Joab Reproves David’s Lament

19 Then it was told Joab, “Behold, ^(A)the king is weeping and mourns for Absalom.” ² The ^[a]victory that day was turned to mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day, “The king is grieved for his son.” ³ So the people went by stealth into the city that day, as people who are humiliated steal away when they flee in battle. ⁴ The king ^(B)covered his face and ^[b]cried out with a loud voice, “^(C)O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!” ⁵ Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “Today you have covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who today have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines, ⁶ by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have shown today that ^[c]princes and servants are nothing to you; for I know this day that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then ^[d]you would be pleased. ⁷ Now therefore arise, go out and speak ^[e]kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go out, surely ^(D)not a man will pass the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”

David Restored as King

⁸ So the king arose and sat in the gate. When they told all the people, saying, “Behold, the king is ^(E)sitting in the gate,” then all the people came before the king.

Now ^(F)Israel had fled, each to his tent. ⁹ All the people were quarreling throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “^(G)The king delivered us from the ^[f]hand of our enemies and ^(H)saved us from the ^[g]hand of the Philistines, but now ^(I)he has fled out of the land from Absalom. ¹⁰ However, Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now then, why are you silent about bringing the king back?”

¹¹ Then King David sent to ^(J)Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the word of all Israel has come to the king, even to his house? ¹² You are my brothers; ^(K)you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’ ¹³ Say to ^(L)Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? ^(M)May God do so to me, and more also, if you will not be ^(N)commander of the army before me continually ^(O)in place of Joab.’” ¹⁴ Thus he turned the hearts of all the men of Judah ^(P)as one man, so that they sent word to the king, saying, “Return, you and all your servants.” ¹⁵ The king then returned and came as far as the Jordan. And Judah came to ^(Q)Gilgal in order to go to meet the king, to bring the king across the Jordan.

¹⁶ Then ^(R)Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite who was from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David. ¹⁷ There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, with ^(S)Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they rushed to the Jordan before the king. ¹⁸ Then they kept crossing the ford to bring over the king’s household, and to do what was good in his sight. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan. ¹⁹ So he said to the king, “^(T)Let not my lord consider me guilty, nor remember what your servant did wrong on the day when my lord the king came out from Jerusalem, so that the king would ^[h]take it to heart. ²⁰ For your servant knows that I have sinned; therefore behold, I have come today, ^(U)the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.” ²¹ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah said, “^(V)Should not Shimei be put to death for this, ^(W)because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?” ²² David then said, “^(X)What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be an adversary to me? ^(Y)Should any man be put to death in Israel today? For do I not know that I am king over Israel today?” ²³ The king said to Shimei, “^(Z)You shall not die.” Thus the king swore to him.

²⁴ Then ^(AA)Mephibosheth the ^[i]son of Saul came down to meet the king; and ^(AB)he had neither ^[j]cared for his feet, nor ^[k]trimmed his mustache, nor ^(AC)washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace. ²⁵ It was when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, “^(AD)Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” ²⁶ So he answered, “O my lord, the king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ ^(AE)because your servant is lame. ²⁷ Moreover, ^(AF)he has slandered your servant to my lord the king; but my lord the king is ^(AG)like the angel of God, therefore do what is good in your sight. ²⁸ For ^(AH)all my father’s household was nothing but dead men before my lord the king; ^(AI)yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right do I have yet that I should ^[l]complain anymore to the king?” ²⁹ So the king said to him, “Why do you still speak of your affairs? I have ^[m]decided, ‘You and Ziba shall divide the land.’” ³⁰ Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has come safely to his own house.”

³¹ Now ^(AJ)Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim; and he went on to the Jordan with the king to ^[n]escort him over the Jordan. ³² Now Barzillai was very old, being eighty years old; and he had ^[o](AK)sustained the king while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very great man. ³³ The king said to Barzillai, “You cross over with me and I will ^[p]sustain you in Jerusalem with me.” ³⁴ But Barzillai said to the king, “^(AL)How long ^[q]have I yet to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵ I am ^[r]now ^(AM)eighty years old. Can I distinguish between good and bad? Or can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Or can I hear anymore ^(AN)the voice of singing men and women? ^(AO)Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? ³⁶ Your servant would merely cross over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king compensate me with this reward? ³⁷ Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. However, here is your servant ^(AP)Chimham, let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what is good in your sight.” ³⁸ The king answered, “Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what is good in your sight; and whatever you ^[s]require of me, I will do for you.” ³⁹ All the people crossed over the Jordan and the king crossed too. The king then ^(AQ)kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his place.

