Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 118

Psalm 145^[a]

Praise. Of David.

17 Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick twelve thousand men, and I will go after David tonight. ² I will attack him while he is tired and weak, and I will throw him into a panic. All the troops with him will run off. I promise to kill the king alone, ³ and I will bring all the people back to you like a bride comes back to her husband.^[a] It’s only one man’s life you are seeking; everyone else can be at peace.”

⁴ This plan seemed excellent to Absalom and the Israelite elders.

Hushai’s advice

⁵ But Absalom said, “Call Hushai from Erek. Let’s hear what he has to say as well.” ⁶ When Hushai from Erek arrived, Absalom said to him, “This is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow it or not? What do you say?”

⁷ Hushai said to Absalom, “This time, the advice Ahithophel has given isn’t right. ⁸ You know that your father and his men are warriors,” he continued, “and they are as desperate as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is a seasoned fighter. He won’t spend the night with his troops. ⁹ Even now he has probably hidden himself in one of the caves or some other place. When some of the troops^[b] fall in the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘The soldiers who follow Absalom have been defeated!’ ¹⁰ Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like a lion’s, will melt in fear because all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and that those who are with him are brave. ¹¹ So I would advise that all the Israelites, from Dan to Beer-sheba—a group as countless as sand on the seashore—be summoned to join you, and that you yourself go into battle. ¹² When we attack him wherever he might be, we will fall on him like dew that falls on the ground. No one will survive—not him and not one of the soldiers who are with him! ¹³ If he retreats into a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into a valley until not even a pebble of it will be found.”

¹⁴ Then Absalom and everyone in Israel agreed, “The advice of Hushai from Erek is better than Ahithophel’s advice.” This was because the Lord had decided to counter Ahithophel’s good advice so that the Lord could bring disaster on Absalom.

Hushai warns David

¹⁵ Hushai told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, “Here is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the Israelite elders, and here is what I advised. ¹⁶ Now send word immediately to David and tell him, ‘Don’t spend the night in the desert plains. You must cross over immediately. Otherwise, the king and all the troops who are with him will be swallowed up whole.’”

¹⁷ Jonathan and Ahimaaz were standing by at En-rogel. A female servant would come and report to them, and they would then travel and report to King David because they couldn’t risk being seen entering the city. ¹⁸ But a boy saw them and reported it to Absalom. So the two of them left immediately and came to a man’s house at Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. ¹⁹ The man’s wife took a covering and spread it over the well’s opening, then scattered grain over it so no one would notice. ²⁰ When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house they demanded, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”

The woman told them, “They crossed over the stream.”^[c] They looked for them but found nothing, so they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ After they had left, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well. They went and reported to King David, “Get up! Cross the water immediately because Ahithophel has made plans against you!” ²² So David and all the troops who were with him got up and crossed the Jordan River. By daybreak there was no one left who hadn’t crossed the Jordan.

²³ Meanwhile, once Ahithophel saw that his advice hadn’t been followed, he saddled his donkey and went home to his own town. He gave instructions to his household, then hanged himself and died. He was buried in his father’s tomb.

Abraham: an example of righteousness

⁶ Understand that in the same way that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness,^{[a] 7} those who believe are the children of Abraham. ⁸ But when it saw ahead of time that God would make the Gentiles righteous on the basis of faith, scripture preached the gospel in advance to Abraham: All the Gentiles will be blessed in you.^{[b] 9} Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham who believed.

¹⁰ All those who rely on the works of the Law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone is cursed who does not keep on doing all the things that have been written in the Law scroll.^{[c] 11} But since no one is made righteous by the Law as far as God is concerned, it is clear that the righteous one will live on the basis of faith.^{[d] 12} The Law isn’t based on faith; rather, the one doing these things will live by them.^{[e] 13} Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us—because it is written, Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed.^{[f] 14} He redeemed us so that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, and that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

³⁰ I can’t do anything by myself. Whatever I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just. I don’t seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.

Witnesses to Jesus

³¹ “If I testify about myself, my testimony isn’t true. ³² There is someone else who testifies about me, and I know his testimony about me is true. ³³ You sent a delegation to John, and he testified to the truth. ³⁴ Although I don’t accept human testimony, I say these things so that you can be saved. ³⁵ John was a burning and shining lamp, and, at least for a while, you were willing to celebrate in his light.

³⁶ “I have a witness greater than John’s testimony. The Father has given me works to do so that I might complete them. These works I do testify about me that the Father sent me. ³⁷ And the Father who sent me testifies about me. You have never even heard his voice or seen his form, ³⁸ and you don’t have his word dwelling with you because you don’t believe the one whom he has sent. ³⁹ Examine the scriptures, since you think that in them you have eternal life. They also testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you don’t want to come to me so that you can have life.

⁴¹ “I don’t accept praise from people, ⁴² but I know you, that you don’t have God’s love in you. ⁴³ I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If others come in their own name, you receive them. ⁴⁴ How can you believe when you receive praise from each other but don’t seek the praise that comes from the only God?

⁴⁵ “Don’t think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, the one in whom your hope rests. ⁴⁶ If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because Moses wrote about me. ⁴⁷ If you don’t believe the writings of Moses, how will you believe my words?”