David Flees Jerusalem

¹³ Then a messenger came to David, saying, “^(A)The hearts of the people of Israel are ^[a]with Absalom.” ¹⁴ So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “^(B)Arise and let’s flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go quickly, or he will hurry and overtake us, and bring disaster on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” ¹⁵ Then the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants will do whatever my lord the king chooses.” ¹⁶ So the king left, and all his household ^[b]with him; but ^(C)the king left ten concubines behind to take care of the house. ¹⁷ The king left, and all the people ^[c]with him, and they stopped at the last house. ¹⁸ Now all of his servants passed by beside him, and ^(D)all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, ^(E)six hundred men who had come ^[d]with him from Gath, passed by before the king.

¹⁹ Then the king said to ^(F)Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you go with us too? Return and stay with ^[e]your king, since you are a foreigner and an exile as well; return to your own place. ²⁰ You came only yesterday, so should I make you wander with us today, while ^(G)I go wherever I go? Return and take your brothers back; ^(H)mercy and ^[f]truth be with you.” ²¹ But Ittai answered the king and said, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, ^(I)wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there assuredly shall your servant be!” ²² Then David said to Ittai, “Go and cross over the brook Kidron.” So Ittai the Gittite crossed over with all his men and all the ^[g]little ones who were with him. ²³ While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people were crossing over. The king was also crossing over ^(J)the brook Kidron, and all the people were crossing over toward ^(K)the way of the wilderness.

²⁴ Now behold, ^(L)Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, ^(M)carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and ^(N)Abiathar came up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city. ²⁵ And the king said to Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then ^(O)He will bring me back and show me both it and ^(P)His habitation. ²⁶ But if He says this: ‘^(Q)I have no delight in you,’ then here I am, ^(R)let Him do to me as seems good ^[h]to Him.” ²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not ^(S)a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your ^(T)two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. ²⁸ See, I am going to wait ^(U)at the river crossing places of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and remained there.

³⁰ And David was going up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, and ^(V)his head was covered, and he was walking ^(W)barefoot. Then all the people who were with him each covered his own head, and they were going up, weeping as they went. ³¹ Now someone informed David, saying, “^(X)Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “Lord, please ^(Y)make the advice of Ahithophel foolish.”

³² It happened as David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, that behold, Hushai the ^(Z)Archite met him with his ^[i]coat torn, and ^[j]dust on his head. ³³ And David said to him, “If you go over with me, then you will become ^(AA)a burden to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city and ^(AB)say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; even as I was your father’s servant in time past, so now I will also be your servant,’ then you can foil the advice of Ahithophel for me. ³⁵ Are Zadok and Abiathar the priests not with you there? So it shall be that ^(AC)whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall report to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ³⁶ Behold ^(AD)their two sons are there with them, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and ^(AE)by them you shall send me everything that you hear.” ³⁷ So Hushai, ^(AF)David’s friend, came into the city, and ^(AG)Absalom came into Jerusalem.

Take Care with Your Liberty

8 Now concerning ^(A)food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have ^(B)knowledge. Knowledge ^[a](C)makes one conceited, but love ^(D)edifies people. ^2 (E)If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet ^(F)known as he ought to know; ³ but if anyone loves God, he ^(G)is known by Him.

⁴ Therefore, concerning the eating of ^(H)food sacrificed to idols, we know that an ^(I)idol is ^[b]nothing at all in the world, and that ^(J)there is no God but one. ⁵ For even if ^(K)there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, ⁶ yet for us ^(L)there is only one God, ^(M)the Father, ^(N)from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and ^(O)one Lord, Jesus Christ, ^(P)by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

⁷ However, not all people ^(Q)have this knowledge; but ^(R)some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ⁸ Now ^(S)food will not bring us ^[c]close to God; we are neither ^[d]the worse if we do not eat, nor ^[e]the better if we do eat. ⁹ But ^(T)take care that this ^[f]freedom of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the ^(U)weak. ¹⁰ For if someone sees you, the one who has ^(V)knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will his conscience, if he is weak, not be strengthened to eat ^(W)things sacrificed to idols? ¹¹ For through ^(X)your knowledge the one who is weak ^(Y)is ruined, the brother or sister for whose sake Christ died. ^12 (Z)And so, by sinning against the brothers and sisters and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin ^(AA)against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, ^(AB)if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to sin.

Ziba, a False Servant

16 Now when David had gone on ^(A)a little beyond the summit, behold, ^(B)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him ^(C)with a team of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. ² And the king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “^(D)The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine, ^(E)for whoever is weary in the wilderness to drink.” ³ Then the king said, “And where is ^(F)your master’s son?” And ^(G)Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’” ⁴ So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; may I find favor in your sight, my lord, the king!”

