Laws of Justice and Mercy

23 “Do not spread false reports.^(A) Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.^(B)

² “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice^(C) by siding with the crowd,^{(D) 3} and do not show favoritism^(E) to a poor person in a lawsuit.

⁴ “If you come across your enemy’s^(F) ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.^{(G) 5} If you see the donkey^(H) of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

⁶ “Do not deny justice^(I) to your poor people in their lawsuits. ⁷ Have nothing to do with a false charge^(J) and do not put an innocent^(K) or honest person to death,^(L) for I will not acquit the guilty.^(M)

⁸ “Do not accept a bribe,^(N) for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

⁹ “Do not oppress a foreigner;^(O) you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Sabbath Laws

¹⁰ “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, ¹¹ but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused.^(P) Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

¹² “Six days do your work,^(Q) but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.^(R)

¹³ “Be careful^(S) to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods;^(T) do not let them be heard on your lips.^(U)

David Flees

¹³ A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.”

¹⁴ Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee,^(A) or none of us will escape from Absalom.^(B) We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword.”

¹⁵ The king’s officials answered him, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.”

¹⁶ The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines^(C) to take care of the palace. ¹⁷ So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at the edge of the city. ¹⁸ All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites^(D) and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.

¹⁹ The king said to Ittai^(E) the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner,^(F) an exile from your homeland. ²⁰ You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander^(G) about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”^[a](H)

²¹ But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”^(I)

²² David said to Ittai, “Go ahead, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.

²³ The whole countryside wept aloud^(J) as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley,^(K) and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

²⁴ Zadok^(L) was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark^(M) of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar^(N) offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place^(O) again. ²⁶ But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.^(P)”

²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand?^(Q) Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan.^(R) You and Abiathar return with your two sons. ²⁸ I will wait at the fords^(S) in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.

³⁰ But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping^(T) as he went; his head^(U) was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up. ³¹ Now David had been told, “Ahithophel^(V) is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

³² When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai^(W) the Arkite^(X) was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust^(Y) on his head. ³³ David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden^(Z) to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’^(AA) then you can help me by frustrating^(AB) Ahithophel’s advice. ³⁵ Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace.^{(AC) 36} Their two sons, Ahimaaz^(AD) son of Zadok and Jonathan^(AE) son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”

³⁷ So Hushai,^(AF) David’s confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom^(AG) was entering the city.

Message to Shemaiah

²⁴ Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, ²⁵ “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah^(A) son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, ²⁶ ‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac^(B) who acts like a prophet into the stocks^(C) and neck-irons. ²⁷ So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? ²⁸ He has sent this message^(D) to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.^(E) Therefore build^(F) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”

²⁹ Zephaniah^(G) the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰ Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ³¹ “Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah^(H) the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send^(I) him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, ³² this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.^(J) He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good^(K) things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion^(L) against me.’”

Psalm 47^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

9 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come^(A) with power.”^(B)

The Transfiguration^(C)(D)

² After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John^(E) with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. ³ His clothes became dazzling white,^(F) whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

⁵ Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,^(G) it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

⁷ Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud:^(H) “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”^(I)

⁸ Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

¹³ It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise^(A) that he would be heir of the world,^(B) but through the righteousness that comes by faith.^{(C) 14} For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,^{(D) 15} because the law brings wrath.^(E) And where there is no law there is no transgression.^(F)

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace^(G) and may be guaranteed^(H) to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.^{(I) 17} As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”^[a](J) He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life^(K) to the dead and calls^(L) into being things that were not.^(M)