Great Is Your Steadfast Love

(A)A Prayer of David.

86 (B)Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
    for I am (C)poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am (D)godly;
    save your servant, who (E)trusts in you—you are my God.
(F)Be gracious to me, O Lord,
    for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
    for (G)to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and (H)forgiving,
    (I)abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
(J)Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
    listen to my plea for grace.
In (K)the day of my trouble I call upon you,
    (L)for you answer me.

There is (M)none like you among the gods, O Lord,
    (N)nor are there any works like yours.
(O)All the nations you have made shall come
    and worship before you, O Lord,
    and shall glorify your name.
10 For (P)you are great and (Q)do wondrous things;
    (R)you alone are God.
11 (S)Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may (T)walk in your truth;
    (U)unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
    and I will glorify your name forever.
13 (V)For great is your steadfast love toward me;
    you have (W)delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14 O God, insolent men have (X)risen up against me;
    a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
    and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God (Y)merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 (Z)Turn to me and be gracious to me;
    give your strength to (AA)your servant,
    and save (AB)the son of your maidservant.
17 (AC)Show me a sign of your (AD)favor,
    that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
    because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Glorious Things of You Are Spoken

A Psalm of (A)the Sons of Korah. A Song.

87 On (B)the holy mount (C)stands the city he founded;
    the Lord (D)loves the gates of Zion
    more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
(E)Glorious things of you are spoken,
    O (F)city of God. Selah

Among those who (G)know me I mention (H)Rahab and Babylon;
    behold, Philistia and Tyre, with (I)Cush[a]
    “This one was born there,” they say.
And of Zion it shall be said,
    “This one and that one were born in her”;
    for the Most High himself will (J)establish her.
The Lord records as he (K)registers the peoples,
    “This one was born there.” Selah

(L)Singers and (M)dancers alike say,
    “All my (N)springs are in you.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 87:4 Probably Nubia

David Spares Saul's Life

24 [a] (A)When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” Then Saul took (B)three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in (C)to relieve himself.[b] Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts (D)of the cave. And the men of David said to him, (E)“Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And afterward (F)David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, (G)“The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is (H)the Lord's anointed.” So David persuaded his men with these words (I)and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’? 10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. (J)And some told me to kill you, but I spared you.[c] I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, (K)for he is the Lord's anointed.’ 11 See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that (L)there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though (M)you hunt my life to take it. 12 (N)May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? (O)After a dead dog! (P)After a flea! 15 (Q)May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and (R)plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

16 As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, (S)“Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, (T)for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. 18 And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. 19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20 And now, behold, (U)I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 21 (V)Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and (W)that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house.” 22 And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up (X)to the stronghold.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 24:1 Ch 24:2 in Hebrew
  2. 1 Samuel 24:3 Hebrew cover his feet
  3. 1 Samuel 24:10 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum; Hebrew it [my eye] spared you

David Spares Saul's Life

24 [a] (A)When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” Then Saul took (B)three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in (C)to relieve himself.[b] Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts (D)of the cave. And the men of David said to him, (E)“Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And afterward (F)David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, (G)“The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is (H)the Lord's anointed.” So David persuaded his men with these words (I)and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’? 10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. (J)And some told me to kill you, but I spared you.[c] I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, (K)for he is the Lord's anointed.’ 11 See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that (L)there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though (M)you hunt my life to take it. 12 (N)May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? (O)After a dead dog! (P)After a flea! 15 (Q)May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and (R)plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

16 As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, (S)“Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, (T)for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. 18 And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. 19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20 And now, behold, (U)I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 21 (V)Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and (W)that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house.” 22 And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up (X)to the stronghold.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 24:1 Ch 24:2 in Hebrew
  2. 1 Samuel 24:3 Hebrew cover his feet
  3. 1 Samuel 24:10 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum; Hebrew it [my eye] spared you

Israel's Unfaithfulness Punished

[a] Say to your brothers, (A)“You are my people,”[b] and to your sisters, (B)“You have received mercy.”[c]

