1 Samuel 22

English Standard Version

David at the Cave of Adullam

22 David departed from there and escaped to ^(A)the cave of ^(B)Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. ²^(C)And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul,^[a] gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him ^(D)about four hundred men.

³And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay^[b] with you, till I know what God will do for me.” ⁴And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. ⁵Then the prophet ^(E)Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

Saul Kills the Priests at Nob

⁶Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under ^(F)the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. ⁷And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse ^(G)give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, ⁸that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me ^(H)when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you ^(I)is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, ^(J)to lie in wait, as at this day.” ⁹Then answered ^(K)Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse ^(L)coming to Nob, to ^(M)Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, ¹⁰^(N)and he inquired of the Lord for him and ^(O)gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. ¹²And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” ¹³And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and ^(P)have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, ^(Q)to lie in wait, as at this day?” ¹⁴Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and captain over^[c] your bodyguard, and honored in your house? ¹⁵Is today the first time ^(R)that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, ^(S)much or little.” ¹⁶And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house.” ¹⁷And the king said to ^(T)the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. ¹⁸Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, ^(U)and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. ¹⁹And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; ^(V)both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

²⁰But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named ^(W)Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. ²¹And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. ²²And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, ^(X)when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house. ²³^(Y)Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”

Footnotes

1 Samuel 22:2 Or discontented
1 Samuel 22:3 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew go out
1 Samuel 22:14 Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew and has turned aside to

Psalm 17

English Standard Version

In the Shadow of Your Wings

A ^(A)Prayer of David.

17 Hear a just cause, O Lord; ^(B)attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
²From your presence ^(C)let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!

³You have ^(D)tried my heart, you have ^(E)visited me by ^(F)night,
    you have ^(G)tested me, and you will find nothing;
    I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
⁴With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
    I have avoided the ways of the violent.
⁵My steps have ^(H)held fast to your paths;
    my feet have not slipped.

⁶I ^(I)call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    ^(J)incline your ear to me; hear my words.
⁷^(K)Wondrously show^[a] your steadfast love,
    O Savior of those who seek refuge
    from ^(L)their adversaries at your right hand.

⁸Keep me as ^(M)the apple of your eye;
hide me in ^(N)the shadow of your wings,
⁹from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who ^(O)surround me.

¹⁰^(P)They close their hearts to pity;
    with their mouths they ^(Q)speak arrogantly.
¹¹They have now surrounded our ^(R)steps;
    they set their eyes to ^(S)cast us to the ground.
¹²He is like a lion eager to tear,
    as a young lion ^(T)lurking in ambush.

¹³Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
    Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
¹⁴from men by your hand, O Lord,
    from ^(U)men of the world whose ^(V)portion is in this life.^[b]
You fill their womb with treasure;^[c]
    they are satisfied with ^(W)children,
    and they leave their abundance to their infants.

¹⁵As for me, I shall ^(X)behold your face in righteousness;
when I ^(Y)awake, I shall be ^(Z)satisfied with your likeness.

Footnotes

Psalm 17:7 Or Distinguish me by
Psalm 17:14 Or from men whose portion in life is of the world
Psalm 17:14 Or As for your treasured ones, you fill their womb

Psalm 35

English Standard Version

Great Is the Lord

Of David.

35 Contend, O Lord, with those who ^(A)contend with me;
    ^(B)fight against those who fight against me!
²Take hold of ^(C)shield and buckler
    and rise for my help!
³Draw the spear and javelin^[a]
    against my pursuers!
Say to my soul,
    “I am your salvation!”

⁴^(D)Let them be ^(E)put to shame and dishonor
    who seek after my life!
Let them be ^(F)turned back and disappointed
    who devise evil against me!
⁵Let them be like ^(G)chaff before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
⁶Let their way be dark and ^(H)slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!

⁷For ^(I)without cause ^(J)they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug ^(K)a pit for my life.^[b]
⁸Let ^(L)destruction come upon him ^(M)when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it—to his destruction!

⁹Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord,
    ^(N)exulting in his salvation.
¹⁰All my ^(O)bones shall say,
    “O Lord, ^(P)who is like you,
delivering the poor
    from him who is too strong for him,
    the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

¹¹^(Q)Malicious^[c] witnesses rise up;
    they ask me of things that I do not know.
¹²^(R)They repay me evil for good;
    my soul is bereft.^[d]
¹³But I, ^(S)when they were sick—
    I ^(T)wore sackcloth;
    I ^(U)afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed ^(V)with head bowed^[e] on my chest.
¹⁴    I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
    I ^(W)bowed down in mourning.

