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David’s Anointing as King

11 All Israel^(A) came together to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.^{[a] 2} Even previously when Saul was king, you were leading Israel out to battle and bringing us back. The Lord your God also said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be ruler over my people Israel.’”

³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the Lord’s presence, and they anointed David king over Israel, in keeping with the Lord’s word through Samuel.^(B)

David’s Capture of Jerusalem

⁴ David^(C) and all Israel marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus); the Jebusites who inhabited the land were there.^{(D) 5} The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will never get in here.” Yet David did capture the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.

⁶ David said, “Whoever is the first to kill a Jebusite will become chief commander.” Joab^(E) son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became the chief.

⁷ Then David took up residence in the stronghold; therefore, it was called the city of David. ⁸ He built up the city all the way around, from the supporting terraces to the surrounding parts, and Joab restored the rest of the city. ⁹ David steadily grew more powerful,^(F) and the Lord of Armies was with him.

Exploits of David’s Warriors

¹⁰ The following were the chiefs of David’s warriors who, together with all Israel, strongly supported him in his reign to make him king according to the Lord’s word about Israel.^{(G) 11} This^(H) is the list of David’s warriors:

Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief^(I) of the Thirty;^[b] he wielded his spear against three hundred and killed them at one time.

¹² After him, Eleazar son of Dodo^(J) the Ahohite was one of the three warriors. ¹³ He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines had gathered there for battle. There was a portion of a field full of barley, where the troops had fled from the Philistines.^{(K) 14} But Eleazar and David^[c] took their stand in the middle of the field and defended it. They killed the Philistines, and the Lord gave them a great victory.

¹⁵ Three of the thirty chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam,^(L) while the Philistine army was encamped in Rephaim Valley.^{(M) 16} At that time David was in the stronghold,^(N) and a Philistine garrison^(O) was at Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David was extremely thirsty^[d] and said, “If only someone would bring me water to drink from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁸ So the Three broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem. They brought it back to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord. ¹⁹ David said, “I would never do such a thing in the presence of my God! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” For they brought it at the risk of their lives. So he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.

²⁰ Abishai,^(P) Joab’s brother, was the leader of the Three.^[e] He raised his spear against three hundred men and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three. ²¹ He was more honored than the Three and became their commander even though he did not become one of the Three.

²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada^(Q) was the son of a brave man^[f] from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. Benaiah killed two sons of Ariel of Moab,^[g] and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. ²³ He also killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall.^[h] Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand like a weaver’s beam,^(R) Benaiah went down to him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and then killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who had a reputation among the three warriors. ²⁵ He was the most honored of the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁶ The best soldiers^(S) were

David’s First Supporters

12 The following were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still banned from the presence of Saul son of Kish.^(V) They were among the warriors who helped him in battle. ² They were archers who could use either the right or left hand, both to sling stones and shoot arrows from a bow.^(W) They were Saul’s relatives^(X) from Benjamin:

⁸ Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were valiant warriors, trained for battle, expert with shield and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.^(Y)

¹⁴ These Gadites were army commanders; the least of them was a match for a hundred, and the greatest of them for a thousand.^{(Z) 15} These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month^[j] when it was overflowing all its banks,^(AA) and put to flight all those in the valleys to the east and to the west.

¹⁶ Other Benjaminites and men from Judah also went to David at the stronghold.^{(AB) 17} David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my enemies even though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our ancestors look on it and judge.”

¹⁸ Then the Spirit enveloped^[k](AC) Amasai,^(AD) chief of the Thirty, and he said:

So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.

Malta’s Hospitality

28 Once safely ashore, we^(A) then learned that the island was called Malta.^{(B) 2} The local people^(C) showed us extraordinary kindness. They lit a fire and took us all in, since it was raining and cold. ³ As Paul gathered a bundle of brushwood and put it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. ⁴ When the local people saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man, no doubt, is a murderer. Even though he has escaped the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”^{(D) 5} But he shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm.^{(E) 6} They expected that he would begin to swell up or suddenly drop dead. After they waited a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.^(F)

Ministry in Malta

⁷ Now in the area around that place was an estate belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days. ⁸ Publius’s father was in bed suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, and praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him.^{(G) 9} After this, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. ¹⁰ So they heaped many honors on us, and when we sailed, they gave us what we needed.

Rome at Last

¹¹ After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island, with the Twin Gods^[a] as its figurehead. ¹² Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed three days. ¹³ From there, after making a circuit along the coast,^[b] we reached Rhegium. After one day a south wind sprang up, and the second day we came to Puteoli. ¹⁴ There we found brothers and sisters^(H) and were invited to stay a week with them. And so we came to Rome. ¹⁵ Now the brothers and sisters from there had heard the news about us and had come to meet us as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. ¹⁶ When we entered Rome,^[c] Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier who guarded him.^(I)

Paul’s First Interview with Roman Jews

¹⁷ After three days he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.^{(J) 18} After they examined me, they wanted to release me, since there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.^{(K) 19} Because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar;^(L) even though I had no charge to bring against my people. ²⁰ For this reason I’ve asked to see you and speak to you. In fact, it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.”^(M)

²¹ Then they said to him, “We haven’t received any letters about you from Judea. None of the brothers has come and reported or spoken anything evil about you. ²² But we want to hear what your views are, since we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.”^(N)

The Response to Paul’s Message

²³ After arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets.^{(O) 24} Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe.^(P)

²⁵ Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement:^[d] “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your^[e] ancestors through the prophet Isaiah ²⁶ when he said,

²⁸ Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”^[g]

Paul’s Ministry Unhindered

³⁰ Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, ³¹ proclaiming the kingdom of God^(R) and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness^(S) and without hindrance.

Psalm 9

Celebration of God’s Justice

For the choir director: according to Muth-labben. A psalm of David.

A Genealogy of the Returned Exiles

9 So all Israel was recorded in genealogies, and these are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And ^(A)Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith. ^2 (B)Now the first to ^(C)dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the ^(D)temple servants. ³ And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem: ⁴ Uthai the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, from the sons of ^(E)Perez the son of Judah. ⁵ And of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn, and his sons. ⁶ Of the sons of Zerah: Jeuel and their kinsmen, 690. ⁷ Of the Benjaminites: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, son of Hassenuah, ⁸ Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, Elah the son of Uzzi, son of Michri, and Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah; ⁹ and their kinsmen according to their generations, ^(F)956. All these were heads of fathers' houses according ^(G)to their fathers' houses.

