The Daily Audio Bible

Chapter 1

Report of Saul’s Death. ¹ After the death of Saul, David returned from his victory over the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.^{(A) 2} On the third day a man came from the field of battle, one of Saul’s people, with his garments torn and his head covered with dirt. Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage. ³ David asked him, “Where have you come from?” He replied, “From the Israelite camp: I have escaped.” ⁴ “What happened?” David said. “Tell me.” He answered that the soldiers had fled the battle and many of them had fallen and were dead; and that Saul and his son Jonathan were dead. ⁵ Then David said to the youth who was reporting to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” ^6 (B)The youth reporting to him replied: “I happened to find myself on Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning on his spear, with chariots and horsemen closing in on him. ⁷ He turned around and saw me, and called me to him. When I said, ‘Here I am,’ ⁸ he asked me, ‘Who are you?’ and I replied, ‘An Amalekite.’ ⁹ Then he said to me, ‘Stand over me, please, and put me to death, for I am in great suffering, but still alive.’ ¹⁰ So I stood over him and put him to death, for I knew that he could not survive his wound. I removed the crown from his head and the armlet from his arm and brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ David seized his garments and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.^{(C) 12} They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.^{(D) 13} David said to the youth who had reported to him, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to put forth your hand to desecrate the Lord’s anointed?”^{(E) 15} David then called one of the attendants and said to him, “Come, strike him down”; so he struck him and he died. ¹⁶ David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for you testified against yourself when you said, ‘I put the Lord’s anointed to death.’”

Lament for Saul and Jonathan. ¹⁷ Then David chanted this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan ¹⁸ (he commanded that it be taught to the Judahites; it is recorded in the Book of Jashar):^(F)

Chapter 2

David Is Anointed King. ¹ After this, David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” The Lord replied to him: Go up. Then David asked, “Where shall I go?” He replied: To Hebron. ² So David went up there, with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel.^{(K) 3} David also brought up his men with their families, and they dwelt in the towns of Hebron. ⁴ Then the men of Judah came there and anointed David king over the house of Judah.

A report reached David that the people of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul.^{(L) 5} So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh-gilead and said to them: “May you be blessed by the Lord for having done this kindness to your lord Saul in burying him. ⁶ And now may the Lord show you kindness and fidelity. For my part, I will show generosity to you for having done this. ⁷ So take courage and prove yourselves valiant, for though your lord Saul is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

IV. The Reign of David

Ishbaal King of Israel. ⁸ Abner, son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, took Ishbaal,^[c] son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim,^{(M) 9} where he made him king over Gilead, the Asherites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and the rest of Israel. ¹⁰ Ishbaal, son of Saul, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years; but the house of Judah followed David. ¹¹ In all, David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah seven years and six months.^(N)

²⁰ Now there were some Greeks^[a] among those who had come up to worship at the feast.^{(A) 21 [b]}They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”^{(B) 22} Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.^{(C) 23 [c]}Jesus answered them,^(D) “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ^24 [d]Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat;^(E) but if it dies, it produces much fruit. ²⁵ Whoever loves his life^[e] loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.^{(F) 26} Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.^(G)

²⁷ “I am troubled^[f] now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.^{(H) 28} Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”^{(I) 29} The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”^{(J) 30} Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.^{(K) 31} Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world^[g] will be driven out.^{(L) 32} And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”^{(M) 33} He said this indicating the kind of death he would die. ³⁴ So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever.^[h] Then how can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”^{(N) 35} Jesus said to them, “The light will be among you only a little while. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness may not overcome you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where he is going.^{(O) 36} While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light.”^(P)

Unbelief and Belief Among the Jews. After he had said this, Jesus left and hid from them. ^37 [i](Q)Although he had performed so many signs in their presence they did not believe in him, ^38 [j]in order that the word which Isaiah the prophet spoke might be fulfilled:

³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, because again Isaiah said:

⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw his glory^[k] and spoke about him.^{(T) 42} Nevertheless, many, even among the authorities, believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not acknowledge it openly in order not to be expelled from the synagogue.^{(U) 43} For they preferred human praise to the glory of God.^(V)

Recapitulation. ⁴⁴ Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me,^{(W) 45} and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.^{(X) 46} I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.^{(Y) 47} And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.^{(Z) 48} Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day,^{(AA) 49} because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.^{(AB) 50} And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”

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