1 Samuel 23

New International Version

David Saves Keilah

23 When David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah^(A) and are looting the threshing floors,”^(B) ²he inquired^(C) of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”

The Lord answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

³But David’s men said to him, “Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!”

⁴Once again David inquired^(D) of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines^(E) into your hand.^(F)” ⁵So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. ⁶(Now Abiathar^(G) son of Ahimelek had brought the ephod^(H) down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)

Saul Pursues David

⁷Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, “God has delivered him into my hands,^(I) for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars.”^(J) ⁸And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

⁹When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar^(K) the priest, “Bring the ephod.^(L)” ¹⁰David said, “Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. ¹¹Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.”

And the Lord said, “He will.”

¹²Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender^(M) me and my men to Saul?”

And the Lord said, “They will.”

¹³So David and his men,^(N) about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

¹⁴David stayed in the wilderness^(O) strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph.^(P) Day after day Saul searched^(Q) for him, but God did not^(R) give David into his hands.

¹⁵While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that^[a] Saul had come out to take his life.^(S) ¹⁶And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength^(T) in God. ¹⁷“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king^(U) over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” ¹⁸The two of them made a covenant^(V) before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

¹⁹The Ziphites^(W) went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us^(X) in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah,^(Y) south of Jeshimon? ²⁰Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for giving^(Z) him into your hands.”

²¹Saul replied, “The Lord bless^(AA) you for your concern^(AB) for me. ²²Go and get more information. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty. ²³Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track^(AC) him down among all the clans of Judah.”

²⁴So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon,^(AD) in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.^(AE) ²⁵Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David.

²⁶Saul^(AF) was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them, ²⁷a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land.” ²⁸Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth.^[b] ²⁹And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds^(AG) of En Gedi.^[c]^(AH)

Footnotes

1 Samuel 23:15 Or he was afraid because
1 Samuel 23:28 Sela Hammahlekoth means rock of parting.
1 Samuel 23:29 In Hebrew texts this verse (23:29) is numbered 24:1.

Jeremiah 51

New International Version

51 This is what the Lord says:

“See, I will stir^(A) up the spirit of a destroyer
    against Babylon^(B) and the people of Leb Kamai.^[a]
²I will send foreigners^(C) to Babylon
    to winnow^(D) her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
    in the day^(E) of her disaster.
³Let not the archer string his bow,^(F)
    nor let him put on his armor.^(G)
Do not spare her young men;
    completely destroy^[b] her army.
⁴They will fall^(H) down slain in Babylon,^[c]
    fatally wounded in her streets.^(I)
⁵For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken^(J)
    by their God, the Lord Almighty,
though their land^[d] is full of guilt^(K)
    before the Holy One of Israel.

⁶“Flee^(L) from Babylon!
    Run for your lives!
    Do not be destroyed because of her sins.^(M)
It is time^(N) for the Lord’s vengeance;^(O)
    he will repay^(P) her what she deserves.
⁷Babylon was a gold cup^(Q) in the Lord’s hand;
    she made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
    therefore they have now gone mad.
⁸Babylon will suddenly fall^(R) and be broken.
    Wail over her!
Get balm^(S) for her pain;
    perhaps she can be healed.

⁹“‘We would have healed Babylon,
    but she cannot be healed;
let us leave^(T) her and each go to our own land,
    for her judgment^(U) reaches to the skies,
    it rises as high as the heavens.’

¹⁰“‘The Lord has vindicated^(V) us;
come, let us tell in Zion
what the Lord our God has done.’^(W)

¹¹“Sharpen the arrows,^(X)
    take up the shields!^(Y)
The Lord has stirred up the kings^(Z) of the Medes,^(AA)
    because his purpose^(AB) is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,^(AC)
    vengeance for his temple.^(AD)
¹²Lift up a banner^(AE) against the walls of Babylon!
    Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,^(AF)
    prepare an ambush!^(AG)
The Lord will carry out his purpose,^(AH)
    his decree against the people of Babylon.
¹³You who live by many waters^(AI)
    and are rich in treasures,^(AJ)
your end has come,
    the time for you to be destroyed.^(AK)
¹⁴The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself:^(AL)
    I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,^(AM)
    and they will shout^(AN) in triumph over you.

