The Prayer in the Garden^(A)

^32 (B)Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ And He ^(C)took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. ³⁴ Then He said to them, ^(D)“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”

³⁵ He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. ³⁶ And He said, ^(E)“Abba, Father, ^(F)all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; ^(G)nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

³⁷ Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? ^38 (H)Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. ^(I)The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

³⁹ Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. ⁴⁰ And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.

⁴¹ Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! ^(J)The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ^42 (K)Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but ^(A)through Jesus Christ and God the Father ^(B)who raised Him from the dead), ² and all the brethren who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

³ Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ^4 (C)who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us ^(D)from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Only One Gospel

⁶ I marvel that you are turning away so soon ^(E)from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ^7 (F)which is not another; but there are some ^(G)who trouble you and want to ^(H)pervert^[a] the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if ^(I)we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be ^[b]accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you ^(J)than what you have received, let him be accursed.

¹⁰ For ^(K)do I now ^(L)persuade men, or God? Or ^(M)do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Call to Apostleship^(N)

^11 (O)But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. ¹² For ^(P)I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came ^(Q)through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how ^(R)I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and ^(S)tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, ^(T)being more exceedingly zealous ^(U)for the traditions of my fathers.

¹⁵ But when it pleased God, ^(V)who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, ^16 (W)to reveal His Son in me, that ^(X)I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with ^(Y)flesh and blood, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Contacts at Jerusalem^(Z)

¹⁸ Then after three years ^(AA)I went up to Jerusalem to see ^[c]Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But ^(AB)I saw none of the other apostles except ^(AC)James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

^21 (AD)Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which ^(AE)were in Christ. ²³ But they were ^(AF)hearing only, “He who formerly ^(AG)persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they ^(AH)glorified God in me.

Announcement of the Messiah’s Reign^(A)

A Psalm of David.

David’s Further Conquests^(A)

8 After this it came to pass that David ^[a]attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took ^[b]Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines.

² Then ^(B)he defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s ^(C)servants, and ^(D)brought tribute.

³ David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^(E)Zobah, as he went to recover ^(F)his territory at the River Euphrates. ⁴ David took from him one thousand chariots, ^[c]seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David ^(G)hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.

^5 (H)When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. ⁶ Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought tribute. So ^(I)the Lord preserved David wherever he went. ⁷ And David took ^(J)the shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ Also from ^[d]Betah and from ^(K)Berothai,^[e] cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.

⁹ When ^[f]Toi king of ^(L)Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ then Toi sent ^[g]Joram his son to King David, to ^[h]greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi); and Joram brought with him articles of silver, articles of gold, and articles of bronze. ¹¹ King David also ^(M)dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued— ¹² from ^[i]Syria, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the ^(N)Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ And David made himself a ^(O)name when he returned from killing ^(P)eighteen thousand ^[j]Syrians in ^(Q)the Valley of Salt. ¹⁴ He also put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and ^(R)all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

David’s Administration^(S)

¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. ^16 (T)Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; ^(U)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ^17 (V)Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; ^[k]Seraiah was the ^[l]scribe; ^18 (W)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the ^(X)Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were ^[m]chief ministers.

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

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

² And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was ^(Z)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 ^(AA)the kindness of God?”

And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is ^(AB)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 ^(AC)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 ^(AD)Mephibosheth^[o] 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 ^(AE)a dead dog as I?”

⁹ And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, ^(AF)“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 ^(AG)shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had ^(AH)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 ^[p]my table like one of the king’s sons.” ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son ^(AI)whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, ^(AJ)for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he ^(AK)was lame in both his feet.

The Ammonites and Syrians Defeated^(AL)

10 It happened after this that the ^(AM)king of the people of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. ² Then David said, “I will show ^(AN)kindness to Hanun the son of ^(AO)Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.”

So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the people of Ammon. ³ And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?”

⁴ Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, ^(AP)at their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵ When they told David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ^[q]ashamed. And the king said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”

⁶ When the people of Ammon saw that they ^(AQ)had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired ^(AR)the Syrians of ^(AS)Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of ^(AT)Maacah one thousand men, and from ^(AU)Ish-Tob twelve thousand men. ⁷ Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of ^(AV)the mighty men. ⁸ Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at the entrance of the gate. And ^(AW)the Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

⁹ When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. ¹⁰ And the rest of the people he put under the command of ^(AX)Abishai his brother, that he might set them in battle array against the people of Ammon. ¹¹ Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. ^12 (AY)Be of good courage, and let us ^(AZ)be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may ^(BA)the Lord do what is good in His sight.”

¹³ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. ¹⁴ When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai, and entered the city. So Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went to ^(BB)Jerusalem.

¹⁵ When the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered together. ¹⁶ Then ^[r]Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond ^[s]the River, and they came to Helam. And ^[t]Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army went before them. ¹⁷ When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in battle array against David and fought with him. ¹⁸ Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand ^(BC)horsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the commander of their army, who died there. ¹⁹ And when all the kings who were servants to ^[u]Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and ^(BD)served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore.