David Reigns over All Israel^(A)

5 Then all the tribes of Israel ^(B)came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed ^(C)we are your bone and your flesh. ² Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, ^(D)you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ^(E)‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” ^3 (F)Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, ^(G)and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron ^(H)before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was ^(I)thirty years old when he began to reign, and ^(J)he reigned forty years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah ^(K)seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

The Conquest of Jerusalem^(L)

^6 (M)And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against ^(N)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 ^(O)(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), ^(P)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 ^(Q)the City of David. And David built all around from ^[a]the Millo and inward. ¹⁰ So David went on and became great, and ^(R)the Lord God of hosts was with ^(S)him.

¹¹ Then ^(T)Hiram ^(U)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 ^(V)exalted His kingdom ^(W)for the sake of His people Israel.

Stewards of the Mysteries of God

4 Let a man so consider us, as ^(A)servants of Christ ^(B)and stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. ³ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human ^[a]court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. ^5 (C)Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to ^(D)light the hidden things of darkness and ^(E)reveal the ^[b]counsels of the hearts. ^(F)Then each one’s praise will come from God.

Fools for Christ’s Sake

⁶ Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be ^[c]puffed up on behalf of one against the other. ⁷ For who ^[d]makes you differ from another? And ^(G)what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

⁸ You are already full! ^(H)You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! ⁹ For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a ^(I)spectacle ^[e]to the world, both to angels and to men. ¹⁰ We are ^(J)fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! ^(K)We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! ¹¹ To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. ^12 (L)And we labor, working with our own hands. ^(M)Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; ¹³ being defamed, we ^[f]entreat. ^(N)We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

Paul’s Paternal Care

¹⁴ I do not write these things to shame you, but ^(O)as my beloved children I warn you. ¹⁵ For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for ^(P)in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you, ^(Q)imitate me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent ^(R)Timothy to you, ^(S)who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will ^(T)remind you of my ways in Christ, as I ^(U)teach everywhere ^(V)in every church.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(A)

6 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And ^(B)David arose and went with all the people who were with him from ^[a]Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called ^[b]by the Name, the Lord of Hosts, ^(C)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 ^(D)the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new ^[c]cart. ⁴ And they brought it out of ^(E)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 ^(F)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 ^(G)Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his ^(H)hand to the ark of God and ^[d]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 ^[e]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 ^[f]Perez Uzzah to this day.

^9 (I)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 ^(J)City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the ^(K)Gittite. ^11 (L)The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord ^(M)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.” ^(N)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 ^(O)those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed ^(P)oxen and fatted sheep. ¹⁴ Then David ^(Q)danced^[g] before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing ^(R)a linen ephod. ^15 (S)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, ^(T)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 ^(U)they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in ^(V)its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David ^(W)offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, ^(X)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. ^19 (Y)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 (Z)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, ^(AA)uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the ^(AB)base fellows ^[h]shamelessly uncovers himself!”

²¹ So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, ^(AC)who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the ^(AD)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 ^(AE)to the day of her death.

The Seventy Sent Out

10 After these things the Lord appointed ^[a]seventy others also, and ^(A)sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. ² Then He said to them, ^(B)“The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore ^(C)pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. ³ Go your way; ^(D)behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. ^4 (E)Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and ^(F)greet no one along the road. ^5 (G)But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. ^7 (H)And remain in the same house, ^(I)eating and drinking such things as they give, for ^(J)the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. ⁸ Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. ^9 (K)And heal the sick there, and say to them, ^(L)‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ^11 (M)‘The very dust of your city which clings to ^[b]us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ ^12 [c]But I say to you that ^(N)it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

Woe to the Impenitent Cities^(O)

^13 (P)“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! ^(Q)For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. ^15 (R)And you, Capernaum, ^[d]who are ^(S)exalted to heaven, ^(T)will be brought down to Hades. ^16 (U)He who hears you hears Me, ^(V)he who rejects you rejects Me, and ^(W)he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

The Seventy Return with Joy

¹⁷ Then ^(X)the ^[e]seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

¹⁸ And He said to them, ^(Y)“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Behold, ^(Z)I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. ²⁰ Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but ^[f]rather rejoice because ^(AA)your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit^(AB)

^21 (AC)In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. ^22 (AD)All^[g] things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and ^(AE)no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

²³ Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, ^(AF)“Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; ²⁴ for I tell you ^(AG)that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”