ⁵ Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “You do not understand what I am doing now, but later you will understand.”

⁸ Peter told him, “You will never, ever, wash my feet!”

Jesus replied, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹ “Lord, not just my feet,” Simon Peter replied, “but also my hands and my head!”

¹⁰ Jesus told him, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet, but his body is completely clean. And you^[b] are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ Indeed, he knew who was going to betray him. That is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹² After Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer garment, he reclined at the table again. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me Teacher and Lord. You are right, because I am. ¹⁴ Now if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ Yes, I have given you an example so that you also would do just as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Amen, Amen, I tell you: A servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

¹⁸ “I am not talking about all of you. I know those I have chosen. But this is so that the Scripture may be fulfilled: ‘One who eats bread with me has raised his heel against me.’^{[c] 19} I am telling you this right now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that I am he.

²⁰ “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Whoever receives anyone I send, receives me. And whoever receives me, receives the one who sent me.”

Who Is the Betrayer?

²¹ After saying this, Jesus was troubled in his spirit and testified, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: One of you will betray me.”

²² The disciples were looking at each other, uncertain which of them he meant.

²³ One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side. ²⁴ So Simon Peter motioned to him to find out which one he was talking about.

²⁵ So leaning back against Jesus’ side, he asked, “Lord, who is it?”

²⁶ Jesus replied, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread, after I have dipped it in the dish.” Then he dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷ As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do more quickly.”

²⁸ None of those reclining at the table understood why Jesus said this to him. ²⁹ Because Judas kept the money box, some thought that Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the Festival,” or to give something to the poor. ³⁰ As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Psalm 119

The Great Psalm on the Law of the Lord^[a]

Aleph: Blessed Are the Blameless

Bet: Hidden in My Heart

David Hears of Saul's Death

1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned ^(A)from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. ² And on the third day, behold, ^(B)a man came from Saul's camp, ^(C)with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, ^(D)he fell to the ground and paid homage. ³ David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴ And David said to him, ^(E)“How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” ⁵ Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” ⁶ And the young man who told him said, ^(F)“By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. ⁷ And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ And he said to me, ^(G)‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ ¹⁰ So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. ^(H)And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Then David took hold of his clothes and ^(I)tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. ¹² And they mourned and wept ^(J)and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³ And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ David said to him, “How is it you were not ^(K)afraid to put out your hand to destroy ^(L)the Lord's anointed?” ¹⁵ Then ^(M)David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. ¹⁶ And David said to him, ^(N)“Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed ^(O)the Lord's anointed.’”

David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ And David ^(P)lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, ¹⁸ and he said it^[a] should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in ^(Q)the Book of Jashar.^[b] He said:

David Anointed King of Judah

2 After this David ^(AF)inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To ^(AG)Hebron.” ² So David went up there, and ^(AH)his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ³ And David brought up ^(AI)his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. ⁴ And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David ^(AJ)king over the house of Judah.

When they told David, ^(AK)“It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” ⁵ David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, ^(AL)“May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. ⁶ Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. ⁷ Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and ^(AM)the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ish-bosheth Made King of Israel

⁸ But ^(AN)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to ^(AO)Mahanaim, ⁹ and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. ¹⁰ Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. ^11 (AP)And the time that David was king in Hebron over ^(AQ)the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Some Greeks Seek Jesus

²⁰ Now ^(A)among those who went up to worship at the feast were some ^(B)Greeks. ²¹ So these came to ^(C)Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went and told ^(D)Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ And Jesus answered them, ^(E)“The hour has come ^(F)for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(G)unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ^25 (H)Whoever loves his life loses it, and ^(I)whoever ^(J)hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must ^(K)follow me; and ^(L)where I am, there will my servant be also. ^(M)If anyone serves me, ^(N)the Father will honor him.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

^27 (O)“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, ^(P)save me from ^(Q)this hour’? But ^(R)for this purpose I have come to ^(S)this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.” Then ^(T)a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ^(U)“An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰ Jesus answered, ^(V)“This voice has come for your sake, not mine. ^31 (W)Now is the judgment of this world; now will ^(X)the ruler of this world ^(Y)be cast out. ³² And I, ^(Z)when I am lifted up from the earth, ^(AA)will draw ^(AB)all people to myself.” ³³ He said this ^(AC)to show by what kind of death he was going to die. ³⁴ So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that ^(AD)the Christ remains forever. How can you say that ^(AE)the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵ So Jesus said to them, ^(AF)“The light is among you ^(AG)for a little while longer. ^(AH)Walk while you have the light, lest darkness ^(AI)overtake you. ^(AJ)The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶ While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become ^(AK)sons of light.”