^10 (H)Of the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jachin, ¹¹ and Azariah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the ^(I)chief officer of the house of God; ¹² and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, and Maasai the son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer; ¹³ besides their kinsmen, heads of their fathers' houses, 1,760, mighty men for the work of the service of the house of God.

^14 (J)Of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari; ¹⁵ and Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zichri, son of Asaph; ¹⁶ and Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

¹⁷ The gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their kinsmen (Shallum was the chief); ¹⁸ until then they were ^(K)in the king's gate on the east side as the gatekeepers of the camps of the Levites. ¹⁹ Shallum the son of Kore, son of ^(L)Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his kinsmen of his fathers' house, the ^(M)Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, keepers of the thresholds of the tent, as their fathers had been in charge of the camp of the Lord, keepers of the entrance. ²⁰ And ^(N)Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the chief officer over them in time past; the Lord was with him. ^21 (O)Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ²² All these, who were chosen as gatekeepers at the thresholds, were 212. They were enrolled by genealogies in their villages. ^(P)David and Samuel ^(Q)the seer established them in their office of trust. ²³ So they and their sons were in charge of the gates of the house of the Lord, that is, the house of the tent, as guards. ²⁴ The gatekeepers were on the four sides, east, west, north, and south. ²⁵ And their kinsmen who were ^(R)in their villages were obligated to come ^(S)in every seven days, in turn, to be with these, ²⁶ for the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted to be over ^(T)the chambers and the treasures of the house of God. ²⁷ And they lodged around the house of God, for on them lay the duty of watching, and ^(U)they had charge of opening it every morning.

²⁸ Some of them had charge of the utensils of service, for they were required to count them when they were brought in and taken out. ²⁹ Others of them were appointed over the furniture and over all the holy utensils, also over the ^(V)fine flour, the wine, the oil, the incense, and the spices. ³⁰ Others, of the sons of the priests, ^(W)prepared the mixing of the spices, ³¹ and Mattithiah, one of the Levites, the firstborn of ^(X)Shallum the ^(Y)Korahite, was entrusted with ^(Z)making the flat cakes. ³² Also some of their kinsmen of the Kohathites had ^(AA)charge of the showbread, to prepare it every Sabbath.

³³ Now these, the ^(AB)singers, the heads of fathers' houses of the Levites, were in the chambers of the temple free from other service, for they were on duty day and night. ³⁴ These were heads of fathers' houses of the Levites, according to their generations, leaders. These lived in Jerusalem.

Saul's Genealogy Repeated

^35 (AC)In Gibeon lived the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, and the name of his wife was Maacah, ³⁶ and his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, ³⁷ Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth; ³⁸ and Mikloth was the father of Shimeam; and these also lived opposite their kinsmen in Jerusalem, with their kinsmen. ^39 (AD)Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered Saul, Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal. ⁴⁰ And the son of Jonathan was ^(AE)Merib-baal, and Merib-baal fathered Micah. ⁴¹ The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and ^(AF)Ahaz.^{[a] 42} And Ahaz fathered ^(AG)Jarah, and Jarah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. And Zimri fathered Moza. ⁴³ Moza fathered Binea, and ^(AH)Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. ⁴⁴ Azel had six sons and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel.

The Death of Saul and His Sons

10 ^(AI)Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ² And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. ³ The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was wounded by the archers. ⁴ Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. ⁵ And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died. ⁶ Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together. ⁷ And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army^[b] 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 sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ And they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. ¹¹ But when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

¹³ So Saul died ^(AJ)for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also ^(AK)consulted a medium, seeking guidance. ¹⁴ He ^(AL)did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and ^(AM)turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

²¹ Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, ^(A)you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this ^(B)injury and loss. ²² Yet now I urge you to ^(C)take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. ²³ For this very night ^(D)there ^(E)stood before me ^(F)an angel of the God ^(G)to whom I belong and ^(H)whom I worship, ²⁴ and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; ^(I)you must stand before Caesar. And behold, ^(J)God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ ²⁵ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. ²⁶ But ^(K)we must ^(L)run aground on some island.”

²⁷ When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. ²⁸ So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms.^[a] A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.^{[b] 29} And fearing that we might ^(M)run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. ³⁰ And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered ^(N)the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, ³¹ Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” ³² Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go.

³³ As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. ³⁴ Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength,^[c] for ^(O)not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” ³⁵ And when he had said these things, he took bread, and ^(P)giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ Then they all ^(Q)were encouraged and ate some food themselves. ³⁷ (We were in all 276^{[d] (R)}persons in the ship.) ³⁸ And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, ^(S)throwing out the wheat into the sea.

The Shipwreck

³⁹ Now when it was day, ^(T)they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. ⁴⁰ So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. ⁴¹ But striking a reef,^{[e] (U)}they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. ^42 (V)The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. ⁴³ But the centurion, ^(W)wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, ⁴⁴ and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that ^(X)all were brought safely to land.

How Majestic Is Your Name

To the choirmaster: according to The ^(A)Gittith.^[a] A Psalm of David.

Descendants of Issachar

7 The sons^[a] of Issachar: Tola, ^(A)Puah, ^(B)Jashub, and Shimron, four. ² The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers' houses, namely of Tola, mighty warriors of their generations, their number ^(C)in the days of David being 22,600. ³ The son^[b] of Uzzi: Izrahiah. And the sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, all five of them were chief men. ⁴ And along with them, by their generations, according to their fathers' houses, were units of the army for war, 36,000, for they had many wives and sons. ⁵ Their kinsmen belonging to all the clans of Issachar were in all 87,000 mighty warriors, enrolled by genealogy.

Descendants of Benjamin

^6 (D)The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, and Jediael, three. ⁷ The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, five, heads of fathers' houses, mighty warriors. And their enrollment by genealogies was 22,034. ⁸ The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, ^(E)Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher. ⁹ And their enrollment by genealogies, according to their generations, as heads of their fathers' houses, mighty warriors, was 20,200. ¹⁰ The son of Jediael: Bilhan. And the sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. ¹¹ All these were the sons of Jediael according to the heads of their fathers' houses, mighty warriors, 17,200, able to go to war. ¹² And Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir, Hushim the son of ^(F)Aher.

