2 Samuel 16 Cross References - LEB

¹ Now David passed a little from beyond the summit, and suddenly Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him with a pair of saddled donkeys; on them were two hundred loaves of bread and a hundred raisin cakes, with a hundred summer fruits and a skin of wine. ² The king said to Ziba, "_⌊What do you want to accomplish by bringing these_⌋?"* And Ziba said, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on; the bread and the summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for the faint in the wilderness to drink. ³ Then the king said, "Where is the son of your lord?" And Ziba said to the king, "He is living in Jerusalem for he said, 'Today the house of Israel shall return the kingdom of my father to me.'" ⁴ The king said to Ziba, "Look, all that was Mephibosheth's is yours." Ziba said, "I hereby do obeisance; may I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king." ⁵ King David came up to Bahurim and suddenly a man from there was coming out from the family of the house of Saul, and his name was Shimei the son of Gera. _⌊He was cursing as he came out_⌋.* ⁶ And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David and at all the people and at all the mighty warriors on his right and on his left. ⁷ Shimei said while cursing him, "Go out, go out, you _⌊man of bloodshed_⌋,* you _⌊man of wickedness_⌋.* ⁸ Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of the household of Saul _⌊whom you have supplanted as king_⌋,* and Yahweh has given the kingship into the hand of Absalom your son. Look, you are in disaster for you are a man of blood." ⁹ Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head." ¹⁰ The king said, "_⌊What do we have in common_⌋,* sons of Zeruiah? If* he curses because Yahweh has said to him 'Curse David,' who can say, "Why have you done this?" ¹¹ David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Look, my son who came out of my loins* is seeking my life. Now _⌊as far as_⌋* this Benjaminite, leave him alone and let him curse, for Yahweh has spoken to him. ¹² Perhaps Yahweh will look _⌊in my eye_⌋* and repay good for me in place of his curse this day. ¹³ Then David and his men went on the road, with Shimei going on the side of the hill beside him, _⌊cursing as he went_⌋.* He threw stones beside him and threw* dust in the air. ¹⁴ When the king and all of the people who were with him arrived, he was weary, so he recovered there. ¹⁵ Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, had come to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. ¹⁶ When Hushai the Arkite the friend of David came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king, long live the king!" ¹⁷ Absalom said to Hushai, "This is your loyal love with your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?" ¹⁸ Then Hushai said to Absalom, "No, rather, whom Yahweh and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, to him* I will be, and with him I will remain. ¹⁹ _⌊Furthermore_⌋,* for whom have I served? Is it not in the presence of his son that I have served before your father? _⌊So shall I serve you_⌋!"* ²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give your advice. What shall we do?" ²¹ And Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go to the concubines of your father whom he left behind to watch over the house, then all of Israel will hear that you made yourself odious to your father, and _⌊all of your followers will be motivated_⌋!"* ²² Then they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he went in to the concubines of his father before the eyes of all Israel. ²³ The counsel that Ahithophel gave in those days was regarded as when a man* inquired of the word of God, so all the counsel of Ahithophel was esteemed both by David and by Absalom.

³ Then you will go on from there and further you will come to the oak of Tabor. There three men will meet you, who are going up to God at Bethel. One will be carrying three male kid goats, one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and one will be carrying a skin of wine.

²⁰ And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a skin of wine and one _⌊young goat_⌋* and sent them to Saul by the hand of David his son.

¹⁷ Then Jesse said to his son David, "Please take for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and bring them quickly to the camp for your brothers. ¹⁸ And these ten portions of cheese you will bring to the commander of the thousand; _⌊find out how your brothers are doing_⌋,* and take their pledge."*

¹⁸ Then Abigail _⌊quickly took_⌋* two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five prepared sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes, and she put them on the donkeys.

² Now Saul's household had a servant whose name was Ziba, so they summoned him to David, and the king asked him, "Are you Ziba?" He said, "_⌊At your service_⌋!"* ³ Then the king said, "But is there still anyone of Saul's household that I may show the loyal love of God with him?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in the feet." ⁴ The king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "_⌊He is here_⌋* in the house of Makir the son of Ammiel in Lo Debar." ⁵ So King David sent and brought him from the house of Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar. ⁶ So Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David. And he fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, "Mephibosheth," and he said, "_⌊I am ready to serve you_⌋."* ⁷ Then David said to him, "Don't be afraid, for _⌊I will certainly show_⌋* loyal love to you for the sake of Jonathan your father, and I will restore to you all the lands of Saul your father. And you shall always eat food at my table." ⁸ Then he* did obeisance and said, "What is your servant that you have paid attention to the dead dog like me?" ⁹ David summoned Ziba the servant of Saul and said to him, "All that was Saul's and all his household I have given to the son of your master. ¹⁰ You shall till the land for him, you and your sons and your servants; you shall bring in the produce and it shall be food for the son of your master that he may eat. But Mephibosheth the son of your master may always eat food at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty slaves.) ¹¹ Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my master the king commands his servant, so your servant will do." So Mephibosheth was eating at his table as one of the sons of the king. ¹² Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah, and all of the dwelling of the household of Ziba became servants for Mephibosheth. ¹³ And Mephibosheth was living in Jerusalem, because he was continually eating at the table of the king, even though he was lame in both of his feet.

