Absalom Killed

18 Then David ^[a]took a count of the people who were with him and ^(A)appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ² And David sent the people out, ^(B)a third ^[b]under the command of Joab, a third ^[c]under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third ^[d]under the command of ^(C)Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I myself will certainly go out with you also.” ³ But the people said, “^(D)You should not go out; for if in fact we flee, they will not care about us; and if half of us die, they will not care about us. But ^[e]you are ^[f]worth ten thousand of us; so now it is better that you will 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 But the king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And ^(F)all the people heard when the king commanded all the commanders regarding Absalom.

⁶ Then the people went out to the field against Israel, and the battle took place in ^(G)the forest of Ephraim. ⁷ The people of Israel were ^[g]defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, twenty thousand 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 encountered the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the branches of a massive oak. Then ^(H)his head caught firmly in the oak, and he was ^[h]left hanging between the sky and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going. ¹⁰ When a certain man saw him, he informed Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” ¹¹ Then Joab said to the man who had informed him, “So behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And it would have been ^[i]my duty to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” ¹² But the man said to Joab, “Even if I were to ^[j]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 commanded you, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, ‘^[k]Protect the young man Absalom for me!’ ¹³ Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against ^[l]his life (and ^(J)there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have ^[m]avoided me.” ¹⁴ Then Joab said, “I will not ^[n]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 still alive in the ^[o]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 And they took Absalom and threw him into ^[p]a deep pit in the forest, and ^(M)erected over him a very large pile of stones. And ^(N)all Israel fled, each to his own tent. ¹⁸ Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and ^(O)set up for himself a memorial stone, which is in ^(P)the King’s Valley, for he said, “^(Q)I have no son to ^[q]continue my name.” So he named the memorial stone 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 ^[r]freed him from the hand of his enemies!” ²⁰ But Joab said to him, “You are not the man to bring news this day, but you shall bring news another day; however, you shall bring no news this day, 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 However, 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 messenger’s 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 by the Cushite.

²⁴ Now ^(U)David was sitting between the two gates; and ^(V)the watchman went to the roof of the gate by the wall, and raised his eyes and looked; and behold, a man was running by himself. ²⁵ So the watchman called out 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 is running by himself.” And the king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” ²⁷ The watchman said, “I ^[s]think the running form of the first one ^(W)is like the running form of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “^(X)This is a good man, and he is coming with good news.”

²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “^[t]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 turned over the men who raised their hands against my lord the king.” ²⁹ But 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 commotion, 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 Then behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, “Let my lord the king receive good news, for ^(AC)the Lord has ^[u]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)May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be like that young man!”

^33 [v]Then the king trembled and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And this is what he said as he walked: “^(AF)My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! ^(AG)If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”

Pleading for Help and Grateful Trust in God.

For the music director; according to ^[a]Jonath elem rehokim. A ^[b]Mikhtam of David, ^[c]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

Judas’ Remorse

27 ^(A)Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; ² and they bound Him and led Him away, and ^(B)handed Him over to ^(C)Pilate the governor.

³ Then when ^(D)Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned ^(E)the thirty ^[a]pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? ^(F)You shall see to it yourself!” ⁵ And he threw the pieces of silver into ^(G)the temple sanctuary and left; and ^(H)he went away and hanged himself. ⁶ The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood.” ⁷ And they conferred together and ^[b]with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. ^8 (I)For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “^(J)And ^[c]they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; ^10 (K)and ^[d]they gave them for the Potter’s Field, just as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus before Pilate

^11 (L)Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “So You are the ^(M)King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “^(N)It is as you say.” ¹² And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, ^(O)He did not offer any answer. ¹³ Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?” ¹⁴ And still ^(P)He did not answer him in regard to even a single ^[e]charge, so the governor was greatly amazed.

^15 (Q)Now at the Passover Feast the governor was accustomed to release for the ^[f]people any one prisoner whom they wanted. ¹⁶ And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus ^(R)who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that it was because of envy that ^[g]they had handed Him over.

¹⁹ And ^(S)while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “See that you have nothing to do with that ^(T)righteous Man; for ^[h]last night I suffered greatly ^(U)in a dream because of Him.” ²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ^(V)ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death. ²¹ And the governor ^[i]said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²² Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus ^(W)who is called Christ?” They all *said, “^[j]Crucify Him!” ²³ But he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet they kept shouting all the more, saying, “^[k]Crucify Him!”

²⁴ Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that ^(X)a riot was starting, he took water and ^(Y)washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^(Z)this Man’s blood; ^(AA)you yourselves shall see.” ²⁵ And all the people replied, “^(AB)His blood shall be on us and on our children!” ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas ^[l]for them; but after having Jesus ^(AC)flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^27 (AD)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into ^(AE)the ^[m]Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman ^[n](AF)cohort to Him. ²⁸ And they stripped Him and ^(AG)put a red ^[o]cloak on Him. ^29 (AH)And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a ^[p]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “^(AI)Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰ And ^(AJ)they spit on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head. ^31 (AK)And after they had mocked Him, they took the cloak off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

^32 (AL)As they were coming out, they found a man of ^(AM)Cyrene named Simon, ^[q]whom they compelled to carry His ^[r]cross.

The Crucifixion

^33 (AN)And when they came to a place called ^(AO)Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, ^34 (AP)they gave Him ^(AQ)wine mixed with ^[s]bile to drink; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink it.

³⁵ And when they had crucified Him, ^(AR)they divided His garments among themselves by casting ^[t]lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they began to ^(AS)keep watch over Him there. ³⁷ And above His head they put up the charge against Him ^[u]which read, “^(AT)THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

³⁸ At that time two ^[v]rebels *were being crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. ³⁹ And those passing by were ^[w]speaking abusively to Him, ^(AU)shaking their heads, ⁴⁰ and saying, “^(AV)You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! ^(AW)If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, ⁴² “^(AX)He saved others; ^[x]He cannot save Himself! ^(AY)He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. ^43 (AZ)He has trusted in God; let God rescue Him now, if He ^[y]takes pleasure in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ^44 (BA)And the ^[z]rebels who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him in the same way.

^45 (BB)Now from the ^[aa]sixth hour darkness ^[ab]fell upon all the land until the ^[ac]ninth hour. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^(BC)Eli, Eli, lema sabaktanei?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ⁴⁷ And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” ⁴⁸ And ^(BD)immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. ⁴⁹ But the rest of them said, “^[ad]Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him^[ae].” ⁵⁰ And Jesus ^(BE)cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. ^51 (BF)And behold, ^(BG)the ^[af]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and ^(BH)the earth shook and the rocks were split. ⁵² Also the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the ^[ag]saints who had ^(BI)fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered ^(BJ)the holy city and appeared to many. ^54 (BK)Now as for the centurion and those who were with him ^(BL)keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw ^(BM)the earthquake and the other things that were happening, they became extremely frightened and said, “Truly this was ^[ah](BN)the Son of God!”

^55 (BO)And many women were there watching from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ^(BP)caring for Him. ⁵⁶ Among them were ^(BQ)Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and ^(BR)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

^57 (BS)Now when it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea came, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹ And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock; and he rolled ^(BT)a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ And ^(BU)Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

⁶² Now on the next day, that is, the day which is after ^(BV)the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, ⁶³ and they said, “Sir, we remember that when that deceiver was still alive, He said, ‘^(BW)After three days I am rising.’ ⁶⁴ Therefore, give orders for the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have a ^(BX)guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ And they went and made the tomb secure with ^(BY)the guard, ^(BZ)sealing ^(CA)the stone.