Descendants of Naphtali

^13 (G)The sons of Naphtali: ^(H)Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and ^(I)Shallum, the descendants of Bilhah.

Descendants of Manasseh

^14 (J)The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore; she bore ^(K)Machir the father of Gilead. ¹⁵ And Machir took a wife for Huppim and for Shuppim. The name of his sister was Maacah. And the name of the second was Zelophehad, and ^(L)Zelophehad had daughters. ¹⁶ And Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh; and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. ¹⁷ The son of Ulam: ^(M)Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh. ¹⁸ And his sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. ¹⁹ The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

Descendants of Ephraim

²⁰ The ^(N)sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, and Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, ²¹ Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead, whom the men of Gath who were born in the land killed, because they came down to raid their livestock. ²² And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brothers came to comfort him. ²³ And Ephraim went in to his wife, and she conceived and bore a son. And he called his name Beriah, because disaster had befallen his house.^{[c] 24} His daughter was Sheerah, who built both Lower and Upper ^(O)Beth-horon, and Uzzen-sheerah. ²⁵ Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, Tahan his son, ²⁶ Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, ^(P)Elishama his son, ²⁷ Nun^[d] his son, ^(Q)Joshua his son. ^28 (R)Their possessions and settlements were Bethel and its towns, and to the east Naaran, and to the west ^(S)Gezer and its towns, Shechem and its towns, and Ayyah and its towns; ^29 (T)also in possession of the Manassites, ^(U)Beth-shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these lived the sons of Joseph the son of Israel.

Descendants of Asher

^30 (V)The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. ³¹ The sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel, who fathered Birzaith. ³² Heber fathered Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and their sister Shua. ³³ The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These are the sons of Japhlet. ³⁴ The sons of Shemer his brother: Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. ³⁵ The sons of Helem his brother: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. ³⁶ The sons of Zophah: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah. ³⁷ Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera. ³⁸ The sons of Jether: Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara. ³⁹ The sons of Ulla: Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. ⁴⁰ All of these were men of Asher, heads of fathers' houses, approved, mighty warriors, chiefs of the princes. Their number enrolled by genealogies, for service in war, was 26,000 men.

A Genealogy of Saul

8 ^(W)Benjamin fathered Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, ^(X)Aharah the third, ² Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. ³ And Bela had sons: Addar, Gera, Abihud, ⁴ Abishua, ^(Y)Naaman, Ahoah, ⁵ Gera, ^(Z)Shephuphan, and Huram. ⁶ These are the sons of Ehud (they were heads of fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Geba, and they were carried into exile to ^(AA)Manahath): ⁷ Naaman,^[e] Ahijah, and Gera, that is, Heglam, who fathered^[f] Uzza and Ahihud. ⁸ And Shaharaim fathered sons in the country of Moab after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives. ⁹ He fathered sons by Hodesh his wife: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, ¹⁰ Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of fathers' houses. ¹¹ He also fathered sons by Hushim: Abitub and Elpaal. ¹² The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built ^(AB)Ono and ^(AC)Lod with its towns, ¹³ and Beriah and ^(AD)Shema (they were heads of fathers' houses of the inhabitants of ^(AE)Aijalon, who caused the inhabitants of Gath to flee); ¹⁴ and Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth. ¹⁵ Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, ¹⁶ Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were sons of Beriah. ¹⁷ Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, ¹⁸ Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal. ¹⁹ Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, ²⁰ Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, ²¹ Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei. ²² Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, ²³ Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, ²⁴ Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, ²⁵ Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak. ²⁶ Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, ²⁷ Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham. ²⁸ These were the heads of fathers' houses, according to their generations, chief men. These lived in Jerusalem.

^29 (AF)(AG)Jeiel^[g] the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon, and the name of his wife was Maacah. ³⁰ His firstborn son: Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, ³¹ Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, ³² and Mikloth (he fathered Shimeah). Now these also lived opposite their kinsmen in Jerusalem, with their kinsmen. ^33 (AH)Ner was the father of Kish, Kish of Saul, Saul of ^(AI)Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab and Eshbaal; ³⁴ and the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal; and Merib-baal was the father of ^(AJ)Micah. ³⁵ The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. ³⁶ Ahaz fathered Jehoaddah, and Jehoaddah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri fathered Moza. ³⁷ Moza fathered Binea; Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. ³⁸ Azel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. ³⁹ The sons of Eshek his brother: Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third. ⁴⁰ The sons of Ulam were men who were mighty warriors, bowmen, having many sons and grandsons, 150. All these were Benjaminites.

Paul Sails for Rome

27 And when it was decided ^(A)that ^(B)we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan ^(C)Cohort named Julius. ² And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by ^(D)Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. ³ The next day we put in at Sidon. And ^(E)Julius ^(F)treated Paul kindly and ^(G)gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. ⁴ And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. ⁵ And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. ⁶ There the centurion found ^(H)a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. ⁷ We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. ⁸ Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

⁹ Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even ^(I)the Fast^[a] was already over, Paul advised them, ¹⁰ saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with ^(J)injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹¹ But the centurion paid more attention to ^(K)the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. ¹² And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

The Storm at Sea

¹³ Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. ¹⁴ But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, ^(L)struck down from the land. ¹⁵ And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. ¹⁶ Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda,^[b] we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. ¹⁷ After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would ^(M)run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,^[c] and thus they were driven along. ¹⁸ Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day ^(N)to jettison the cargo. ¹⁹ And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. ²⁰ When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

In You Do I Take Refuge

A ^(A)Shiggaion^[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.

¹⁸ The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had valiant men who carried shield and sword, and drew the bow, ^(A)expert in war, 44,760, able to go to war. ¹⁹ They waged war against the ^(B)Hagrites, ^(C)Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. ²⁰ And when they prevailed^[a] over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, ^(D)for they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea ^(E)because they trusted in him. ²¹ They carried off their livestock: 50,000 of their camels, 250,000 sheep, 2,000 donkeys, and 100,000 men alive. ²² For many fell, because the war was of God. And they lived ^(F)in their place until ^(G)the exile.