David Is Cursed

⁵ When King David came to ^(H)Bahurim, behold, a man was coming out from there from the family of the house of Saul, and ^(I)his name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he was coming out, ^(J)cursing as he came. ⁶ He also threw stones at David and all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the warriors were on his right and on his left. ⁷ This is what Shimei said when he cursed: “Go away, go away, ^(K)you man of bloodshed and worthless man! ^8 (L)The Lord has brought back upon you all ^(M)the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have become king; and the Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. And behold, you are caught in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!”

⁹ Then ^(N)Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should ^(O)this dead dog ^(P)curse my lord the king? Now let me go over and ^[a]cut off his head.” ¹⁰ But the king said, “^[b](Q)What business of mine is yours, you sons of Zeruiah? ^(R)If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ ^(S)then who should say, ‘Why have you done so?’” ¹¹ Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, ^(T)my son who came out of my own body seeks my life; how much more now this Benjaminite? Leave him alone and let him curse, ^(U)for the Lord has told him. ¹² Perhaps the Lord will look on my ^[c]misery and ^[d](V)return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” ¹³ So David and his men went on the road; and Shimei kept going on the hillside close beside him, and as he went he cursed and threw stones and dirt at him. ¹⁴ And the king and all the people who were with him arrived exhausted, and he refreshed himself there.

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

^15 (W)Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁶ Now it came about, when ^(X)Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, that ^(Y)Hushai said to Absalom, “^(Z)Long live the king! Long live the king!” ¹⁷ But Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your ^[e]loyalty to your friend? ^(AA)Why did you not go with your friend?” ¹⁸ So Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whomever the Lord, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I shall be, and with him I shall remain. ¹⁹ Besides, ^(AB)whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? Just as I have served in your father’s presence, so I shall be in your presence.”

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What should we do?” ²¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom, “^(AC)Have relations with your father’s concubines, whom he has left behind to take care of the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.” ²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, ^(AD)and Absalom had relations with his father’s concubines ^(AE)in the sight of all Israel. ²³ Now ^(AF)the advice of Ahithophel, which he ^[f]gave in those days, was taken as though one inquired of the word of God; ^(AG)so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.

God Knows and Cares

12 Under these circumstances, after ^[a]so many thousands of ^[b]people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “^(A)Beware of the ^[c]leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ^2 (B)But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. ³ Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have ^[d]whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on ^(C)the housetops.

⁴ “Now I say to you, ^(D)My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. ⁵ But I will warn you whom to fear: ^(E)fear the One who, after He has killed someone, has the power to throw that person into ^[e](F)hell; yes, I tell you, fear ^[f]Him! ⁶ Are ^(G)five sparrows not sold for two ^[g]assaria? And yet not one of them has gone unnoticed in the sight of God. ^7 (H)But even the hairs of your head are all counted. ^[h]Do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

⁸ “Now I say to you, everyone who ^(I)confesses Me before people, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God; ⁹ but ^(J)the one who denies Me before people will be denied ^(K)before the angels of God. ^10 (L)And everyone who ^[i]speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. ¹¹ Now when they bring you before ^(M)the synagogues and the officials and the authorities, do not ^(N)worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; ¹² for ^(O)the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Greed Denounced

¹³ Now someone ^[j]in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But He said to him, “^[k](P)You there—who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?” ¹⁵ But He said to them, “^(Q)Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.” ¹⁶ And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. ¹⁷ And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. ¹⁹ And I will say to ^[l]myself, “^(R)You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘^(S)You fool! This very night ^[m](T)your soul is demanded of you; and ^(U)as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ ²¹ Such is the one who ^(V)stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”

²² And He said to His disciples, “^(W)For this reason I tell you, ^[n]do not worry about your ^[o]life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ^(X)ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor ^(Y)barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add a ^[p](Z)day to his ^[q]life’s span? ²⁶ Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor ^[r]spin; but I tell you, not even ^(AA)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ²⁸ Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? ^(AB)You of little faith! ²⁹ And do not ^[s]seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not ^(AC)keep worrying. ³⁰ For ^[t]all these things are what the nations of the world ^[u]eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹ But ^[v]seek His kingdom, and ^(AD)these things will be ^[w]provided to you. ^32 [x](AE)Do not be afraid, ^(AF)little flock, because ^(AG)your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.

³³ “^(AH)Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, ^(AI)an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor does a moth destroy. ³⁴ For ^(AJ)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.