1 Samuel 22

New International Version

David at Adullam and Mizpah

22 David left Gath and escaped to the cave^(A) of Adullam.^(B) When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. ²All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered^(C) around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.

³From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?” ⁴So he left them with the king of Moab,^(D) and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.

⁵But the prophet Gad^(E) said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.^(F)

Saul Kills the Priests of Nob

⁶Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul was seated,^(G) spear in hand, under the tamarisk^(H) tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing at his side. ⁷He said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders^(I) of thousands and commanders of hundreds? ⁸Is that why you have all conspired^(J) against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant^(K) with the son of Jesse.^(L) None of you is concerned^(M) about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today.”

⁹But Doeg^(N) the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub^(O) at Nob.^(P) ¹⁰Ahimelek inquired^(Q) of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions^(R) and the sword^(S) of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. ¹²Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.”

“Yes, my lord,” he answered.

¹³Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired^(T) against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?”

¹⁴Ahimelek answered the king, “Who^(U) of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? ¹⁵Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father’s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair.”

¹⁶But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family.^(V)”

¹⁷Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.”

But the king’s officials were unwilling^(W) to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.

¹⁸The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.”^(X) So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.^(Y) ¹⁹He also put to the sword^(Z) Nob,^(AA) the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

²⁰But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub,^(AB) named Abiathar,^(AC) escaped and fled to join David.^(AD) ²¹He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. ²²Then David said to Abiathar, “That day, when Doeg^(AE) the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family. ²³Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you^(AF) is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.”

Job 39

New International Version

39 “Do you know when the mountain goats^(A) give birth?
    Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?^(B)
²Do you count the months till they bear?
    Do you know the time they give birth?^(C)
³They crouch down and bring forth their young;
    their labor pains are ended.
⁴Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
    they leave and do not return.

⁵“Who let the wild donkey^(D) go free?
    Who untied its ropes?
⁶I gave it the wasteland^(E) as its home,
    the salt flats^(F) as its habitat.^(G)
⁷It laughs^(H) at the commotion in the town;
    it does not hear a driver’s shout.^(I)
⁸It ranges the hills^(J) for its pasture
    and searches for any green thing.

⁹“Will the wild ox^(K) consent to serve you?^(L)
    Will it stay by your manger^(M) at night?
¹⁰Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?^(N)
    Will it till the valleys behind you?
¹¹Will you rely on it for its great strength?^(O)
    Will you leave your heavy work to it?
¹²Can you trust it to haul in your grain
    and bring it to your threshing floor?

¹³“The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
    though they cannot compare
    with the wings and feathers of the stork.^(P)
¹⁴She lays her eggs on the ground
    and lets them warm in the sand,
¹⁵unmindful that a foot may crush them,
    that some wild animal may trample them.^(Q)
¹⁶She treats her young harshly,^(R) as if they were not hers;
    she cares not that her labor was in vain,
¹⁷for God did not endow her with wisdom
    or give her a share of good sense.^(S)
¹⁸Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
    she laughs^(T) at horse and rider.

¹⁹“Do you give the horse its strength^(U)
    or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
²⁰Do you make it leap like a locust,^(V)
    striking terror^(W) with its proud snorting?^(X)
²¹It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,^(Y)
    and charges into the fray.^(Z)
²²It laughs^(AA) at fear, afraid of nothing;
    it does not shy away from the sword.
²³The quiver^(AB) rattles against its side,
    along with the flashing spear^(AC) and lance.
²⁴In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
    it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.^(AD)
²⁵At the blast of the trumpet^(AE) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
    It catches the scent of battle from afar,
    the shout of commanders and the battle cry.^(AF)

²⁶“Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
    and spread its wings toward the south?^(AG)
²⁷Does the eagle soar at your command
    and build its nest on high?^(AH)
²⁸It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
    a rocky crag^(AI) is its stronghold.
²⁹From there it looks for food;^(AJ)
    its eyes detect it from afar.
³⁰Its young ones feast on blood,
    and where the slain are, there it is.”^(AK)

Revelation 16

New International Version

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple^(A) saying to the seven angels,^(B) “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”^(C)

²The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land,^(D) and ugly, festering sores^(E) broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.^(F)

³The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.^(G)

⁴The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water,^(H) and they became blood.^(I) ⁵Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

“You are just in these judgments,^(J) O Holy One,^(K)
you who are and who were;^(L)
⁶for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets,^(M)
and you have given them blood to drink^(N) as they deserve.”

⁷And I heard the altar^(O) respond:

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,^(P)
true and just are your judgments.”^(Q)

⁸The fourth angel^(R) poured out his bowl on the sun,^(S) and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire.^(T) ⁹They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God,^(U) who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent^(V) and glorify him.^(W)

¹⁰The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast,^(X) and its kingdom was plunged into darkness.^(Y) People gnawed their tongues in agony ¹¹and cursed^(Z) the God of heaven^(AA) because of their pains and their sores,^(AB) but they refused to repent of what they had done.^(AC)

¹²The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates,^(AD) and its water was dried up to prepare the way^(AE) for the kings from the East.^(AF) ¹³Then I saw three impure spirits^(AG) that looked like frogs;^(AH) they came out of the mouth of the dragon,^(AI) out of the mouth of the beast^(AJ) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.^(AK) ¹⁴They are demonic spirits^(AL) that perform signs,^(AM) and they go out to the kings of the whole world,^(AN) to gather them for the battle^(AO) on the great day^(AP) of God Almighty.

¹⁵“Look, I come like a thief!^(AQ) Blessed is the one who stays awake^(AR) and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”^(AS)

¹⁶Then they gathered the kings together^(AT) to the place that in Hebrew^(AU) is called Armageddon.^(AV)

¹⁷The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,^(AW) and out of the temple^(AX) came a loud voice^(AY) from the throne, saying, “It is done!”^(AZ) ¹⁸Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder^(BA) and a severe earthquake.^(BB) No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth,^(BC) so tremendous was the quake. ¹⁹The great city^(BD) split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered^(BE) Babylon the Great^(BF) and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.^(BG) ²⁰Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.^(BH) ²¹From the sky huge hailstones,^(BI) each weighing about a hundred pounds,^[a] fell on people. And they cursed God^(BJ) on account of the plague of hail,^(BK) because the plague was so terrible.