David Avenges the Destruction of Ziklag

30 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negeb and on Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it down,^{(A) 2} and taken captive the women and all^[a] who were in it, both small and great; they killed none of them but carried them off and went their way. ³ When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. ⁵ David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.^{(B) 6} David was in great danger, for the people spoke of stoning him because all the people were bitter in spirit for their sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.^(C)

⁷ David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.^{(D) 8} David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”^{(E) 9} So David set out, he and the six hundred men who were with him. They came to the Wadi Besor, where those stayed who were left behind.^{(F) 10} But David went on with the pursuit, he and four hundred men; two hundred stayed behind, too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor.^(G)

¹¹ In the open country they found an Egyptian and brought him to David. They gave him bread, and he ate; they gave him water to drink; ¹² they also gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.^{(H) 13} Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. My master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. ¹⁴ We had made a raid on the Negeb of the Cherethites and on that which belongs to Judah and on the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag down.”^{(I) 15} David said to him, “Will you take me down to this raiding party?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”

¹⁶ When he had taken him down, they were spread out all over the ground, eating and drinking and dancing, because of the great amount of spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.^{(J) 17} David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not one of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.^{(K) 18} David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David brought back everything.^{(L) 20} David also captured all the flocks and herds, which were driven ahead of the other cattle; people said, “This is David’s spoil.”^(M)

²¹ Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David and who had been left at the Wadi Besor. They went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. When David drew near to the people, he saluted them.^{(N) 22} Then all the corrupt and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may take his wife and children and leave.” ²³ But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us; he has preserved us and handed over to us the raiding party that attacked us. ²⁴ Who would listen to you in this matter? For the share of the one who goes down into the battle shall be the same as the share of the one who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.”^{(O) 25} From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel; it continues to the present day.

²⁶ When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.” ²⁷ It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir,^{(P) 28} in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa,^{(Q) 29} in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, in the towns of the Kenites,^{(R) 30} in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach,^{(S) 31} in Hebron, all the places where David and his men had roamed.^(T)

The Death of Saul and His Sons

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell^[b] on Mount Gilboa.^{(U) 2} The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ³ The battle pressed hard on Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by them.^{(V) 4} Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised may not come and thrust me through and make sport of me.” But his armor-bearer was unwilling, for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.^{(W) 5} When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together on the same day. ⁷ When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their towns and fled, and the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the houses of their idols and to the people.^{(X) 10} They put his armor in the temple of Astarte,^[c] and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.^{(Y) 11} But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,^{(Z) 12} all the valiant men set out, traveled all night long, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. They came to Jabesh and burned them there.^{(AA) 13} Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.^(AB)

Death of Saul and His Sons

10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.^{(A) 2} The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ³ The battle pressed hard on Saul, and the archers found him, and he was wounded by the archers. ⁴ Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised may not come and make sport of me.” But his armor-bearer was unwilling, for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.^{(B) 5} When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. ⁶ Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together. ⁷ When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army^[a] had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled, and the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They stripped him and took his head and his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ They put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.^{(C) 11} But when all Jabesh-gilead heard everything that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the valiant warriors got up and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

¹³ So Saul died for his unfaithfulness; he was unfaithful to the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord; moreover, he had consulted a medium, seeking guidance,^{(D) 14} and did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord^[b] put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.^(E)

Paul Goes to Macedonia and Greece

20 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them and saying farewell, he left for Macedonia.^{(A) 2} When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece, ³ where he stayed for three months. He was about to set sail for Syria when a plot was made against him by the Jews, so he decided to return through Macedonia.^{(B) 4} He was accompanied^[a] by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Beroea, by Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, by Gaius from Derbe, and by Timothy, as well as by Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia.^{(C) 5} They went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas, ⁶ but we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we joined them in Troas, where we stayed for seven days.^(D)

Paul’s Farewell Visit to Troas

⁷ On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight.^{(E) 8} There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting. ⁹ A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down and bending over him took him in his arms and said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.”^{(F) 11} Then Paul went upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then he left. ¹² Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and were not a little comforted.

The Voyage from Troas to Miletus

¹³ We went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there, for he had made this arrangement, intending to go by land himself. ¹⁴ When he met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. ¹⁵ We sailed from there, and on the following day we arrived opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos, and^[b] the day after that we came to Miletus. ¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; he was eager to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.^(G)

Paul Speaks to the Ephesian Elders

¹⁷ From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him.^{(H) 18} When they came to him, he said to them:

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,^{(I) 19} serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. ²⁰ I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house,^{(J) 21} as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.^{[c](K) 22} And now, as a captive to the Spirit,^[d] I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,^{(L) 23} except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me.^{(M) 24} But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.^(N)

²⁵ “And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again.^{(O) 26} Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,^{(P) 27} for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.^{(Q) 28} Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God^[e] that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.^{[f](R) 29} I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.^{(S) 30} Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. ³¹ Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears.^{(T) 32} And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified.^{(U) 33} I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing.^{(V) 34} You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions.^{(W) 35} In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”^(X)

³⁶ When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed.^{(Y) 37} There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him,^{(Z) 38} grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship.^(AA)