⁹ “The Lord of Armies says this: ‘Make fair decisions.^(A) Show faithful love and compassion^(B) to one another. ¹⁰ Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the resident alien or the poor,^(C) and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’^{(D) 11} But they refused to pay attention^(E) and turned a stubborn shoulder; they closed their ears so they could not hear.^{(F) 12} They made their hearts like a rock so as not to obey the law or the words that the Lord of Armies had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.^(G) Therefore intense anger came from the Lord of Armies.

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

9 David asked, “Is there anyone remaining from the family of Saul I can show kindness^(A) to for Jonathan’s sake?” ^{(B) 2} There was a servant of Saul’s family named Ziba.^(C) They summoned him to David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

“I am your servant,” he replied.

³ So the king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family that I can show the kindness of God to?”

Ziba said to the king, “There is still Jonathan’s son who was injured in both feet.”^(D)

⁴ The king asked him, “Where is he?”

Ziba answered the king, “You’ll find him in Lo-debar at the house of Machir son of Ammiel.” ⁵ So King David had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.

⁶ Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, fell facedown, and paid homage. David said, “Mephibosheth!”

“I am your servant,” he replied.

⁷ “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “since I intend to show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all your grandfather Saul’s fields, and you will always eat meals at my table.”^(E)

⁸ Mephibosheth paid homage and said, “What is your servant that you take an interest in a dead dog^(F) like me?”

⁹ Then the king summoned Saul’s attendant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and his family. ¹⁰ You, your sons, and your servants are to work the ground for him, and you are to bring in the crops so your master’s grandson will have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹ Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all my lord the king commands.”

So Mephibosheth ate at David’s^[a] table just like one of the king’s sons.

God’s Righteous Judgment

2 Therefore, every one of you^[a](A) who judges is without excuse.^(B) For when you judge another,^(C) you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. ² Now we know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. ³ Do you think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment? ⁴ Or do you despise the riches of his kindness,^(D) restraint,^(E) and patience,^(F) not recognizing^[b] that God’s kindness^(G) is intended to lead you to repentance? ⁵ Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath^(H) for yourself in the day of wrath,^(I) when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. ⁶ He will repay each one according to his works:^{[c](J) 7} eternal life^(K) to those who by persistence in doing good^(L) seek glory, honor,^(M) and immortality;^{(N) 8} but wrath and anger to those who are self-seeking^(O) and disobey the truth^(P) while obeying unrighteousness. ⁹ There will be affliction and distress^(Q) for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek;^{(R) 10} but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. ¹¹ For there is no favoritism with God.^(S)

² to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness^(A) to all people. ³ For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions^(B) and pleasures,^(C) living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.

⁴ But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared,^(D)