The Unbelief of the People

When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. ³⁷ Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, ^38 (AL)so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

³⁹ Therefore they ^(AN)could not believe. For again Isaiah said,

⁴¹ Isaiah said these things because ^(AQ)he saw his glory and ^(AR)spoke of him. ⁴² Nevertheless, ^(AS)many even of the authorities believed in him, but ^(AT)for fear of the Pharisees they did not ^(AU)confess it, so that they would not be ^(AV)put out of the synagogue; ^43 (AW)for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Jesus Came to Save the World

⁴⁴ And Jesus cried out and said, ^(AX)“Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but ^(AY)in him who sent me. ⁴⁵ And ^(AZ)whoever ^(BA)sees me sees him who sent me. ^46 (BB)I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. ⁴⁷ If anyone ^(BC)hears my words and does not keep them, ^(BD)I do not judge him; for ^(BE)I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. ^48 (BF)The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; ^(BG)the word that I have spoken will judge him ^(BH)on the last day. ⁴⁹ For ^(BI)I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father ^(BJ)who sent me has himself given me ^(BK)a commandment—what to say and what to speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

The Philistines Reject David

29 ^(A)Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at ^(B)Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by ^(C)the spring that is in ^(D)Jezreel. ² As ^(E)the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear ^(F)with Achish, ³ the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me ^(G)now for days and years, and since he deserted to me ^(H)I have found no fault in him to this day.” ⁴ But ^(I)the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return ^(J)to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, ^(K)lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? ⁵ Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,

⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, ^(M)“As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that ^(N)you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. ⁷ So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” ⁸ And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” ⁹ And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight ^(O)as an angel of God. Nevertheless, ^(P)the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ ¹⁰ Now then rise early in the morning ^(Q)with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” ¹¹ So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to ^(R)Jezreel.

David's Wives Are Captured

30 Now when David and his men came to ^(S)Ziklag on the third day, ^(T)the Amalekites had ^(U)made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire ² and taken captive the women and all^[a] who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. ³ And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. ⁵ David's ^(V)two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶ And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke ^(W)of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul,^[b] each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

^7 (X)And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ^8 (Y)And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this ^(Z)band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake ^(AA)and shall surely rescue.” ⁹ So David set out, and ^(AB)the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. ¹⁰ But David pursued, he and four hundred men. ^(AC)Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

¹¹ They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, ¹² and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, ^(AD)his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. ¹³ And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. ^14 (AE)We had made a raid against the Negeb of ^(AF)the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” ¹⁵ And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this ^(AG)band.”

David Defeats the Amalekites

¹⁶ And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. ^18 (AH)David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. ^(AI)David brought back all. ²⁰ David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him,^[c] and said, “This is David's spoil.”

²¹ Then David came to ^(AJ)the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left ^(AK)at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. ²² Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” ²³ But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. ²⁴ Who would listen to you in this matter? ^(AL)For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” ²⁵ And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.

²⁶ When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.” ²⁷ It was for those in ^(AM)Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in ^(AN)Jattir, ²⁸ in ^(AO)Aroer, in Siphmoth, in ^(AP)Eshtemoa, ²⁹ in Racal, in the cities of ^(AQ)the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of ^(AR)the Kenites, ³⁰ in ^(AS)Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, ³¹ in ^(AT)Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.

The Death of Saul

31 ^(AU)Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain ^(AV)on Mount Gilboa. ² And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down ^(AW)Jonathan and ^(AX)Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. ^3 (AY)The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. ^4 (AZ)Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these ^(BA)uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, ^(BB)for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword ^(BC)and fell upon it. ⁵ And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. ⁶ Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. ⁷ And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, ^(BD)to carry the good news ^(BE)to the house of their idols and to the people. ^10 (BF)They put his armor in the temple of ^(BG)Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of ^(BH)Beth-shan. ^11 (BI)But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ^12 (BJ)all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh ^(BK)and burned them there. ¹³ And they took their bones ^(BL)and buried them under ^(BM)the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and ^(BN)fasted seven days.

