Old/New Testament
12 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, who came to him and said to him, “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.
2 “The rich man had exceedingly many sheep and oxen.
3 “But the poor had none at all, except one little sheep which he had bought and nourished. And it grew up with him and with his children also, and ate of his own morsels and drank of his own cup and slept in his bosom and was to him as his daughter.
4 “Now a stranger came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own sheep and from his own oxen to prepare for the stranger who had come to him. But he took the poor man’s sheep and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5 Then David was exceedingly angry with the man, and said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this thing shall surely die!
6 “And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no pity!”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man. Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and delivered you out of the hand of Saul,
8 ‘and gave you your lord’s house, and your lord’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah, and would moreover (if that had been too little) have given you such and such things.
9 ‘Why have you despised the Commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 ‘Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
11 “Thus said the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor. And he shall lie with your wives in the sight of his sin.
12 ‘For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the Sun.’”
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD has also put away your sin. You shall not die.
14 “However, because, by this deed, you have caused the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child who is born to you shall surely die.”
15 So Nathan departed to his house. And the LORD struck the child whom Uriah’s wife bore to David. And it was sick.
16 David, therefore, sought God for the child and fasted and went in and lay all night upon the earth.
17 Then the elders of his house arose to come to him, and to cause him to rise from the ground. But he would not. Nor did he eat food with them.
18 So, on the seventh day, the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Behold, while the child was alive, we spoke to him. And he would not listen to our voice. How, then, shall we say to him, ‘The child is dead,’ and upset him more?”
19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore, David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.”
20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his apparel and came into the House of the LORD and worshipped. And afterward, he came to his own house and requested that they set bread before him. And he ate.
21 Then his servants said to him, “What thing is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive. But when the child was dead, you rose up and ate food.”
22 And he said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, ‘Who can tell whether God will have mercy on me, so that the child may live?’
23 “But now, being dead, why should I now fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
24 And David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and went into her, and lay with her. And she bore a son. And he called his name, Solomon. Also, the LORD loved him.
25 For He had sent Word by Nathan the Prophet. Therefore, he called his name, Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
26 Then Joab fought against Rabbah, of the children of Ammon, and took the city of the kingdom.
27 Therefore, Joab sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.
28 “Now, therefore, gather the rest of the people together and besiege the city, so that you may take it, lest the victory be attributed to me.”
29 So, David gathered all the people together and went against Rabbah and besieged it and took it.
30 And he took their king’s crown from his head (which weighed a talent of gold, with precious stones). And it was set on David’s head. And he brought away the spoil of the city in exceedingly great abundance.
31 And he carried away the people who were there, and put them under saws, and under iron hoes, and under axes of iron, and cast them into the brick kiln. He did thus with all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
13 Now after this, so it was that Absalom, the son of David, had a fair sister whose name was Tamar. And Amnon, the son of David, loved her.
2 And Amnon was so severely troubled that he fell sick over his sister Tamar. For she was a virgin, and it seemed extraordinary for Amnon to be able to do anything.
3 But Amnon had a friend called Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very cunning man,
4 who said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, so low from day to day? Will you not tell me?” Then Amnon answered him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5 And Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food. And let her prepare food in my sight, so that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’”
6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let Tamar, my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I may receive food by her hand.”
7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.”
8 So, Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house. And he was laying down. And she took flour and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.
9 And she took a pan and poured them out before him. But he would not eat. Then Amnon said, “Have every man go out from me.” So, every man went out from him.
10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, so that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them into the chamber, to Amnon her brother.
11 And when she had set them before him to eat, he took her and said to her, “Come. Lie with me, my sister.”
12 But she answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me. For no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Do not commit this folly.
13 “And me, where would my shame go? And you would be as one of the fools in Israel. Now, therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not deny me from you.”
14 However, he would not listen to her voice. But, being stronger than her, he forced her and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Up! Go away!”
16 And she answered him, “There is no reason. This evil (to send me away) is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not hear her,
17 and called his servant who served him, and said, “Send this woman away from me now, and lock the door after her!”
18 And she had a garment of diverse colors upon her. For the king’s daughters who were virgins were appareled with such garments. Then his servant brought her out and locked the door after her.
