Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

²³ The whole countryside wept aloud^(A) as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley,^(B) and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

²⁴ Zadok^(C) was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark^(D) of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar^(E) offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place^(F) again. ²⁶ But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.^(G)”

²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand?^(H) Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan.^(I) You and Abiathar return with your two sons. ²⁸ I will wait at the fords^(J) in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.

³⁰ But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping^(K) as he went; his head^(L) was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up. ³¹ Now David had been told, “Ahithophel^(M) is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

³² When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai^(N) the Arkite^(O) was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust^(P) on his head. ³³ David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden^(Q) to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’^(R) then you can help me by frustrating^(S) Ahithophel’s advice. ³⁵ Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace.^{(T) 36} Their two sons, Ahimaaz^(U) son of Zadok and Jonathan^(V) son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”

³⁷ So Hushai,^(W) David’s confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom^(X) was entering the city.

David and Ziba

16 When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba,^(Y) the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.^(Z)

² The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?”

Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh^(AA) those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”

³ The king then asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?”^(AB)

Ziba^(AC) said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather’s kingdom.’”

⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth^(AD) is now yours.”

“I humbly bow,” Ziba said. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”

Shimei Curses David

⁵ As King David approached Bahurim,^(AE) a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei^(AF) son of Gera, and he cursed^(AG) as he came out. ⁶ He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. ⁷ As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! ⁸ The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned.^(AH) The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”^(AI)

⁹ Then Abishai^(AJ) son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog^(AK) curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”^(AL)

¹⁰ But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?^(AM) If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”^(AN)

¹¹ David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son,^(AO) my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.^{(AP) 12} It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery^(AQ) and restore to me his covenant blessing^(AR) instead of his curse today.^(AS)”

¹³ So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. ¹⁴ The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted.^(AT) And there he refreshed himself.

The Advice of Ahithophel and Hushai

¹⁵ Meanwhile, Absalom^(AU) and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel^(AV) was with him. ¹⁶ Then Hushai^(AW) the Arkite, David’s confidant, went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

¹⁷ Absalom said to Hushai, “So this is the love you show your friend? If he’s your friend, why didn’t you go with him?”^(AX)

¹⁸ Hushai said to Absalom, “No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and I will remain with him. ¹⁹ Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.”^(AY)

²⁰ Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”

²¹ Ahithophel answered, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute.” ²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.^(AZ)

²³ Now in those days the advice^(BA) Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David^(BB) and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.

Peter’s Second and Third Denials^(A)

²⁵ Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself.^(B) So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it, saying, “I am not.”^(C)

²⁶ One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off,^(D) challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”^{(E) 27} Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.^(F)

Jesus Before Pilate^(G)

²⁸ Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor.^(H) By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace,^(I) because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.^{(J) 29} So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

³⁰ “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

³¹ Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. ³² This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.^(K)

³³ Pilate then went back inside the palace,^(L) summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”^(M)

³⁴ “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

³⁵ “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

³⁶ Jesus said, “My kingdom^(N) is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.^(O) But now my kingdom is from another place.”^(P)

³⁷ “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.^(Q) Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”^(R)

³⁸ “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.^{(S) 39} But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

⁴⁰ They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.^(T)

Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified^(U)

19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.^{(V) 2} The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe ³ and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”^(W) And they slapped him in the face.^(X)

⁴ Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out^(Y) to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”^{(Z) 5} When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe,^(AA) Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

⁶ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him.^(AB) As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”^(AC)

⁷ The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die,^(AD) because he claimed to be the Son of God.”^(AE)

⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹ and he went back inside the palace.^(AF) “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.^{(AG) 10} “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.^(AH) Therefore the one who handed me over to you^(AI) is guilty of a greater sin.”

¹² From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king^(AJ) opposes Caesar.”

¹³ When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat^(AK) at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic^(AL) is Gabbatha). ¹⁴ It was the day of Preparation^(AM) of the Passover; it was about noon.^(AN)

“Here is your king,”^(AO) Pilate said to the Jews.

¹⁵ But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

¹⁶ Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.^(AP)

The Crucifixion of Jesus^(AQ)

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. ¹⁷ Carrying his own cross,^(AR) he went out to the place of the Skull^(AS) (which in Aramaic^(AT) is called Golgotha). ¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others^(AU)—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹ Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth,^(AV) the king of the jews.^{(AW) 20} Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city,^(AX) and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹ The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”^(AY)

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”