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Absalom Dies in Battle
18 Then David mustered the people who were with him, and he appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 David sent forth a third of the troops under the command of Joab,[a] and a third under the command of Abishai,[b] the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and the remaining third under the command of Ittai[c] the Gittite. And the king said to the troops, “I, even I, will certainly go out[d] with you.” 3 Then the troops said, “You will not go out, for if we must flee,[e] then they will not care about us;[f] even if half of us die, they will not care about us,[g] but now, you are like ten thousand of us. And so then, it is better for us that you be in the city to help.” 4 The king said to them, “I will do what seems good in your eyes.” So the king stood at the side of the gate while all of the troops went out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 The king ordered Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “With respect to the young man Absalom, deal gently for me.” And all the troops heard when the king ordered all of the commanders concerning the matter of Absalom.
6 The army went out to the field to meet Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. 7 The army of Israel was defeated there before the servants of David, and the defeat there was great on that day: twenty thousand. 8 The battle there was spreading over the surface of all the land, and the forest devoured more among the army than[h] the sword did on that day. 9 Absalom was found in the presence of the servants of David as he was riding on the mule. The mule went under the thicket of the great oak tree, and his head was caught in the tree. He was left hanging between heaven and earth, and the mule which was under him went on. 10 When a certain man saw it, he told Joab, and he said, “Look, I saw Absalom hanging in the oak tree!” 11 Then Joab said to the man who was telling him, “Look, if you saw, why did you not strike him down to the ground there? I would have gladly given you[i] ten pieces of silver and a leather belt.” 12 The man said to Joab, “Even if I felt the weight[j] of a thousand pieces of silver in my palms, I would not have sent my hand against the son of the king, for in our ears the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Whoever you may be, protect the young man Absalom.’ 13 If I had dealt treacherously against his life, and there is not any matter hidden from the king, you would have presented yourself aloof.”[k] 14 Joab said, “No longer will I wait in your presence.” Then he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak tree. 15 Then ten of the young men who bore the weapons of Joab surrounded him and struck and killed Absalom. 16 Then Joab blew on the trumpet and the troops returned from pursuing after Israel, for Joab kept back the troops. 17 They took Absalom and they threw him into the large pit in the forest and raised a very great heap of stones over him. Then all of Israel fled, each to his tent.
18 (Now Absalom had taken and set up for himself in his lifetime a stone pillar that is in the valley of the king, because he said, “I have no son in order to remember my name,” and he called the stone pillar by his name. It is called the monument of Absalom until this day). 19 Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and bring the good news to the king that Yahweh has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies.” 20 Joab said to him, “You will not be a man bringing[l] good news this day! You may bring good news on another day, but today you will not be bringing good news because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen”; then the Cushite bowed down to Joab and ran off. 22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may,[m] please let me also run after the Cushite.” Joab asked, “Why are you wanting to run, my son, when for you there is no messenger’s reward?”[n] 23 “Come what may,[o] I want to run.” He said to him, “Run,” so Ahimaaz ran on the road on the plain, and he passed the Cushite.
24 Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the sentinel went up to the roof of the gate by the wall and he lifted up his eyes and watched, and look, a man was running by himself. 25 The sentry called and told the king, and the king said, “If he is alone, good news is in his mouth.” He kept coming closer.[p] 26 Then the sentinel saw another man running, so the sentinel called to the gatekeeper and said, “Look, a man running alone.” The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” 27 The sentinel said, “I am seeing that the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zakok.” The king said, “He is a good man; he will come, for good news.” 28 Then Ahimaaz called and said to the king, “Peace.” He bowed down to the king with his face to the ground, and he said, “May Yahweh your God be blessed, who has delivered the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” 29 The king said, “Is it peace for the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz said, “I saw the great commotion when Joab the servant of the king sent your servant, but I do not know what it was all about.” 30 Then the king said, “Turn aside, take your place here,” so he turned aside and waited. 31 Suddenly the Cushite arrived and said, “May my lord the king receive the good news, for Yahweh has vindicated you today from the power of all who stood up against you.” 32 The king said to the Cushite, “Is it peace for the young man Absalom?” Then the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you to harm you[q] be like the young man!” 33 [r] The king was upset, and he went up to the upper room of the gate and wept. He said as he went, “My son, Absalom, my son, my son, Absalom. If only[s] I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son.”
King David Weeps for Absalom
19 And it was told to Joab that the king was weeping and he mourned over Absalom, 2 so the victory turned to mourning on that day for all the army, because they had heard that day, “The king is grieving over his son.” 3 The army came secretly[t] into the city on that day because the army was disgraced when they fled in the battle, 4 and because the king had covered his face and cried with a loud voice, “My son, Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son.”
