24 A man of many companions may come to ruin,
    but (A)there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

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17 (A)A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for adversity.

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13 (A)Greater love has no one than this, (B)that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are (C)my friends (D)if you do what I command you. 15 (E)No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant (F)does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for (G)all that I have heard from my Father (H)I have made known to you.

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Footnotes

  1. John 15:15 Or bondservants, or slaves (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface); likewise for servant later in this verse and in verse 20

(A)Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
    and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 27:9 Or and so does the sweetness of a friend that comes from his earnest counsel

26     I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
    (A)your love to me was extraordinary,
    surpassing the love of women.

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David's Kindness to Mephibosheth

And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may (A)show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was (B)Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show (C)the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of (D)Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of (E)Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And (F)Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” And David said to him, “Do not fear, (G)for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and (H)you shall eat at my table always.” And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for (I)a dead dog such as I?”

Then the king called Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master's grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's grandson (J)shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had (K)fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth (L)ate at David's[a] table, like one of the king's sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, (M)whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for (N)he ate always at the king's table. Now (O)he was lame in both his feet.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 9:11 Septuagint; Hebrew my

And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king (A)sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. For (B)he took his life in his hand (C)and he struck down the Philistine, (D)and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against (E)innocent blood by killing David without cause?”

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But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul's son Jonathan, because of (A)the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

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49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, (A)Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, (B)“Friend, (C)do what you came to do.”[a] Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 26:50 Or Friend, why are you here?

17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? (A)Why did you not go with your friend?”

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38 All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with (A)a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a (B)single mind to make David king. 39 And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them. 40 And also their relatives, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of flour, (C)cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.

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30 And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.”

31 Now (A)Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, and he went on with the king to the Jordan, to escort him over the Jordan. 32 Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. (B)He had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. 33 And the king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.” 34 But Barzillai said to the king, (C)“How many years have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am this day (D)eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be (E)an added burden to my lord the king? 36 Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward? 37 Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant (F)Chimham. Let him go over with my lord the king, and do for him whatever seems good to you.” 38 And the king answered, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you, and all that you desire of me I will do for you.” 39 Then all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over. And (G)the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own home.

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27 When David came to Mahanaim, (A)Shobi the son of Nahash from (B)Rabbah of the Ammonites, and (C)Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and (D)Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils,[a] 29 honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and (E)weary and thirsty (F)in the wilderness.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 17:28 Hebrew adds and parched grain

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.” 27 It was for those in (A)Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in (B)Jattir, 28 in (C)Aroer, in Siphmoth, in (D)Eshtemoa, 29 in Racal, in the cities of (E)the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of (F)the Kenites, 30 in (G)Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, 31 in (H)Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.

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