³⁰ Now David was going up on the Ascent of the Olives, _⌊weeping as he went_⌋,* with his head covered and going barefoot. All the people who were with him each covered their head _⌊and wept as they went_⌋.*

³² It happened that as David was coming up to the summit where he used to worship God, suddenly Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him. His coat was torn and dirt was on his head.

²⁷ Just as David had arrived in Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* and Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim ²⁸ brought beds and basins and objects of pottery, as well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, ²⁹ honey, curds, sheep, cheese, and cattle for David and for the people who were with him to eat. For they had thought, "The troops are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness."

³² Now Barzillai was very old, _⌊eighty years old_⌋.* Now he had provided the king with food while he was staying at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man.

⁴⁰ And also their relatives, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen—provisions of flour, cakes of figs, raisin cakes, wine and oil, cattle and sheep in abundance, for there was great joy in Israel.

¹⁶ The gift of a person will open doors for him, and before the great, it gives him access.

⁴ By justice a king gives stability to a land, but a man of bribes will ruin it. ⁵ A strong man who flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet.

¹⁰ _⌊As for me_⌋,* look, I am staying at Mizpah to represent you _⌊before_⌋* the Chaldeans who come to us. But you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, and put them in your vessels, and live in your towns that you have seized."

¹² then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they were scattered. And they came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and they gathered wine and summer fruit that yielded _⌊in great abundance_⌋.*

¹ My Lord Yahweh showed me this, and there was a basket of summer fruit.

¹ Woe is me! For I have become like the gatherings of summer, like the gleanings of the grape harvest, when there is no cluster of grapes to eat or early ripened fruit that my soul desires.

²⁹ And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe-lambs that you have set off by themselves?"

⁸ And he* said, "_⌊What do you mean by_⌋* all this company that I have met?" Then he said, "To find favor in the eyes of my lord."

¹⁰ The riders of white female donkeys, those sitting on saddle blankets, and those going on the way, talk about it!

⁴ Then Gideon came to the Jordan, crossing it with the three hundred men who were with him, weary and pursuing. ⁵ He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who are _⌊following me_⌋,* for they are weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

⁴ And he had thirty sons who would ride on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty towns that are in the land of Gilead that they called Havvoth Jair until this day.

²⁸ Then a man from the army informed him and said, "Your father made the army swear a solemn oath, saying, 'Cursed be the man who eats food today,'" so the army is exhausted.

²⁷ So then, this gift which your female servant has brought to my lord, may it be given to the young men _⌊who follow my lord_⌋.*

¹ It happened afterward that Absalom made himself a chariot with horses and fifty men running before him.

²³ All of the land was weeping with a loud voice as all the people were passing by and the king was crossing through the Wadi Kidron, and all the people were passing _⌊on the road to the wilderness_⌋.*

²⁹ honey, curds, sheep, cheese, and cattle for David and for the people who were with him to eat. For they had thought, "The troops are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness."

²⁶ Then he said, "My lord the king, my servant deceived me, for your servant had said, 'Let me saddle the donkey that I may ride on her and go with the king,' for your servant is lame.

⁶ Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those _⌊in bitter distress_⌋.* ⁷ He will drink and forget his poverty, and his misery he will not remember any more.

¹⁸ _⌊When_⌋* _⌊your people_⌋* say to you, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Will you not inform us as to what these actions mean for you?'

¹⁶ "You shall not testify against your neighbor with a false witness.

¹⁸ Then judges shall make a thorough inquiry, and if it turns out* that the witness is a false witness and he testified falsely against his brother, ¹⁹ then you shall do to him as he meant* to do to his brother, and so you shall purge the evil from your midst.

⁹ David summoned Ziba the servant of Saul and said to him, "All that was Saul's and all his household I have given to the son of your master. ¹⁰ You shall till the land for him, you and your sons and your servants; you shall bring in the produce and it shall be food for the son of your master that he may eat. But Mephibosheth the son of your master may always eat food at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty slaves.)

²⁴ Now, Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; he had not taken care of his feet nor trimmed his moustache nor washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he came back in peace. ²⁵ It happened that when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, "Why did you not come with me, Mephibosheth?" ²⁶ Then he said, "My lord the king, my servant deceived me, for your servant had said, 'Let me saddle the donkey that I may ride on her and go with the king,' for your servant is lame. ²⁷ But he slandered against your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like the angel of God; _⌊do as you see fit._⌋."* ²⁸ For there was no one in all the house of my father _⌊who were not doomed to death_⌋* before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. Do I have any righteousness any longer except to cry out to the king?" ²⁹ Then the king said to him, "Why should you speak any more about the matter? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land." ³⁰ Then Mephibosheth said to the king, "Let him take the whole thing, since my lord the king has come _⌊safely_⌋* to his house."

