David’s Victories^(A)

8 In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines^(B) and subdued^(C) them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.

² David also defeated the Moabites.^(D) He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.^(E)

³ Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer^(F) son of Rehob, king of Zobah,^(G) when he went to restore his monument at^[a] the Euphrates^(H) River. ⁴ David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers^[b] and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung^(I) all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus^(J) came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. ⁶ He put garrisons^(K) in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject^(L) to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.^(M)

⁷ David took the gold shields^(N) that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Tebah^[c] and Berothai,^(O) towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze.

⁹ When Tou^[d] king of Hamath^(P) heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,^{(Q) 10} he sent his son Joram^[e] to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold and of bronze.

¹¹ King David dedicated^(R) these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued: ¹² Edom^[f](S) and Moab,^(T) the Ammonites^(U) and the Philistines,^(V) and Amalek.^(W) He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ And David became famous^(X) after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites^[g] in the Valley of Salt.^(Y)

¹⁴ He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites^(Z) became subject to David.^(AA) The Lord gave David victory^(AB) wherever he went.^(AC)

David’s Officials^(AD)

¹⁵ David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right^(AE) for all his people. ¹⁶ Joab^(AF) son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat^(AG) son of Ahilud was recorder;^{(AH) 17} Zadok^(AI) son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar^(AJ) were priests; Seraiah was secretary;^{(AK) 18} Benaiah^(AL) son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites^(AM) and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.^[h]

David and Mephibosheth

9 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”^(AN)

² Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba.^(AO) They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

“At your service,” he replied.

³ The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”

Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan;^(AP) he is lame^(AQ) in both feet.”

⁴ “Where is he?” the king asked.

Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir^(AR) son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

⁵ So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.

⁶ When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.^(AS)

David said, “Mephibosheth!”

“At your service,” he replied.

⁷ “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan.^(AT) I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.^(AU)”

⁸ Mephibosheth^(AV) bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog^(AW) like me?”

⁹ Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. ¹⁰ You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson^(AX) may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s^[i] table like one of the king’s sons.^(AY)

¹² Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.^{(AZ) 13} And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.

The River From the Temple

47 The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water^(A) coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.^{(B) 2} He then brought me out through the north gate^(C) and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.

³ As the man went eastward with a measuring line^(D) in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits^[a] and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. ⁴ He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. ⁵ He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river^(E) that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross.^{(F) 6} He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷ When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river.^{(G) 8} He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah,^[b](H) where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh.^{(I) 9} Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.^{(J) 10} Fishermen^(K) will stand along the shore; from En Gedi^(L) to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets.^(M) The fish will be of many kinds^(N)—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.^{(O) 11} But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt.^{(P) 12} Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river.^(Q) Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit^(R) fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary^(S) flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.^(T)”

The Boundaries of the Land

¹³ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “These are the boundaries^(U) of the land that you will divide among the twelve tribes of Israel as their inheritance, with two portions for Joseph.^{(V) 14} You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with uplifted hand to give it to your ancestors, this land will become your inheritance.^(W)

¹⁵ “This is to be the boundary of the land:^(X)

²¹ “You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. ²² You are to allot it as an inheritance^(AJ) for yourselves and for the foreigners^(AK) residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.^{(AL) 23} In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance,” declares the Sovereign Lord.^(AM)

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King^(A)(B)

11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany^(C) at the Mount of Olives,^(D) Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden.^(E) Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway.^(F) As they untied it, ⁵ some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷ When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.^(I)

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts^(J)(K)(L)

¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.^{(M) 14} Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’^[c]?^(N) But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^[d]”^(O)

¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him,^(P) because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.^(Q)

¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples^[e] went out of the city.^(R)

²⁰ In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi,^(S) look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly^[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.^{(T) 24} Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.^{(U) 25} And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”^{(V) [26] [g]}

The Authority of Jesus Questioned^(W)

²⁷ They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. ²⁸ “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰ John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

³¹ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)^(X)

³³ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”