The Half-Tribe of Manasseh

²³ The members of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land. They were very numerous from Bashan to Baal-hermon, ^(H)Senir, and Mount Hermon. ²⁴ These were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher,^[b] Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty warriors, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses. ²⁵ But they broke faith with the God of their fathers, and ^(I)whored ^(J)after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. ²⁶ So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of ^(K)Pul king of Assyria, the spirit of ^(L)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he took them into exile, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them ^(M)to Halah, ^(N)Habor, Hara, and ^(O)the river Gozan, to this day.

Descendants of Levi

6 ^{[c] (P)}The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ^2 (Q)The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ^3 (R)The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. ^(S)The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ^4 (T)(U)Eleazar fathered ^(V)Phinehas, Phinehas fathered Abishua, ⁵ Abishua fathered Bukki, Bukki fathered Uzzi, ⁶ Uzzi fathered Zerahiah, Zerahiah fathered ^(W)Meraioth, ⁷ Meraioth fathered Amariah, Amariah fathered Ahitub, ^8 (X)Ahitub fathered ^(Y)Zadok, Zadok fathered Ahimaaz, ⁹ Ahimaaz fathered Azariah, Azariah fathered Johanan, ¹⁰ and Johanan fathered Azariah (^(Z)it was he who served as priest ^(AA)in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem). ^11 (AB)Azariah fathered ^(AC)Amariah, Amariah fathered Ahitub, ¹² Ahitub fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered ^(AD)Shallum, ¹³ Shallum fathered ^(AE)Hilkiah, Hilkiah fathered Azariah, ¹⁴ Azariah fathered ^(AF)Seraiah, Seraiah fathered Jehozadak; ¹⁵ and ^(AG)Jehozadak went into exile when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile ^(AH)by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

^16 [d] The ^(AI)sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. ¹⁷ And these are the names of the sons of Gershom: ^(AJ)Libni and Shimei. ^18 (AK)The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. ^19 (AL)The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their fathers. ^20 (AM)Of Gershom: Libni his son, ^(AN)Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, ²¹ Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son. ^22 (AO)The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, ²³ Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, ²⁴ Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. ²⁵ The sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth, ²⁶ Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son, ²⁷ Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. ²⁸ The sons of Samuel: Joel^[e] his firstborn, the second Abijah.^{[f] 29 (AP)}The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, ³⁰ Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

³¹ These are the men ^(AQ)whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the Lord ^(AR)after the ark rested there. ³² They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting until Solomon built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they performed their service according to their order. ³³ These are the men who served and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer the son of Joel, son of ^(AS)Samuel, ³⁴ son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah, ³⁵ son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai, ³⁶ son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, ³⁷ son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, ³⁸ son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel; ³⁹ and his brother ^(AT)Asaph, who stood on his right hand, namely, Asaph the son of Berechiah, son of Shimea, ⁴⁰ son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malchijah, ⁴¹ son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah, ⁴² son of Ethan, son of Zimmah, son of Shimei, ⁴³ son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi. ⁴⁴ On the left hand were their brothers, the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, son of Abdi, son of Malluch, ⁴⁵ son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah, ⁴⁶ son of Amzi, son of Bani, son of Shemer, ⁴⁷ son of Mahli, son of Mushi, son of Merari, son of Levi. ⁴⁸ And their brothers the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

⁴⁹ But Aaron and his sons made offerings ^(AU)on the altar of burnt offering and on ^(AV)the altar of incense for all the work of the Most Holy Place, and ^(AW)to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. ^50 (AX)These are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, ⁵¹ Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, ⁵² Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, ⁵³ Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.

⁵⁴ These are their dwelling places according to their ^(AY)settlements within their borders: to the sons of Aaron of the ^(AZ)clans of Kohathites, for theirs was the first lot, ⁵⁵ to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands, ^56 (BA)but the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. ^57 (BB)To the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah with its pasturelands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands, ⁵⁸ Hilen with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands, ⁵⁹ Ashan with its pasturelands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands; ⁶⁰ and from the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon,^[g] Geba with its pasturelands, Alemeth with its pasturelands, and Anathoth with its pasturelands. All their cities throughout their clans were thirteen.

^61 (BC)To the rest of the Kohathites were given by lot out of the clan of the tribe, out of the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities. ⁶² To the Gershomites according to their clans were allotted thirteen cities out of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and Manasseh in Bashan. ^63 (BD)To the Merarites according to their clans were allotted twelve cities out of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. ^64 (BE)So the people of Israel gave the Levites the cities with their pasturelands. ⁶⁵ They gave by lot out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin ^(BF)these cities that are mentioned by name.

^66 (BG)And some of the clans of the sons of Kohath had cities of their territory out of the tribe of Ephraim. ⁶⁷ They were given the cities of refuge: Shechem with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands, ^68 (BH)Jokmeam with its pasturelands, Beth-horon with its pasturelands, ⁶⁹ Aijalon with its pasturelands, Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands, ⁷⁰ and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its pasturelands, and Bileam with its pasturelands, for the rest of the clans of the Kohathites.

^71 (BI)To the Gershomites were given out of the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands and ^(BJ)Ashtaroth with its pasturelands; ⁷² and out of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, ⁷³ Ramoth with its pasturelands, and Anem with its pasturelands; ⁷⁴ out of the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands, ⁷⁵ Hukok with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands; ⁷⁶ and out of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands, Hammon with its pasturelands, and Kiriathaim with its pasturelands. ^77 (BK)To the rest of the Merarites were allotted out of the tribe of Zebulun: ^(BL)Rimmono with its pasturelands, ^(BM)Tabor with its pasturelands, ⁷⁸ and ^(BN)beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, out of the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its pasturelands, Jahzah with its pasturelands, ⁷⁹ Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands; ⁸⁰ and out of the tribe of Gad: ^(BO)Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, ^(BP)Mahanaim with its pasturelands, ^81 (BQ)Heshbon with its pasturelands, and ^(BR)Jazer with its pasturelands.

