15 After this, Absalom got a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

² And [he] rose up early and stood beside the gateway; and when any man who had a controversy came to the king for judgment, Absalom called to him, Of what city are you? And he would say, Your servant is of such and such a tribe of Israel.

³ Absalom would say to him, Your claims are good and right, but there is no man appointed as the king’s agent to hear you.

⁴ Absalom added, Oh, that I were judge in the land! Then every man with any suit or cause might come to me and I would do him justice!

⁵ And whenever a man came near to do obeisance to him, he would put out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him.

⁶ Thus Absalom did to all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

⁷ And after [four] years, Absalom said to the king, I pray you, let me go to Hebron [his birthplace] and pay my vow to the Lord.

⁸ For your servant vowed while I dwelt at Geshur in Syria, If the Lord will bring me again to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord [by offering a sacrifice].

⁹ And the king said to him, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron.

¹⁰ But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, Absalom is king at Hebron.

¹¹ With Absalom went 200 men from Jerusalem, who were invited [as guests to his sacrificial feast]; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not a thing.

¹² And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy was strong; the people with Absalom increased continually.

¹³ And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.

¹⁴ David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, Arise and let us flee, or else none of us will escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us and smite the city with the sword.

¹⁵ And the king’s servants said to the king, Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king says.

¹⁶ So the king and all his household after him went forth. But he left ten women who were concubines to keep the house.^(A)

¹⁷ The king went forth with all the people after him, and halted at the last house.

¹⁸ All David’s servants passed on beside him, along with [his bodyguards] all the Cherethites, Pelethites; also all the Gittites, 600 men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.

¹⁹ The king said to Ittai the Gittite, Why do you go with us also? Return to your place and remain with the king [Absalom], for you are a foreigner and an exile.

²⁰ Since you came only yesterday, should I make you go up and down with us? Since I must go where I may, you return, and take back your brethren with you. May loving-kindness and faithfulness be with you.

²¹ But Ittai answered the king, As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or life, even there also will your servant be.

²² So David said to Ittai, Go on and pass over [the Kidron]. And Ittai the Gittite passed over and all his men and all the little ones who were with him.

²³ All the country wept with a loud voice as all the people passed over. The king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people went on toward the wilderness.

²⁴ Abiathar [the priest] and behold, Zadok came also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until all the people had gone from the city.

²⁵ Then the king told Zadok, Take back the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, He will bring me back and let me see both it and His house.

²⁶ But if He says, I have no delight in you, then here I am; let Him do to me what seems good to Him.

²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, Are you not a seer? [You and Abiathar] return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan son of Abiathar.

²⁸ See, I will wait at the fords [at the Jordan] of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.

²⁹ Zadok, therefore, and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem and they stayed there.

³⁰ And David went up over the Mount of Olives and wept as he went, barefoot and his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, weeping as they went.

³¹ David was told, Ahithophel [your counselor] is among the conspirators with Absalom. David said, O Lord, I pray You, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.

³² When David came to the summit [of Olivet], where he worshiped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent and earth upon his head.

³³ David said to him, If you go with me, you will be a burden to me.

³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in the past, so will I be your servant now, then you may defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.

³⁵ Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be with you? So whatever you hear from the king’s house, just tell it to [them].

³⁶ Behold, their two sons are there with them, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them send to me everything you hear.

³⁷ So Hushai, David’s friend, returned, and Absalom also came into Jerusalem.

26 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the Lord:

² Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord’s house [Jeremiah] and speak to all [the people of] the cities of Judah who come to worship in the Lord’s house all the words that I command you to speak to them; subtract not a word.

³ It may be that they will listen and turn every man from his evil way, that I may relent and reverse My decision concerning the evil which I purpose to do to them because of their evil doings.

⁴ And you will say to them, Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to and obey Me, to walk in My law, which I have set before you,

⁵ And to hear and obey the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you urgently and persistently—though you have not listened and obeyed—

⁶ Then will I make this house [the temple] like Shiloh [the home of the Tent of Meeting, abandoned and later destroyed after the ark was captured by the Philistines], and I will make this city subject to the curses of all nations of the earth [so vile in their sight will it be].^(A)

⁷ And the priests and the [false] prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.

⁸ Now when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the [false] prophets and all the people seized him, saying, You shall surely die!

⁹ Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh [after the ark of the Lord had been taken by our enemies] and this city [Jerusalem] shall be desolate, without inhabitant? And all the people were gathered around Jeremiah in the [outer area of the] house of the Lord.

20 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been removed from (lifted out of the groove across the entrance of) the tomb.

² So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus [tenderly] loved, and said to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him!

³ Upon this, Peter and the other disciple came out and they went toward the tomb.

⁴ And they came running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first.

⁵ And stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not enter.

⁶ Then Simon Peter came up, following him, and went into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there;

⁷ But the burial napkin (kerchief) which had been around Jesus’ head, was not lying with the other linen cloths, but was [still] ^[a]rolled up (wrapped round and round) in a place by itself.

⁸ Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, went in too; and he saw and was convinced and believed.

⁹ For as yet they did not know (understand) the statement of Scripture that He must rise again from the dead.^(A)

¹⁰ Then the disciples went back again to their homes (lodging places).

¹¹ But Mary remained standing outside the tomb sobbing. As she wept, she stooped down [and looked] into the tomb.

¹² And she saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

¹³ And they said to her, Woman, why are you sobbing? She told them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.

¹⁴ On saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing [there], but she did not know (recognize) that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you crying [so]? For Whom are you looking? Supposing that it was the gardener, she replied, Sir, if you carried Him away from here, tell me where you have put Him and I will take Him away.

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, Mary! Turning around she said to Him in Hebrew, Rabboni!—which means Teacher or Master.

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, Do not cling to Me [do not hold Me], for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brethren and tell them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.

¹⁸ Away came Mary Magdalene, bringing the disciples news (word) that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.

¹⁹ Then on that same first day of the week, when it was evening, though the disciples were behind closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace to you!

²⁰ So saying, He showed them His hands and His side. And when the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy (delight, exultation, ecstasy, rapture).

²¹ Then Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you.

²² And having said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit!

²³ [Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being ^[b]led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.

²⁴ But Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.

²⁵ So the other disciples kept telling him, We have seen the Lord! But he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the marks made by the nails and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe [it].

²⁶ Eight days later His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, though they were behind closed doors, and stood among them and said, Peace to you!

²⁷ Then He said to Thomas, Reach out your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place [it] in My side. Do not be faithless and incredulous, but [stop your unbelief and] believe!

²⁸ Thomas answered Him, My Lord and my God!

²⁹ Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you now believe (trust, have faith)? Blessed and happy and ^[c]to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me.

³⁰ There are also many other signs and miracles which Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book.

³¹ But these are written (recorded) in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of God, and that through believing and cleaving to and trusting and relying upon Him you may have life through (in) His name [^[d]through Who He is].^(B)

4 So, since Christ suffered in the flesh ^[a]for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and ^[b]purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having ^[c]the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God],

² So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills.

³ For the time that is past already suffices for doing what the Gentiles like to do—living [as you have done] in shameless, insolent wantonness, in lustful desires, drunkenness, reveling, drinking bouts and abominable, lawless idolatries.