³ He does not slander with his tongue. He does not harm his friend, nor _⌊bring up_⌋* a disgrace against his neighbor.

¹⁸ You have removed loved one and friend far from me, my acquaintances far from my darkness.

⁵ One who slanders his neighbor in secret, him I will destroy. One haughty of eyes and _⌊arrogant_⌋* of heart, him I will not endure.

¹⁹ Thus are the ways of all who are greedy for gain— it will take the life of its possessors.

²⁸ A false witness will perish, but a man who listens will testify with* success.

⁵ Do not put faith in a friend; put no trust in a close friend. Guard the doorways of your mouth from the one who lies in your lap.

⁹ But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge those people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all evil, by which some, because they* desire it, have gone astray from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.

¹¹ Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, and have given themselves up to the error of Balaam for gain, and have perished* in the rebellion of Korah.

⁸ And you will not take a bribe, because the bribe makes the sighted blind and ruins the words of the righteous.

¹⁵ _⌊The testimony of a single witness may not be used to convict_⌋* with respect to any crime and for any wrongdoing in any offense that a person* committed; on the _⌊evidence_⌋* of two witnesses or on the _⌊evidence_⌋* of three witnesses _⌊a charge shall be sustained_⌋.*

⁴ So the Tekoite woman spoke to the king, and she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance. She said, "Help me, O king!"

¹⁰ The king said, "Whoever has spoken to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you again." ¹¹ Then she said, "Please may the king remember Yahweh your God, _⌊to prevent the increase of blood avengers who kill_⌋,* so that they not wipe out my son." He said, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* surely not one hair shall fall from your son to the ground."

²² Joab fell with his face to the ground and did obeisance. And he blessed the king, and he* said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant."

¹³ He who returns a word before he will hear, folly itself belongs to him as well as* shame.

¹⁷ The first in his dispute is deemed righteous, but his neighbor will come and examine him.

² Also, a life* without knowledge is not good, and he who moves quickly with his feet _⌊misses the mark_⌋.*

²⁸ " 'You will not curse God,* and you will not curse a leader among your people.

⁴³ So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you are coming to me with sticks?" Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

¹⁶ But her husband went with her, _⌊weeping all along_⌋* after her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go and return." So he returned.

¹⁴ When the king and all of the people who were with him arrived, he was weary, so he recovered there.

¹⁸ But a young man saw them and told Absalom, so both of them went quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim. Now he had a well in his courtyard, so they went down there.

¹⁶ Then Shimei the son of Gera, the son of the Benjaminite, who was from Bahurim quickly came down with the men of Judah to meet King David, ¹⁷ and a thousand men were with him from Benjamin. Too, Ziba the servant of the household of Saul and fifteen of his sons and twenty of his servants were with him, and they rushed to the Jordan before the king. ¹⁸ _⌊The crossing took place_⌋* to bring the household of the king over and to do good in his eyes. Then Shimei the son of Gera fell before the king when he crossed over the Jordan, ¹⁹ and he said to the king, "May not my lord hold me guilty, and may you not remember how your servant did wrong on the day that my lord the king went out from Jerusalem, by taking it to heart! ²⁰ For your servant knows that I have sinned; look, I have come this day as the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king." ²¹ Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah responded and said, "Because of this, should not Shimei be put to death, for he cursed the anointed one of Yahweh?" ²² Then David said, "What is it to me or to you, sons of Zeruiah, that you should be an adversary today? Should anyone be put to death in Israel? Do I not know today that I am king over Israel?" ²³ Then the king said to Shimei, "You shall not die," and so the king swore to him.

⁸ And look, Shimei the son of Gera the son of the Benjaminite from Bahurim is with you. Now he _⌊cursed me severely_⌋* when I went to Mahanaim, but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, so I swore to him by Yahweh, 'I surely will not kill you with the sword.' ⁹ So then, do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man, and you will know what you must do to him. You must bring his grey hair down to Sheol with blood."

³⁶ Then the king sent and summoned Shimei, and he said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but you must not go out _⌊anywhere whatsoever_⌋* from there. ³⁷ It shall happen that on the day you go out and cross over the Wadi* Kidron, know for certain that _⌊you will surely die_⌋.* Your blood will be on your head." ³⁸ Shimei said to the king, "The word is good that my lord the king has spoken to me; thus will your servant do." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days. ³⁹ It happened that at the end of three years, two of Shimei's slaves fled to Achish, son of Maacah, the king of Gath. They told Shimei, saying, "Your slaves are here in Gath." ⁴⁰ So Shimei got up and saddled his donkey, and he went to Gath, to Achish, to search for his slaves. So Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. ⁴¹ When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, ⁴² the king sent and summoned Shimei, and he said to him, "Did I not make you swear by Yahweh? I warned you, saying, 'On the day you go out and you go _⌊anywhere whatsoever_⌋,* know for certain that _⌊you will surely die_⌋.'* And you said to me, 'The word is good; I accept.' ⁴³ Why have you not kept the oath of Yahweh and the command which I commanded you?" ⁴⁴ Then the king said to Shimei, "You know all the evil which your heart knows, what you did to David my father. Now Yahweh will return the evil on your head, ⁴⁵ but King Solomon will be blessed and the throne of David will be established before Yahweh forever." ⁴⁶ Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

²⁶ because they persecute those whom you, yourself, have struck, and they tell of the pain of those you have wounded.