5 Then Joab came to the king’s house and said, “Today you have humiliated the faces of all of your servants who have saved your life this day, and the life of your sons and your daughters, the life of your wives, and the life of your concubines, 6 by loving those who hate you and hating those who love you. Indeed, you have made clear this day that you have no regard for your commanders or officers, for I have realized today that were Absalom alive, and all of us were dead, then that would have been right in your eyes! 7 So then, get up and go out and speak kindly to your servants,[u] for I swear by Yahweh, if you do not go out, no man will lodge this night with you, and this disaster will be greater for you than any disaster that has come upon you from your childhood until now!” 8 So the king got up and he sat in the gate, and they told all the army, “Look, the king is sitting in the gate.” Then all the army came before the king; whereas all of Israel had fled, each to his tent.
David Returns from Exile
9 Then it happened that all the people were disputing among all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies, and he saved us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land because of Absalom. 10 Now Absalom whom we anointed as king over us has died in the battle; so then, why are you taking no action to restore the king?”
Jesus Is Raised
20 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it[a] was still dark, and saw the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord from the tomb and we do not know where they have put him!” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple went out and were going to the tomb. 4 And the two were running together, and the other disciple ran ahead, faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first. 5 And bending over to look, he saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, though he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter also came following him, and he went into the tomb and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, 7 and the facecloth that was on his head—not lying with the strips of linen cloth, but folded up separately in one place. 8 So then the other disciple who had come to the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed. 9 (For they did not yet know the scripture that it was necessary for him to rise from the dead.)
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.[b] 11 But Mary stood outside at the tomb, weeping. Then, while she was weeping, she bent over to look into the tomb, 12 and she saw two angels in white, seated one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him!” 14 When she[c] had said these things, she turned around[d] and saw Jesus standing there, and she did not know that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” She thought that it was the gardener, and[e] said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned around and[f] said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came and[g] announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 Now when it[h] was evening on that day—the first day of the week—and the doors had been shut where the disciples were because of fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace to you.” 20 And when he[i] had said this, he showed his[j] hands and his[k] side to them. Then the disciples rejoiced when they[l] saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 And when he[m] had said this, he breathed on them[n] and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins[o] of any, they are retained.”
Thomas Doubts But Later Believes
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus,[p] was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe!”
26 And after eight days his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Although[q] the doors had been shut, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace to you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Place your finger here and see my hands, and place your hand and put it[r] into my side. And do not be unbelieving, but believing!” 28 Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Why This Book Was Written
30 Now Jesus also performed many other signs in the presence of the disciples[s] which are not recorded in this book, 31 but these things are recorded in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by[t] believing you may have life in his name.
Resh
153 See my misery and rescue me,
for I do not forget your law.
154 Plead my cause and redeem me;
preserve my life according to your word.[a]
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek your statutes.
156 Your mercies are great, O Yahweh;
preserve my life according to your ordinances.
157 My persecutors and enemies are many,
yet I do not turn aside from your testimonies.
158 I see the treacherous and I feel disgust,
because they do not heed your word.
159 Consider[b] that I love your precepts;
O Yahweh, according to your loyal love preserve my life.
160 The whole[c] of your word is truth,
and your every righteous judgment endures forever.
Sin/Shin
161 Princes persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles because of your word.[d]
162 I am rejoicing over your word,
like one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood;
I love your law.
164 I praise you seven times in the day
for your righteous ordinances.
165 Great peace is for those who love your law,
and they do not have a cause for stumbling.
166 I hope for your salvation, O Yahweh,
and do your commands.
167 My soul heeds your testimonies,
and I love them exceedingly.
168 I heed your precepts and testimonies,
because all my ways are before you.
Taw
169 Let my cry come before you, O Yahweh;
give me understanding according to your word.
170 Let my plea come before you;
Deliver me according to your word.[e]
171 Let my lips pour out praise,
because you teach me your statutes.
172 Let my tongue sing of your word,[f]
because all your commands are right.
173 Let your hand be my help,[g]
because I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, O Yahweh,
and your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul[h] live that it may praise you,
and let your ordinances help me.
176 I have wandered like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
because I do not forget your commands.
14 The wrath of a king is a messenger of death,
but one who is wise will appease[a] it.
15 In the light of the face of the king there is life,
and his favor is like a cloud of spring rain.
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