Paul's Defense Before Agrippa

26 So ^(A)Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:

² “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today ^(B)against all the accusations of the Jews, ³ especially because you are familiar with all the ^(C)customs and ^(D)controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

^4 (E)“My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among ^(F)my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. ⁵ They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that ^(G)according to the strictest ^(H)party of our ^(I)religion I have lived as ^(J)a Pharisee. ⁶ And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in ^(K)the promise made by God to our fathers, ^7 (L)to which ^(M)our twelve tribes hope to ^(N)attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope ^(O)I am accused by Jews, O king! ⁸ Why is it thought ^(P)incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

^9 (Q)“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of ^(R)Jesus of Nazareth. ^10 (S)And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority ^(T)from the chief priests, but ^(U)when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ And ^(V)I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them ^(W)blaspheme, and ^(X)in raging fury against them I ^(Y)persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

¹² “In this connection ^(Z)I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. ¹³ At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴ And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me ^(AA)in the Hebrew language,^[a] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and ^(AB)stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, ^(AC)to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, ^17 (AD)delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—^(AE)to whom I ^(AF)am sending you ^18 (AG)to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from ^(AH)the power of Satan to God, that they may receive ^(AI)forgiveness of sins and ^(AJ)a place among those who are sanctified ^(AK)by faith in me.’

¹⁹ “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to ^(AL)the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but declared first ^(AM)to those in Damascus, ^(AN)then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also ^(AO)to the Gentiles, that they should ^(AP)repent and ^(AQ)turn to God, performing deeds ^(AR)in keeping with their repentance. ²¹ For this reason ^(AS)the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ^22 (AT)To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so ^(AU)I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what ^(AV)the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: ^23 (AW)that the Christ ^(AX)must suffer and that, ^(AY)by being the first ^(AZ)to rise from the dead, ^(BA)he would proclaim ^(BB)light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, ^(BC)you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” ²⁵ But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, ^(BD)most excellent Festus, but I am speaking ^(BE)true and ^(BF)rational words. ²⁶ For ^(BG)the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” ²⁸ And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be ^(BH)a Christian?”^{[b] 29} And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day ^(BI)might become such as I am—except for ^(BJ)these chains.”

³⁰ Then the king rose, and ^(BK)the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. ³¹ And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, ^(BL)“This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, ^(BM)“This man could have been set ^(BN)free if he had not appealed ^(BO)to Caesar.”

O Lord, Deliver My Life

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to ^(A)The Sheminith.^[a] A Psalm of David.

^5 (A)Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah; ⁶ Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. ⁷ The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. ⁸ Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel, the son of Harum. ⁹ Jabez was ^(B)more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”^{[a] 10} Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm^[b] so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. ¹¹ Chelub, the brother of Shuhah, fathered Mehir, who fathered Eshton. ¹² Eshton fathered Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Ir-nahash. These are the men of Recah. ¹³ The sons of ^(C)Kenaz: ^(D)Othniel and Seraiah; and the sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.^{[c] 14} Meonothai fathered Ophrah; and Seraiah fathered Joab, the father of Ge-harashim,^[d] so-called because they were craftsmen. ¹⁵ The sons of ^(E)Caleb the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the son^[e] of Elah: Kenaz. ¹⁶ The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. ¹⁷ The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. These are the sons of Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married;^[f] and she conceived and bore^[g] Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa. ¹⁸ And his Judahite wife bore ^(F)Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. ¹⁹ The sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. ²⁰ The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth. ²¹ The sons of ^(G)Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the clans of the house of linen workers at Beth-ashbea; ²² and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and returned to Lehem^[h] (now the records^[i] are ancient). ²³ These were the potters who were inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the king's service.

Descendants of Simeon

^24 (H)The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul; ²⁵ Shallum was his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. ²⁶ The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. ²⁷ Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, ^(I)nor did all their clan multiply ^(J)like the men of Judah. ^28 (K)They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, ^29 (L)Bilhah, Ezem, ^(M)Tolad, ^30 (N)Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹ Beth-marcaboth, ^(O)Hazar-susim, ^(P)Beth-biri, and ^(Q)Shaaraim. These were their cities until David reigned. ³² And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, five cities, ³³ along with all their villages that were around these cities as far as ^(R)Baal. These were their settlements, and they kept a genealogical record.

³⁴ Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah, ³⁵ Joel, Jehu the son of Joshibiah, son of Seraiah, son of Asiel, ³⁶ Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, ³⁷ Ziza the son of Shiphi, son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah— ³⁸ these mentioned by name were princes in their clans, ^(S)and their fathers' houses increased greatly. ³⁹ They journeyed to the entrance of ^(T)Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks, ⁴⁰ where they found rich, good pasture, and the land was very broad, ^(U)quiet, and peaceful, for the former inhabitants there belonged to Ham. ^41 (V)These, registered by name, came in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and destroyed their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and marked them for destruction to this day, ^(W)and settled in their place, because there was pasture there for their flocks. ⁴² And some of them, five hundred men of the Simeonites, went to ^(X)Mount Seir, having as their leaders Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. ⁴³ And they defeated ^(Y)the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped, and they have lived there to this day.

Descendants of Reuben

5 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (^(Z)for he was the firstborn, but because ^(AA)he defiled his father's couch, ^(AB)his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son; ^2 (AC)though Judah became strong among his brothers and a ^(AD)chief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph), ³ the ^(AE)sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ⁴ The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, ⁵ Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, ⁶ Beerah his son, whom ^(AF)Tiglath-pileser^[j] king of Assyria carried away into exile; he was a chief of the Reubenites. ⁷ And his kinsmen by their clans, ^(AG)when the genealogy of their generations was recorded: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, ⁸ and Bela the son of Azaz, son of ^(AH)Shema, son of Joel, who lived in ^(AI)Aroer, as far as ^(AJ)Nebo and ^(AK)Baal-meon. ⁹ He also lived to the east as far as the entrance of the desert this side of the Euphrates, because their livestock had multiplied ^(AL)in the land of Gilead. ¹⁰ And in the days of Saul they waged war against the ^(AM)Hagrites, who fell into their hand. And they lived in their tents throughout all the region east of Gilead.

Descendants of Gad

¹¹ The sons of Gad lived over against them in the land of Bashan as far as ^(AN)Salecah: ¹² Joel the chief, Shapham the second, Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan. ¹³ And their kinsmen according to their fathers' houses: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia and Eber, seven. ¹⁴ These were the sons of Abihail the son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz. ¹⁵ Ahi the son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was chief in their fathers' houses, ¹⁶ and they lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the pasturelands of ^(AO)Sharon to their limits. ¹⁷ All of these were recorded in genealogies in the days of ^(AP)Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of ^(AQ)Jeroboam king of Israel.

