The Daily Audio Bible
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The Battle
18 David organized the troops who were with him. He appointed leaders over units of a thousand and units of a hundred. 2 Then David sent the troops out: one third under the command of Joab; one third under the command of Abishai, who was the son of Zeruiah and the brother of Joab; and one third under the command of Ittai from Gath.
The king said to the troops, “I myself will definitely also go with you.”
3 But the troops said, “You will not go, because if we flee, they will not target us. Even if half of us die, they will not target us, for there are ten thousand others like us. No. It is better now that you support us from the city.”
4 So the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you, I will do.”
The king stood beside the city gate. All the troops marched out by units of a hundred and a thousand. 5 The king gave orders to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake, act gently with the young man Absalom.” All the troops heard the king giving orders to the leaders concerning Absalom.
6 The troops went out into the countryside to confront Israel. The battle took place in the Forest of Ephraim. 7 The men of Israel were defeated there by the followers of David. There was a great slaughter there on that day—twenty thousand. 8 The battle was spread over the entire area. The forest devoured more people than the sword did on that day.
9 Absalom encountered the forces of David. As Absalom was riding on his mule, the mule went under the thick branches of a large terebinth tree, and Absalom’s head caught in the terebinth. He was caught between heaven and earth, and the mule he was riding kept going.
10 A man noticed Absalom and told Joab, “Listen! I saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!” 11 Joab said to the man who had told him, “What! You saw him! Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt.”
12 But the man said to Joab, “Even if I had one thousand shekels of silver weighed out into my hands, I would not reach my hand out against the king’s son. We heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Watch out for the young man Absalom for me.’ 13 If I had acted irresponsibly with my life[a]—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would not have stood by me.”
14 Joab said, “I will not waste time with you like this.” He took three small spears in his hand, and he hurled them into Absalom’s heart while he was still alive in the middle of the terebinth tree. 15 Ten young men, the ones carrying Joab’s armor and weapons, surrounded Absalom and struck and killed him.
16 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the people turned back from pursuing Israel, because Joab restrained them. 17 They took Absalom and threw him into a large pit in the forest. They raised a huge pile of stones over him.
All Israel fled, everyone to his own tent.[b]
18 During his lifetime Absalom had set up a monument for himself in the Valley of the King, because he said, “I do not have a son to keep my name alive in people’s memory.” He named the monument after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
19 Ahima’az son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry the good news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the power of his enemies.”
20 But Joab said to him, “You are not the man to carry the news today. You may carry the news some other day, but today you should not carry the news, because the king’s son is dead.”
21 Joab then told a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you saw.”
The Cushite bowed down to Joab and then set out running.
22 But Ahima’az son of Zadok said to Joab again, “No matter what, I really want to run behind the Cushite.”
Joab said, “Why do you want to do this? My son, there is no good news that will bring you any gain for running.” 23 But Ahima’az said, “No matter what, let me run.” So Joab said to him “All right, run then.” Ahima’az ran on the road that followed the plain, and he passed the Cushite.
24 David was sitting between the inner and outer gates of the city. The watchman went up onto the roof of the gatehouse next to the wall. While he was standing watch, he saw a man running all by himself. 25 The watchman called out and told the king. The king said, “If he is alone, he is bringing good news.” The man kept coming and got closer.
26 Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There is another man running all by himself!”
The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” 27 The watchman said, “The way the first man is running looks like the way Ahima’az son of Zadok runs.” The king said, “He is a good man. He is coming with good news.”
28 Ahima’az called out to the king, “Peace.” Then he bowed down to the king with his face to the ground and said, “Blessed is the Lord your God, who delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.”
29 The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”
Ahima’az said, “I saw a great uproar at the time when Joab sent the other servant of the king and me, your servant. I do not know what it was about.”
30 The king said, “Step aside. Stay here.” So he stepped aside and just stood there.
31 The Cushite arrived and said, “There is good news for my lord the king, because the Lord has delivered you this day from the power of all who rose up against you.”
