Absalom Slain

18 Then David ^[a]numbered the people who were with him and ^(A)set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ² David sent the people out, ^(B)one third under the ^[b]command of Joab, one third under the ^[c]command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the ^[d]command of ^(C)Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I myself will surely go out with you also.” ³ But the people said, “^(D)You should not go out; for if we indeed flee, they will not care about us; even if half of us die, they will not care about us. But ^[e]you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.” ⁴ Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So ^(E)the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and thousands. ⁵ The king charged Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And ^(F)all the people heard when the king charged all the commanders concerning Absalom.

⁶ Then the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in ^(G)the forest of Ephraim. ⁷ The people of Israel were ^[f]defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men. ⁸ For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

⁹ Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. For Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And ^(H)his head caught fast in the oak, so he was ^[g]left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going. ¹⁰ When a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” ¹¹ Then Joab said to the man who had told him, “Now behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” ¹² The man said to Joab, “Even if I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king’s son; for ^(I)in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘^[h]Protect for me the young man Absalom!’ ¹³ Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and ^(J)there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” ¹⁴ Then Joab said, “I will not ^[i]waste time here with you.” ^(K)So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the ^[j]midst of the oak. ¹⁵ And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him.

¹⁶ Then ^(L)Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people. ¹⁷ They took Absalom and cast him into ^[k]a deep pit in the forest and ^(M)erected over him a very great heap of stones. And ^(N)all Israel fled, each to his tent. ¹⁸ Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and ^(O)set up for himself a pillar which is in ^(P)the King’s Valley, for he said, “^(Q)I have no son ^[l]to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

David Is Grief-stricken

¹⁹ Then ^(R)Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and bring the king news ^(S)that the Lord has ^[m]freed him from the hand of his enemies.” ²⁰ But Joab said to him, “You are not the man to carry news this day, but you shall carry news another day; however, you shall carry no news today because the king’s son is dead.” ²¹ Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran. ²² Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab, “But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why would you run, my son, since ^(T)you will have no reward for going?” ²³ “But whatever happens,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed up the Cushite.

²⁴ Now ^(U)David was sitting between the two gates; and ^(V)the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and raised his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running by himself. ²⁵ The watchman called and told the king. And the king said, “If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth.” And he came nearer and nearer. ²⁶ Then the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “Behold, another man running by himself.” And the king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” ²⁷ The watchman said, “I ^[n]think the running of the first one ^(W)is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “^(X)This is a good man and comes with good news.”

²⁸ Ahimaaz called and said to the king, “^[o]All is well.” And ^(Y)he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. And he said, “^(Z)Blessed is the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king.” ²⁹ The king said, “^(AA)Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but ^(AB)I did not know what it was.” ³⁰ Then the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.

³¹ Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, “Let my lord the king receive good news, for ^(AC)the Lord has ^[p]freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you.” ³² Then the king said to the Cushite, “^(AD)Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “^(AE)Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be as that young man!”

^33 [q]The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, “^(AF)O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! ^(AG)Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

All the World Guilty

3 Then what ^[a]advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? ² Great in every respect. First of all, that ^(A)they were entrusted with the ^(B)oracles of God. ³ What then? If ^(C)some ^[b]did not believe, their ^[c]unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? ^4 (D)May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found ^(E)a liar, as it is written,

⁵ But if our unrighteousness ^[e](G)demonstrates the righteousness of God, ^(H)what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (^(I)I am speaking in human terms.) ^6 (J)May it never be! For otherwise, how will ^(K)God judge the world? ⁷ But if through my lie ^(L)the truth of God abounded to His glory, ^(M)why am I also still being judged as a sinner? ⁸ And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “^(N)Let us do evil that good may come”? ^[f]Their condemnation is just.

⁹ What then? ^[g](O)Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both ^(P)Jews and ^(Q)Greeks are ^(R)all under sin; ¹⁰ as it is written,

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the ^(Y)Law says, it speaks to ^(Z)those who are ^[h]under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and ^(AA)all the world may become accountable to God; ²⁰ because ^(AB)by the works ^[i]of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for ^[j](AC)through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Justification by Faith

²¹ But now apart ^[k]from the Law ^(AD)the righteousness of God has been manifested, being ^(AE)witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the ^(AF)righteousness of God through ^(AG)faith ^(AH)in Jesus Christ for ^(AI)all those ^[l]who believe; for ^(AJ)there is no distinction; ²³ for all ^[m](AK)have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified as a gift ^(AL)by His grace through ^(AM)the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; ²⁵ whom God displayed publicly as ^(AN)a ^[n]propitiation ^[o](AO)in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, ^[p]because in the ^(AP)forbearance of God He ^(AQ)passed over the sins previously committed; ²⁶ for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who ^[q]has faith in Jesus.

²⁷ Where then is ^(AR)boasting? It is excluded. By ^(AS)what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. ^28 [r]For ^(AT)we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works ^[s]of the Law. ²⁹ Or ^(AU)is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰ since indeed ^(AV)God ^(AW)who will justify the ^[t]circumcised ^[u]by faith and the ^[v]uncircumcised through faith ^(AX)is one.

³¹ Do we then nullify ^[w]the Law through faith? ^(AY)May it never be! On the contrary, we ^(AZ)establish the Law.

Justification by Faith Evidenced in Old Testament

4 What then shall we say that Abraham, ^[x]our forefather ^(BA)according to the flesh, has found? ² For if Abraham was justified ^[y]by works, he has something to boast about, but ^(BB)not ^[z]before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “^(BC)Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ⁴ Now to the one who ^(BD)works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but ^(BE)believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, ⁶ just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁹ Is this blessing then on ^[aa](BI)the circumcised, or on ^[ab]the uncircumcised also? For ^(BJ)we say, “^(BK)Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” ¹⁰ How then was it credited? While he was ^[ac]circumcised, or ^[ad]uncircumcised? Not while ^[ae]circumcised, but while ^[af]uncircumcised; ¹¹ and he ^(BL)received the sign of circumcision, ^(BM)a seal of the righteousness of the faith which ^[ag]he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be ^(BN)the father of ^(BO)all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, ¹² and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which ^[ah]he had while uncircumcised.

¹³ For ^(BP)the promise to Abraham or to his ^[ai]descendants ^(BQ)that he would be heir of the world was not ^[aj]through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For ^(BR)if those who are ^[ak]of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; ¹⁵ for ^(BS)the Law brings about wrath, but ^(BT)where there is no law, there also is no violation.

¹⁶ For this reason it is ^[al]by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with ^(BU)grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to ^(BV)all the ^[am]descendants, not only to ^[an]those who are of the Law, but also to ^[ao](BW)those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is ^(BX)the father of us all, ¹⁷ (as it is written, “^(BY)A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, ^(BZ)who gives life to the dead and ^[ap](CA)calls into being ^(CB)that which does not exist. ¹⁸ In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become ^(CC)a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “^(CD)So shall your ^[aq]descendants be.” ¹⁹ Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now ^(CE)as good as dead since ^(CF)he was about a hundred years old, and ^(CG)the deadness of Sarah’s womb; ²⁰ yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, ^(CH)giving glory to God, ²¹ and ^(CI)being fully assured that ^(CJ)what God had promised, He was able also to perform. ²² Therefore ^(CK)it was also credited to him as righteousness. ²³ Now ^(CL)not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, ²⁴ but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those ^(CM)who believe in Him who ^(CN)raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ He who was ^(CO)delivered over because of our transgressions, and was ^(CP)raised because of our justification.

A Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem, and Prayer for Help.

A Psalm of Asaph.