“Plead with your mother, plead—
    for (C)she is not my wife,
    and I am not her husband—
that she put away (D)her whoring from her face,
    and her adultery from between her breasts;
lest (E)I strip her naked
    and make her as (F)in the day she was born,
and (G)make her like a wilderness,
    and make her like a parched land,
    and kill her with thirst.
(H)Upon her children also I will have no mercy,
    (I)because they are children of whoredom.
For (J)their mother has played the whore;
    she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For (K)she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
    who (L)give me my bread and my water,
    my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
Therefore (M)I will hedge up her[d] way with thorns,
    and (N)I will build a wall against her,
    so that she cannot find her paths.
She shall pursue her lovers
    but not overtake them,
and she shall seek them
    but shall not find them.
(O)Then she shall say,
    ‘I will go and return to (P)my first husband,
    (Q)for it was better for me then than now.’
And (R)she did not know
    that it was (S)I who gave her
    (T)the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and who lavished on (U)her silver and gold,
    (V)which they used for Baal.
Therefore (W)I will take back
    my grain in its time,
    and my wine in its season,
and (X)I will take away my wool and my flax,
    which were to cover her nakedness.
10 Now (Y)I will uncover her lewdness
    in the sight of her lovers,
    and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.
11 (Z)And I will put an end to all her mirth,
    her feasts, her (AA)new moons, her (AB)Sabbaths,
    and all her (AC)appointed feasts.
12 And (AD)I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees,
    (AE)of which she said,
‘These are (AF)my wages,
    which my lovers have given me.’
I will make them a forest,
    (AG)and the beasts of the field shall devour them.
13 And (AH)I will punish her for (AI)the feast days of the Baals
    when she burned offerings to them
and (AJ)adorned herself with her ring and jewelry,
    and went after her lovers
    and forgot me, declares the Lord.

The Lord's Mercy on Israel

14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
    and (AK)bring her into the wilderness,
    and (AL)speak tenderly to her.
15 And there I will give her her vineyards
    and make the Valley of Achor[e] a door of hope.
And there she shall answer (AM)as in the days of her youth,
    as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

16 “And (AN)in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For (AO)I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And (AP)I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And (AQ)I will abolish[f] the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in (AR)safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me (AS)forever. (AT)I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 (AU)I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And (AV)you shall know the Lord.

21 “And (AW)in that day (AX)I will answer, declares the Lord,
    I will answer the heavens,
    and they shall answer the earth,
22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
    and they shall answer (AY)Jezreel,[g]
23     and (AZ)I will sow her for myself in the land.
And (BA)I (BB)will have mercy on No Mercy,[h]
    and (BC)I will say to Not My People,[i] (BD)‘You are my people’;
    and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 2:1 Ch 2:3 in Hebrew
  2. Hosea 2:1 Hebrew ammi, which means my people
  3. Hosea 2:1 Hebrew ruhama, which means she has received mercy
  4. Hosea 2:6 Hebrew your
  5. Hosea 2:15 Achor means trouble; compare Joshua 7:26
  6. Hosea 2:18 Hebrew break
  7. Hosea 2:22 Jezreel means God will sow
  8. Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-ruhama
  9. Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-ammi

Can This Be the Christ?

25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom (A)they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, (B)speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that (C)the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But (D)we know (E)where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, (F)no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, (G)as he taught in the temple, (H)“You know me, and you know where I come from. But (I)I have not come of my own accord. (J)He who sent me is true, (K)and him you do not know. 29 (L)I know him, for I come (M)from him, and (N)he sent me.” 30 (O)So they were seeking to arrest him, but (P)no one laid a hand on him, (Q)because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet (R)many of the people believed in him. They said, (S)“When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd (T)muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent (U)officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, (V)“I will be with you a little longer, and then (W)I am going to him who sent me. 34 (X)You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? (Y)Does he intend to go to (Z)the Dispersion among (AA)the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, (AB)‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

Rivers of Living Water

37 (AC)On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, (AD)“If anyone thirsts, let him (AE)come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, (AF)as[a] the Scripture has said, (AG)‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of (AH)living water.’” 39 Now (AI)this he said about the Spirit, (AJ)whom those who believed in him were to receive, (AK)for as yet the Spirit had not been (AL)given, (AM)because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Division Among the People

40 When they heard these words, (AN)some of the people said, “This really is (AO)the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is (AP)the Christ.” But some said, (AQ)“Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes (AR)from the offspring of David, and comes (AS)from Bethlehem, the village (AT)where David was?” 43 So there was (AU)a division among the people over him. 44 (AV)Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

45 (AW)The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, (AX)“No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, (AY)“Have you also been deceived? 48 (AZ)Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 (BA)Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 (BB)“Does our law judge a man without first (BC)giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, (BD)“Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that (BE)no prophet arises from Galilee.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 7:38 Or let him come to me, and let him who believes in me drink. As

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