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25 Now three days after Festus had arrived in ^(A)the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. ² And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews ^(B)laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, ³ asking as a favor against Paul^[a] that he summon him to Jerusalem—because ^(C)they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. ⁴ Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. ⁵ “So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.”

⁶ After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on ^(D)the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. ⁷ When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him ^(E)that they could not prove. ⁸ Paul argued in his defense, “Neither ^(F)against ^(G)the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor ^(H)against Caesar have I committed any offense.” ⁹ But Festus, ^(I)wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” ¹⁰ But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar's ^(J)tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. ¹¹ If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. ^(K)I appeal to Caesar.” ¹² Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”

Paul Before Agrippa and Bernice

¹³ Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus. ¹⁴ And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, ^(L)“There is a man left prisoner by Felix, ¹⁵ and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case ^(M)against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. ^16 (N)I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone ^(O)before the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him. ^17 (P)So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on ^(Q)the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed. ¹⁹ Rather they ^(R)had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about ^(S)a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. ²⁰ Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I ^(T)asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. ²¹ But ^(U)when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of ^(V)the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” ²² Then ^(W)Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.”

²³ So on the next day ^(X)Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom ^(Y)the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, ^(Z)shouting that he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵ But I found that ^(AA)he had done nothing deserving death. And ^(AB)as he himself appealed to ^(AC)the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him. ²⁶ But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.”

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

^18 (A)Caleb the son of Hezron fathered children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. ¹⁹ When Azubah died, ^(B)Caleb married ^(C)Ephrath, who bore him ^(D)Hur. ²⁰ Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered ^(E)Bezalel.

²¹ Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of ^(F)Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub. ²² And Segub fathered Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. ^23 (G)But Geshur and Aram took from them Havvoth-jair, Kenath, and its villages, sixty towns. All these were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead. ²⁴ After the death of Hezron, ^(H)Caleb went in to Ephrathah,^[a] the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore him ^(I)Ashhur, the father of Tekoa.

²⁵ The sons of ^(J)Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. ²⁶ Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. ²⁷ The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. ²⁸ The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. ²⁹ The name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. ³⁰ The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; and Seled died childless. ³¹ The son^[b] of Appaim: Ishi. ^(K)The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. ³² The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died childless. ³³ The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel. ³⁴ Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, but Sheshan had an Egyptian slave whose name was Jarha. ³⁵ So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha his slave, and she bore him Attai. ³⁶ Attai fathered Nathan, and Nathan fathered ^(L)Zabad. ^37 (M)Zabad fathered Ephlal, and Ephlal fathered ^(N)Obed. ³⁸ Obed fathered Jehu, and Jehu fathered Azariah. ³⁹ Azariah fathered Helez, and Helez fathered Eleasah. ⁴⁰ Eleasah fathered Sismai, and Sismai fathered Shallum. ⁴¹ Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered ^(O)Elishama.

⁴² The sons of ^(P)Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mareshah^[c] his firstborn, who fathered Ziph. The son^[d] of Mareshah: ^(Q)Hebron.^{[e] 43} The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema. ⁴⁴ Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem fathered Shammai. ⁴⁵ The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon fathered Beth-zur. ⁴⁶ Ephah also, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez. ⁴⁷ The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. ⁴⁸ Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. ⁴⁹ She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea; and the ^(R)daughter of Caleb was Achsah. ⁵⁰ These were the descendants of Caleb.

The sons^[f] of Hur the firstborn of ^(S)Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim, ^51 (T)Salma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader. ⁵² Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: ^(U)Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. ⁵³ And the clans of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the ^(V)Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. ⁵⁴ The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. ⁵⁵ The clans also of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. These are the ^(W)Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of ^(X)the house of Rechab.

Descendants of David

3 ^(Y)These are the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite; the second, ^(Z)Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelite, ² the third, Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith; ³ the fifth, Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah; ⁴ six were born to him in Hebron, ^(AA)where he reigned for seven years and six months. ^(AB)And he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem. ^5 (AC)These were born to him in Jerusalem: ^(AD)Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and ^(AE)Solomon, four by ^(AF)Bath-shua, the daughter of ^(AG)Ammiel; ⁶ then Ibhar, ^(AH)Elishama, Eliphelet, ⁷ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁸ Elishama, ^(AI)Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine. ⁹ All these were David's sons, besides the sons of the concubines, ^(AJ)and Tamar was their sister.

¹⁰ The son of Solomon was ^(AK)Rehoboam, ^(AL)Abijah his son, ^(AM)Asa his son, ^(AN)Jehoshaphat his son, ^11 (AO)Joram his son, ^(AP)Ahaziah his son, ^(AQ)Joash his son, ^12 (AR)Amaziah his son, ^(AS)Azariah his son, ^(AT)Jotham his son, ^13 (AU)Ahaz his son, ^(AV)Hezekiah his son, ^(AW)Manasseh his son, ^14 (AX)Amon his son, ^(AY)Josiah his son. ¹⁵ The sons of Josiah: ^(AZ)Johanan the firstborn, the second ^(BA)Jehoiakim, the third ^(BB)Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. ¹⁶ The descendants of ^(BC)Jehoiakim: ^(BD)Jeconiah his son, ^(BE)Zedekiah his son; ¹⁷ and the sons of Jeconiah, the ^(BF)captive: ^(BG)Shealtiel his son, ¹⁸ Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah; ¹⁹ and the sons of Pedaiah: ^(BH)Zerubbabel and Shimei; and the sons of ^(BI)Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their sister; ²⁰ and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed, five. ²¹ The sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, his son^[g] Rephaiah, his son Arnan, his son Obadiah, his son Shecaniah. ²² The son^[h] of Shecaniah: ^(BJ)Shemaiah. And the sons of Shemaiah: ^(BK)Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six. ²³ The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam, three. ²⁴ The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani, seven.

Descendants of Judah

4 ^(BL)The sons of Judah: ^(BM)Perez, Hezron, ^(BN)Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. ^2 (BO)Reaiah the son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the ^(BP)Zorathites. ³ These were the sons^[i] of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi, ⁴ and ^(BQ)Penuel fathered ^(BR)Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of ^(BS)Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem.

