1 Sha’ul had died, and David had been two days in Ziklag after returning from the slaughter of the ‘Amaleki.

¹⁷ Then David pronounced this lament over Sha’ul and over Y’honatan his son, ¹⁸ in order to teach the people of Y’hudah [not to underestimate] archery (the lament has been written down in the book of Yashar):

⁷ Just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in diligence of every kind, and in your love for us — see that you excel in this gift too. ⁸ I am not issuing an order; rather, I am testing the genuineness of your love against the diligence of others. ⁹ For you know how generous our Lord Yeshua the Messiah was — for your sakes he impoverished himself, even though he was rich, so that he might make you rich by means of his poverty. ¹⁰ As I say, in regard to this matter I am only giving an opinion. A year ago you were not only the first to take action but the first to want to do so. Now it would be to your advantage ¹¹ to finish what you started, so that your eagerness in wanting to commence the project may be matched by your eagerness to complete it, as you contribute from what you have. ¹² For if the eagerness to give is there, the acceptability of the gift will be measured by what you have, not by what you don’t have. ¹³ It is not that relief for others should cause trouble for you, but that there should be a kind of reciprocity: ¹⁴ at present your abundance can help those in need; so that when you are in need, their abundance can help you — thus there is reciprocity. ¹⁵ It is as the Tanakh says,

²¹ Yeshua crossed in the boat to the other side of the lake, and a great crowd gathered around him. ²² There came to him a synagogue official, Ya’ir by name, who fell at his feet ²³ and pleaded desperately with him, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Please! Come and lay your hands on her, so that she will get well and live!”

²⁴ He went with him; and a large crowd followed, pressing all around him. ²⁵ Among them was a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years ²⁶ and had suffered a great deal under many physicians. She had spent her life savings; yet instead of improving, she had grown worse. ²⁷ She had heard about Yeshua, so she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his robe; ²⁸ for she said, “If I touch even his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Instantly the hemorrhaging stopped, and she felt in her body that she had been healed from the disease. ³⁰ At the same time, Yeshua, aware that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” ³¹ His talmidim responded, “You see the people pressing in on you; and still you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” ³² But he kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ The woman, frightened and trembling, because she knew what had happened to her, came and fell down in front of him and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ “Daughter,” he said to her, “your trust has healed you. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

³⁵ While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house came, saying, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the rabbi any longer?” ³⁶ Ignoring what they had said, Yeshua told the synagogue official, “Don’t be afraid, just keep trusting.” ³⁷ He let no one follow him except Kefa, Ya‘akov and Yochanan, Ya‘akov’s brother. ³⁸ When they came to the synagogue official’s house, he found a great commotion, with people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ On entering, he said to them, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead, she’s just asleep!” ⁴⁰ And they jeered at him. But he put them all outside, took the child’s father and mother and those with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talita, kumi!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). ⁴² At once the girl got up and began walking around; she was twelve years old. Everybody was utterly amazed. ⁴³ He gave them strict orders to say nothing about this to anyone, and told them to give her something to eat.