¹⁵“He made the earth by his power;
    he founded the world by his wisdom^(AO)
    and stretched^(AP) out the heavens by his understanding.^(AQ)
¹⁶When he thunders,^(AR) the waters in the heavens roar;
    he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain^(AS)
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.^(AT)

¹⁷“Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
    every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;^(AU)
    they have no breath in them.
¹⁸They are worthless,^(AV) the objects of mockery;
    when their judgment comes, they will perish.
¹⁹He who is the Portion^(AW) of Jacob is not like these,
    for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance^(AX)—
    the Lord Almighty is his name.

²⁰“You are my war club,^(AY)
    my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter^(AZ) nations,^(BA)
    with you I destroy kingdoms,
²¹with you I shatter horse and rider,^(BB)
    with you I shatter chariot^(BC) and driver,
²²with you I shatter man and woman,
    with you I shatter old man and youth,
    with you I shatter young man and young woman,^(BD)
²³with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
    with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
    with you I shatter governors and officials.^(BE)

²⁴“Before your eyes I will repay^(BF) Babylon^(BG) and all who live in Babylonia^[e] for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.

²⁵“I am against^(BH) you, you destroying mountain,
    you who destroy the whole earth,”^(BI)
declares the Lord.
“I will stretch out my hand^(BJ) against you,
    roll you off the cliffs,
    and make you a burned-out mountain.^(BK)
²⁶No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
    nor any stone for a foundation,
    for you will be desolate^(BL) forever,”
declares the Lord.

²⁷“Lift up a banner^(BM) in the land!
    Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
    summon against her these kingdoms:^(BN)
    Ararat,^(BO) Minni and Ashkenaz.^(BP)
Appoint a commander against her;
    send up horses like a swarm of locusts.^(BQ)
²⁸Prepare the nations for battle against her—
    the kings of the Medes,^(BR)
their governors and all their officials,
    and all the countries they rule.^(BS)
²⁹The land trembles^(BT) and writhes,
    for the Lord’s purposes^(BU) against Babylon stand—
to lay waste^(BV) the land of Babylon
    so that no one will live there.^(BW)
³⁰Babylon’s warriors^(BX) have stopped fighting;
    they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
    they have become weaklings.^(BY)
Her dwellings are set on fire;^(BZ)
    the bars^(CA) of her gates are broken.
³¹One courier^(CB) follows another
    and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
    that his entire city is captured,^(CC)
³²the river crossings seized,
    the marshes set on fire,^(CD)
    and the soldiers terrified.^(CE)”

³³This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“Daughter Babylon^(CF) is like a threshing floor^(CG)
at the time it is trampled;
the time to harvest^(CH) her will soon come.^(CI)”

³⁴“Nebuchadnezzar^(CJ) king of Babylon has devoured^(CK) us,^(CL)
    he has thrown us into confusion,
    he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
    and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
    and then has spewed^(CM) us out.
³⁵May the violence^(CN) done to our flesh^[f] be on Babylon,”
    say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
    says Jerusalem.^(CO)

³⁶Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“See, I will defend your cause^(CP)
    and avenge^(CQ) you;
I will dry up^(CR) her sea
    and make her springs dry.
³⁷Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
    a haunt^(CS) of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,^(CT)
    a place where no one lives.^(CU)
³⁸Her people all roar like young lions,^(CV)
    they growl like lion cubs.
³⁹But while they are aroused,
    I will set out a feast for them
    and make them drunk,^(CW)
so that they shout with laughter—
    then sleep forever^(CX) and not awake,”
declares the Lord.^(CY)
⁴⁰“I will bring them down
    like lambs to the slaughter,
    like rams and goats.^(CZ)

⁴¹“How Sheshak^[g]^(DA) will be captured,^(DB)
    the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolate^(DC) Babylon will be
    among the nations!
⁴²The sea will rise over Babylon;
    its roaring waves^(DD) will cover her.
⁴³Her towns will be desolate,
    a dry and desert^(DE) land,
a land where no one lives,
    through which no one travels.^(DF)
⁴⁴I will punish Bel^(DG) in Babylon
    and make him spew out^(DH) what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
    And the wall^(DI) of Babylon will fall.