⁴⁰ Now the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him; and all the people of Judah and also ^(AR)half the people of Israel ^[t]accompanied the king. ⁴¹ And behold, all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, “^(AS)Why had our brothers ^(AT)the men of Judah stolen you away, and brought the king and his household and all David’s men with him over the Jordan?” ⁴² Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because ^(AU)the king is a close relative to ^[u]us. Why then ^[v]are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense, or has ^[w]anything been taken for us?” ⁴³ But the men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said, “^[x](AV)We have ten parts in the king, therefore ^[y]we also have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat us with contempt? Was it not ^[z]our advice first to bring back ^[aa]our king?” Yet the words of the men of Judah were harsher than the words of the men of Israel.

Results of Justification

5 ^(A)Therefore, having been justified by faith, ^[a](B)we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have ^(C)obtained our introduction by faith into this grace ^(D)in which we stand; and ^[b]we exult in hope of the glory of God. ^3 (E)And not only this, but ^[c]we also ^(F)exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about ^(G)perseverance; ⁴ and ^(H)perseverance, ^(I)proven character; and proven character, hope; ⁵ and hope ^(J)does not disappoint, because the love of God has been ^(K)poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

⁶ For while we were still ^(L)helpless, ^(M)at the right time ^(N)Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will hardly die for a righteous man; ^[d]though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. ⁸ But God ^(O)demonstrates ^(P)His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, ^(Q)Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified ^[e](R)by His blood, we shall be saved ^(S)from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were ^(T)enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved ^[f](U)by His life. ^11 (V)And not only this, ^[g]but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received ^(W)the reconciliation.

¹² Therefore, just as through ^(X)one man sin entered into the world, and ^(Y)death through sin, and ^(Z)so death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³ for ^[h]until the Law sin was in the world, but ^(AA)sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned ^(AB)in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a ^[i](AC)type of Him who was to come.

¹⁵ But ^[j]the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of ^(AD)the one ^(AE)the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by ^(AF)the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. ¹⁶ The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand ^(AG)the judgment arose from one transgression ^[k]resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions ^[l]resulting in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned ^(AH)through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will ^(AI)reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ So then as through ^(AJ)one transgression ^[m]there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one ^(AK)act of righteousness ^[n]there resulted ^(AL)justification of life to all men. ¹⁹ For as through the one man’s disobedience ^(AM)the many ^(AN)were made sinners, even so through ^(AO)the obedience of the One ^(AP)the many will be made righteous. ^20 [o](AQ)The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, ^(AR)grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as ^(AS)sin reigned in death, even so ^(AT)grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Believers Are Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 ^(AU)What shall we say then? Are we to ^(AV)continue in sin so that grace may increase? ^2 (AW)May it never be! How shall we who ^(AX)died to sin still live in it? ³ Or do you not know that all of us who have been ^(AY)baptized into ^(AZ)Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we have been ^(BA)buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was ^(BB)raised from the dead through the ^(BC)glory of the Father, so we too might walk in ^(BD)newness of life. ⁵ For ^(BE)if we have become ^[p]united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be ^[q]in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our ^(BF)old ^[r]self was ^(BG)crucified with Him, in order that our ^(BH)body of sin might be ^[s]done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; ⁷ for ^(BI)he who has died is ^[t]freed from sin.

⁸ Now ^(BJ)if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been ^(BK)raised from the dead, ^[u]is never to die again; ^(BL)death no longer is master over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Even so consider yourselves to be ^(BM)dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹² Therefore do not let sin ^(BN)reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, ¹³ and do not go on ^(BO)presenting ^[v]the members of your body to sin as ^[w]instruments of unrighteousness; but ^(BP)present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as ^[x]instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For ^(BQ)sin shall not ^(BR)be master over you, for ^(BS)you are not under law but ^(BT)under grace.

¹⁵ What then? ^(BU)Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? ^(BV)May it never be! ¹⁶ Do you not ^(BW)know that when you present yourselves to someone as ^(BX)slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of ^(BY)sin ^[y]resulting in death, or of obedience ^[z]resulting in righteousness? ¹⁷ But ^(BZ)thanks be to God that ^[aa]though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that ^(CA)form of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸ and having been ^(CB)freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ^19 (CC)I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just ^(CD)as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, ^[ab]resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, ^[ac]resulting in sanctification.

²⁰ For ^(CE)when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹ Therefore what ^[ad](CF)benefit were you then ^[ae]deriving ^[af]from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is ^(CG)death. ²² But now having been ^(CH)freed from sin and ^(CI)enslaved to God, you ^[ag]derive your ^[ah](CJ)benefit, ^[ai]resulting in sanctification, and ^(CK)the outcome, eternal life. ²³ For the wages of ^(CL)sin is death, but the free gift of God is ^(CM)eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God Implored to Rescue His People from Their Calamities.

For the choir director; set to ^[a]El Shoshannim; ^[b]Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.