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2 Samuel 2:12-3:39

The War between David and Ishbosheth

12 One day, Abner and the soldiers of Ishbosheth[a] left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Meanwhile, Joab the son of Zeruiah[b] was leading David's soldiers, and the two groups met at the pool in Gibeon.[c] Abner and his men sat down on one side of the pool, while Joab and his men sat on the other side. 14 Abner yelled to Joab, “Let's get some of our best soldiers to stand up and fight each other!”

Joab agreed, 15 and twelve of Ishbosheth's men from the tribe of Benjamin got up to fight twelve of David's men. 16 They grabbed each other by the hair and stabbed each other in the side with their daggers. They all died right there! That's why the place in Gibeon is called “Field of Daggers.”[d] 17 Then everyone started fighting. Both sides fought very hard, but David's soldiers defeated Abner and the soldiers of Israel.

18 Zeruiah's three sons were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as a deer in an open field, 19 and he ran straight after Abner, without looking to the right or to the left.

20 When Abner turned and saw him, he said, “Is that you, Asahel?”

Asahel answered, “Yes it is.”

21 Abner said, “There are soldiers all around. Stop chasing me and fight one of them! Kill him and take his clothes and weapons for yourself.”

But Asahel refused to stop.

22 Abner said, “If you don't turn back, I'll have to kill you! Then I could never face your brother Joab again.”

23 But Asahel would not turn back, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the back end of his spear. The spear went all the way through and came out of his back. Asahel fell down and died. Everyone who saw Asahel lying dead just stopped and stood still. 24 But Joab and Abishai went after Abner. Finally, about sunset, they came to the hill of Ammah, not far from Giah on the road to Gibeon Desert. 25 Abner brought the men of Benjamin together in one group on top of a hill, and they got ready to fight.

26 Abner shouted to Joab, “Aren't we ever going to stop killing each other? Don't you know that the longer we keep on doing this, the worse it's going to be when it's all over? When are you going to order your men to stop chasing their own relatives?”

27 Joab shouted back, “I swear by the living God, if you hadn't spoken, my men would have chased their relatives all night!” 28 Joab took his trumpet and blew the signal for his soldiers to stop chasing the soldiers of Israel. At once, the fighting stopped.

29 Abner and his troops marched through the Jordan River valley all that night. Then they crossed the river and marched all morning[e] until they arrived back at Mahanaim.

30 As soon as Joab stopped chasing Abner, he got David's troops together and counted them. There were 19 missing besides Asahel. 31 But David's soldiers had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. 32 Joab and his troops carried Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him in the family burial place. Then they marched all night and reached Hebron before sunrise.

This battle was the beginning of a long war between the followers of Saul and the followers of David. Saul's power grew weaker, but David's grew stronger.

David's Sons Born in Hebron

(1 Chronicles 3.1-4)

2-5 Several of David's sons were born while he was living in Hebron. His oldest son was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel. David's second son was Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, who had been married to Nabal from Carmel. Absalom was the third. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. The sixth was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, another one of David's wives.

Abner Decides To Help David

As the war went on between the families of David and Saul, Abner was gaining more power than ever in Saul's family. He had even slept with a wife[f] of Saul by the name of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah. But Saul's son Ishbosheth[g] told Abner, “You shouldn't have slept with one of my father's wives!”

Abner was very angry because of what Ishbosheth had said, and he told Ishbosheth:

Am I some kind of worthless dog from Judah? I've always been loyal to your father's family and to his relatives and friends. I haven't turned you over to David. And yet you talk to me as if I've committed a crime with this woman.

I ask God to punish me if I don't help David get what the Lord promised him! 10 (A) God said that he wouldn't let anyone in Saul's family ever be king again and that David would be king instead. He also said that David would rule both Israel and Judah, all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.[h]

11 Ishbosheth was so afraid of Abner that he could not even answer.

12 Abner sent some of his men to David with this message: “You should be the ruler of the whole nation. If you make an agreement with me, I will persuade everyone in Israel to make you their king.”

13 David sent this message back: “Good! I'll make an agreement with you. But before I will even talk with you about it, you must get Saul's daughter Michal back for me.”

14 (B) David sent a few of his officials to Ishbosheth to give him this message: “Give me back my wife Michal! I killed 100 Philistines so I could marry her.”[i]

15 Ishbosheth sent some of his men to take Michal away from her new husband, Paltiel the son of Laish. 16 Paltiel followed Michal and the men all the way to Bahurim, crying as he walked. But he went back home after Abner ordered him to leave.

17 Abner talked with the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, “You've wanted to make David your king for a long time now. 18 So do it! After all, God said he would use his servant David to rescue his people Israel from their enemies, especially from the Philistines.”

19 Finally, Abner talked with the tribe of Benjamin. Then he left for Hebron to tell David everything that the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of the people of Israel wanted to do. 20 Abner took 20 soldiers with him, and when they got to Hebron, David gave a big feast for them.

21 After the feast, Abner said, “Your Majesty, let me leave now and bring Israel here to make an agreement with you. You'll be king of the whole nation, just as you've been wanting.”

David told Abner he could leave, and he left without causing any trouble.

Joab Kills Abner

22 Soon after Abner had left Hebron, Joab and some of David's soldiers came back, bringing a lot of things they had taken from an enemy village. 23 Right after they arrived, someone told Joab, “Abner visited the king, and the king let him go. Abner even left without causing any trouble.”

