Descendants of Issachar

7 The sons of Issachar were: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron—four in all. ² The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel, heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Tola were courageous men in their generations; their number in the days of David was 22,600. ³ The son of Uzzi: Izrahiah. The sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, Isshiah; all five of them were chief men. ⁴ With them by their generations according to their fathers’ households were 36,000 troops of the army for war, for they had many wives and children. ⁵ Their relatives among all the families of Issachar, courageous men, registered by genealogies, were 87,000 in all.

Descendants of Benjamin

⁶ The sons of Benjamin were three: Bela, Becher, and Jediael. ⁷ The sons of Bela were five: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were heads of the households of their fathers, courageous men. By their genealogies they were 22,034. ⁸ The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth, all these were sons of Becher. ⁹ They were registered by their genealogies according to their generations, as heads of their fathers’ households, courageous men, 20,200 in number. ¹⁰ The son of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. ¹¹ All these were the sons of Jediael, according to the heads of their fathers’ households, 17,200 courageous men of valor, fit for military service. ¹² Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir, and Hushim the son of Aher.

Sons of Naphtali

¹³ The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.

Descendants of Manasseh

¹⁴ The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his Aramean ^[a]concubine bore; she gave birth to Machir the father of Gilead. ¹⁵ Machir took as a wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim; her name was Maacah. The name of a second [^[b]descendant, the first being Gilead], was Zelophehad; and Zelophehad had [only] daughters.^{(A) 16} Maacah the wife of Machir gave birth to a son; she named him Peresh. The name of his brother was Sheresh; his sons were Ulam and Rakem. ¹⁷ The son of Ulam: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. ¹⁸ His sister Hammolecheth gave birth to Ishhod and Abiezer and Mahlah. ¹⁹ The sons of Shemida were: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

Descendants of Ephraim

²⁰ The sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah and Bered his son, Tahath [I] his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath [II] his son, ²¹ Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead were killed by men who were natives of Gath, because they came down to take their livestock. ²² Their father Ephraim mourned for many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. ²³ Then he went in to his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Beriah (on misfortune), because tragedy had come on his house. ²⁴ Beriah’s daughter was Sheerah, who built both Lower and Upper Beth-horon, and also Uzzen-sheerah. ²⁵ Rephah was his son along with Resheph; Resheph’s son was Telah, Tahan his son, ²⁶ Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, ²⁷ Non (Nun) his son, and Joshua [Moses’ successor] his son.

²⁸ Their possessions and settlements were Bethel and its towns, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, and Shechem, and as far as ^[c]Ayyah with all their towns, ²⁹ and along the borders of the sons of Manasseh, Beth-shean, Taanach, Megiddo, Dor, with all their towns. In these [places] lived the sons of Joseph the son of Israel (Jacob).

Descendants of Asher

³⁰ The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and Serah their sister. ³¹ The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith. ³² Heber became the father of Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and Shua their sister. ³³ The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were the sons of Japhlet. ³⁴ The sons of Shemer (Shomer) [his brother]: Ahi and Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. ³⁵ The sons of his brother Helem (Hotham): Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. ³⁶ The sons of Zophah: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, ³⁷ Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera. ³⁸ The sons of Jether: Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara. ³⁹ The sons of Ulla: Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. ⁴⁰ All these were sons (descendants) of Asher, heads of their fathers’ houses, choice men, courageous men, chiefs of the leaders. Their number, enrolled by genealogies for service in war, was 26,000 men.

David’s Supporters in Ziklag

12 These are the ones who came to David at Ziklag, while he still concealed himself from Saul the son of Kish; they were among the courageous men who helped him in battle. ² They were armed with bows, and could use the right hand or the left to sling stones and shoot arrows from the bow; they were Saul’s relatives from [the tribe of] Benjamin. ³ The chief was Ahiezer and then Joash, the sons of Shemaah of Gibeah; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, and Jehu of Anathoth, ⁴ Ishmaiah of Gibeon, a mighty man among the thirty, and [a leader] over them; ^[a]Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of Gederah, ^5 [b]Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite, ⁶ Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites, ⁷ and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸ Courageous men from the Gadites came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles on the mountains. ⁹ Ezer was the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, ¹⁰ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, ¹¹ Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, ¹² Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh. ¹⁴ These from the sons (descendants) of Gad were captains of the army; he who was least was ^[c]equal to a hundred, and the greatest was equal to a thousand. ¹⁵ These are the men who crossed over the Jordan in the first month when it had overflowed all its banks and they put to flight all those in the valleys, east and west.