¹⁵But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
    they gathered together against me;
^(X)wretches whom I did not know
    tore at me without ceasing;
¹⁶like profane mockers at a feast,^[f]
    they ^(Y)gnash at me with their teeth.

¹⁷How long, O Lord, will you ^(Z)look on?
    Rescue me from their destruction,
    ^(AA)my precious life from the lions!
¹⁸I will thank you in ^(AB)the great congregation;
    in the mighty throng I will praise you.

¹⁹^(AC)Let not those rejoice over me
    who are ^(AD)wrongfully my foes,
and let not those ^(AE)wink the eye
    who ^(AF)hate me ^(AG)without cause.
²⁰For they do not speak peace,
    but against those who are quiet in the land
    they devise words of deceit.
²¹They ^(AH)open wide their mouths against me;
    they say, ^(AI)“Aha, Aha!
    Our eyes have seen it!”

²²^(AJ)You have seen, O Lord; ^(AK)be not silent!
    O Lord, ^(AL)be not far from me!
²³Awake and ^(AM)rouse yourself for ^(AN)my vindication,
    for my cause, my God and my Lord!
²⁴^(AO)Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
    according to your righteousness,
    and ^(AP)let them not rejoice over me!
²⁵Let them not say in their hearts,
    ^(AQ)“Aha, our heart's desire!”
Let them not say, ^(AR)“We have swallowed him up.”

²⁶Let them be ^(AS)put to shame and disappointed altogether
who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be ^(AT)clothed with shame and dishonor
who ^(AU)magnify themselves against me!

²⁷Let those who delight in my righteousness
    shout for joy and be glad
    ^(AV)and say evermore,
^(AW)“Great is the Lord,
    who ^(AX)delights in the welfare of his servant!”
²⁸Then my ^(AY)tongue shall tell of your righteousness
    and of your praise all the day long.

Footnotes

Psalm 35:3 Or and close the way
Psalm 35:7 The word pit is transposed from the preceding line; Hebrew For without cause they hid the pit of their net for me; without cause they dug for my life
Psalm 35:11 Or Violent
Psalm 35:12 Hebrew it is bereavement to my soul
Psalm 35:13 Or my prayer shall turn back
Psalm 35:16 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain

Matthew 6

English Standard Version

Giving to the Needy

6 “Beware of ^(A)practicing your righteousness before other people in order ^(B)to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

²^(C)“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may ^(D)be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have ^(E)received their reward. ³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. ^(F)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Lord's Prayer

⁵“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love ^(G)to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. ^(H)Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶But when you pray, ^(I)go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. ^(J)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁷“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as ^(K)the Gentiles do, for ^(L)they think that they will be heard ^(M)for their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, ^(N)for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹^(O)Pray then like this:

^(P)“Our Father in heaven,
^(Q)hallowed be ^(R)your name.^[a]
¹⁰^(S)Your kingdom come,
^(T)your will be done,^[b]
    ^(U)on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹^(V)Give us ^(W)this day our daily bread,^[c]
¹²and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And ^(X)lead us not into temptation,
    but ^(Y)deliver us from ^(Z)evil.^[d]

¹⁴^(AA)For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵^(AB)but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting

¹⁶“And ^(AC)when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. ^(AD)Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, ^(AE)anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. ^(AF)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹^(AG)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where ^(AH)moth and rust^[e] destroy and where thieves ^(AI)break in and steal, ²⁰^(AJ)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²²^(AK)“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³^(AL)but if ^(AM)your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴^(AN)“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and ^(AO)money.^[f]

Do Not Be Anxious

²⁵^(AP)“Therefore I tell you, ^(AQ)do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶^(AR)Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. ^(AS)Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^(AT)span of life?^[g] ²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, ^(AU)even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, ^(AV)O you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For ^(AW)the Gentiles seek after all these things, and ^(AX)your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But ^(AY)seek first ^(AZ)the kingdom of God and his righteousness, ^(BA)and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴^(BB)“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Footnotes

Matthew 6:9 Or Let your name be kept holy, or Let your name be treated with reverence
Matthew 6:10 Or Let your kingdom come, let your will be done
Matthew 6:11 Or our bread for tomorrow
Matthew 6:13 Or the evil one; some manuscripts add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen
Matthew 6:19 Or worm; also verse 20
Matthew 6:24 Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions
Matthew 6:27 Or a single cubit to his stature; a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters