David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

9 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may ^(A)show him ^[a]kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

² And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was ^(B)Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

He said, “At your service!”

³ Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show ^(C)the kindness of God?”

And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is ^(D)lame in his feet.”

⁴ So the king said to him, “Where is he?”

And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of ^(E)Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”

⁵ Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

⁶ Now when ^(F)Mephibosheth^[b] the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”

And he answered, “Here is your servant!”

⁷ So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

⁸ Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such ^(G)a dead dog as I?”

⁹ And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, ^(H)“I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. ¹⁰ You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son ^(I)shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had ^(J)fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”

“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at ^[c]my table like one of the king’s sons.” ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son ^(K)whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, ^(L)for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he ^(M)was lame in both his feet.

Go the Second Mile^(A)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ^(B)‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ^39 (C)But I tell you not to resist an evil person. ^(D)But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰ If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹ And whoever ^(E)compels you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks you, and ^(F)from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Love Your Enemies^(G)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ^(H)‘You shall love your neighbor ^(I)and hate your enemy.’ ^44 [a]But I say to you, ^(J)love your enemies, bless those who curse you, ^(K)do good to those who hate you, and pray ^(L)for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for ^(M)He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^46 (N)For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your ^[b]brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the ^[c]tax collectors do so? ^48 (O)Therefore you shall be perfect, just ^(P)as your Father in heaven is perfect.

¹¹ For ^(A)there is no partiality with God.

¹² For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law ¹³ (for ^(B)not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; ¹⁴ for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ who show the ^(C)work of the law written in their hearts, their ^(D)conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) ^16 (E)in the day when God will judge the secrets of men ^(F)by Jesus Christ, ^(G)according to my gospel.

The Jews Guilty as the Gentiles

^17 [a]Indeed ^(H)you are called a Jew, and ^(I)rest^[b] on the law, ^(J)and make your boast in God, ¹⁸ and ^(K)know His will, and ^(L)approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, ¹⁹ and ^(M)are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, ^(N)having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. ^21 (O)You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? ²² You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, ^(P)do you rob temples? ²³ You who ^(Q)make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? ²⁴ For ^(R)“the name of God is ^(S)blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.

Circumcision of No Avail

^25 (T)For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ Therefore, ^(U)if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? ²⁷ And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, ^(V)judge you who, even with your ^[c]written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? ²⁸ For ^(W)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; ²⁹ but he is a Jew ^(X)who is one inwardly; and ^(Y)circumcision is that of the heart, ^(Z)in the Spirit, not in the letter; ^(AA)whose ^[d]praise is not from men but from God.