The Daily Audio Bible

David learns of Saul’s death

1 After Saul’s death, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, he stayed in Ziklag two days. ² On the third day, a man showed up from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. When he reached David, he fell to the ground, bowing low out of respect.

³ “Where have you come from?” David asked him.

“I’ve escaped from the Israelite army!” he answered.

⁴ “What’s the report?” David asked him. “Tell me!”

The man answered, “The troops fled from the battle! Many of the soldiers have fallen and died. What’s more, Saul and his son Jonathan have also died!”

⁵ “How do you know,” David asked the young man who brought the news, “that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

⁶ The young man who brought the news replied, “I just happened to be on Mount Gilboa and Saul was there, leaning on his spear, with chariots and horsemen closing in on him. ⁷ He turned around and saw me, then he called to me. ‘Yes, sir,’ I answered. ⁸ ‘Who are you?’ he asked, and I told him, ‘I’m an Amalekite.’ ⁹ He said to me, ‘Please come over here and kill me, because convulsions have come over me but I’m still alive.’^{[a] 10} So I went over to him and killed him, because I knew he couldn’t survive after being wounded like that. I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and I’ve brought them here to you, my master.”

¹¹ Then David grabbed his clothes and ripped them—and all his soldiers did the same. ¹² They mourned and cried and fasted until evening for Saul, his son Jonathan, the Lord’s army, and the whole house of Israel, because they had died by the sword.

¹³ “Where are you from?” David asked the young man who brought him the news.

“I’m the son of an immigrant,” he answered. “An Amalekite.”

¹⁴ Then David said to him, “How is it that you weren’t afraid to raise your hand and destroy the Lord’s anointed?” ¹⁵ Then David called for one of the young servants. “Come here!” he said. “Strike him down!” So the servant struck the Amalekite down, and he died.

¹⁶ “Your blood is on your own head,” David said to the Amalekite, “because your own mouth testified against you when you admitted, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

David mourns Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ Then David sang this funeral song^[b] for Saul and his son Jonathan. ¹⁸ David ordered everyone in Judah to learn the Song of the Bow.^[c] (In fact, it is written in the scroll from Jashar.)

David made king in Hebron

2 Some time later, David questioned the Lord, “Should I go to one of the towns in Judah?”

“Yes, go,” the Lord told him.

“Which one should I go to?” David asked.

“To Hebron,” the Lord replied.

² So David went there, along with his two wives: Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow, from Carmel. ³ David also took the soldiers who were with him, each with his family, and they lived in the towns around Hebron. ⁴ Then the people of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David king over the house of Judah.

When David was informed that it was the people of Jabesh-gilead who had buried Saul, ⁵ he sent messengers to the people of Jabesh-gilead. “The Lord bless you,” he said to them, “for doing this loyal deed for your master Saul by burying him. ⁶ May the Lord now show you loyal love and faithfulness. I myself will also reward you because you did this. ⁷ So now take courage and be brave—yes, your master Saul is dead, but the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Israel’s King Ishbosheth

⁸ Meanwhile, Abner, Ner’s son, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth,^[i] Saul’s son, and brought him over to Mahanaim. ⁹ There he made him king over Gilead, the Geshurites,^[j] Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin—over all Israel. ¹⁰ Saul’s son Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he became king over Israel, and he ruled for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. ¹¹ The amount of time David ruled in Hebron over the house of Judah totaled seven and a half years.

Jesus teaches about his death

²⁰ Some Greeks were among those who had come up to worship at the festival. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and made a request: “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” ²² Philip told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

²³ Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Human One^[a] to be glorified. ²⁴ I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Those who love their lives will lose them, and those who hate their lives in this world will keep them forever. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me. Wherever I am, there my servant will also be. My Father will honor whoever serves me.

²⁷ “Now I am deeply troubled.^[b] What should I say? ‘Father, save me from this time’? No, for this is the reason I have come to this time. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

²⁹ The crowd standing there heard and said, “It’s thunder.” Others said, “An angel spoke to him.”

³⁰ Jesus replied, “This voice wasn’t for my benefit but for yours. ³¹ Now is the time for judgment of this world. Now this world’s ruler will be thrown out. ³² When I am lifted up^[c] from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.” (³³ He said this to show how he was going to die.)

³⁴ The crowd responded, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Human One^[d] must be lifted up? Who is this Human One?”^[e]

³⁵ Jesus replied, “The light is with you for only a little while. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness don’t know where they are going. ³⁶ As long as you have the light, believe in the light so that you might become people whose lives are determined by the light.” After Jesus said these things, he went away and hid from them.

Fulfillment of prophecy

³⁷ Jesus had done many miraculous signs before the people, but they didn’t believe in him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of the prophet Isaiah:

³⁹ Isaiah explains why they couldn’t believe:

⁴¹ Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’ glory; he spoke about Jesus. ⁴² Even so, many leaders believed in him, but they wouldn’t acknowledge their faith because they feared that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. ⁴³ They believed, but they loved human praise more than God’s glory.

Summary of Jesus’ teaching

⁴⁴ Jesus shouted, “Whoever believes in me doesn’t believe in me but in the one who sent me. ⁴⁵ Whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in me won’t live in darkness. ⁴⁷ If people hear my words and don’t keep them, I don’t judge them. I didn’t come to judge the world but to save it. ⁴⁸ Whoever rejects me and doesn’t receive my words will be judged at the last day by the word I have spoken. ⁴⁹ I don’t speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me regarding what I should speak and say. ⁵⁰ I know that his commandment is eternal life. Therefore, whatever I say is just as the Father has said to me.”