¹⁶ because he did not remember to show loyal love, but he pursued anyone,* poor or needy or brokenhearted, to slay them. ¹⁷ Because he loved cursing, let it come upon him. Because he did not delight in blessing, let it be far from him. ¹⁸ Because he wore a curse as his robe, let it enter _⌊his body_⌋* like water, and into his bones like oil. ¹⁹ May it be for him like a garment in which he wraps, and a belt _⌊he continually wears_⌋.*

²⁸ Let them curse, but you bless. When they arise, let them be put to shame, that your servant may be glad.

² Like the sparrow is to fluttering and like the swallow is to flying, so an undeserved curse does not go forth.

²⁰ Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, and do not curse the rich even in your own bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice; a winged messenger may repeat your words.

²¹ And it* will pass through it* distressed and hungry, and this shall happen: when it is hungry, it will be enraged, and it will curse its king and its gods,* and it will face upwar

¹¹ Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you, lying on account of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

¹³ _⌊worthless men_⌋* have gone out from your midst and have seduced the inhabitants of their town, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Let us go and serve other gods!' whom you have not known,

¹² Now the sons of Eli were _⌊worthless scoundrels_⌋;* they did not know* Yahweh.

¹⁷ And so then, know and _⌊consider_⌋* what you should do, for evil has been decided against our master and against all his household, and he is such _⌊a wicked man_⌋,* _⌊nobody can reason with him_⌋!"*

³⁷ Then all the people and all of Israel realized on that day that _⌊the king had not desired_⌋* to kill Abner the son of Ner.

¹⁵ He had written in the letter, "Put Uriah in the front, in the face of the fiercest fighting, then draw back from behind him so that he may be struck down and die." ¹⁶ _⌊When Joab was besieging_⌋* the city, he put Uriah toward the place which he knew _⌊there were valiant warriors_⌋.* ¹⁷ The men of the city came out and fought with Joab. Some from the army from the servants of David fell; Uriah the Hittite also died.

⁹ Why have you despised the word of Yahweh by doing evil in his eyes?* Uriah the Hittite you have struck down with the sword, and his wife you have taken to yourself as wife! You have killed him with the sword of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋!*

¹⁰ Seat two men, _⌊scoundrels_⌋,* opposite him. Let them witness against him saying, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then you shall bring him out and stone him so that he dies."

¹³ Then the two men, _⌊scoundrels_⌋,* came, sat opposite him, and the _⌊scoundrels_⌋* witnessed against Naboth before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king," so they brought him outside of the city and stoned him with stones, and he died.

⁶ You destroy speakers of lies.* _⌊A man of bloodshed_⌋* and deceit Yahweh abhors.

¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

²⁴ so that the violence done to the seventy brothers of Abimelech would be avenged and their blood be placed on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the lords of Shechem, _⌊who helped_⌋* to kill his brothers.

⁵⁶ So God repaid* the wickedness* that Abimelech committed against his father by killing his seventy brothers. ⁵⁷ And God also repaid all the wickedness* of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell on them.

¹⁶ David said to him, "Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you by saying, 'I killed Yahweh's anointed one!'"

²⁸ When David heard this afterwards, he said: "I and my kingdom are innocent _⌊before Yahweh_⌋* forever for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ²⁹ May the blood come down on the head of Joab and all the house of his father. _⌊May the house of Joab never lack_⌋* one with a bodily discharge or one with leprosy or one who grasps the distaff or one who falls by the sword or one who is lacking food."

⁸ They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron, and they said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life. Yahweh has given to my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and on his offspring." ⁹ Then David answered Recab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and he said to them, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* who redeemed my soul from all trouble, ¹⁰ when the one who told me, "Look, Saul is dead," _⌊thought that he was bringing good news_⌋,* I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was as my giving the news back to him. ¹¹ _⌊How much more_⌋* when wicked men kill a righteous man in his house, on his bed! So then, shall I not seek his lifeblood from your hand, so that I may destroy you from the earth?" ¹² Then David commanded the young men, and they killed them, and they cut off their hands and their feet, and they hung them at the pool at Hebron, but the head of Ish-Bosheth they took and buried in the grave of Abner at Hebron.

⁹ He gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they executed them on the mountain in the presence of Yahweh, and the seven fell together. Now they were put to death in the days of the harvest, at the beginning of the harvest of barley.

