Old/New Testament
Retribution for the Gibeonites
21 One time there was a famine during David’s reign that went on for three straight years. David sought the Lord, who[a] said, “Saul and his household are guilty because he executed the Gibeonites.”
2 So the king called together the Gibeonites and conferred with them. Now the Gibeonites weren’t part of the nation of Israel, but were the survivors from the Amorites. Although the Israelis had promised to spare them, Saul had started to execute them in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.
3 So David asked the Gibeonites, “What am I to do for you? How am I to make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s heritage?”
4 “We’re not looking for mere silver or gold to be paid by Saul or his household to us,” the Gibeonites responded to him. “And it’s not for us to execute anyone in Israel.”
In reply, David[b] asked, “So what are you asking me to do for you?”
5 They told the king, “The man who consumed us, who planned our destruction—intending to leave us with nothing in the territory of Israel— 6 is to have[c] seven of his sons turned over to us. We will hang[d] them in the presence of the Lord at Gibeah, which belonged to Saul, whom the Lord chose.”
So the king answered, “I will give them.”[e] 7 The king exempted Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the promise to the Lord that existed between David and Saul’s son Jonathan.
8 Instead, the king arrested Aiah’s daughter Rizpah’s two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, whom she had borne to Saul, and the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Barzillai the Meholathite’s son Adriel. 9 Then he turned them over to the custody of the Gibeonites, who hanged them on the mountain in the presence of the Lord. All seven of them died at the same time. They were executed during the first days of harvest, just as the barley began to be gathered in.
10 Then Aiah’s daughter Rizpah grabbed some sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock where her children had been hanged[f] from the beginning of harvest until the first rain fell from the sky. She would not allow any scavenger birds[g] to land on them during the day nor the beasts of the field to approach them[h] at night.
11 When David was informed what Rizpah, the daughter of Saul’s mistress[i] had done, 12 David had Saul’s bones and the bones of his son Jonathan removed from the custody of certain men from Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square in Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them—that is, back on the day when the Philistines had killed Saul on Mount[j] Gilboa. 13 He brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there along with the bones of those who had been hanged, 14 and they buried Saul’s bones and his son Jonathan’s bones in the territory of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Saul’s[k] father Kish. After they had done everything that the king commanded, God responded to prayers for the land.[l]
Israel Battles Four Giants from Gath(A)
15 Afterwards, war broke out between the Philistines and Israel, so David went down to fight the Philistines. David became weary, 16 and Ishbi-benob, who had been fathered by giants,[m] said he intended to kill David. (His bronze spearhead weighed 300 shekels,[n] and he carried state-of-the-art[o] weaponry.) 17 But Zeruiah’s son Abishai came to David’s aid, attacked the Philistine, and killed him. After this, David’s army told him, “You’re not going out anymore with us to battle, so Israel’s beacon won’t be extinguished!” 18 Sometime later after this incident, there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who had been fathered by giants. 19 In yet another battle at Gob, Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite’s son Elhanan killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear resembled that of a weaver’s beam. 20 Later on, there was another battle at Gath, where there was a very tall man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—24 in number—who had also been fathered by giants. 21 When he defied Israel, David’s brother Shimeah’s son Jonathan killed him. 22 These four giants, who had been fathered by a giant in Gath, were killed at the hands of David and his servants.
David’s Psalm of Deliverance
22 David composed the words of this song to the Lord the very day the Lord delivered him from the domination[p] of all of his enemies, including from Saul’s hands. 2 This is what[q] he said:
Lord, you are[r] my stone stronghold
and my fortified place;
you are continuously delivering[s] me.
3 He is my God,
my strong stone—
in him I will find my refuge—
my shield,
the strength[t] of my salvation,
my high tower,
my way of escape,
and the one who is saving me.
You will save me from violence.
4 As I am praising him,[u]
I will call out to the Lord,
and I will be saved from my enemies.
5 Because deadly breakers[v] engulfed me,
while torrents of abuse[w] from the ungodly overwhelmed[x] me.
6 Binding ropes from Sheol entangled me
while lethal snares hindered me.
7 I cried out to the Lord in the middle of my troubles;
I cried out to my God.
He listened to my voice from his sanctuary,
and my call for help was heard.
8 Just then the earth shook and trembled!
The foundations of heaven reeled and quaked
because the Lord[y] was angry.
9 Smoke poured out of his nostrils,
and fire from his mouth
kindling coals to flame by it.
10 He deformed heaven itself as he descended.
Thick darkness enveloped his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind!
12 The darkness around him was his canopies—
amassed water was his overhanging clouds!
13 From the shining light[z] that was his presence[aa]
coals of fire blazed into flame!
