Old/New Testament
1 ¶ Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;
2 it came to pass on the third day that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent and earth upon his head, and so it was when he came to David, that he fell to the earth and did obeisance.
3 And David said unto him, Where dost thou come from? And he said unto him, I am escaped out of the camp of Israel.
4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, The people fled from the battle, and many of the people fell and are dead, and Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead also.
5 And David said unto the young man that told him, How dost thou know that Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead?
6 And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear, and the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.
8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.
9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me and slay me, for anguish is come upon me, and all my soul is yet in me.
10 So I stood upon him and slew him because I was sure that he could not live after he was fallen, and I took the crown that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arm and have brought them here unto my lord.
11 ¶ Then David took hold on his clothes and rent them and likewise all the men that were with him.
12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword.
13 And David said unto the young man that told him, From where art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.
14 And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?
15 Then David called one of the young men and said, Go near and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
16 And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head, for thy mouth has testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’s anointed.
17 ¶ And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son.
18 (He also bade them teach the sons of Judah the use of the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of righteousness.)
19 The glory of Israel is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you nor fields of offerings, for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
22 Without the blood of the slain, without the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan never turned back, and the sword of Saul never returned empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan were loved and desired in their lives, and in their death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me; thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
27 How are the valiant fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
2 ¶ And it came to pass after this that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Where shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, who had been the wife of Nabal of Carmel.
3 And David brought up his men that were with him, each one with his household, and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, The men of Jabeshgilead buried Saul.
5 And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead and said unto them, Blessed shall ye be of the LORD that ye have showed this mercy unto your lord, even unto Saul and have buried him.
6 And now the LORD show mercy and truth unto you; and I also will requite you this kindness because ye have done this thing.
7 Therefore, now let your hands be strengthened and be ye valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.
8 ¶ But Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, took Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim
9 and made him king over Gilead and over the Ashurites and over Jezreel and over Ephraim and over Benjamin and over all Israel.
10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel and reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David.
11 And the number of days that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 And Abner, the son of Ner, and the slaves of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13 And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and the slaves of David went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon, and when they met, the one group was on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.
14 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise and sport before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
15 Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, who pertained to Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, and twelve of the slaves of David.
16 And each one caught his fellow by the head and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together; therefore, that place was called Helkathhazzurim, {Heb. the inheritance of the strong} which is in Gibeon.
17 And there was a very severe battle that day where Abner and the men of Israel were overcome before the slaves of David.
18 ¶ And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel, and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.
19 And Asahel pursued after Abner, and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, Yes.
21 Then Abner said to him, Turn aside to thy right hand or to thy left and lay hold on one of the young men and take his spoil. But Asahel would not turn aside from following after him.
22 And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me; why should I smite thee to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab, thy brother?
23 Howbeit he refused to turn aside; therefore, Abner with the butt end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib that the spear came out behind him, and he fell down there and died in the same place. And it came to pass that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner, and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 ¶ And the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together in one troop with Abner and stood on the top of a hill.
26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? Dost thou not know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then before thou bid the people to return from following their brethren?
27 And Joab replied, As God lives, if thou had not spoken, surely from this morning the people would have left off from following their brothers.
28 So Joab blew the shofar, and all the people stood still and no longer pursued after Israel, neither did they fight any more.
29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passing the Jordan, they went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.
30 Joab also returned from following Abner, and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s slaves nineteen men and Asahel.
31 But the slaves of David had smitten of Benjamin and of Abner’s men, so that three hundred and sixty men died.
32 And they took up Asahel and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at the break of day.
14 ¶ And it came to pass as he went into the house of one of the princes of the Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day that they watched him.
2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him who had the dropsy.
3 And Jesus, answering, spoke unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
4 And they were silent. And he took him and healed him and dismissed him
5 and answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
6 And they could not answer him as to these things.
7 ¶ And observing how they chose the first seats at the table, he put forth a parable to those who were invited, saying unto them,
8 When thou art called to a wedding by anyone, do not sit down in the highest place, lest a more honourable man than thou be invited of him,
9 and he that called thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place, and thou begin with shame to have the lowest place.
10 But when thou art called, go and sit down in the lowest place that when he that invited thee comes, he may say unto thee, Friend, come up higher; then shalt thou have glory in the presence of those that sit at the table with thee.
11 For whosoever exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.
12 Then said he also to him that invited him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbours, lest they also invite thee again, and a recompense be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a banquet, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind,
14 and thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
15 ¶ And when one of those that sat at the table with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper and called many
17 and sent his slave at supper time to say to those that were called, Come, for all things are now ready.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a field, and I have need to go and see it; I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 So that slave came and showed his lord these things. Then the husband of the house, being angry, said to his slave, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind.
22 And the slave said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 And the lord said unto the slave, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled.
24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were called shall taste of my supper.
Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International