³² Yahweh will return his blood on his head, because he fell upon two men, more righteous and better than he, and he killed them with the sword, even though my father did not know it; namely Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. ³³ And their blood will return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever, but for David and his descendants and for his house and his throne, there will be peace forever from Yahweh."

² Many are saying about my soul, "There is no deliverance for him from* God. Selah*

² O sons of man, how long will my honor* be a disgrace? How long will you love vanity? How long will you seek lies?* Selah

⁴ And when the local people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying* to one another, "Doubtless this man is a murderer whom, although he* was rescued from the sea, Justice* has not permitted to live!" ⁵ He, in turn, shook off the creature into the fire and* suffered no harm.

⁶ because they have poured out the blood of the saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink; they are deserving!"

¹⁴ After whom did the king of Israel go out? After whom are you pursuing? After a dead dog? After one flea?

⁶ David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah the brother of Joab, saying, "Who will go down with me to Saul, in the camp?" And Abishai said, "I will go down with you." ⁷ So David and Abishai came to the army by night, and _⌊there was_⌋* Saul lying asleep in the encampment with* his spear thrust into the ground near his head, and Abner and the army were lying all around him. ⁸ Then Abishai said to David, "God has handed over your enemy into your hand today! So then, _⌊please let me pin him to the ground with the spear_⌋* _⌊one time_⌋,* and _⌊I will not strike him twice_⌋."* ⁹ But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy* him! For who has stretched out his hand against Yahweh's anointed one and remained blameless?" ¹⁰ And David said, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* _⌊certainly_⌋* Yahweh will strike him, or his day will come and he will die, or he will go down in the battle and _⌊perish_⌋.* ¹¹ _⌊Yahweh forbid me_⌋* from stretching out my hand against Yahweh's anointed one! So then, please take the spear that is near his head and the jar of water, and let us go."

⁸ _⌊Abner became very angry_⌋* at the words of Ish-Bosheth, and he said, "Am I the head of a dog which is for Judah today? Do I not continue to show loyal love with the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends? I have not let you fall into the hands of David, yet you have _⌊accused me of sin with this woman_⌋* today.

³⁰ So Joab and Abishai, his brother, killed Abner because he had killed Asahel, their brother, at Gibeon in the battle.

⁸ Then he* did obeisance and said, "What is your servant that you have paid attention to the dead dog like me?"

³⁰ no,* I have not allowed my mouth to sin, to ask his life with a curse. ³¹ _⌊Have the people of my tent not said_⌋,* '_⌊O that_⌋* someone* had not been satisfied with his meat'?

¹³ And Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies who were in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah ¹⁴ and said to him, "_⌊Are you at all aware_⌋* that Baalis, the king of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋,* has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, to kill you?" But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam would not believe them. ¹⁵ Then Johanan the son of Kareah said to Gedaliah in secrecy at Mizpah, _⌊saying_⌋,* "Please let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and _⌊nobody_⌋* will know. Why should he kill you, so that all of Judah who are gathered to you will be scattered, and the remnant of Judah will perish?" ¹⁶ But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "You must not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael."

⁵⁴ Now when* the disciples James and John saw it,* they said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"

⁵ And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, 'You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"*

¹⁷ Honor all people, love the community of believers, fear God, honor the king.*

²⁰ As for you, you planned evil against me, but God planned it for good, in order to do this—to keep many people alive—as it is today.

³⁹ I am weak today even though anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are crueler than I am. May Yahweh pay them back for doing wickedness according to their own wickedness."

²² Then David said, "What is it to me or to you, sons of Zeruiah, that you should be an adversary today? Should anyone be put to death in Israel? Do I not know today that I am king over Israel?"

⁵ "Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me when he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner son of Ner and to Amasa son of Jether, and he murdered them and put the blood of war in a time of peace. He put the blood of war on the leather belt that was on his waist and on the sandals which were on his feet.

²¹ Then a spirit came out and stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him,' and Yahweh said to him, 'How?' ²² He said, 'I will go out and I will be a false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he* said, 'You shall entice and succeed, go out and do so.' ²³ So then, see that Yahweh has placed a false spirit in the mouth of all of these your prophets, and Yahweh has spoken disaster concerning you."

²⁵ Have I now come up against this place without Yahweh to destroy it? Yahweh has said to me, 'Go up against this land and destroy it!'" '"

¹² _⌊If_⌋* he would snatch away, who could turn him? Who could say to him, 'What are you doing?'

⁴ Since the word of the king is supreme, no one can say to him, "What are you doing?"

³⁸ Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that disaster and good will come? ³⁹ Why should any living person complain about his sin?

³⁵ And all the dwellers of the earth are regarded as nothing, and he does _⌊according to_⌋* his desire in the host of heaven and among the dwellers of earth, and there is not one who can hold back his hand, or _⌊ask him_⌋,* 'What are you doing?'

