Old/New Testament
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)
19 Alas! the glory of Israel,
slain upon your heights!
How can the warriors have fallen!
20 Do not report it in Gath,
as good news in Ashkelon’s streets,
Lest Philistine women rejoice,
lest the women of the uncircumcised exult!(G)
21 O mountains of Gilboa,
upon you be neither dew nor rain,
nor surging from the deeps![a]
Defiled there the warriors’ shields,
the shield of Saul—no longer anointed with oil!(H)
22 From the blood of the slain,
from the bodies of the warriors,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
nor the sword of Saul return unstained.[b](I)
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and dear,
separated neither in life nor death,
swifter than eagles, stronger than lions!
24 Women of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and in finery,
covered your clothing with ornaments of gold.
25 How can the warriors have fallen
in the thick of battle!
Jonathan—slain upon your heights!
26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother!
Most dear have you been to me;
More wondrous your love to me
than the love of women.(J)
27 How can the warriors have fallen,
the weapons of war have perished!
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)
Combat near Gibeon. 12 Now Abner, son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal, Saul’s son, set out from Mahanaim for Gibeon. 13 Joab, son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David also set out and encountered them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other on the opposite side. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men rise and perform for us.”[d] Joab replied, “All right.” 15 So they rose and were counted off: twelve of the Benjaminites of Ishbaal, son of Saul, and twelve of David’s servants. 16 Then each one grasped his opponent’s head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side, and they all fell down together.[e] And so that place was named the Field of the Sides; it is in Gibeon.
Death of Asahel. 17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s servants. 18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there—Joab, Abishai, and Asahel.(O) Asahel, who was as fleet of foot as a gazelle in the open field, 19 set out after Abner, turning neither right nor left in his pursuit. 20 Abner turned around and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He replied, “Yes.” 21 Abner said to him, “Turn right or left; seize one of the young men and take what you can strip from him.” But Asahel would not stop pursuing him. 22 Once more Abner said to Asahel: “Stop pursuing me! Why must I strike you to the ground? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?”(P) 23 Still he refused to stop. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the heel of his spear, and the weapon protruded from his back. He fell there and died on the spot. All who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, halted. 24 But Joab and Abishai continued the pursuit of Abner. The sun had gone down when they came to the hill of Ammah which lies east of the valley toward the wilderness near Geba.
Truce Between Joab and Abner. 25 Here the Benjaminites rallied around Abner, forming a single group, and made a stand on a hilltop. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not know that afterward there will be bitterness? How long before you tell the people to stop pursuing their brothers?” 27 Joab replied, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, it would be morning before the people would be stopped from pursuing their brothers.” 28 Joab then sounded the horn, and all the people came to a halt, pursuing Israel no farther and fighting no more. 29 Abner and his men marched all night long through the Arabah, crossed the Jordan, marched all through the morning, and came to Mahanaim. 30 Joab, coming from the pursuit of Abner, assembled all the men. Nineteen other servants of David were missing, besides Asahel. 31 But David’s servants had struck down and killed three hundred and sixty men of Benjamin, followers of Abner. 32 They took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem. Joab and his men made an all-night march, and dawn found them in Hebron.
Chapter 14
Healing of the Man with Dropsy on the Sabbath.[a] 1 (A)On a sabbath he went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.(B) 2 In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.[b] 3 Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”(C) 4 But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. 5 Then he said to them, “Who among you, if your son or ox[c] falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?”(D) 6 But they were unable to answer his question.(E)
Conduct of Invited Guests and Hosts.[d] 7 (F)He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. 8 (G)“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, 9 and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. 10 Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”(H) 12 Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.(I) 13 Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; 14 blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”(J)
The Parable of the Great Feast.[e] 15 One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.” 16 (K)He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. 17 When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ 18 But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ 23 The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. 24 For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”
Sayings on Discipleship.[f]
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.