⁵⁵ Now ^(A)the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and ^(B)many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover ^(C)to purify themselves. ^56 (D)They were looking for^[a] Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” ⁵⁷ Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

12 Six days before ^(E)the Passover, ^(F)Jesus therefore came to Bethany, ^(G)where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² So they gave a dinner for him there. ^(H)Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. ^3 (I)Mary therefore took a pound^[b] of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ⁵ “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii^[c] and ^(J)given to the poor?” ⁶ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and ^(K)having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. ⁷ Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it^[d] for the day of my burial. ⁸ For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

⁹ When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus^[e] was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, ^(L)whom he had raised from the dead. ^10 (M)So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, ¹¹ because ^(N)on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

¹² The next day ^(O)the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³ So they took branches of ^(P)palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ^(Q)“Hosanna! Blessed is ^(R)he who comes in the name of the Lord, even ^(S)the King of Israel!” ¹⁴ And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

^16 (U)His disciples did not understand these things at first, but ^(V)when Jesus was glorified, then ^(W)they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. ^17 (X)The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. ¹⁸ The reason why the crowd went to meet him ^(Y)was that they heard he had done this sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, ^(Z)“You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, ^(AA)the world has gone after him.”

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

David Spares Saul Again

26 ^(A)Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” ² So Saul arose and went down to ^(B)the wilderness of Ziph with ^(C)three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. ³ And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, ⁴ David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. ⁵ Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with ^(D)Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within ^(E)the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.

⁶ Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab's brother ^(F)Abishai the son of Zeruiah, ^(G)“Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” ⁷ So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within ^(H)the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground ^(I)at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. ⁸ Then Abishai said to David, ^(J)“God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” ⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand ^(K)against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?” ¹⁰ And David said, ^(L)“As the Lord lives, ^(M)the Lord will strike him, or ^(N)his day will come to die, ^(O)or he will go down into battle and perish. ^11 (P)The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. But take now the spear that is ^(Q)at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” ¹² So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because ^(R)a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.

¹³ Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them. ¹⁴ And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?” ¹⁵ And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord. ¹⁶ This thing that you have done is not good. ^(S)As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is and the jar of water that was ^(T)at his head.”

¹⁷ Saul recognized David's voice and said, ^(U)“Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” ¹⁸ And he said, ^(V)“Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands? ¹⁹ Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord, ^(W)for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in ^(X)the heritage of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ ²⁰ Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek ^(Y)a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

²¹ Then Saul said, ^(Z)“I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.” ²² And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it. ^23 (AA)The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. ²⁴ Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.” ²⁵ Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will ^(AB)succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

David Flees to the Philistines

27 Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” ² So David arose and went over, he and ^(AC)the six hundred men who were with him, ^(AD)to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. ³ And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with ^(AE)his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow. ⁴ And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.

⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If ^(AF)I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” ⁶ So that day Achish gave him ^(AG)Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. ^7 (AH)And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

⁸ Now David ^(AI)and his men went up and made raids against ^(AJ)the Geshurites, ^(AK)the Girzites, and ^(AL)the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, ^(AM)as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. ⁹ And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish. ¹⁰ When Achish asked, “Where have you ^(AN)made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of ^(AO)the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of ^(AP)the Kenites.” ¹¹ And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. ¹² And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”

Saul and the Medium of En-dor

28 In those days ^(AQ)the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.” ² David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

³ Now ^(AR)Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him ^(AS)in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put ^(AT)the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. ⁴ The Philistines assembled and came and encamped ^(AU)at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped ^(AV)at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶ And when Saul inquired of the Lord, ^(AW)the Lord did not answer him, either ^(AX)by dreams, or ^(AY)by Urim, or by prophets. ⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, ^(AZ)“Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at ^(BA)En-dor.”

⁸ So Saul ^(BB)disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, ^(BC)“Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” ⁹ The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, ^(BD)how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?” ¹⁰ But Saul swore to her by the Lord, ^(BE)“As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” ¹¹ Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” ¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” ¹³ The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” ¹⁴ He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped ^(BF)in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.