19 And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the garment of diverse colors which was upon her and laid her hand on her head and went away, crying.
20 And Absalom, her brother, said to her, “Has Amnon, your brother, been with you? Now then, hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother. Do not let this thing grieve your heart.” So, Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.
21 But when King David heard all these things, he was very angry.
22 And Absalom said to his brother, Amnon, neither good nor bad. For Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar.
23 And after the time of two years, Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal Hazor (which is beside Ephraim). And Absalom called all the king’s sons.
24 And Absalom came to the king, and said, “Behold, now, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.”
25 But the king answered Absalom, “No my son. Please do not let us all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” Still, Absalom pressed hard upon him. However, he would not go, but thanked him.
26 Then Absalom said, “But, please, shall not my brother Amnon go with us?” And the king answered him, “Why should he go with you?”
27 But Absalom urged him, and he sent Amnon with him, and all the king’s children.
28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, “Mark, now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, “Strike Amnon! Kill him. Do not fear. For have I not commanded you? Be bold, therefore, and valiant.”
29 And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. And all the king’s sons arose. And every man got up upon his mule and fled.
30 And while they were on the way, tidings came to David, saying, “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons. And there is not one of them left.”
31 Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the ground. And all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.
32 And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, “Do not let my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons. For only Amnon is dead. For so Absalom has decreed since Amnon forced his sister Tamar.
33 “Now, therefore, do not let my lord the king take the thing so grievously to think that all the king’s sons are dead. For only Amnon is dead.”
34 Then Absalom fled. And the young man who kept watch lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, there came many people by the way of the hill side behind him.
35 And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons come. As your servant said, so it is.”
36 And as soon as he had stopped speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and lifted up their voices and wept. And the king, also, and all his servants wept very bitterly.
37 But Absalom fled away and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.
38 So, Absalom fled and went to Geshur and was there for three years.
39 And King David desired to go forth to Absalom, because he was pacified concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.
16 And He also said to His disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a steward. And he was accused to him of wasting his goods.
2 “And he called him and said to him, ‘How is it that I hear this of you? Give an account of your stewardship. For you may no longer be steward.’
3 “Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking away the stewardship from me. I cannot dig. And I am ashamed to beg.
4 ‘I know what I will do, so that when I am put out of the stewardship they may receive me into their houses.’
5 “Then he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my master?’
6 “And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill. And sit down quickly. And write fifty.’
7 “Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ Then he said to him, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’
8 “And the master commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely. For among their own kind, the children of this world are wiser than the children of light.
9 “And I say to you, make friends with the riches of iniquity, so that when you fail, they may receive you into eternal dwellings.
10 “The one who is faithful in the least, is also faithful in much. And the one who is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much.
11 “If, then, you have not been faithful in the riches of iniquity, who will trust you in the true treasure?
12 “And if you have not been faithful in another man’s goods, who shall give you that which is yours?
13 “No servant can serve two masters. For either he shall hate the one and love the other, or else he shall lean to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches.”
14 The Pharisees also heard all these things and were covetous. And they scoffed at Him.
15 Then He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before man. But God knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among man is abomination in the sight of God.
16 “The Law and the Prophets endured until John. And since that time the Kingdom of God is preached. And everyone presses into it.
17 “Now it is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for one stroke of the Law to fall.
18 “Whoever puts away his wife and marries another, commits adultery. And whoever marries the one who is put away from her husband, commits adultery.
19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared well and delicately every day.
20 “Also, there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate (full of sores).
21 “And he desired to be refreshed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. And even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “And it happened that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 “And being in torment in Hell, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off (and Lazarus in his bosom).
24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! And send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am tormented in this flame!’
25 “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your pleasures, and likewise Lazarus pains. Therefore, now he is comforted and you are tormented.
26 ‘Besides all this, there is a great gulf set between you and us, so that those who wish to go from here to you, cannot. Nor can anyone come from there to us.’
27 “Then he said, ‘Therefore I ask you, father, if you would send him to my father’s house,
28 ‘(for I have five brothers) so that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them hear them.’
30 “And he said, ‘No, father Abraham. But if one came to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31 “Then he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded if one rises from the dead again.’”
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