Psalm 65

New International Version

Psalm 65^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.

¹Praise awaits^[b] you, our God, in Zion;^(A)
    to you our vows will be fulfilled.^(B)
²You who answer prayer,
    to you all people will come.^(C)
³When we were overwhelmed by sins,^(D)
    you forgave^[c] our transgressions.^(E)
⁴Blessed are those you choose^(F)
    and bring near^(G) to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,^(H)
    of your holy temple.

⁵You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,^(I)
    God our Savior,^(J)
the hope of all the ends of the earth^(K)
    and of the farthest seas,^(L)
⁶who formed the mountains^(M) by your power,
    having armed yourself with strength,^(N)
⁷who stilled the roaring of the seas,^(O)
    the roaring of their waves,
    and the turmoil of the nations.^(P)
⁸The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
    where morning dawns, where evening fades,
    you call forth songs of joy.^(Q)

⁹You care for the land and water it;^(R)
    you enrich it abundantly.^(S)
The streams of God are filled with water
    to provide the people with grain,^(T)
    for so you have ordained it.^[d]
¹⁰You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
    you soften it with showers^(U) and bless its crops.
¹¹You crown the year with your bounty,^(V)
    and your carts overflow with abundance.^(W)
¹²The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;^(X)
    the hills are clothed with gladness.^(Y)
¹³The meadows are covered with flocks^(Z)
    and the valleys are mantled with grain;^(AA)
    they shout for joy and sing.^(AB)

Footnotes

Psalm 65:1 In Hebrew texts 65:1-13 is numbered 65:2-14.
Psalm 65:1 Or befits; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Psalm 65:3 Or made atonement for
Psalm 65:9 Or for that is how you prepare the land

Psalm 144

New International Version

Psalm 144

Of David.

¹Praise be to the Lord my Rock,^(A)
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
²He is my loving God and my fortress,^(B)
    my stronghold^(C) and my deliverer,
my shield,^(D) in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples^[a]^(E) under me.

³Lord, what are human beings^(F) that you care for them,
mere mortals that you think of them?
⁴They are like a breath;^(G)
their days are like a fleeting shadow.^(H)

⁵Part your heavens,^(I) Lord, and come down;^(J)
    touch the mountains, so that they smoke.^(K)
⁶Send forth lightning^(L) and scatter^(M) the enemy;
    shoot your arrows^(N) and rout them.
⁷Reach down your hand from on high;^(O)
    deliver me and rescue me^(P)
from the mighty waters,^(Q)
    from the hands of foreigners^(R)
⁸whose mouths are full of lies,^(S)
    whose right hands^(T) are deceitful.^(U)

⁹I will sing a new song^(V) to you, my God;
on the ten-stringed lyre^(W) I will make music to you,
¹⁰to the One who gives victory to kings,^(X)
who delivers his servant David.^(Y)

From the deadly sword^(Z) ¹¹deliver me;
rescue me^(AA) from the hands of foreigners^(AB)
whose mouths are full of lies,^(AC)
whose right hands are deceitful.^(AD)

¹²Then our sons in their youth
    will be like well-nurtured plants,^(AE)
and our daughters will be like pillars^(AF)
    carved to adorn a palace.
¹³Our barns will be filled^(AG)
    with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
    by tens of thousands in our fields;
¹⁴    our oxen^(AH) will draw heavy loads.^[b]
There will be no breaching of walls,^(AI)
    no going into captivity,
    no cry of distress in our streets.^(AJ)
¹⁵Blessed is the people^(AK) of whom this is true;
    blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

Footnotes

Psalm 144:2 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Jerome and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text subdues my people
Psalm 144:14 Or our chieftains will be firmly established

2 Samuel 20

New International Version

Sheba Rebels Against David

20 Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted,

“We have no share^(A) in David,^(B)
no part in Jesse’s son!^(C)
Every man to his tent, Israel!”

²So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

³When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines^(D) he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.

⁴Then the king said to Amasa,^(E) “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.” ⁵But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.

⁶David said to Abishai,^(F) “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.”^[a] ⁷So Joab’s men and the Kerethites^(G) and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

⁸While they were at the great rock in Gibeon,^(H) Amasa came to meet them. Joab^(I) was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath.

⁹Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger^(J) in Joab’s^(K) hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri.

¹¹One of Joab’s men stood beside Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!” ¹²Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt^(L) there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him. ¹³After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

¹⁴Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah and through the entire region of the Bikrites,^[b]^(M) who gathered together and followed him. ¹⁵All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah.^(N) They built a siege ramp^(O) up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, ¹⁶a wise woman^(P) called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.” ¹⁷He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”

“I am,” he answered.

She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.”

“I’m listening,” he said.

¹⁸She continued, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it. ¹⁹We are the peaceful^(Q) and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”^(R)

²⁰“Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! ²¹That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.”

The woman said to Joab, “His head^(S) will be thrown to you from the wall.”

²²Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice,^(T) and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.

David’s Officials

²³Joab^(U) was over Israel’s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; ²⁴Adoniram^[c]^(V) was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat^(W) son of Ahilud was recorder; ²⁵Sheva was secretary; Zadok^(X) and Abiathar were priests; ²⁶and Ira the Jairite^[d] was David’s priest.

Footnotes

2 Samuel 20:6 Or and do us serious injury
2 Samuel 20:14 See Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew Berites.
2 Samuel 20:24 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Kings 4:6 and 5:14); Hebrew Adoram
2 Samuel 20:26 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 23:38) Ithrite