¹⁵ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and ^(BG)God has turned away from me and ^(BH)answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” ¹⁶ And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? ¹⁷ The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for ^(BI)the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. ^18 (BJ)Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. ¹⁹ Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you ^(BK)and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”

²⁰ Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night. ²¹ And the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed you. ^(BL)I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me. ²² Now therefore, you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.” ²³ He refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he listened to their words. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed. ²⁴ Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it, ²⁵ and she put it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of ^(A)Mary and her sister Martha. ^2 (B)It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. ³ So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, ^(C)he whom you love is ill.” ⁴ But when Jesus heard it he said, ^(D)“This illness does not lead to death. It is for ^(E)the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

⁵ Now ^(F)Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So, when he heard that Lazarus^[a] was ill, ^(G)he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. ⁷ Then after this he said to the disciples, ^(H)“Let us go to Judea again.” ⁸ The disciples said to him, ^(I)“Rabbi, ^(J)the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” ⁹ Jesus answered, ^(K)“Are there not twelve hours in the day? ^(L)If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰ But ^(M)if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not ^(N)in him.” ¹¹ After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus ^(O)has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” ¹² The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” ¹³ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. ¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ^16 (P)So Thomas, called the Twin,^[b] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, ^(Q)that we may die with him.”

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

¹⁷ Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb ^(R)four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles^[c] off, ¹⁹ and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary ^(S)to console them concerning their brother. ^20 (T)So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. ²¹ Martha said to ^(U)Jesus, “Lord, ^(V)if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, ^(W)God will give you.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ^24 (X)Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in ^(Y)the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, ^(Z)“I am the resurrection and ^(AA)the life.^[d] Whoever believes in me, ^(AB)though he die, ^(AC)yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me ^(AD)shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; ^(AE)I believe that ^(AF)you are the Christ, the Son of God, ^(AG)who is coming into the world.”

Jesus Weeps

²⁸ When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, ^(AH)“The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” ²⁹ And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. ³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ When the Jews ^(AI)who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³² Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, ^(AJ)“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he ^(AK)was deeply moved^[e] in his spirit and ^(AL)greatly troubled. ³⁴ And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” ^35 (AM)Jesus wept. ³⁶ So the Jews said, “See ^(AN)how he loved him!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not he ^(AO)who opened the eyes of the blind man ^(AP)also have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus Raises Lazarus

³⁸ Then Jesus, ^(AQ)deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was ^(AR)a cave, and ^(AS)a stone lay against it. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for ^(AT)he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, ^(AU)“Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see ^(AV)the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus ^(AW)lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ^42 (AX)I knew that you always hear me, but I said this ^(AY)on account of the people standing around, ^(AZ)that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” ^44 (BA)The man who had died came out, ^(BB)his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and ^(BC)his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

^45 (BD)Many of the Jews therefore, ^(BE)who had come with Mary and ^(BF)had seen what he did, believed in him, ⁴⁶ but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees ^(BG)gathered ^(BH)the council and said, ^(BI)“What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and ^(BJ)the Romans will come and take away both our ^(BK)place and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, ^(BL)Caiaphas, ^(BM)who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. ⁵⁰ Nor do you understand that ^(BN)it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” ⁵¹ He did not say this of his own accord, but ^(BO)being high priest that year ^(BP)he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, ⁵² and ^(BQ)not for the nation only, but also ^(BR)to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³ So from that day on they ^(BS)made plans to put him to death.

⁵⁴ Jesus therefore ^(BT)no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.

The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever

David Spares Saul's Life

24 ^{[a] (A)}When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” ² Then Saul took ^(B)three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks. ³ And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in ^(C)to relieve himself.^[b] Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts ^(D)of the cave. ⁴ And the men of David said to him, ^(E)“Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. ⁵ And afterward ^(F)David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. ⁶ He said to his men, ^(G)“The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is ^(H)the Lord's anointed.” ⁷ So David persuaded his men with these words ^(I)and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

⁸ Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. ⁹ And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’? ¹⁰ Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. ^(J)And some told me to kill you, but I spared you.^[c] I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, ^(K)for he is the Lord's anointed.’ ¹¹ See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that ^(L)there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though ^(M)you hunt my life to take it. ^12 (N)May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. ¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. ¹⁴ After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? ^(O)After a dead dog! ^(P)After a flea! ^15 (Q)May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and ^(R)plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

¹⁶ As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, ^(S)“Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. ¹⁷ He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, ^(T)for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. ¹⁸ And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. ¹⁹ For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. ²⁰ And now, behold, ^(U)I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. ^21 (V)Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and ^(W)that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house.” ²² And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up ^(X)to the stronghold.