⁴⁵“Come out^(DJ) of her, my people!
    Run^(DK) for your lives!
    Run from the fierce anger^(DL) of the Lord.
⁴⁶Do not lose heart^(DM) or be afraid^(DN)
    when rumors^(DO) are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
    rumors of violence in the land
    and of ruler against ruler.
⁴⁷For the time will surely come
    when I will punish the idols^(DP) of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced^(DQ)
    and her slain will all lie fallen within her.^(DR)
⁴⁸Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
    will shout^(DS) for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north^(DT)
    destroyers^(DU) will attack her,”
declares the Lord.

⁴⁹“Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain,
    just as the slain in all the earth
    have fallen because of Babylon.^(DV)
⁵⁰You who have escaped the sword,
    leave^(DW) and do not linger!
Remember^(DX) the Lord in a distant land,^(DY)
    and call to mind Jerusalem.”

⁵¹“We are disgraced,^(DZ)
    for we have been insulted
    and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
    the holy places of the Lord’s house.”^(EA)

⁵²“But days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will punish her idols,^(EB)
and throughout her land
    the wounded will groan.^(EC)
⁵³Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens^(ED)
    and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
    I will send destroyers^(EE) against her,”
declares the Lord.

⁵⁴“The sound of a cry^(EF) comes from Babylon,
    the sound of great destruction^(EG)
    from the land of the Babylonians.^[h]
⁵⁵The Lord will destroy Babylon;
    he will silence^(EH) her noisy din.
Waves^(EI) of enemies will rage like great waters;
    the roar of their voices will resound.
⁵⁶A destroyer^(EJ) will come against Babylon;
    her warriors will be captured,
    and their bows will be broken.^(EK)
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
    he will repay^(EL) in full.
⁵⁷I will make her officials^(EM) and wise^(EN) men drunk,^(EO)
    her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep^(EP) forever and not awake,”
    declares the King,^(EQ) whose name is the Lord Almighty.

⁵⁸This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Babylon’s thick wall^(ER) will be leveled
and her high gates^(ES) set on fire;
the peoples^(ET) exhaust^(EU) themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”^(EV)

⁵⁹This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah,^(EW) the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah^(EX) king of Judah in the fourth^(EY) year of his reign. ⁶⁰Jeremiah had written on a scroll^(EZ) about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. ⁶¹He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. ⁶²Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate^(FA) forever.’ ⁶³When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.^(FB) ⁶⁴Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more^(FC) because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people^(FD) will fall.’”^(FE)

The words of Jeremiah end^(FF) here.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 51:1 Leb Kamai is a cryptogram for Chaldea, that is, Babylonia.
Jeremiah 51:3 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
Jeremiah 51:4 Or Chaldea
Jeremiah 51:5 Or Almighty, / and the land of the Babylonians
Jeremiah 51:24 Or Chaldea; also in verse 35
Jeremiah 51:35 Or done to us and to our children
Jeremiah 51:41 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon.
Jeremiah 51:54 Or Chaldeans

Psalm 96:1-6

New International Version

Psalm 96^(A)

¹Sing to the Lord^(B) a new song;^(C)
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
²Sing to the Lord, praise his name;^(D)
    proclaim his salvation^(E) day after day.
³Declare his glory^(F) among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds^(G) among all peoples.

⁴For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;^(H)
    he is to be feared^(I) above all gods.^(J)
⁵For all the gods of the nations are idols,^(K)
    but the Lord made the heavens.^(L)
⁶Splendor and majesty^(M) are before him;
    strength and glory^(N) are in his sanctuary.

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Romans 15:1-13

New International Version

15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak^(A) and not to please ourselves. ²Each of us should please our neighbors for their good,^(B) to build them up.^(C) ³For even Christ did not please himself^(D) but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”^[a]^(E) ⁴For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us,^(F) so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

⁵May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind^(G) toward each other that Christ Jesus had, ⁶so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify^(H) the God and Father^(I) of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷Accept one another,^(J) then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. ⁸For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews^[b]^(K) on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises^(L) made to the patriarchs might be confirmed ⁹and, moreover, that the Gentiles^(M) might glorify God^(N) for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing the praises of your name.”^[c]^(O)

¹⁰Again, it says,

“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”^[d]^(P)

¹¹And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
let all the peoples extol him.”^[e]^(Q)

¹²And again, Isaiah says,

“The Root of Jesse^(R) will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
in him the Gentiles will hope.”^[f]^(S)

¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace^(T) as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.^(U)

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