24 Joab went to David and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you, and you let him go. Now he's long gone! 25 You know Abner—he came to trick you. He wants to find out how strong your army is and to know everything you're doing.”

26 Joab left David, then he sent some messengers to catch up with Abner. They brought him back from the well at Sirah,[j] but David did not know anything about it. 27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pretended he wanted to talk privately with him. So he took Abner into one of the small rooms that were part of the town gate and stabbed him in the stomach. Joab killed him because Abner had killed Joab's brother Asahel.

Abner's Funeral

28 David heard how Joab had killed Abner, and he said, “I swear to the Lord that I am completely innocent of Abner's death! 29 Joab and his family are the guilty ones. I pray that Joab's family will always be sick with sores and other skin diseases. May they all be cowards,[k] and may they die in war or starve to death.”

30 Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.

31 David told Joab and everyone with him, “Show your sorrow by tearing your clothes and wearing sackcloth![l] Walk in front of Abner's body and cry!”

David walked behind the stretcher on which Abner's body was being carried. 32 Abner was buried in Hebron, while David and everyone else stood at the tomb and cried loudly. 33 Then the king sang a funeral song about Abner:

Abner, why should you
    have died like an outlaw?[m]
34 No one tied your hands
    or chained your feet,
yet you died as a victim
    of murderers.

Everyone started crying again. 35 Then they brought some food to David and told him he would feel better if he had something to eat. It was still daytime, and David said, “I swear to God that I won't take a bite of bread or anything else until sunset!”

36 Everyone noticed what David did, and they liked it, just as they always liked what he did. 37 Now the people of Judah and Israel were certain that David had nothing to do with killing Abner.

38 David said to his officials, “Don't you realize that today one of Israel's great leaders has died? 39 I am the chosen king, but Joab and Abishai have more power than I do. So God will have to pay them back[n] for the evil thing they did.”

John 13:1-30

Jesus Washes the Feet of His Disciples

13 It was before Passover, and Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and to return to the Father. He had always loved his followers in this world, and he loved them to the very end.

Even before the evening meal started, the devil had made Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,[a] decide to betray Jesus.

Jesus knew he had come from God and would go back to God. He also knew that the Father had given him complete power. So during the meal Jesus got up, removed his outer garment, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He put some water into a large bowl. Then he began washing his disciples' feet and drying them with the towel he was wearing.

But when he came to Simon Peter, this disciple asked, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus answered, “You don't really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“You will never wash my feet!” Peter replied.

“If I don't wash you,” Jesus told him, “you don't really belong to me.”

Peter said, “Lord, don't wash just my feet. Wash my hands and my head.”

10 Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you.” 11 Jesus knew who would betray him. That is why he said, “except for one of you.”

12 (A) After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again.[b] Then he said:

Do you understand what I have done? 13 You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am. 14 And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. 15 I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you. 16 (B) I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than the one who sent them. 17 You know these things, and God will bless you, if you do them.

18 (C) I am not talking about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But what the Scriptures say must come true. And they say, “The man who ate with me has turned against me!” 19 I am telling you this before it all happens. Then when it does happen, you will believe who I am.[c] 20 (D) I tell you for certain that anyone who welcomes my messengers also welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

Jesus Tells What Will Happen to Him

(Matthew 26.20-25; Mark 14.17-21; Luke 22.21-23)

21 After Jesus had said these things, he was deeply troubled and told his disciples, “I tell you for certain that one of you will betray me.” 22 They were confused about what he meant. And they just stared at each other.

23 Jesus' favorite disciple was sitting next to him at the meal, 24 and Simon motioned for this disciple to find out which one Jesus meant. 25 So the disciple leaned toward Jesus and asked, “Lord, which one of us are you talking about?”

26 Jesus answered, “I will dip this piece of bread in the sauce and give it to the one I was talking about.”

Then Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.[d] 27 Right then Satan took control of Judas.

Jesus said, “Judas, go quickly and do what you have to do.” 28 No one at the meal understood what Jesus meant. 29 But because Judas was in charge of the money, some of them thought that Jesus had told him to buy something they needed for the festival. Others thought that Jesus had told him to give some money to the poor. 30 Judas took the piece of bread and went out.

It was already night.

Psalm 119:1-16

In Praise of the Law of the Lord

Our Lord, you bless everyone
who lives right
    and obeys your Law.
You bless all those
who follow your commands
    from deep in their hearts
and who never do wrong
    or turn from you.
You have ordered us always
    to obey your teachings;
I don't ever want to stray
    from your laws.
Thinking about your commands
will keep me from doing
    some foolish thing.
I will do right and praise you
by learning to respect
    your perfect laws.
I will obey all of them!
    Don't turn your back on me.

Young people can live
a clean life
    by obeying your word.
10 I worship you
    with all my heart.
Don't let me walk away
    from your commands.
11 I treasure your word
    above all else;
it keeps me from sinning
    against you.
12 I praise you, Lord!
    Teach me your laws.
13 With my own mouth,
I tell others the laws
    that you have spoken.
14 Obeying your instructions
brings as much happiness
    as being rich.
15 I will study your teachings
    and follow your footsteps.
16 I will take pleasure
in your laws
    and remember your words.

Proverbs 15:29-30

29 The Lord never even hears
    the prayers of the wicked,
but he answers the prayers
    of all who obey him.
30 A friendly smile
    makes you happy,
and good news
    makes you feel strong.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

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