Paul Before Felix at Caesarea

24 And ^(A)after five days the high priest ^(B)Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before ^(C)the governor their case against Paul. ² And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:

“Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, ^(D)most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, ³ in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. ⁴ But, to detain^[a] you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. ⁵ For we have found this man a plague, ^(E)one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of ^(F)the sect of the Nazarenes. ^6 (G)He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.^{[b] 8} By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”

⁹ The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.

¹⁰ And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied:

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. ¹¹ You can verify that ^(H)it is not more than twelve days since I ^(I)went up ^(J)to worship in Jerusalem, ¹² and ^(K)they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. ^13 (L)Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. ¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to ^(M)the Way, which they call ^(N)a sect, ^(O)I worship ^(P)the God of our fathers, believing everything ^(Q)laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, ^15 (R)having ^(S)a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be ^(T)a resurrection ^(U)of both the just and the unjust. ¹⁶ So I always ^(V)take pains to have a ^(W)clear conscience toward both God and man. ¹⁷ Now ^(X)after several years ^(Y)I came to bring alms to ^(Z)my nation and to present ^(AA)offerings. ¹⁸ While I was doing this, they found me ^(AB)purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But ^(AC)some Jews from Asia— ^19 (AD)they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. ²⁰ Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, ²¹ other than this one thing ^(AE)that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”

Paul Kept in Custody

²² But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of ^(AF)the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” ²³ Then he gave orders to the centurion that he ^(AG)should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that ^(AH)none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

²⁴ After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about ^(AI)faith ^(AJ)in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ And as he reasoned ^(AK)about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. ^(AL)When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” ²⁶ At the same time he hoped ^(AM)that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. ²⁷ When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius ^(AN)Festus. And ^(AO)desiring to do the Jews a favor, ^(AP)Felix left Paul in prison.

Answer Me When I Call

To the ^(A)choirmaster: with ^(B)stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

From Adam to Abraham

1 ^{[a] (A)}Adam, Seth, Enosh; ^2 (B)Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared; ³ Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech; ⁴ Noah, ^(C)Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

^5 (D)The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. ⁶ The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath,^[b] and Togarmah. ⁷ The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.

^8 (E)The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. ⁹ The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. ¹⁰ Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty man.^[c]

^11 (F)Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, ¹² Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.

¹³ Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, ¹⁴ and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, ¹⁵ the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, ¹⁶ the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.

^17 (G)The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram:^[d] Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. ¹⁸ Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. ¹⁹ To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg^[e] (for in his days the earth was divided), and his brother's name was Joktan. ²⁰ Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²¹ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²² Obal,^[f] Abimael, Sheba, ²³ Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.

^24 (H)Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah; ²⁵ Eber, Peleg, Reu; ²⁶ Serug, Nahor, Terah; ²⁷ Abram, that is, Abraham.

From Abraham to Jacob

²⁸ The sons of Abraham: ^(I)Isaac and ^(J)Ishmael. ^29 (K)These are their genealogies: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ³⁰ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, ³¹ Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael. ^32 (L)The sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan. ³³ The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the descendants of Keturah.

³⁴ Abraham fathered ^(M)Isaac. The sons of Isaac: ^(N)Esau and ^(O)Israel. ^35 (P)The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. ³⁶ The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, and of Timna,^[g] Amalek. ³⁷ The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

^38 (Q)The sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. ³⁹ The sons of Lotan: Hori and Hemam;^[h] and Lotan's sister was Timna. ⁴⁰ The sons of Shobal: Alvan,^[i] Manahath, Ebal, Shepho,^[j] and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. ⁴¹ The son^[k] of Anah: Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hemdan,^[l] Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. ⁴² The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.^[m] The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

^43 (R)These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the people of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, the name of his city being Dinhabah. ⁴⁴ Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of ^(S)Bozrah reigned in his place. ⁴⁵ Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the ^(T)Temanites reigned in his place. ⁴⁶ Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith. ⁴⁷ Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. ⁴⁸ Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates^[n] reigned in his place. ⁴⁹ Shaul died, and Baal-hanan, the son of Achbor, reigned in his place. ⁵⁰ Baal-hanan died, and Hadad reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pai; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. ⁵¹ And Hadad died.

The chiefs of Edom were: chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁵² Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁵³ Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁵⁴ Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom.

A Genealogy of David

2 These are the sons of ^(U)Israel: ^(V)Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, ^(W)Issachar, Zebulun, ^2 (X)Dan, ^(Y)Joseph, ^(Z)Benjamin, ^(AA)Naphtali, ^(AB)Gad, and Asher. ^3 (AC)The sons of Judah: ^(AD)Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death. ⁴ His daughter-in-law ^(AE)Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

⁵ The ^(AF)sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. ⁶ The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. ⁷ The son^[o] of Carmi: Achan, the troubler of Israel, who ^(AG)broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing; ⁸ and Ethan's son was Azariah.

⁹ The sons of Hezron that were born to him: Jerahmeel, ^(AH)Ram, and ^(AI)Chelubai. ^10 (AJ)Ram fathered Amminadab, and ^(AK)Amminadab fathered ^(AL)Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah. ¹¹ Nahshon fathered ^(AM)Salmon,^[p] Salmon fathered ^(AN)Boaz, ¹² Boaz fathered Obed, ^(AO)Obed fathered Jesse. ^13 (AP)Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, ^(AQ)Shimea the third, ¹⁴ Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, ¹⁵ Ozem the sixth, ^(AR)David the seventh. ¹⁶ And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. ^(AS)The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three. ^17 (AT)Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was ^(AU)Jether the Ishmaelite.

^11 (A)The following night ^(B)the Lord stood by him and said, ^(C)“Take courage, for ^(D)as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must ^(E)testify also in Rome.”