¹⁶ Then some of the ^[d]men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come peacefully to me to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no violence or wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on [what you are doing] and punish [you].” ¹⁸ Then the [Holy] Spirit came on Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, and he said,

Then David accepted and received them and made them officers of his troops.

¹⁹ Some [of the men] of Manasseh also defected to David when he came with the Philistines to go to battle against Saul. But David’s men did not [actually] assist the Philistines, for the lords (governors) of the Philistines after consultation sent him away, saying, “At the cost of our heads he may defect to his master Saul.”^{(A) 20} As David went to Ziklag, these men defected to him from Manasseh: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands who belonged to Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all courageous men, and [all seven] became commanders in his army. ²² For day by day men kept coming to David to help him, until there was a great army, like the army of God.

Supporters Gathered at Hebron

²³ These are the numbers of the [armed] units equipped for war who came to David at Hebron to turn [over] the kingdom of Saul to him, in accordance with the word of the Lord. ²⁴ Those of the tribe of Judah who carried shield and spear were 6,800, armed for war; ²⁵ of the tribe of Simeon, brave warriors, 7,100; ²⁶ of the tribe of Levi, 4,600. ²⁷ Jehoiada was the leader of [the house of] Aaron, and with him were 3,700, ²⁸ and Zadok, a courageous young man, and twenty-two captains from his father’s house. ²⁹ Of the tribe of Benjamin, the relatives of [King] Saul, 3,000; for until now the majority of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. ³⁰ Of the tribe of Ephraim, 20,800, courageous men, famous in their fathers’ houses. ³¹ Of the half-tribe of Manasseh, 18,000, who were designated by name to come and make David king. ³² Of the tribe of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, two hundred chiefs; and all their relatives were at their command; ³³ of the tribe of Zebulun, there were 50,000 in military service who could draw up in battle formation with all kinds of weapons of war and helped David, men with ^[e]an undivided heart. ³⁴ Of the tribe of Naphtali, there were 1,000 captains, and with them 37,000 [of the rank and file armed] with shield and spear. ³⁵ Of the tribe of Dan, 28,600 men who could draw up in battle formation. ³⁶ Of the tribe of Asher, 40,000 men in military service, able to draw up in battle formation. ³⁷ From the other side [east] of the Jordan River, of [the tribes of] Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 120,000 men, armed with all kinds of weapons of war for the battle.

³⁸ All these, being men of war arrayed in battle formation, came to Hebron with a perfect (committed) heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were also of one mind to make David king. ³⁹ They were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their relatives had prepared for them. ⁴⁰ Also those who were [living] near them [from] as far as [the tribes of] Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen, abundant supplies of flour, cakes of figs and raisins, wine, [olive] oil, oxen, and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.

Pharisees Test Jesus

16 Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus [to get something to use against Him], they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven [which would support His divine authority]. ² But He replied to them, “^[a]When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and has a threatening look.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but cannot interpret the signs of the times? ⁴ An evil and [morally] unfaithful generation craves a [miraculous] sign; but no sign will be given to it, except the sign of [the prophet] Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.^(A)

⁵ When the disciples reached the other side of the sea, they realized that they had forgotten to bring bread. ⁶ Jesus said to them, “Watch out and be on your guard against the ^[b]leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ⁷ They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring bread.” ⁸ But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that you have no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand or remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you picked up? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many large baskets you picked up? ¹¹ How is it that you fail to understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹² Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the [false] teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter’s Confession of Christ

¹³ Now when Jesus went into the ^[c]region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”^{(B) 14} And they answered, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or [just] one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered him, “Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, favored by God] are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood (mortal man) did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I say to you that you are ^[d]Peter, and on this ^[e]rock I will build My church; and the ^[f]gates of Hades (death) will not overpower it [by preventing the resurrection of the Christ].^{(C) 19} I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth ^[g]will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth ^[h]will have [already] been loosed in heaven.”^{(D) 20} Then He gave the disciples strict orders to tell no one that He was the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

Jesus Foretells His Death

^21 [i]From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples [clearly] that He must go to Jerusalem, and endure many things at the hands of the elders and the chief priests and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), and be killed, and be raised [from death to life] on the third day.^{(E) 22} Peter took Him aside [to speak to Him privately] and began to reprimand Him, saying, “May God forbid it! This will never happen to You.” ²³ But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on things of God, but on things of man.”

Discipleship Is Costly

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. ²⁵ For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity]. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory and majesty of His Father with His angels, and then He will repay each one in accordance with what he has done.^(F)

²⁸ “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there are some of ^[j]those standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”