The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1 In the first book, O ^(A)Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began ^(B)to do and teach, ² until the day when ^(C)he was taken up, after he ^(D)had given commands ^(E)through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ^3 (F)He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

⁴ And while staying^[a] with them ^(G)he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; ⁵ for ^(H)John baptized with water, ^(I)but you will be baptized ^(J)with^[b] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Ascension

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, ^(K)will you at this time ^(L)restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, ^(M)“It is not for you to know ^(N)times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive ^(O)power ^(P)when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and ^(Q)you will be ^(R)my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and ^(S)Samaria, and ^(T)to the end of the earth.” ⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, ^(U)he was lifted up, and ^(V)a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, ^(W)two ^(X)men stood by them in ^(Y)white robes, ¹¹ and said, ^(Z)“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, ^(AA)will ^(AB)come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

¹² Then ^(AC)they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. ¹³ And when they had entered, they went up to ^(AD)the upper room, where they were staying, ^(AE)Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon ^(AF)the Zealot and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ All these ^(AG)with one accord ^(AH)were devoting themselves to prayer, together with ^(AI)the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and ^(AJ)his brothers.^[c]

¹⁵ In those days Peter stood up among ^(AK)the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, ¹⁶ “Brothers, ^(AL)the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, ^(AM)who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. ¹⁷ For ^(AN)he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in ^(AO)this ministry.” ¹⁸ (Now this man ^(AP)acquired a field with ^(AQ)the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong^[d] he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. ¹⁹ And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called ^(AR)in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ²⁰ “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

and

²¹ So one of the men who have accompanied us during ^(AU)all the time that the Lord Jesus ^(AV)went in and out among us, ^22 (AW)beginning from the baptism of John until the day when ^(AX)he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us ^(AY)a witness to his resurrection.” ²³ And they put forward two, Joseph called ^(AZ)Barsabbas, who was also called ^(BA)Justus, and ^(BB)Matthias. ²⁴ And ^(BC)they prayed and said, “You, Lord, ^(BD)who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵ to take the place in ^(BE)this ministry and ^(BF)apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” ²⁶ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

¹⁴ And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to ^(A)Abel of ^(B)Beth-maacah,^[a] and all ^(C)the Bichrites^[b] assembled and followed him in. ¹⁵ And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him in ^(D)Abel of Beth-maacah. ^(E)They cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall to throw it down. ¹⁶ Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’” ¹⁷ And he came near her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” And he answered, “I am listening.” ¹⁸ Then she said, “They used to say in former times, ‘Let them but ask counsel at ^(F)Abel,’ and so they settled a matter. ¹⁹ I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you ^(G)swallow up ^(H)the heritage of the Lord?” ²⁰ Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should ^(I)swallow up or destroy! ²¹ That is not true. But a man of ^(J)the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” ²² Then the woman went to all the people ^(K)in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, ^(L)every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

^23 (M)Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; ²⁴ and ^(N)Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; ²⁵ and Sheva was secretary; and ^(O)Zadok and Abiathar were priests; ²⁶ and ^(P)Ira the Jairite was also David's priest.

David Avenges the Gibeonites

21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David ^(Q)sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” ² So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but ^(R)of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. ³ And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless ^(S)the heritage of the Lord?” ⁴ The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” ⁵ They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, ⁶ let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at ^(T)Gibeah of Saul, ^(U)the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

⁷ But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul's son Jonathan, because of ^(V)the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. ⁸ The king took the two sons of ^(W)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab^[c] the daughter of Saul, whom ^(X)she bore to ^(Y)Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; ⁹ and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, ^(Z)at the beginning of barley harvest.

^10 (AA)Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night. ¹¹ When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, ¹² David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, ^(AB)who had stolen them from the public square of ^(AC)Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. ¹³ And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. ¹⁴ And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in ^(AD)Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that ^(AE)God responded to the plea for the land.

War with the Philistines

¹⁵ There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. ¹⁶ And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants ^(AF)of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels^[d] of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David. ¹⁷ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, ^(AG)“You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench ^(AH)the lamp of Israel.”

^18 (AI)After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then ^(AJ)Sibbecai ^(AK)the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants ^(AL)of the giants. ¹⁹ And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and ^(AM)Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, ^(AN)the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.^{[e] 20} And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended ^(AO)from the giants. ²¹ And when ^(AP)he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down. ²² These four were descended ^(AQ)from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.