A Plot to Kill Paul

¹² When it was day, ^(F)the Jews made a plot and ^(G)bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. ¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered ^(H)the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷ Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” ¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul ^(I)the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” ¹⁹ The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” ²⁰ And he said, ^(J)“The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. ²¹ But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who ^(K)have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” ²² So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

Paul Sent to Felix the Governor

²³ Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.^{[a] 24} Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to ^(L)Felix ^(M)the governor.” ²⁵ And he wrote a letter to this effect:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias, to ^(N)his Excellency the governor Felix, ^(O)greetings. ^27 (P)This man was seized by the Jews and ^(Q)was about to be killed by them ^(R)when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, ^(S)having learned that he was a Roman citizen. ²⁸ And ^(T)desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. ²⁹ I found that he was being accused ^(U)about questions of their law, but ^(V)charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. ^30 (W)And when it was disclosed to me ^(X)that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ^(Y)ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”

³¹ So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² And on the next day they returned to ^(Z)the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. ³³ When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. ³⁴ On reading the letter, he asked what ^(AA)province he was from. And when he learned ^(AB)that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I will give you a hearing ^(AC)when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's ^(AD)praetorium.

Save Me, O My God

A Psalm of David, ^(A)when he fled from Absalom his son.

Jehoahaz's Reign and Captivity

^31 (A)Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was ^(B)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ³² And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^(C)according to all that his fathers had done. ³³ And ^(D)Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at ^(E)Riblah in the land of ^(F)Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents^[a] of silver and a talent of gold. ³⁴ And ^(G)Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and ^(H)changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, ^(I)and he came to Egypt and died there. ³⁵ And Jehoiakim ^(J)gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah

^36 (K)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. ³⁷ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^(L)according to all that his fathers had done.

24 ^(M)In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. ² And the Lord sent against him bands of the ^(N)Chaldeans and ^(O)bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, ^(P)according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets. ³ Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, ^(Q)for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, ⁴ and also ^(R)for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon. ^5 (S)Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁶ So Jehoiakim ^(T)slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. ^7 (U)And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, ^(V)for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt ^(W)from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah

^8 (X)Jehoiachin was ^(Y)eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. ⁹ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^(Z)according to all that his father had done.

Jerusalem Captured

¹⁰ At that time the servants of ^(AA)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. ¹¹ And ^(AB)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, ^12 (AC)and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. ^(AD)The king of Babylon took him prisoner ^(AE)in the eighth year of his reign ¹³ and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord ^(AF)and the treasures of the king's house, ^(AG)and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, ^(AH)which Solomon king of Israel had made, ^(AI)as the Lord had foretold. ^14 (AJ)He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, ^(AK)10,000 captives, ^(AL)and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, ^(AM)except the poorest people of the land. ^15 (AN)And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. ¹⁶ And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, ^(AO)7,000, and the craftsmen and the metal workers, 1,000, all of them strong and fit for war. ^17 (AP)And the king of Babylon ^(AQ)made Mattaniah, ^(AR)Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place, ^(AS)and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah

^18 (AT)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was ^(AU)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ¹⁹ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^(AV)according to all that Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰ For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

^(AW)And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Fall and Captivity of Judah

25 ^(AX)And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, ^(AY)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ^(AZ)And they built siegeworks all around it. ² So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ³ On the ninth day of the fourth month ^(BA)the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. ⁴ Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by ^(BB)the king's garden, and ^(BC)the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the ^(BD)Arabah. ⁵ But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. ⁶ Then they captured the king ^(BE)and brought him up to the king of Babylon at ^(BF)Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. ⁷ They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, ^(BG)and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.

^8 (BH)In the fifth month, on ^(BI)the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ^9 (BJ)And he burned the house of the Lord ^(BK)and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. ¹⁰ And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, ^(BL)broke down the walls around Jerusalem. ^11 (BM)And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. ¹² But the captain of the guard left ^(BN)some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

^13 (BO)And the pillars ^(BP)of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and ^(BQ)the stands and ^(BR)the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. ^14 (BS)And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service, ¹⁵ the fire pans also and the bowls. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. ¹⁶ As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, ^(BT)the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. ^17 (BU)The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits,^[b] and on it was a capital of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits. A latticework and pomegranates, all of bronze, were all around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with the latticework.

^18 (BV)And the captain of the guard took ^(BW)Seraiah the chief priest and ^(BX)Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; ¹⁹ and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and ^(BY)five men of the king's council who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city. ²⁰ And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at ^(BZ)Riblah. ²¹ And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at ^(CA)Riblah in the land of Hamath. ^(CB)So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah

²² And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed ^(CC)Gedaliah the son of ^(CD)Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. ^23 (CE)Now when all the captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at ^(CF)Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite. ²⁴ And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” ^25 (CG)But in the seventh month, ^(CH)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. ^26 (CI)Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison

^27 (CJ)And in the thirty-seventh year of ^(CK)the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously ^(CL)freed^[c] Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. ²⁸ And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. ²⁹ So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life ^(CM)he dined regularly at the king's table, ³⁰ and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.

^17 (A)“When I had returned to Jerusalem and ^(B)was praying in the temple, I fell into ^(C)a trance ¹⁸ and saw him saying to me, ^(D)‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ ¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another ^(E)I imprisoned and ^(F)beat those who believed in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of Stephen ^(G)your witness was being shed, ^(H)I myself was standing by and ^(I)approving and ^(J)watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ ²¹ And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you ^(K)far away to the Gentiles.’”

Paul and the Roman Tribune

²² Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, ^(L)“Away with such a fellow from the earth! For ^(M)he should not be allowed to live.” ²³ And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, ²⁴ the tribune ordered him to be brought into ^(N)the barracks, saying that he should be ^(O)examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. ²⁵ But when they had stretched him out for the whips,^[a] Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog ^(P)a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” ²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” ²⁷ So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” ²⁸ The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” ²⁹ So those who were about ^(Q)to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also ^(R)was afraid, ^(S)for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that ^(T)he had bound him.

Paul Before the Council

³⁰ But on the next day, ^(U)desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.

23 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, ^(V)I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” ² And the high priest ^(W)Ananias commanded those who stood by him ^(X)to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you ^(Y)whitewashed ^(Z)wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet ^(AA)contrary to the law you ^(AB)order me to be struck?” ⁴ Those who stood by said, “Would you revile ^(AC)God's high priest?” ⁵ And Paul said, ^(AD)“I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ^(AE)‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

⁶ Now when Paul perceived that one part were ^(AF)Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, ^(AG)I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is ^(AH)with respect to the ^(AI)hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” ⁷ And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ For the Sadducees ^(AJ)say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. ⁹ Then a great clamor arose, and some of ^(AK)the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, ^(AL)“We find nothing wrong in this man. What ^(AM)if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” ¹⁰ And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into ^(AN)the barracks.