The Lord Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

David Hears of Saul's Death

1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned ^(A)from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. ² And on the third day, behold, ^(B)a man came from Saul's camp, ^(C)with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, ^(D)he fell to the ground and paid homage. ³ David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴ And David said to him, ^(E)“How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” ⁵ Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” ⁶ And the young man who told him said, ^(F)“By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. ⁷ And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ And he said to me, ^(G)‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ ¹⁰ So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. ^(H)And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Then David took hold of his clothes and ^(I)tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. ¹² And they mourned and wept ^(J)and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³ And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ David said to him, “How is it you were not ^(K)afraid to put out your hand to destroy ^(L)the Lord's anointed?” ¹⁵ Then ^(M)David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. ¹⁶ And David said to him, ^(N)“Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed ^(O)the Lord's anointed.’”

David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ And David ^(P)lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, ¹⁸ and he said it^[a] should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in ^(Q)the Book of Jashar.^[b] He said:

The Beatitudes

²⁰ And ^(A)he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, ^(B)and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for ^(C)yours is the kingdom of God.

^21 (D)“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

^(E)“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

²² “Blessed are you when ^(F)people hate you and when they ^(G)exclude you and revile you and ^(H)spurn your name as evil, ^(I)on account of the Son of Man! ^23 (J)Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for ^(K)so their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus Pronounces Woes

^24 (L)“But woe to you who are rich, ^(M)for you ^(N)have received your consolation.

²⁵ “Woe to you who are full now, for ^(O)you shall be hungry.

“Woe to ^(P)you who laugh now, ^(Q)for you shall mourn and weep.

²⁶ “Woe to you, ^(R)when all people speak well of you, for ^(S)so their fathers did to ^(T)the false prophets.

Love Your Enemies

²⁷ “But I say to you who hear, ^(U)Love your enemies, ^(V)do good to those who hate you, ^28 (W)bless those who curse you, ^(X)pray for those who abuse you. ^29 (Y)To one who ^(Z)strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic^[a] either. ^30 (AA)Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. ³¹ And ^(AB)as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

^32 (AC)“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And ^(AD)if you ^(AE)lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. ³⁵ But ^(AF)love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and ^(AG)you will be sons of ^(AH)the Most High, for ^(AI)he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. ^36 (AJ)Be merciful, even as ^(AK)your Father is merciful.

Judging Others

^37 (AL)(AM)“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; ^(AN)forgive, and you will be forgiven; ^38 (AO)give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put ^(AP)into your lap. For ^(AQ)with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

³⁹ He also told them a parable: ^(AR)“Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? ^40 (AS)A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is ^(AT)fully trained will be like his teacher. ^41 (AU)Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but ^(AV)do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

⁴³ “For ^(AW)no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, ⁴⁴ for ^(AX)each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. ^45 (AY)The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces ^(AZ)evil, ^(BA)for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build Your House on the Rock

^46 (BB)“Why ^(BC)do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? ^47 (BD)Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.^{[b] 49 (BE)}But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and ^(BF)the ruin of that house was great.”