1 Samuel 27

New International Version

David Among the Philistines

27 But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”

²So David and the six hundred men^(A) with him left and went^(B) over to Achish^(C) son of Maok king of Gath. ³David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives:^(D) Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. ⁴When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

⁵Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”

⁶So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag,^(E) and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. ⁷David lived^(F) in Philistine territory a year and four months.

⁸Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites,^(G) the Girzites and the Amalekites.^(H) (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur^(I) and Egypt.) ⁹Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive,^(J) but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.

¹⁰When Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” David would say, “Against the Negev of Judah” or “Against the Negev of Jerahmeel^(K)” or “Against the Negev of the Kenites.^(L)” ¹¹He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, “They might inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. ¹²Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so obnoxious^(M) to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.^(N)”

Lamentations 3

New International Version

3 ^[a]I am the man who has seen affliction^(A)
    by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.^(B)
²He has driven me away and made me walk
    in darkness^(C) rather than light;
³indeed, he has turned his hand against me^(D)
    again and again, all day long.

⁴He has made my skin and my flesh grow old^(E)
    and has broken my bones.^(F)
⁵He has besieged me and surrounded me
    with bitterness^(G) and hardship.^(H)
⁶He has made me dwell in darkness
    like those long dead.^(I)

⁷He has walled me in so I cannot escape;^(J)
    he has weighed me down with chains.^(K)
⁸Even when I call out or cry for help,^(L)
    he shuts out my prayer.^(M)
⁹He has barred^(N) my way with blocks of stone;
    he has made my paths crooked.^(O)

¹⁰Like a bear lying in wait,
    like a lion^(P) in hiding,^(Q)
¹¹he dragged me from the path and mangled^(R) me
    and left me without help.
¹²He drew his bow^(S)
    and made me the target^(T) for his arrows.^(U)

¹³He pierced^(V) my heart
    with arrows from his quiver.^(W)
¹⁴I became the laughingstock^(X) of all my people;^(Y)
    they mock me in song^(Z) all day long.
¹⁵He has filled me with bitter herbs
    and given me gall to drink.^(AA)

¹⁶He has broken my teeth with gravel;^(AB)
    he has trampled me in the dust.^(AC)
¹⁷I have been deprived of peace;
    I have forgotten what prosperity is.
¹⁸So I say, “My splendor is gone
    and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”^(AD)

¹⁹I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness^(AE) and the gall.^(AF)
²⁰I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast^(AG) within me.^(AH)
²¹Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

²²Because of the Lord’s great love^(AI) we are not consumed,^(AJ)
    for his compassions never fail.^(AK)
²³They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.^(AL)
²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;^(AM)
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;^(AN)
²⁶it is good to wait quietly^(AO)
    for the salvation of the Lord.^(AP)
²⁷It is good for a man to bear the yoke
    while he is young.

²⁸Let him sit alone in silence,^(AQ)
    for the Lord has laid it on him.
²⁹Let him bury his face in the dust^(AR)—
    there may yet be hope.^(AS)
³⁰Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,^(AT)
    and let him be filled with disgrace.^(AU)

³¹For no one is cast off
    by the Lord forever.^(AV)
³²Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
    so great is his unfailing love.^(AW)
³³For he does not willingly bring affliction
    or grief to anyone.^(AX)

³⁴To crush underfoot
    all prisoners in the land,
³⁵to deny people their rights
    before the Most High,^(AY)
³⁶to deprive them of justice—
    would not the Lord see such things?^(AZ)

³⁷Who can speak and have it happen
    if the Lord has not decreed it?^(BA)
³⁸Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that both calamities and good things come?^(BB)
³⁹Why should the living complain
    when punished for their sins?^(BC)

⁴⁰Let us examine our ways and test them,^(BD)
    and let us return to the Lord.^(BE)
⁴¹Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
    to God in heaven,^(BF) and say:
⁴²“We have sinned and rebelled^(BG)
    and you have not forgiven.^(BH)

⁴³“You have covered yourself with anger and pursued^(BI) us;
    you have slain without pity.^(BJ)
⁴⁴You have covered yourself with a cloud^(BK)
    so that no prayer^(BL) can get through.^(BM)
⁴⁵You have made us scum^(BN) and refuse
    among the nations.

⁴⁶“All our enemies have opened their mouths
    wide^(BO) against us.^(BP)
⁴⁷We have suffered terror and pitfalls,^(BQ)
    ruin and destruction.^(BR)”
⁴⁸Streams of tears^(BS) flow from my eyes^(BT)
    because my people are destroyed.^(BU)

⁴⁹My eyes will flow unceasingly,
    without relief,^(BV)
⁵⁰until the Lord looks down
    from heaven and sees.^(BW)
⁵¹What I see brings grief to my soul
    because of all the women of my city.

⁵²Those who were my enemies without cause
    hunted me like a bird.^(BX)
⁵³They tried to end my life in a pit^(BY)
    and threw stones at me;
⁵⁴the waters closed over my head,^(BZ)
    and I thought I was about to perish.^(CA)

⁵⁵I called on your name, Lord,
    from the depths^(CB) of the pit.^(CC)
⁵⁶You heard my plea:^(CD) “Do not close your ears
    to my cry for relief.”
⁵⁷You came near^(CE) when I called you,
    and you said, “Do not fear.”^(CF)

⁵⁸You, Lord, took up my case;^(CG)
    you redeemed my life.^(CH)
⁵⁹Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.^(CI)
    Uphold my cause!^(CJ)
⁶⁰You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
    all their plots against me.^(CK)

⁶¹Lord, you have heard their insults,^(CL)
    all their plots against me—
⁶²what my enemies whisper and mutter
    against me all day long.^(CM)
⁶³Look at them! Sitting or standing,
    they mock me in their songs.^(CN)

⁶⁴Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
    for what their hands have done.^(CO)
⁶⁵Put a veil over their hearts,^(CP)
    and may your curse be on them!
⁶⁶Pursue^(CQ) them in anger and destroy them
    from under the heavens of the Lord.

Footnotes

Lamentations 3:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem; the verses of each stanza begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the verses within each stanza begin with the same letter.