Ishbosheth Is Murdered

4 When Saul’s ^[a]son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, ^(A)he^[b] lost heart, and all Israel was ^(B)troubled. ² Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For ^(C)Beeroth also was ^[c]part of Benjamin, ³ because the Beerothites fled to ^(D)Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)

^4 (E)Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came ^(F)from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was ^(G)Mephibosheth.^[d]

⁵ Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the ^(H)house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. ⁶ And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they ^[e]stabbed him ^(I)in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ⁷ For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. ⁸ And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, ^(J)who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.”

⁹ But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, ^(K)who has redeemed my life from all adversity, ¹⁰ when ^(L)someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. ¹¹ How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now ^(M)require his ^[f]blood at your hand and ^[g]remove you from the earth?” ¹² So David ^(N)commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the ^(O)tomb of Abner in Hebron.

David Reigns over All Israel^(P)

5 Then all the tribes of Israel ^(Q)came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed ^(R)we are your bone and your flesh. ² Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, ^(S)you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ^(T)‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” ^3 (U)Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, ^(V)and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron ^(W)before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was ^(X)thirty years old when he began to reign, and ^(Y)he reigned forty years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah ^(Z)seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

The Conquest of Jerusalem^(AA)

^6 (AB)And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against ^(AC)the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.” ⁷ Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion ^(AD)(that is, the City of David).

⁸ Now David said on that day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), ^(AE)he shall be chief and captain.” Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

⁹ Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it ^(AF)the City of David. And David built all around from ^[h]the Millo and inward. ¹⁰ So David went on and became great, and ^(AG)the Lord God of hosts was with ^(AH)him.

¹¹ Then ^(AI)Hiram ^(AJ)king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons. And they built David a house. ¹² So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had ^(AK)exalted His kingdom ^(AL)for the sake of His people Israel.

¹³ And ^(AM)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ Now ^(AN)these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: ^[i]Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, ^(AO)Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, ^[j]Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

The Philistines Defeated^(AP)

^17 (AQ)Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it ^(AR)and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸ The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in ^(AS)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So David ^(AT)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”

And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

²⁰ So David went to ^(AU)Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place ^[k]Baal Perazim. ²¹ And they left their ^[l]images there, and David and his men ^(AV)carried them away.

^22 (AW)Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ Therefore ^(AX)David inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. ²⁴ And it shall be, when you ^(AY)hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then ^(AZ)the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ²⁵ And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from ^(BA)Geba^[m] as far as ^(BB)Gezer.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(BC)

6 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And ^(BD)David arose and went with all the people who were with him from ^[n]Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called ^[o]by the Name, the Lord of Hosts, ^(BE)who dwells between the cherubim. ³ So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on ^(BF)the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new ^[p]cart. ⁴ And they brought it out of ^(BG)the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. ⁵ Then David and all the house of Israel ^(BH)played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.

⁶ And when they came to ^(BI)Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his ^(BJ)hand to the ark of God and ^[q]took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. ⁷ Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his ^[r]error; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸ And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place ^[s]Perez Uzzah to this day.

^9 (BK)David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ So David would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the ^(BL)City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the ^(BM)Gittite. ^11 (BN)The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord ^(BO)blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

¹² Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” ^(BP)So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. ¹³ And so it was, when ^(BQ)those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed ^(BR)oxen and fatted sheep. ¹⁴ Then David ^(BS)danced^[t] before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing ^(BT)a linen ephod. ^15 (BU)So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

¹⁶ Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, ^(BV)Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ So ^(BW)they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in ^(BX)its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David ^(BY)offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, ^(BZ)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. ^19 (CA)Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.

^20 (CB)Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, ^(CC)uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the ^(CD)base fellows ^[u]shamelessly uncovers himself!”

²¹ So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, ^(CE)who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the ^(CF)people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord. ²² And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.”

²³ Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children ^(CG)to the day of her death.

The New Commandment

³¹ So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, ^(A)“Now the Son of Man is glorified, and ^(B)God is glorified in Him. ³² If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and ^(C)glorify Him immediately. ³³ Little children, I shall be with you a ^(D)little while longer. You will seek Me; ^(E)and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. ^34 (F)A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ^35 (G)By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³⁶ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I ^(H)am going you cannot follow Me now, but ^(I)you shall follow Me afterward.”

³⁷ Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will ^(J)lay down my life for Your sake.”

³⁸ Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not ^(K)crow till you have denied Me three times.

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

14 “Let ^(L)not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many ^[a]mansions; if it were not so, ^[b]I would have told you. ^(M)I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, ^(N)I will come again and receive you to Myself; that ^(O)where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

^5 (P)Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am ^(Q)the way, ^(R)the truth, and ^(S)the life. ^(T)No one comes to the Father ^(U)except through Me.

The Father Revealed

^7 (V)“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? ^(W)He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that ^(X)I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you ^(Y)I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. ¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, ^(Z)or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

The Answered Prayer

^12 (AA)“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. ^13 (AB)And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be ^(AC)glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ^[c]ask anything in My name, I will do it.

ג GIMEL

ד DALETH