²³ But he turned around and* said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a cause for stumbling to me, because you are not intent on the things of God, but the things of people!"

⁵⁴ Now when* the disciples James and John saw it,* they said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" ⁵⁵ But he turned around and* rebuked them, ⁵⁶ and they proceeded to another village.

¹¹ So Jesus said to Peter, "Put the sword into its* sheath! The cup that the Father has given me—shall I not drink it?"

²⁰ On the contrary, O man, who are you who answers back to God? Will what is molded say to the one who molded it, "Why did you make me like this"?*

²³ who when he* was reviled, did not revile in return; when* suffering, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly,

⁴ And behold, the word of Yahweh came to him saying, "This person will not _⌊be your heir_⌋,* but _⌊your own son will be your heir_⌋."*

⁵ So now, do not be distressed and do not be angry _⌊with yourselves_⌋* that you sold me here, for God sent me as deliverance before you.

² And the king said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, please, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is staying in the middle of the tent."

¹¹ Thus says Yahweh, 'Look, I am going to raise up evil against you from within your house, and I will take your women before your eyes, and I will give them to your neighbor, and he shall sleep with your wives _⌊in broad daylight_⌋.* ¹² Though you did this in secret, I will do this thing before all of Israel _⌊in broad daylight_⌋!'"*

¹ Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue after David _⌊tonight_⌋.* ² I will come upon him while he is weary and _⌊weak_⌋.* I will startle him, and all of the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king while he is alone. ³ Then I will return all the people to you; when all have returned, the man whom you are seeking will be dead,* but all the people will be safe." ⁴ The word was right in the eyes of Absalom and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.

³⁷ It happened that he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, and Adrammelech and Sharezer* struck him with the sword. Then they escaped into the land of Ararat, and Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.

²¹ Then Yahweh sent an angel, and he destroyed every mighty warrior of strength, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. And he returned with shamed face to his land and went into the house of his god. And some of the offspring of his loins fell upon him there with the sword.

⁵ Ah! Assyria, the rod of my anger, and a staff is in their hand: my wrath! ⁶ I send him against a godless nation, and I command him against the people of my wrath, to capture spoil and to carry off plunder, and to make them* a trampling place, like the clay of the streets. ⁷ But he does not think this,* and his heart does not plan this. For it is in his heart to destroy and to cut off not a few nations.

⁹ And the prophet, if he is deceived and he speaks a word, I Yahweh, I have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him, and I will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

²⁵ And in turn I gave to them rules that were not good and regulations _⌊by which they will not live_⌋.*

²¹ "And brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his children, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death,

³² Then Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Because Yahweh has noticed my misery, that I am unloved. Now my husband will love me." ³³ And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, "It is because Yahweh has heard that I am unloved that he gave me this son also." And she called his name Simeon.

²⁴ And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, ²⁵ and God saw the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* and God took notice.*

⁷ And Yahweh said, "Surely I have seen the misery of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry of distress because of their oppressors, for I know their sufferings. ⁸ And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from this land to a good and wide land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites* and the Hittites* and the Amorites* and the Perizzites* and the Hivites* and the Jebusites.*

⁵ But Yahweh your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, and Yahweh your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loved you.

¹¹ She _⌊made a vow_⌋* and said: "O Yahweh of hosts, if you will look with compassion on the misery of your female servant, and will remember me, and not forget your female servant, and will give to your female servant _⌊a male child_⌋* then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and a razor will never pass over his head."*

¹⁸ Consider my affliction and trouble, and forgive* all my sins.

⁷ Does he strike him _⌊as he struck down those who struck him_⌋?* Or is he killed _⌊as those who killed him were killed_⌋?*

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose,

¹⁷ For our momentary light affliction is producing in us an eternal weight of glory _⌊beyond all measure and proportion_⌋*,

⁷ and to you who are being afflicted, rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels,

¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a few days according to what seemed appropriate to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we can have a share in his holiness.

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, when it* takes place to test you, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice and be glad. ¹⁴ If you are reviled on account of the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵ By all means do not let anyone of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. ¹⁶ But if someone suffers as a Christian, he must not be ashamed, but must glorify God with this name. ¹⁷ For it is the time for the judgment to begin out from the household of God. But if it begins out from us first, what will be the outcome for those who are disobedient to the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And if the righteous are saved with difficulty, _⌊what will become of the ungodly and the sinner_⌋*?* ¹⁹ So then also those who suffer according to the will of God must entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing good.

⁵ King David came up to Bahurim and suddenly a man from there was coming out from the family of the house of Saul, and his name was Shimei the son of Gera. _⌊He was cursing as he came out_⌋.* ⁶ And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David and at all the people and at all the mighty warriors on his right and on his left.

²³ And he summoned two of the centurions and* said, "Make ready from the third hour of the night two hundred soldiers and seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen,* in order that they may proceed as far as Caesarea.

