David and Goliath

17 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at ^(A)Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. ² And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. ³ The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

⁴ And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named ^(B)Goliath, from ^(C)Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was ^[a]armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. ⁶ And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. ⁷ Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. ⁸ Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the ^(D)servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and ^(E)serve us.” ¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “I ^(F)defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

³² Then David said to Saul, ^(A)“Let no man’s heart fail because of him; ^(B)your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

³³ And Saul said to David, ^(C)“You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a ^(D)lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Moreover David said, ^(E)“The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, ^(F)“Go, and the Lord be with you!”

³⁸ So Saul clothed David with his ^[a]armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. ⁴¹ So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. ⁴² And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he ^(G)disdained^[b] him; for he was only a youth, ^(H)ruddy and good-looking. ⁴³ So the Philistine ^(I)said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ And the Philistine ^(J)said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. ^(K)But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have ^(L)defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give ^(M)the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, ^(N)that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord ^(O)does not save with sword and spear; for ^(P)the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

⁴⁸ So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ^(Q)ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a ^(R)sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹ Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his ^(S)sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.

And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, ^(T)they fled.

Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer^(A)

⁸ Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed ^(B)from Lachish. ⁹ And ^(C)the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Look, he has come out to make war with you.” So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, ¹⁰ “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God ^(D)in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ¹¹ Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? ^12 (E)Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of ^(F)Eden who were in Telassar? ^13 (G)Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ”

^14 (H)And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. ¹⁵ Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One ^(I)who dwells between the cherubim, ^(J)You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ^16 (K)Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; ^(L)open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, ^(M)which he has sent to reproach the living God. ¹⁷ Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, ¹⁸ and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were ^(N)not gods, but ^(O)the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. ¹⁹ Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, ^(P)that all the kingdoms of the earth may ^(Q)know that You are the Lord God, You alone.”

The Word of the Lord Concerning Sennacherib^(R)

²⁰ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ^(S)‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, ^(T)I have heard.’ ²¹ This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him:

²⁹ ‘This shall be a ^(AG)sign to you:

³² “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria:

Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death^(AN)

³⁵ And ^(AO)it came to pass on a certain night that the ^[c]angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.

²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you ^(A)by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— ²³ Him, ^(B)being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, ^(C)you ^[a]have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; ^24 (D)whom God raised up, having ^[b]loosed the ^[c]pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning Him:

²⁹ “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you ^(G)of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Therefore, being a prophet, ^(H)and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, ^[d]according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, ³¹ he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, ^(I)that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. ^32 (J)This Jesus God has raised up, ^(K)of which we are all witnesses. ³³ Therefore ^(L)being exalted ^[e]to ^(M)the right hand of God, and ^(N)having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He ^(O)poured out this which you now see and hear.

³⁴ “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

³⁷ Now when they heard this, ^(Q)they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Then Peter said to them, ^(R)“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the ^[f]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is to you and ^(S)to your children, and ^(T)to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

A Vital Church Grows

⁴⁰ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this ^[g]perverse generation.” ⁴¹ Then those who ^[h]gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ^42 (U)And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ ^[i]doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³ Then fear came upon every soul, and ^(V)many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ Now all who believed were together, and ^(W)had all things in common, ⁴⁵ and ^[j]sold their possessions and goods, and ^(X)divided^[k] them among all, as anyone had need.

^46 (Y)So continuing daily with one accord ^(Z)in the temple, and ^(AA)breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And ^(AB)the Lord added ^[l]to the church daily those who were being saved.

²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you ^(A)by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— ²³ Him, ^(B)being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, ^(C)you ^[a]have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; ^24 (D)whom God raised up, having ^[b]loosed the ^[c]pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning Him:

²⁹ “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you ^(G)of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Therefore, being a prophet, ^(H)and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, ^[d]according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, ³¹ he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, ^(I)that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. ^32 (J)This Jesus God has raised up, ^(K)of which we are all witnesses. ³³ Therefore ^(L)being exalted ^[e]to ^(M)the right hand of God, and ^(N)having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He ^(O)poured out this which you now see and hear.

³⁴ “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

³⁷ Now when they heard this, ^(Q)they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Then Peter said to them, ^(R)“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the ^[f]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is to you and ^(S)to your children, and ^(T)to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

A Vital Church Grows

⁴⁰ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this ^[g]perverse generation.” ⁴¹ Then those who ^[h]gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ^42 (U)And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ ^[i]doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³ Then fear came upon every soul, and ^(V)many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ Now all who believed were together, and ^(W)had all things in common, ⁴⁵ and ^[j]sold their possessions and goods, and ^(X)divided^[k] them among all, as anyone had need.

^46 (Y)So continuing daily with one accord ^(Z)in the temple, and ^(AA)breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And ^(AB)the Lord added ^[l]to the church daily those who were being saved.

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

14 “Let ^(A)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. ^(B)I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, ^(C)I will come again and receive you to Myself; that ^(D)where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

^5 (E)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 ^(F)the way, ^(G)the truth, and ^(H)the life. ^(I)No one comes to the Father ^(J)except through Me.

The Father Revealed

^7 (K)“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? ^(L)He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that ^(M)I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you ^(N)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, ^(O)or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

The Answered Prayer

^12 (P)“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 (Q)And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be ^(R)glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ^[c]ask anything in My name, I will do it.