Book of Common Prayer

His Chesed Endures Forever

Psalm 118

Glory of the Kingdom

Psalm 145

17 Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me now choose 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. ² I will attack him while he is weary and weak-handed, and terrify him so that all the people that are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king when he is alone. ³ Then I will bring all the people back to you—when all will have returned except the man you are seeking, then all the people will be at peace.”

⁴ Now the plan seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel. ⁵ Then Absalom said, “Call now Hushai the Archite also. Let’s hear what he has to say as well.” ⁶ When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him saying, “This is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his counsel? If not, you will speak.”

⁷ So Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.” ⁸ Hushai then added, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and they are embittered in their souls like a bear robbed of her cubs in the wild. Your father is an expert in warfare, and won’t spend the night with the troops. ⁹ Even now, he must be hiding in one of the caves or in some other place. So if he were to fall on them at first, whoever hears of it would say, ‘There’s a slaughter among the people following Absalom!’ ¹⁰ Then even one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt away—for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty warrior and those who are with him are valiant men. ¹¹ Instead, I counsel that all Israel be gathered altogether to you—from Dan to Beersheba, as abundant as the sand by the sea—and that you personally go into the battle. ¹² Then we will come upon him in one of the places where he can be found and we’ll fall upon him as dew falls on the ground. None will be left of all the men who are with him—not even one. ¹³ Moreover if he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city and drag it into the valley until not even one small stone will be found there.”

¹⁴ Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For Adonai had ordained to thwart Ahithophel’s good counsel, so that Adonai might bring evil upon Absalom.

¹⁵ Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the kohanim, “This and that is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this and that is what I advised. ¹⁶ Now therefore send word quickly and tell David saying, ‘Don’t spend the night at the fords in the wilderness but by all means, cross over or else the king and all the people with him may be swallowed up.’” ¹⁷ Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, and a maidservant used to go and pass information along to them. Then they would go and inform King David for they could not be seen entering the city.

¹⁸ But a lad did see them and informed Absalom. So the two of them left quickly and arrived at the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard; so they went down into it. ¹⁹ Then the woman took the cover and spread it over the well’s mouth and scattered grain on top of it so that nothing was noticeable. ²⁰ When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” the woman said to them, “They crossed over the brook of water.” When they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ After they had departed, they came up from the well, then went and informed King David, telling David, “Get up and cross over the water immediately, for thus has Ahithophel counseled against you.” ²² Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they crossed over the Jordan. By morning light, not even one of them was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

²³ Now when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, arose, went to his home in his hometown set his house in order, and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.

⁶ Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” ^{[a] 7} know then that those who have faith are children of Abraham. ⁸ The Scriptures, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the Good News to Abraham in advance, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed through you.” ^{[b] 9} So then, the faithful are blessed along with Abraham, the faithful one.

¹⁰ For all who rely on the deeds of Torah are under a curse—for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep doing everything written in the scroll of the Torah.” ^{[c] 11} It is clear that no one is set right before God by Torah, for “the righteous shall live by emunah.” ^{[d] 12} However, Torah is not based on trust and faithfulness; on the contrary, “the one who does these things shall live by them.” ^{[e] 13} Messiah liberated us from Torah’s curse, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”^[f])— ¹⁴ in order that through Messiah Yeshua the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so we might receive the promise of the Ruach through trusting faith.

³⁰ I can do nothing on My own. Just as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, for I do not seek My own will, but the will of the One who sent Me.”

The Father Testifies about the Son

³¹ “If I testify about Myself, My witness is not valid. ³² There is another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony He gives is true. ³³ You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴ I do not receive the testimony of man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵ He was the lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice for a while in his light.

³⁶ “But the testimony I have is greater than that from John. The works the Father has given Me to finish—the very works I am doing—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. ³⁷ And the Father who sent Me has testified concerning Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form. ³⁸ Nor do you have His Word living in you, because you do not trust the One He sent. ³⁹ You search the Scriptures because you suppose that in them you have eternal life. It is these that testify about Me. ⁴⁰ Yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life!

⁴¹ “I do not accept glory from men. ⁴² But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. ⁴³ I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me. But if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that comes from God alone?

⁴⁵ “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have put your hope. ⁴⁶ For if you were believing Moses, you would believe Me—because he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But since you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”^[a]