David King over All Israel

5 ^(A)Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and ^[a]said, “Behold, we are ^(B)your bone and your flesh. ² Previously, when Saul was king over us, ^(C)you were the one who led Israel out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘^(D)You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ^(E)a ruler over Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David ^(F)made a covenant with them before the Lord at Hebron; then ^(G)they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was ^(H)thirty years old when he became king, and ^(I)he reigned forty years. ⁵ At Hebron ^(J)he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

^6 (K)Now the king and his men went to ^(L)Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to ^[b]David, “You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away”; ^[c]thinking, “David cannot enter here.” ⁷ Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is ^(M)the city of David. ⁸ David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him reach the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul, through the water tunnel.” Therefore they say, “The blind or the lame shall not come into the house.” ⁹ So David lived in the stronghold and called it ^(N)the city of David. And David built all around from the ^[d](O)Millo and inward. ^10 (P)David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.

^11 (Q)Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons; and ^(R)they built a house for David. ¹² And David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

¹³ Meanwhile ^(S)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ Now ^(T)these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

War with the Philistines

¹⁷ When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, ^(U)all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard of it, he went down to the ^(V)stronghold. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in ^(W)the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ Then ^(X)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And ^(Y)the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” ²⁰ So David came to ^(Z)Baal-perazim and ^[e]defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place ^[f]Baal-perazim. ²¹ They abandoned their idols there, so ^(AA)David and his men carried them away.

²² Now ^(AB)the Philistines came up once again and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. ²³ When ^(AC)David inquired of the Lord, He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the ^[g]balsam trees. ²⁴ It shall be, when ^(AD)you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the ^[h]balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then ^(AE)the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” ²⁵ Then David did so, just as the Lord had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from ^[i](AF)Geba ^[j]as far as ^(AG)Gezer.

Paul’s Use of Liberty

9 Am I not ^(A)free? Am I not an ^(B)apostle? Have I not ^(C)seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not ^(D)my work in the Lord? ² If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the ^(E)seal of my ^(F)apostleship in the Lord.

³ My defense to those who examine me is this: ^4 [a](G)Do we not have a right to eat and drink? ^5 [b](H)Do we not have a right to take along a ^[c]believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the ^(I)brothers of the Lord and ^(J)Cephas? ⁶ Or do only ^[d](K)Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? ⁷ Who at any time serves ^(L)as a soldier at his own expense? Who ^(M)plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not ^[e]use the milk of the flock?

⁸ I am not speaking these things ^(N)according to ^[f]human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? ⁹ For it is written in the Law of Moses, “^(O)You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about ^(P)oxen, is He? ¹⁰ Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, ^(Q)for our sake it was written, because ^(R)the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. ^11 (S)If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? ¹² If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we ^(T)did not use this right, but we endure all things ^(U)so that we will cause no hindrance to the ^(V)gospel of Christ. ^13 (W)Do you not know that those who ^(X)perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share ^[g]from the altar? ¹⁴ So also ^(Y)the Lord directed those who proclaim the ^(Z)gospel to ^(AA)get their living from the gospel.

¹⁵ But I have ^(AB)used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make ^(AC)my boast an empty one. ¹⁶ For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for ^(AD)I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach ^(AE)the gospel. ¹⁷ For if I do this voluntarily, I have a ^(AF)reward; but if against my will, I have a ^(AG)stewardship entrusted to me. ¹⁸ What then is my ^(AH)reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel ^(AI)without charge, so as ^(AJ)not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

¹⁹ For though I am ^(AK)free from all men, I have made myself ^(AL)a slave to all, so that I may ^(AM)win more. ^20 (AN)To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under ^[h]the Law, as under ^[i]the Law though ^(AO)not being myself under ^[j]the Law, so that I might win those who are under ^[k]the Law; ²¹ to those who are ^(AP)without law, ^(AQ)as without law, though not being without the law of God but ^(AR)under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. ²² To the ^(AS)weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become ^(AT)all things to all men, ^(AU)so that I may by all means save some. ²³ I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

^24 (AV)Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives ^(AW)the prize? ^(AX)Run in such a way that you may win. ²⁵ Everyone who ^(AY)competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable ^(AZ)wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ Therefore I ^(BA)run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not ^(BB)beating the air; ²⁷ but I ^[l]discipline ^(BC)my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Avoid Israel’s Mistakes

10 For ^(BD)I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all ^(BE)under the cloud and all ^(BF)passed through the sea; ² and all were ^(BG)baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; ³ and all ^(BH)ate the same spiritual food; ⁴ and all ^(BI)drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was ^[m]Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for ^(BJ)they were laid low in the wilderness.

⁶ Now these things happened as ^(BK)examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as ^(BL)they also craved. ⁷ Do not be ^(BM)idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “^(BN)The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to ^(BO)play.” ⁸ Nor let us act immorally, as ^(BP)some of them ^[n]did, and ^(BQ)twenty-three thousand fell in one day. ⁹ Nor let us try the Lord, as ^(BR)some of them ^[o]did, and were destroyed by the serpents. ¹⁰ Nor ^(BS)grumble, as some of them ^[p]did, and ^(BT)were destroyed by the ^(BU)destroyer. ¹¹ Now these things happened to them as an ^(BV)example, and ^(BW)they were written for our instruction, upon whom ^(BX)the ends of the ages have come. ¹² Therefore let him who ^(BY)thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and ^(BZ)God is faithful, who will not allow you to be ^(CA)tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

¹⁴ Therefore, my ^(CB)beloved, flee from ^(CC)idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the ^(CD)cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the ^[q](CE)bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Since there is one ^[r]bread, we ^(CF)who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one ^[s]bread. ¹⁸ Look at ^[t]the nation ^(CG)Israel; are not those who ^(CH)eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? ¹⁹ What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or ^(CI)that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they ^(CJ)sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. ^21 (CK)You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and ^(CL)the table of demons. ²² Or do we ^(CM)provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not ^(CN)stronger than He, are we?

^23 (CO)All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things ^(CP)edify. ²⁴ Let no one ^(CQ)seek his own good, but that of his ^[u]neighbor. ^25 (CR)Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake; ^26 (CS)for the earth is the Lord’s, and ^[v]all it contains. ²⁷ If ^(CT)one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, ^(CU)eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake. ²⁸ But ^(CV)if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; ²⁹ I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for ^(CW)why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰ If I partake with thankfulness, ^(CX)why am I slandered concerning that for which I ^(CY)give thanks?

³¹ Whether, then, you eat or drink or ^(CZ)whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ^32 (DA)Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to ^(DB)the church of God; ³³ just as I also ^(DC)please all men in all things, ^(DD)not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, ^(DE)so that they may be saved.