²³ And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the ^(A)wilderness.

²⁴ There was ^(B)Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ^(C)ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and ^(D)Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city. ²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He ^(E)will bring me back and show me both it and ^(F)His dwelling place. ²⁶ But if He says thus: ‘I have no ^(G)delight in you,’ here I am, ^(H)let Him do to me as seems good to Him.” ²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a ^(I)seer?^[a] Return to the city in peace, and ^(J)your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. ²⁸ See, ^(K)I will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹ Therefore Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem. And they remained there.

³⁰ So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he ^(L)had his head covered and went ^(M)barefoot. And all the people who were with him ^(N)covered their heads and went up, ^(O)weeping as they went up. ³¹ Then someone told David, saying, ^(P)“Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, ^(Q)turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”

³² Now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain, where he worshiped God—there was Hushai the ^(R)Archite coming to meet him ^(S)with his robe torn and dust on his head. ³³ David said to him, “If you go on with me, then you will become ^(T)a burden to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ^(U)‘I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father’s servant previously, so I will now also be your servant,’ then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me. ³⁵ And do you not have Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? Therefore it will be that whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall tell to ^(V)Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ³⁶ Indeed they have there ^(W)with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them you shall send me everything you hear.”

³⁷ So Hushai, ^(X)David’s friend, went into the city. ^(Y)And Absalom came into Jerusalem.

Mephibosheth’s Servant

16 When^(Z) David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was ^(AA)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. ² And the king said to Ziba, “What do you mean to do with these?”

So Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for ^(AB)those who are faint in the wilderness to drink.”

³ Then the king said, “And where is your ^(AC)master’s son?”

^(AD)And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’ ”

⁴ So the king said to Ziba, “Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.”

And Ziba said, “I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!”

Shimei Curses David

⁵ Now when King David came to ^(AE)Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^(AF)Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. ⁶ And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. ⁷ Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You ^[b]bloodthirsty man, ^(AG)you ^[c]rogue! ⁸ The Lord has ^(AH)brought upon you all ^(AI)the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a ^[d]bloodthirsty man!”

⁹ Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this ^(AJ)dead dog ^(AK)curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!”

¹⁰ But the king said, ^(AL)“What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because ^(AM)the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ ^(AN)Who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’ ”

¹¹ And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how ^(AO)my son who ^(AP)came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him. ¹² It may be that the Lord will look on ^[e]my affliction, and that the Lord will ^(AQ)repay me with ^(AR)good for his cursing this day.” ¹³ And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and ^[f]kicked up dust. ¹⁴ Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.

The Advice of Ahithophel

¹⁵ Meanwhile ^(AS)Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with him. ¹⁶ And so it was, when Hushai the Archite, ^(AT)David’s friend, came to Absalom, that ^(AU)Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

¹⁷ So Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? ^(AV)Why did you not go with your friend?”

¹⁸ And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, but whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain. ¹⁹ Furthermore, ^(AW)whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so will I be in your presence.”

²⁰ Then Absalom said to ^(AX)Ahithophel, “Give advice as to what we should do.”

²¹ And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s ^(AY)concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you ^(AZ)are abhorred by your father. Then ^(BA)the hands of all who are with you will be strong.” ²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines ^(BB)in the sight of all Israel.

²³ Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel ^(BC)both with David and with Absalom.

Peter Denies Twice More

²⁵ Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. ^(A)Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?”

He denied it and said, “I am not!”

²⁶ One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” ²⁷ Peter then denied again; and ^(B)immediately a rooster crowed.

In Pilate’s Court^(C)

^28 (D)Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. ^(E)But they themselves did not go into the ^[a]Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. ^29 (F)Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”

³⁰ They answered and said to him, “If He were not ^[b]an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”

³¹ Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.”

Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” ^32 (G)that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, ^(H)signifying by what death He would die.

^33 (I)Then Pilate entered the ^[c]Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

³⁴ Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”

³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”

^36 (J)Jesus answered, ^(K)“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

³⁷ Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”

Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, ^(L)that I should bear ^(M)witness to the truth. Everyone who ^(N)is of the truth ^(O)hears My voice.”

³⁸ Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, ^(P)“I find no fault in Him at all.

Taking the Place of Barabbas^(Q)

^39 (R)“But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

^40 (S)Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” ^(T)Now Barabbas was a robber.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(U)

19 So then ^(V)Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. ² And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. ^3 [d]Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they ^(W)struck Him with their hands.

⁴ Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, ^(X)that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

Pilate’s Decision

⁵ Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”

^6 (Y)Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

⁷ The Jews answered him, ^(Z)“We have a law, and according to ^[e]our law He ought to die, because ^(AA)He made Himself the Son of God.”

⁸ Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, ⁹ and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” ^(AB)But Jesus gave him no answer.

¹⁰ Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have ^[f]power to crucify You, and power to release You?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, ^(AC)“You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore ^(AD)the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

¹² From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. ^(AE)Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”

^13 (AF)When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now ^(AG)it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

¹⁵ But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”

The chief priests answered, ^(AH)“We have no king but Caesar!”

^16 (AI)Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus ^[g]and led Him away.

The King on a Cross^(AJ)

^17 (AK)And He, bearing His cross, ^(AL)went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, ¹⁸ where they crucified Him, and ^(AM)two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. ^19 (AN)Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

²⁰ Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

²¹ Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

ס SAMEK

ע AYIN