2 Samuel 21-22
New King James Version
David Avenges the Gibeonites
21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David (A)inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his [a]bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but (B)of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them (C)in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.
3 Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless (D)the inheritance of the Lord?”
4 And the Gibeonites said to him, “We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us.”
So he said, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
5 Then they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, 6 let seven men of his descendants be delivered (E)to us, and we will hang them before the Lord (F)in Gibeah of Saul, (G)whom the Lord chose.”
And the king said, “I will give them.”
7 But the king spared (H)Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of (I)the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of (J)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of [b]Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she [c]brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill (K)before the Lord. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Now (L)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, (M)from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12 Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of (N)Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of [d]Beth Shan, where the (O)Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. 13 So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in (P)Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that (Q)God heeded the prayer for the land.
Philistine Giants Destroyed(R)
15 When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. 16 Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of [e]the (S)giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. 17 But (T)Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, (U)“You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the (V)lamp of Israel.”
18 (W)Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then (X)Sibbechai the Hushathite killed [f]Saph, who was one of the sons of [g]the giant. 19 Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where (Y)Elhanan the son of [h]Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed (Z)the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
20 Yet again (AA)there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to [i]the giant. 21 So when he (AB)defied Israel, Jonathan the son of [j]Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.
22 (AC)These four were born to [k]the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Praise for God’s Deliverance(AD)
22 Then David (AE)spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had (AF)delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 And he (AG)said:
(AH)“The Lord is my rock and my (AI)fortress and my deliverer;
3 The God of my strength, (AJ)in whom I will trust;
My (AK)shield and the (AL)horn[l] of my salvation,
My (AM)stronghold and my (AN)refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
5 “When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness [m]made me afraid.
6 The (AO)sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress (AP)I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He (AQ)heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears.
8 “Then (AR)the earth shook and trembled;
(AS)The foundations of [n]heaven quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
9 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring (AT)fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
10 He (AU)bowed the heavens also, and came down
With (AV)darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
And He [o]was seen (AW)upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made (AX)darkness canopies around Him,
Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.
14 “The Lord (AY)thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
15 He sent out (AZ)arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.
16 Then the channels of the sea (BA)were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the (BB)rebuke of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 “He(BC) sent from above, He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me;
For they were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my (BD)support.
20 (BE)He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He (BF)delighted in me.
21 “The(BG) Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the (BH)cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.
22 For I have (BI)kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all His (BJ)judgments were before me;
And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 I was also (BK)blameless before Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 Therefore (BL)the Lord has [p]recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to [q]my cleanness in His eyes.
26 “With (BM)the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And (BN)with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
28 You will save the (BO)humble[r] people;
But Your eyes are on (BP)the haughty, that You may bring them down.
29 “For You are my (BQ)lamp, O Lord;
The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.
30 For by You I can run against a troop;
By my God I can leap over a (BR)wall.
31 As for God, (BS)His way is perfect;
(BT)The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
32 “For (BU)who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
33 [s]God is my (BV)strength and power,
And He (BW)makes [t]my way (BX)perfect.
34 He makes [u]my feet (BY)like the feet of deer,
And (BZ)sets me on my high places.
35 He teaches my hands [v]to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.
37 You (CA)enlarged my path under me;
So my feet did not slip.
38 “I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen (CB)under my feet.
40 For You have (CC)armed me with strength for the battle;
You have [w]subdued under me (CD)those who rose against me.
41 You have also [x]given me the (CE)necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was none to save;
Even (CF)to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
43 Then I beat them as fine (CG)as the dust of the earth;
I trod them (CH)like dirt in the streets,
And I [y]spread them out.
44 “You(CI) have also delivered me from the [z]strivings of my people;
You have kept me as the (CJ)head of the nations.
(CK)A people I have not known shall serve me.
45 The foreigners submit to me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 The foreigners fade away,
And [aa]come frightened (CL)from their hideouts.
47 “The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted,
The (CM)Rock of my salvation!
48 It is God who avenges me,
And (CN)subdues the peoples under me;
49 He delivers me from my enemies.
You also lift me up above those who rise against me;
You have delivered me from the (CO)violent man.
50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among (CP)the Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your (CQ)name.
