The Law of the Lord Is Perfect

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

The Philistines Reject David

29 ^(A)Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at ^(B)Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by ^(C)the spring that is in ^(D)Jezreel. ² As ^(E)the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear ^(F)with Achish, ³ the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me ^(G)now for days and years, and since he deserted to me ^(H)I have found no fault in him to this day.” ⁴ But ^(I)the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return ^(J)to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, ^(K)lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? ⁵ Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,

⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, ^(M)“As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that ^(N)you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. ⁷ So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” ⁸ And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” ⁹ And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight ^(O)as an angel of God. Nevertheless, ^(P)the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ ¹⁰ Now then rise early in the morning ^(Q)with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” ¹¹ So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to ^(R)Jezreel.

David's Wives Are Captured

30 Now when David and his men came to ^(S)Ziklag on the third day, ^(T)the Amalekites had ^(U)made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire ² and taken captive the women and all^[a] who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. ³ And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. ⁵ David's ^(V)two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶ And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke ^(W)of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul,^[b] each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

^7 (X)And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ^8 (Y)And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this ^(Z)band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake ^(AA)and shall surely rescue.” ⁹ So David set out, and ^(AB)the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. ¹⁰ But David pursued, he and four hundred men. ^(AC)Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

¹¹ They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, ¹² and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, ^(AD)his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. ¹³ And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. ^14 (AE)We had made a raid against the Negeb of ^(AF)the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” ¹⁵ And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this ^(AG)band.”

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

¹⁷ On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and ^(A)teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And ^(B)the power of the Lord was with him to heal.^{[a] 18 (C)}And behold, some men were bringing ^(D)on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, ¹⁹ but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on ^(E)the roof and let him down with his bed ^(F)through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. ²⁰ And ^(G)when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, ^(H)your sins are forgiven you.” ²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks ^(I)blasphemies? ^(J)Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ²² When Jesus ^(K)perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ²⁴ But that you may know that ^(L)the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ²⁵ And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, ^(M)glorifying God. ²⁶ And amazement seized them all, and they ^(N)glorified God and were filled ^(O)with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi

^27 (P)After this he went out and saw ^(Q)a tax collector named ^(R)Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” ²⁸ And ^(S)leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

²⁹ And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company ^(T)of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. ³⁰ And the Pharisees and ^(U)their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, ^(V)“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹ And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ^32 (W)I have not come to call the righteous ^(X)but sinners ^(Y)to repentance.”

A Question About Fasting

³³ And they said to him, ^(Z)“The disciples of John ^(AA)fast often and ^(AB)offer prayers, ^(AC)and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” ³⁴ And Jesus said to them, ^(AD)“Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? ^35 (AE)The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and ^(AF)then they will fast in those days.” ³⁶ He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one puts new wine into old ^(AG)wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. ³⁹ And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”^[b]