¹² Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the advisor of David, from his city Giloh, while he offered the sacrifices. The conspiracy _⌊grew in strength_⌋,* and the people were going and _⌊increasing_⌋* with Absalom.

³⁷ So Hushai the friend of David came to the city as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

²⁴ Then Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom Yahweh has chosen? For there is no one like him among all the people!" And all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!"

²⁵ "For he went down today and sacrificed oxen, sheep, and fattened animals _⌊in abundance_⌋.* He invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest, and look, they are eating and drinking before him. They have also said, "Long live King Adonijah!

³⁴ Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel. Blow on the trumpet and say, 'Long live King Solomon!'

¹² Then he brought out the son of the king, put the crown on him with the testimony, and they made him king, anointed him, clapped their hands, and said, "Long live the king!"

⁴ And the _⌊astrologers_⌋* said to the king in Aramaic,* "O king, live forever! Tell the dream to your servants and we will reveal the explanation."

¹⁰ Because of the words of the king and his lords,* the queen came into _⌊the banqueting hall_⌋* and the queen _⌊spoke up_⌋* and said, "O king, live _⌊forever_⌋,* and let not your thoughts terrify you and do not let your facial expressions _⌊grow pale_⌋.*

⁶ So the administrators and the satraps conspired _⌊with respect to_⌋* the king and so they said to him, "Darius, O king, live _⌊forever_⌋!*

²¹ Then Daniel spoke to* the king, "O king, live _⌊forever_⌋!*

⁹ And the crowds who went ahead of him and the ones who followed were shouting, saying,
"Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!* Hosanna in the highest heaven!"*

⁶ Like this do you treat Yahweh, foolish and _⌊unwise_⌋* people? Has he not, your father, created you? He made you, and he established you.

³² It happened that as David was coming up to the summit where he used to worship God, suddenly Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him. His coat was torn and dirt was on his head. ³³ David said to him, "If you move on with me, you will be a burden to me, ³⁴ but if you want to return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I am your servant, O king. I used to be a servant of your father, but from then and now I will be your servant,' then you can frustrate the counsel of Ahithophel for me. ³⁵ Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be with you there? It shall be that all the words you hear from the house of the king you shall tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ³⁶ Look, there with them are their two sons, Ahimaaz of Zadok and Jonathan of Abiathar. You shall send to me _⌊by means of them_⌋* all the words that you hear." ³⁷ So Hushai the friend of David came to the city as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

²⁵ It happened that when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, "Why did you not come with me, Mephibosheth?"

¹⁷ The friend loves at all times*, but a brother is born for adversity.

²⁴ A man of many friends will come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

¹³ So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. Then the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon David from that day _⌊on_⌋.* Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

¹ So all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and they said, "Here we are, _⌊we are your flesh and blood_⌋.* ² _⌊For some time_⌋,* when Saul was king over us, _⌊you were leading Israel in and out_⌋.* Yahweh had said to you, 'You shall be the shepherd of my people Israel, and you will be the leader over Israel.'" ³ 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 Yahweh; then they anointed David as king over Israel.

² David said to Achish, "Very well, you will know what your servant can do." Achish said to David, "Very well, I will make you _⌊my bodyguard_⌋* for life."

⁸ Then David said to Achish, "But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant from the day that I _⌊entered your service_⌋* until this day, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"

³⁴ but if you want to return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I am your servant, O king. I used to be a servant of your father, but from then and now I will be your servant,' then you can frustrate the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

²¹ The _⌊buttery words_⌋* of his mouth were smooth, but there was battle in his heart. His words were smoother than oil, but they were drawn swords.

¹³ and the rest of the Jews also joined in this hypocrisy with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with them in their hypocrisy.

¹⁰ Come, we must deal shrewdly with them, lest they become many, and when war happens, they also will join our enemies and will fight against us and go up from the land."

² The kings of the earth establish themselves, and the rulers conspire* together against Yahweh and his anointed:

¹² The wicked plans evil against the righteous, and gnashes at him with his teeth. ¹³ The Lord laughs at him, for he sees that his day is coming.

³⁰ There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel to oppose Yahweh.

¹⁰ _⌊Make a plan_⌋,* but it will be frustrated! Speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us!

¹⁵ Ah! Those who make a plan deep, to hide it from Yahweh, and their deeds are* in a dark place. And they say, "Who sees us? And who knows us?"

¹ Now when it* was early morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus in order to put him to death.

²³ And when they* were released, they went to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they* heard it,* they lifted their voices with one mind to God and said, "Master, you are the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them, ²⁵ the one who said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant,
'Why do the nations* rage, and the peoples conspire in vain? ²⁶ The kings of the earth stood opposed, and the rulers assembled together at the same place, against the Lord and against his Christ.'* ²⁷ For in truth both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, assembled together in this city against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, ²⁸ to do all that your hand and plan* had predestined to take place.

⁴ The Nephilim were upon the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God went into the daughters of humankind, and they bore children to them.

