Old/New Testament
Justice for the Gibeonites
21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year, so David sought the face of Adonai. Adonai replied, “It is because of Saul and his bloody house, for he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2 So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of Bnei-Yisrael but a remnant of the Amorites; however, Bnei-Yisrael had sworn a covenant with them. Yet Saul had tried to eradicate them in his zeal for Bnei-Yisrael and Judah.) 3 David asked the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you? How may I make atonement so that you would bless the inheritance of Adonai?”
4 The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; nor is it our right to put any man to death in Israel.”
“Whatever you say, I will do for you,” he said.
5 Then they said to the king, “The man who consumed us and plotted against us to annihilate us from remaining in any of Israel’s territory, 6 let seven men of his sons be given over to us and we will hang them up before Adonai at Gibeah of Saul, Adonai’s chosen.”
“I will give them over,” the king said. 7 Now the king spared Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan son of Saul, because of Adonai’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul—Armoni and Mephibosheth; also the five sons of Michal[a] daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite, 9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites. So they hanged them on the hill before Adonai, so that all seven fell together. They were put to death during the days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Then Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it on the rock for herself, from the beginning of harvest until the rain poured on them from the sky. She did not let the birds of the sky rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. 11 David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12 So David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day that the Philistines killed Saul in Gilboa. 13 He had the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan brought up from there, and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 14 So they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of his father Kish. They did all of what the king commanded. Afterward, God was moved by prayer for the land.
15 Once again the Philistines made war with Israel, so David went down with his servants and fought against the Philistines. But David became weary. 16 So Ishbi-benob—who was a descendant of the Raphah, whose spear weighed 300 shekels of bronze, who was girded with new armor—thought to kill David. 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You must not go out with us to battle anymore. You must not quench the lamp of Israel!”
18 Now it came to pass after this that there was war again with the Philistines at Gob, and Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of the Rapha. 19 Then there was war again with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Beth-lehemite killed Goliath the Gittite—his spear had a shaft like a weaver’s beam. 20 Once again there was war at Gath, where there was a champion that had on every hand six fingers and on every foot six toes—a total of 24, and he also was a descendant of the Rapha. 21 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of David’s brother Shimea killed him. 22 These four were born to the Rapha in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
David’s Songs of Valor and Last Words
22 David spoke to Adonai the words of this song in the day that Adonai delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:
“Adonai is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.
3 My God is my rock, in Him I take refuge,
my shield, my horn of salvation,[b]
my stronghold and my refuge,
my Savior—You save me from violence.
4 I called upon Adonai, worthy of praise,
and I was rescued from my enemies.
5 For waves of death encompassed me.
Torrents of Belial overwhelmed me.
6 Cords of death entangled me.
Snares of death came before me.
7 In my distress I called upon Adonai,
yes, I called to my God.
From His Temple He heard my voice,
my cry came into His ears.
8 Then the earth rocked and quaked,
the foundation of heaven trembled.
They reeled because He was angry.
9 Smoke rose from His nostrils
and consuming fire from His mouth.
Coals blazed from Him.
10 He parted the heavens and came down,
with thick darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cheruv and flew.
He was seen on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness as a sukkah round Him—
a mass of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
13 Out of the brilliance before Him
coals of fire flamed out.
14 Adonai also thundered from heaven
and Elyon gave forth His voice.
15 He shot arrows and scattered them,
lightning bolts, and routed them.
16 Then the ravines of the sea appeared,
the foundations of the world were exposed
by the rebuke of Adonai,
at a blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 He reached down from on high
and He took hold of me.
He drew me out of mighty waters.
18 He delivered me from my powerful enemy,
from those who hated me—
for they were much stronger than me.
19 They came against me in the day of my calamity,
but Adonai was my support.
20 He brought me out to a wide-open place.
He rescued me since He delighted in me.
21 Adonai rewarded me for my righteousness.
For the cleanness of my hands
He repaid me.
22 For I kept the ways of Adonai,
and did not turn wickedly from my God.
23 For all His judgments are before me.
As for His rulings,
I do not turn away from them.
24 I also had integrity with Him,
and kept myself from my sin.
25 So Adonai rewarded me for my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in His eyes.
26 With the loyal You deal loyally.
With the blameless You are blameless.
27 With the pure You show Yourself pure,
but with the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
28 You save lowly people.
But Your eyes are on the haughty—
You will humble them.
29 For You are my lamp, Adonai.
Adonai shines in my darkness.
30 For with You I rush on a troop,
with my God I can leap over a wall.
31 As for God, His way is perfect.
The word of Adonai is pure.
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32 For who is God, besides Adonai?
and who is a Rock, besides our God?
33 God is my strong fortress
and He keeps my way blameless.
34 He makes my legs like a deer
and sets me on my heights.
35 Who trains my hands for battle,
so my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36 You gave me Your shield of salvation.
and Your answering has made me great.
37 You broaden my steps beneath me,
so my feet have not slipped.
38 I pursue my enemies and destroy them.
I will not return till they are consumed.
39 I consumed them and crushed them till they cannot rise;
yes, they fall beneath my feet.
40 You girded me with strength for battle.
You made those rising up against me bow down before me.
41 You also made my enemies turn their backs to me.
I cut off those who hate me.
42 They looked, but there was none to save
—to Adonai, but He did not answer them.
43 Then I beat them as the dust of the earth,
I stamped and crushed them like mud of the streets.
44 You free me from strifes of my people.
You kept me as head of the nations—
people I did not know are serving me.
45 Children of foreigners cringe before me.
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Children of foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their hideouts.
47 Adonai lives! And blessed be my Rock!
Exalted be God—the Rock of my salvation!
48 God—He gives me vengeance
and brings down peoples under me.
49 He brings me out from my enemies.
Indeed You lift me up above those who rise up against me.
You deliver me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I praise You among the nations, Adonai,
and will sing praises to Your name.
51 He is a tower of salvation to His king,
He shows loyal love to His anointed—
to David and to his seed, forever.
24 Gazing at him, Yeshua said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Then those who heard said, “Then who can be saved?”
27 But Yeshua said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”[a]
28 Then Peter said, “Look, we’ve left everything of our own to follow You.”
29 And Yeshua said to them, “Amen, I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times as much in this age; and in the olam ha-ba, eternal life.”
31 Then Yeshua took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we’re going up to Jerusalem, and everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be carried out. 32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and He will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. 33 After they have scourged Him, they will kill Him. Yet on the third day, He will rise again.” 34 But they understood none of these things; this message was hidden from them, and they did not understand what He was saying.
Approaching Jericho
35 Now as Yeshua was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging. 36 But when he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Yeshua ha-Natzrati was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, “Yeshua, Ben-David, have mercy on me!”
39 And those leading the way were scolding him, so he would be quiet. But he kept shouting all the more, “Ben-David, have mercy on me!”
40 So Yeshua stopped and ordered the blind man to be brought to Him. And when he came near, Yeshua asked him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?”
And he said, “Master, I want to see again!”
42 Yeshua said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has made you well.” 43 Immediately the man received his sight and began following Yeshua, glorifying God. And when all the people saw it, they also gave praise to God.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.