14 The Lord roared from heaven!
The Most High let his voice be heard!
15 He launched his arrows and scattered them—
his lightning routed them.
16 The currents of the sea were revealed
and the foundations of the world were exposed
at the rebuke of the Lord
and at the blazing breath from his nostrils!
17 He sent for me from on high!
He grabbed hold of me,
drawing me out of deep water.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy—
from those who hate me continually,
since they were stronger than I.
19 They confronted me when I was in trouble,[ab]
but the Lord remained my support!
20 He brought me to a wide open area,
rescuing me because he was pleased with me!
21 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness,
rewarding me according to the degree of my innocence,[ac]
22 because I have kept the Lord’s way—
I haven’t willfully abandoned my God—
23 and because all of his decrees remain in my thoughts,[ad]
I have not turned aside from his statutes,
24 I have been innocent before him,
and I’ve kept myself from incurring[ae] guilt.
25 The Lord has repaid me according to my righteousness,
that is, according to my clean standing as he[af] looks at me.[ag]
26 In the company of the gracious
you demonstrate your gracious love.
In the company of the blamelessly valiant
you demonstrate your blamelessness.
27 In the company of the pure
you demonstrate your purity.
In the company of the perverted
you will appear to be perverse.
28 You save the nation who is humble
but your eyes watch the proud,
to bring them down.
29 For you are my lamp, Lord,
the Lord who illuminates my darkness.
30 By you I devastate armies,
by my God I scale walls.
31 This God! His way is perfect!
What the Lord declares proves true.
He shields[ah] everyone who flees for protection to him!
32 For who is God apart from the Lord?
And who is a Rock, apart from our God?
33 This God is my strong place of valor!
He has made my life[ai] blameless.
34 He has made my feet like those of a deer,
setting me secure on his high places!
35 He has trained my hands for battle readiness—
I can bend a bow made out of bronze.
36 He has equipped me with the shield that is your salvation,
Your gentleness[aj] has made me great.
37 You’ve made room beneath me for my footsteps,
and my feet didn’t slip.
38 I pursued my enemies and conquered them;
I didn’t return until they were consumed.
39 I devoured them,
striking them down
until they could not get up again.
They fell beneath my feet.
40 You strengthened me with valor sufficient for the battle;
you made those who rebelled against me fall beneath me.
41 You made my enemies turn and run—[ak]
that is, those who hate me—
and I destroyed them!
42 They looked around, but there was no one to save[al] them[am]—
they looked[an] to the Lord, but he paid no attention!
43 I pulverized them to powder,
like the dust of the earth;
I crushed them,
stomping on them like mud on a street.
44 You delivered me from civil war among my own people.
You preserved me as head of the nations.
People whom I had never known served me!
45 Foreigners[ao] came cringing to me;
they obeyed as soon as they heard[ap] me.
46 Foreigners[aq] lost their courage,
coming trembling from their strongholds.
47 The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock,
and may my God be exalted,
the Rock who is my salvation!
48 The God who keeps on avenging me,
subjugating people beneath me,
49 delivering me from my enemies.
You exalted me above those who rebelled against me,
delivering me from violent men.
50 Because of all of this I will praise you among the nations, Lord,
and I will sing praises to your name!
51 Great is the salvation he brings to his king,
showing gracious love to his anointed,
to David and to his offspring[ar] forever.
Salvation and Reward(A)
24 So when Jesus saw how sad he was, he[a] said, “How hard it is for rich people to get into the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”
26 Those who were listening to Jesus[b] asked, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus[c] replied, “The things that are impossible for people are possible for God.”
28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left everything we have and followed you.”
29 Jesus[d] told them, “I tell all of you[e] with certainty, there is no one who has left his home, wife, brothers, parents, or children because of the kingdom of God 30 who will not receive many times as much in this world, as well as eternal life in the age to come.”
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time(B)
31 Jesus[f] took the Twelve aside and told them, “Pay attention! We’re going up to Jerusalem. Everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled, 32 because he’ll be handed over to the unbelievers,[g] and will be mocked, insulted, and spit on. 33 After they have whipped him, they’ll kill him, but on the third day he’ll rise again.” 34 But they didn’t understand any of this. What he said was hidden from them, and they didn’t know what he meant.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man(C)
35 As Jesus[h] was approaching Jericho, there was a blind man sitting by the road begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus from Nazareth[i] was coming by. 38 So he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 The people at the front of the crowd[j] sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Then Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus[k] asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, I want to see again!”
42 So Jesus told him, “See again! Your faith has made you well.” 43 Immediately the man[l] could see again and began to follow Jesus,[m] glorifying God. All the people saw this and gave praise to God.
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