32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”
The Cushite said, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you with evil intentions be like that young man.”
33 The king was shocked. He went up to the room over the gatehouse. As he was going, he wept and said, “My son Absalom, my son, my son! O Absalom, I wish I had died instead of you. O Absalom, my son, my son.”
The Aftermath of the Battle
19 Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.”[c] 2 The victory that day became an occasion for mourning for all the people, because that day the people heard that the king was mourning for his son. 3 That day the people were sneaking into the city quietly, the way people who are ashamed of fleeing from the battle would sneak in quietly. 4 The king covered his face and cried with a loud voice, “My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son.”
5 Joab came to the king at the house and said, “Today you have put to shame all your followers, who today have saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, and the lives of your wives and concubines. 6 You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have demonstrated clearly today that your officers and followers are nothing to you. Today I have no doubt that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, you would be pleased. 7 Now get up. Go out. Speak to the hearts of your followers. For by the Lord, I swear that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight, and this disaster will be greater for you than all the disasters that have come upon you from your youth until now.”
8 So the king got up and took his seat by the gate. All the people were told, “Look! The king is sitting in the gate.” So all the people came into the presence of the king.
Israel had fled, every man to his own home. 9 All the people in all the tribes of Israel were quarreling and saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies. He saved us from the hand of the Philistines. Now he has fled out of the land from Absalom. 10 But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now why are you silent about bringing back the king?”
The Resurrection
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she left and ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she told them, “and we don’t know where they put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. 5 Bending over, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter, who was following him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was not lying with the linen cloths, but was folded up in a separate place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who arrived at the tomb first, also entered. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead.)
10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, weeping. As she wept, she bent over, looking into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white clothes sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She told them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.”
14 After she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”
Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you carried him off, tell me where you laid him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and replied in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means, “Teacher”).
17 Jesus told her, “Do not continue to cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father—to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” She also told them the things he said to her.
Behind Locked Doors
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent me, I am also sending you.” 22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Thomas Finally Believes
24 But Thomas, one of the Twelve, the one called the Twin,[a] was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 After eight days, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue to doubt, but believe.”
28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel Account
30 Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, did many other miraculous signs that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Resh: I Have Not Forgotten
153 See my affliction and deliver me,
because I have not forgotten your law.
154 Argue my case and redeem me.
Give me life according to your saying.
155 Salvation is far away from the wicked,
because they do not pursue your statutes.
156 Your compassions are many, O Lord.
Give me life according to your judgments.
157 Many are my persecutors and my foes,
but I have not turned from your testimonies.
158 I look at the hypocrites and I loathe them,
because they do not keep your saying.
159 See how I love your precepts.
Lord, according to your mercy, give me life.
160 The sum of your word is truth.
All your righteous judgment is eternal.
Sin/Shin: I Wait for Salvation
161 Officials persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles at your word.
162 I rejoice over your sayings,
like one who finds much plunder.
163 I hate and detest falsehood,
but I love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous judgments.
165 Great peace belongs to those who love your law,
and nothing is a stumbling block for them.
166 I wait for your salvation, O Lord,
and I obey your commandments.
167 My soul keeps your testimonies.
I love them greatly.
168 I keep your precepts and your testimonies,
because all my ways are before you.
Tav: Seek Your Servant
169 May my loud cry come before you, Lord.
Give me understanding through your word.
170 May my plea for mercy come before you.
Deliver me according to your saying.
171 May my lips overflow with praise,
because you teach me your statutes.
172 May my tongue sing of your saying,
because all your commandments are righteousness.
173 May your hand be ready to help me,
because I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, O Lord,
and your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live and praise you,
and may your judgments help me.
176 I have strayed like a perishing sheep.
Seek your servant,
because I have not forgotten your commandments.
14 The king’s anger is a messenger of death,
but a wise person can appease it.
15 There is life in the light from a king’s face,
and his favor is like a cloud that brings spring rain.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.