Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of ^(A)the Sons of Korah.

David and Ziba

16 When David had passed a little beyond ^(A)the summit, ^(B)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, ^(C)a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine. ² And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, ^(D)“The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who ^(E)faint in the wilderness to drink.” ³ And the king said, “And where is your master's son?” ^(F)Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.’” ⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”

Shimei Curses David

⁵ When King David came to ^(G)Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^(H)Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came ^(I)he cursed continually. ⁶ And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. ⁷ And Shimei said as he ^(J)cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! ⁸ The Lord ^(K)has avenged on you all ^(L)the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”

⁹ Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this ^(M)dead dog ^(N)curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” ¹⁰ But the king said, ^(O)“What have I to do with you, ^(P)you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” ¹¹ And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, ^(Q)my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. ¹² It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me,^[a] and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.” ¹³ So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and ^(R)cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. ¹⁴ And the king, and all the people who were with him, ^(S)arrived weary at the Jordan.^[b] And there he refreshed himself.

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

^15 (T)Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁶ And when Hushai the Archite, ^(U)David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, ^(V)“Long live the king! Long live the king!” ¹⁷ And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? ^(W)Why did you not go with your friend?” ¹⁸ And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. ¹⁹ And again, ^(X)whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.”

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What shall we do?” ²¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to ^(Y)your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and ^(Z)the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” ²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom ^(AA)on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father's concubines ^(AB)in the sight of all Israel. ²³ Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, ^(AC)both by David and by Absalom.

Do Not Be Anxious

²² And he said to his disciples, ^(A)“Therefore I tell you, ^(B)do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ^24 (C)Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. ^(D)Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^(E)span of life?^{[a] 26} If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,^[b] yet I tell you, ^(F)even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, ^(G)O you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor ^(H)be worried. ³⁰ For ^(I)all the nations of the world seek after these things, and ^(J)your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ Instead, ^(K)seek ^(L)his^[c] kingdom, ^(M)and these things will be added to you.

^32 (N)“Fear not, little ^(O)flock, for ^(P)it is your Father's good pleasure to give you ^(Q)the kingdom. ^33 (R)Sell your possessions, and ^(S)give to the needy. ^(T)Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with ^(U)a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ^34 (V)For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You Must Be Ready

^35 (W)“Stay dressed for action^[d] and ^(X)keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ and be like men who are ^(Y)waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and ^(Z)knocks. ^37 (AA)Blessed are those servants^[e] whom the master finds ^(AB)awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, ^(AC)he will dress himself for service and ^(AD)have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸ If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! ^39 (AE)But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour ^(AF)the thief was coming, he^[f] would not have left his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ^(AG)ready, for ^(AH)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, ^(AI)are you telling this parable for us or for all?” ⁴² And the Lord said, “Who then is ^(AJ)the faithful and ^(AK)wise ^(AL)manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? ^43 (AM)Blessed is that servant^[g] whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you, ^(AN)he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master ^(AO)is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and ^(AP)get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come ^(AQ)on a day when he does not expect him and ^(AR)at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. ^47 (AS)And that servant who ^(AT)knew his master's will but ^(AU)did not get ready ^(AV)or act according to his will, will receive a ^(AW)severe beating. ^48 (AX)But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, ^(AY)will receive a light beating. ^(AZ)Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.