51 “He(CR) is the tower of salvation to His king,
And shows mercy to His (CS)anointed,
To David and (CT)his descendants forevermore.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 21:1 Lit. house of bloodshed
- 2 Samuel 21:8 Merab, 1 Sam. 18:19; 25:44; 2 Sam. 3:14; 6:23
- 2 Samuel 21:8 Lit. bore to Adriel
- 2 Samuel 21:12 Beth Shean, Josh. 17:11
- 2 Samuel 21:16 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 21:18 Sippai, 1 Chr. 20:4
- 2 Samuel 21:18 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 21:19 Jair, 1 Chr. 20:5
- 2 Samuel 21:20 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 21:21 Shammah, 1 Sam. 16:9 and elsewhere
- 2 Samuel 21:22 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Strength
- 2 Samuel 22:5 Or overwhelmed
- 2 Samuel 22:8 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Syr., Vg. hills (cf. Ps. 18:7)
- 2 Samuel 22:11 So with MT, LXX; many Heb. mss., Syr., Vg. flew (cf. Ps. 18:10); Tg. spoke with power
- 2 Samuel 22:25 rewarded
- 2 Samuel 22:25 LXX, Syr., Vg. the cleanness of my hands in His sight (cf. Ps. 18:24); Tg. my cleanness before His word
- 2 Samuel 22:28 afflicted
- 2 Samuel 22:33 DSS, LXX, Syr., Vg. It is God who arms me with strength (cf. Ps. 18:32); Tg. It is God who sustains me with strength
- 2 Samuel 22:33 So with Qr., LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. (cf. Ps. 18:32); Kt. His
- 2 Samuel 22:34 So with Qr., LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. (cf. Ps. 18:33); Kt. His
- 2 Samuel 22:35 Lit. for the war
- 2 Samuel 22:40 Lit. caused to bow down
- 2 Samuel 22:41 given me victory over
- 2 Samuel 22:43 scattered
- 2 Samuel 22:44 contentions
- 2 Samuel 22:46 So with LXX, Tg., Vg. (cf. Ps. 18:45); MT gird themselves
Psalm 68:1-6
New King James Version
The Glory of God in His Goodness to Israel
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 Let (A)God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
2 (B)As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
(C)As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But (D)let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
(E)Extol[a] Him who rides on the [b]clouds,
(F)By His name [c]Yah,
And rejoice before Him.
5 (G)A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6 (H)God sets the solitary in families;
(I)He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But (J)the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
Footnotes
- Psalm 68:4 Praise
- Psalm 68:4 MT deserts; Tg. heavens (cf. v. 34 and Is. 19:1)
- Psalm 68:4 Lit. Lord, a shortened Heb. form
Proverbs 17:2-4
New King James Version
2 A wise servant will rule over (A)a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
(B)But the Lord tests the hearts.
4 An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a [a]spiteful tongue.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:4 Lit. destructive
John 8:28-59
New King James Version
28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you (A)lift[a] up the Son of Man, (B)then you will know that I am He, and (C)that I do nothing of Myself; but (D)as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And (E)He who sent Me is with Me. (F)The Father has not left Me alone, (G)for I always do those things that please Him.” 30 As He spoke these words, (H)many believed in Him.
The Truth Shall Make You Free
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you (I)abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the (J)truth, and (K)the truth shall make you free.”
33 They answered Him, (L)“We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, (M)whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And (N)a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 (O)Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Abraham’s Seed and Satan’s
37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but (P)you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 (Q)I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have [b]seen with your father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, (R)“Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them, (S)“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 (T)But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth (U)which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the deeds of your father.”
Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; (V)we have one Father—God.”
42 Jesus said to them, (W)“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for (X)I proceeded forth and came from God; (Y)nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 (Z)Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 (AA)You are of your father the devil, and the (AB)desires of your father you want to (AC)do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and (AD)does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 (AE)He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
Before Abraham Was, I AM
48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and (AF)have a demon?”
49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and (AG)you dishonor Me. 50 And (AH)I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Most assuredly, I say to you, (AI)if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You (AJ)have a demon! (AK)Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. (AL)Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
54 Jesus answered, (AM)“If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. (AN)It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is [c]your God. 55 Yet (AO)you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and (AP)keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham (AQ)rejoiced to see My day, (AR)and he saw it and was glad.”
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, (AS)before Abraham was, (AT)I AM.”
59 Then (AU)they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, (AV)going[d] through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Read full chapterScripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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