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me, making me stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites! I am few in number! If they gather against me and attack me, I will be destroyed—I and my household!"

²² And while Israel was living in that land Reuben went and had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father's concubine. And Israel heard about it.

¹⁶ And he turned aside to her at the roadside and said, "Please come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, "What will you give to me that you may come in to me?"

³ Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, and the firstfruit of my vigor, excelling in rank and excelling in power. ⁴ Unstable* as water, you shall not excel any longer, for you went up upon the bed of your father, then defiled it. You went up upon my couch!

⁸ You must not expose the nakedness of your father's wife—it is your father's nakedness.

¹¹ As for* a man who lies with his father's wife, he has exposed his father's nakedness; both of them shall be put to death—their blood is on them.

⁴ And all Israel did hear, saying, "Saul has defeated the garrison of the Philistines; and also, Israel has become a stench among the Philistines!" So the people were called out after Saul at Gilgal.

¹² And Achish trusted David, saying, "_⌊He has made himself utterly hated_⌋* among his people in Israel, and he will be my servant forever."

⁷ So then, let your hands be strong and _⌊be valiant_⌋,* for your lord Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them."

¹¹ Thus says Yahweh, 'Look, I am going to raise up evil against you from within your house, and I will take your women before your eyes, and I will give them to your neighbor, and he shall sleep with your wives _⌊in broad daylight_⌋.*

¹⁶ The king went out with* all his household _⌊following him_⌋,* but the king left behind ten concubines to look after the house.

³ David went up to his house in Jerusalem, then the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to look after the house, and he put them _⌊under confinement_⌋.* However, he provided for them, but _⌊he did not sleep with them_⌋.* So they were confined until the day of their death, like a lifetime of widowhood.

¹⁷ He said, "Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, so that he will give to me Abishag the Shunnamite as wife."

²² King Solomon answered and said to his mother, "Why are you asking Abishag the Shunnamite for Adonijah? Ask for him also the kingdom, for he is my brother, older than I; and ask for him also Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah."

¹³ _⌊And then_⌋,* just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. You must not be afraid; let your hands be strong!'"

¹ It is reported everywhere that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind which does not even exist among the Gentiles, so that someone has the wife of his father.

⁶ And behold, a man from the _⌊Israelites_⌋* came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all of the community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* and they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of assembly.

² It happened _⌊late one afternoon_⌋* that David got up from his bed and walked about on the roof of the king's house, and he saw a woman bathing on her* roof. Now the woman _⌊was very beautiful_⌋.*

⁹ The look on their faces testifies against them and they declare their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have dealt out evil to themselves.

³ Therefore rain showers have been withheld, and the spring rain has not come. Yet _⌊you have_⌋* the forehead of a woman prostitute, you refuse to be ashamed.

¹² Were they ashamed, for they had committed a detestable thing? What's worse,* they were not ashamed at all, and they did not know to feel humiliated. _⌊Therefore_⌋* they will fall among those who fall; at the time of their punishment they will stumble," says Yahweh.

⁷ For her blood was in the midst of her; _⌊she put it on a bare rock_⌋;* she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.*

¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose God is the stomach, and whose glory is in their shame, the ones who think on earthly things.

²¹ He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will ask for him by the decision* of the Urim before Yahweh. On _⌊his command_⌋* they will go out, and at _⌊his command_⌋* they will come in, both he and all of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* with him, the entire community."

⁸ And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Should I pursue after this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?" He said to him, "Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue them."

¹⁴ Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." (Now Yahweh had ordained to frustrate the good counsel of Ahithophel in order for Yahweh to bring misery upon Absalom).

²³ When Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled the donkey, and he set out and went up to his house in his city. _⌊After he set his house in order_⌋,* he hanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his ancestors.*

¹² He is frustrating the devices of the crafty, and their hands do not achieve success.

²⁸ And to the human beings he said, 'Look, the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.'"

⁷ The law of Yahweh is perfect, reviving life.* The testimony of Yahweh is firm, making wise the simple.

² Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your holy inner sanctuary.

¹ Dead flies cause a bad smell and ruin* the ointment of the perfumer. So also a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

²² "For my people are foolish, they have not known me. They are foolish children, and they do not have insight. They are skillful at doing evil, and they do not know how to do good."

⁹ The wise will be put to shame, they will be dismayed, and they will get taken. Look, they have rejected the word of Yahweh, and what is wisdom to them?

²⁵ At that time Jesus answered and* said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to young children.*

⁸ And the master praised the dishonest manager, because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are shrewder than the sons of light with regard to their own generation.*

²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written, "The one who catches the wise in their craftiness,"* ²⁰ and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."*

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his* good behavior his works, with the humility of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. ¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, obedient, full of mercy and good fruits, nonjudgmental, without hypocrisy, ¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace among* those who make peace.

¹¹ If anyone speaks, let it be as the oracles of God; if anyone serves, let it be as by the strength that God provides, so that in all things God will be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power _⌊forever and ever_⌋*. Amen.