The Death of Samuel

25 ^(Y)Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled ^(Z)and mourned for him, and they buried him ^(AA)in his house at ^(AB)Ramah.

David and Abigail

Then David rose and went down to ^(AC)the wilderness of Paran. ² And there was a man in ^(AD)Maon whose business was in ^(AE)Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. ^(AF)He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ³ Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; ^(AG)he was a Calebite. ⁴ David heard in the wilderness that Nabal ^(AH)was shearing his sheep. ⁵ So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. ⁶ And thus you shall greet him: ^(AI)‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. ⁷ I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, ^(AJ)and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. ⁸ Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come ^(AK)on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

⁹ When David's young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. ¹⁰ And Nabal answered David's servants, ^(AL)“Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? ^(AM)There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. ¹¹ Shall I take ^(AN)my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to ^(AO)men who come from I do not know where?” ¹² So David's young men turned away and came back and told him all this. ¹³ And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And ^(AP)about four hundred men went up after David, ^(AQ)while two hundred ^(AR)remained with the baggage.

¹⁴ But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. ¹⁵ Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, ^(AS)and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them. ¹⁶ They were ^(AT)a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. ¹⁷ Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, ^(AU)for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such ^(AV)a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”

¹⁸ Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs^[d] of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. ¹⁹ And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. ²⁰ And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them. ²¹ Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, ^(AW)so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has ^(AX)returned me evil for good. ^22 (AY)God do so to the enemies of David^[e] and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”

²³ When Abigail saw David, she hurried ^(AZ)and got down from the donkey ^(BA)and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. ²⁴ She fell at his feet and said, ^(BB)“On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. ²⁵ Let not my lord regard ^(BC)this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal^[f] is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. ²⁶ Now then, my lord, ^(BD)as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because ^(BE)the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from ^(BF)saving with your own hand, now then ^(BG)let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. ²⁷ And now let this ^(BH)present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. ²⁸ Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord ^(BI)a sure house, because my lord ^(BJ)is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live. ²⁹ If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God. And the lives of your enemies ^(BK)he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. ³⁰ And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince^[g] over Israel, ³¹ my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord ^(BL)working salvation himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”

³² And David said to Abigail, ^(BM)“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! ³³ Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, ^(BN)who have kept me this day from bloodguilt ^(BO)and from working salvation with my own hand! ³⁴ For as surely ^(BP)as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, ^(BQ)who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” ³⁵ Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, ^(BR)“Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”

³⁶ And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, ^(BS)he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart ^(BT)was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing ^(BU)at all until the morning light. ³⁷ In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. ³⁸ And about ten days later ^(BV)the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, ^(BW)“Blessed be the Lord who has ^(BX)avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, ^(BY)and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. ^(BZ)The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and ^(CA)spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife. ⁴⁰ When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” ⁴¹ And she rose ^(CB)and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” ⁴² And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

⁴³ David also took Ahinoam of ^(CC)Jezreel, ^(CD)and both of them became his wives. ⁴⁴ Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

I and the Father Are One

²² At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was walking in the temple, ^(A)in the colonnade of Solomon. ²⁴ So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are ^(B)the Christ, ^(C)tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. ^(D)The works that I do ^(E)in my Father's name bear witness about me, ²⁶ but ^(F)you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. ^27 (G)My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ^28 (H)I give them eternal life, and ^(I)they will never perish, and ^(J)no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, ^(K)who has given them to me,^{[a] (L)}is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of ^(M)the Father's hand. ^30 (N)I and the Father are one.”

^31 (O)The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” ³³ The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but ^(P)for blasphemy, because you, being a man, ^(Q)make yourself God.” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in ^(R)your Law, ^(S)‘I said, you are gods’? ³⁵ If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be ^(T)broken— ³⁶ do you say of him whom ^(U)the Father consecrated and ^(V)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because ^(W)I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? ^37 (X)If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; ³⁸ but if I do them, ^(Y)even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that ^(Z)the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” ^39 (AA)Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

⁴⁰ He went away again across the Jordan to the place ^(AB)where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. ⁴¹ And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but ^(AC)everything that John said about this man was true.” ⁴² And ^(AD)many believed in him there.

I Love the Lord