David Hears of Saul’s Death^(A)

1 After the death^(B) of Saul, David returned from striking down^(C) the Amalekites^(D) and stayed in Ziklag two days. ² On the third day a man^(E) arrived from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head.^(F) When he came to David, he fell^(G) to the ground to pay him honor.^(H)

³ “Where have you come from?” David asked him.

He answered, “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.”

⁴ “What happened?” David asked. “Tell me.”

“The men fled from the battle,” he replied. “Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”

⁵ Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

⁶ “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,^(I)” the young man said, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and their drivers in hot pursuit. ⁷ When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, ‘What can I do?’

⁸ “He asked me, ‘Who are you?’

“‘An Amalekite,^(J)’ I answered.

⁹ “Then he said to me, ‘Stand here by me and kill me!^(K) I’m in the throes of death, but I’m still alive.’

¹⁰ “So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown^(L) that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore^(M) them. ¹² They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³ David said to the young man who brought him the report, “Where are you from?”

“I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite,^(N)” he answered.

¹⁴ David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?^(O)”

¹⁵ Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!”^(P) So he struck him down, and he died.^{(Q) 16} For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head.^(R) Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ David took up this lament^(S) concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,^{(T) 18} and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):^(U)

David Anointed King Over Judah

2 In the course of time, David inquired^(AQ) of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.

The Lord said, “Go up.”

David asked, “Where shall I go?”

“To Hebron,”^(AR) the Lord answered.

² So David went up there with his two wives,^(AS) Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail,^(AT) the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ³ David also took the men who were with him,^(AU) each with his family, and they settled in Hebron^(AV) and its towns. ⁴ Then the men of Judah came to Hebron,^(AW) and there they anointed^(AX) David king over the tribe of Judah.

When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead^(AY) who had buried Saul, ⁵ he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless^(AZ) you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. ⁶ May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness,^(BA) and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. ⁷ Now then, be strong^(BB) and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”

War Between the Houses of David and Saul^(BC)

⁸ Meanwhile, Abner^(BD) son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth^(BE) son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.^{(BF) 9} He made him king over Gilead,^(BG) Ashuri^(BH) and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.^(BI)

¹⁰ Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. ¹¹ The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.^(BJ)

¹² Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.^{(BK) 13} Joab^(BL) son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

¹⁴ Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”

“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.

¹⁵ So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. ¹⁶ Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger^(BM) into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.^[c]

¹⁷ The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated^(BN) by David’s men.^(BO)

¹⁸ The three sons of Zeruiah^(BP) were there: Joab,^(BQ) Abishai^(BR) and Asahel.^(BS) Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle.^{(BT) 19} He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. ²⁰ Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”

“It is,” he answered.

²¹ Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

²² Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”^(BU)

²³ But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach,^(BV) and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.^(BW)

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. ²⁵ Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

²⁶ Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour^(BX) forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”

²⁷ Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”

²⁸ So Joab^(BY) blew the trumpet,^(BZ) and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

²⁹ All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah.^(CA) They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours^[d] and came to Mahanaim.^(CB)

³⁰ Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. ³¹ But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. ³² They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb^(CC) at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus^(A)

22 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching,^{(B) 2} and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus,^(C) for they were afraid of the people. ³ Then Satan^(D) entered Judas, called Iscariot,^(E) one of the Twelve. ⁴ And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard^(F) and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. ⁵ They were delighted and agreed to give him money.^{(G) 6} He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.

The Last Supper^{(H)(I)(J)(K)(L)}

⁷ Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.^{(M) 8} Jesus sent Peter and John,^(N) saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

⁹ “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.

¹⁰ He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, ¹¹ and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹² He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”

¹³ They left and found things just as Jesus had told them.^(O) So they prepared the Passover.

¹⁴ When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles^(P) reclined at the table.^{(Q) 15} And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.^{(R) 16} For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”^(S)

¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it,^(T) and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant^(U) in my blood, which is poured out for you.^{[a] 21} But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table.^{(V) 22} The Son of Man^(W) will go as it has been decreed.^(X) But woe to that man who betrays him!” ²³ They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.

²⁴ A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.^{(Y) 25} Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶ But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest,^(Z) and the one who rules like the one who serves.^{(AA) 27} For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.^{(AB) 28} You are those who have stood by me in my trials. ²⁹ And I confer on you a kingdom,^(AC) just as my Father conferred one on me, ³⁰ so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom^(AD) and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.^(AE)

Psalm 57^[a](A)

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.^[b] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.^(B)