2 Kingdoms 1, 2
1 And it happened after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David stayed for two days in Ziklag. 2 And on the third day, behold, a man came from the camp of the people of Saul with his clothes torn and dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. 3 And David said to him, “Where have you come from?” He answered, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 Then David said to him, “What is this? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, but many of the people were cut down and are dead. Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”
5 So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?” 6 Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul leaning on his spear, and the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for a terrible darkness has seized me, for all my life still remains in me.’ 10 So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and I brought them here to my lord.” 11 Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and all the men who were with him tore their clothes. 12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of Judah and for the house of Israel, because they were killed by the sword.
13 Then David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?” He answered, “I am the son of a resident foreigner, an Amalekite.” 14 So David said to him, “How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go near and deal with him!” And he struck him so that he died. 16 And David said to him, “Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth spoke against you, saying, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”
David’s Song of Lament
17 Then David uttered this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, 18 and he told them to teach the children of Judah; indeed it is written in the Book of the Righteous:
19 “Set up a monument, Israel, over the dead on the high places of your slain!
How the mighty have fallen!
20 Do not tell it in Gath,
Do not proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon,
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
21 “You mountains of Gilboa,
Let no dew, no rain fall upon you, nor the fields of the first fruit,
For in that place, the shield of the mighty was dishonored!
The shield of Saul was not anointed with olive oil.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Jonathan did not return in vain,
Nor in vain was the sword of Saul returned.
23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and handsome, were not separated entirely;
So beautiful in their life,
That in their death, they were not separated entirely;
Swifter than the eagles and more powerful than lions.
24 “O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Clothing you in the scarlet linens of your world,
Bringing to you the golden apparel.
25 “How the mighty have fallen!
O Jonathan, dying on your high places.
26 I am grieved for you, my brother Jonathan;
You were most pleasant to me,
Your love for me was to be admired,
Surpassing the love of women.
27 “How the mighty have fallen,
And the warriors of war perish!”
David Made King of Judah
1 It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord told him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up to Hebron. He went with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite woman and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 The men went up with him, every man with his household, and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, “The men of Jabesh Gilead buried Saul.”
5 So David sent messengers to the rulers of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, “You are blessed of the Lord, for you have shown this mercy to your lord, upon Saul, the Lord’s anointed, and you have buried him and his son Jonathan. 6 And now may the Lord work with you in mercy and truth. Indeed, I will repay you for this kindness since you made this happen. 7 Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead. In addition, the house of Judah anointed me king over them.”
Ishbosheth Made King of Israel
8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him from the camp to Mahanaim. 9 He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10 Ishbosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for two years. But he did not reign over the house of Judah, who followed David. 11 The days David reigned in Hebron as king over the house of Judah were seven years and six months.
War between Israel and Judah
12 Now Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon; 13 and Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out from Hebron to meet them at the well of Gibeon. The two groups sat down, one on one side of the well and the other on the other side of the well. 14 Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men stand up and duel before us.” Joab said, “Arise.”
15 Twelve young men of Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David arose to duel. 16 By the hand, each of them grasped the head of his opponent, and by the hand, his sword went into the side of his opponent. They fell at the same moment. Thereafter, they called the name of that place the Well of Treachery, which is in Gibeon.
17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David. 18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle. 19 Asahel pursued Abner, and not to deviate from his purpose, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Are you Asahel?” He answered, “I am.” 21 And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 So Abner said again to Asahel, “Stay away from me lest I strike you to the ground. How then could I lift up my face to Joab? Return to where you came. Return to Joab your brother.” 23 However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner smote him in the loins with the end of his spear, and the shaft of the spear came out of his back. There he fell and there he died. And it happened that everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood in silence.
24 Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner. The sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is east of Giah, on the road through the desert of Gibeon. 25 Here the sons of Benjamin gathered behind Abner and joined to meet in battle. They took their position on top of a hill. 26 Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour until the victory is won? Do you truly not know that in the end it will be bitter? How long until you tell the people to turn back from pursuing their brethren?” 27 And Joab said, “As the Lord lives, if you did not talk in the morning, perhaps then each person should not be pursuing his brother afterward.” 28 So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood back and did not pursue Israel, nor did they fight any more.
29 Then Abner and his men went away toward the west all that night, crossed the Jordan, and went all morning and came to the camp. 30 And Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he gathered all the people, nineteen servants of David and Asahel were missing. 31 But the servants of David smote three hundred sixty of the sons of Benjamin, the men of Abner. 32 Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men traveled with him throughout the night and came to Hebron at daybreak.
Psalm 88:20–38
20 Then You spoke to Your holy ones in a vision,
And You said, “I established help for a mighty one;
I raised up a chosen one from My people;
21 I found David My servant;
I anointed him with My holy oil.
22 For My hand shall support him,
And My arm shall strengthen him.
23 The enemy shall have no advantage against him,
And the son of lawlessness shall not continue doing evil to him;
24 I will cut his enemies to pieces before his face,
And I shall put to flight those who hate him.
25 My truth and My mercy are with him,
And in My name shall his horn be exalted;
26 I will put his hand in the sea
And his right hand in the rivers.
27 He shall call upon Me, saying,
‘You are my Father,
My God, and the protector of my salvation’;
28 I shall make him, my firstborn,
Higher than the kings of the earth.
29 I shall keep My mercy for him forever,
And My covenant shall be trustworthy with him.
30 I shall establish his seed unto ages of ages
And his throne as the days of heaven.
31 If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
32 If they profane My ordinances
And do not keep My commandments,
33 I shall visit their transgressions with a rod
And their sins with a whip;
34 But I will not turn away My mercy from him,
Nor will I act unjustly with My truth,
35 Nor will I profane My covenant,
And I will not reject the things that proceeded from My lips.
36 Once for all I swore in My holy place,
That I would not lie to David:
37 His seed shall remain forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me,
38 And as the moon that is established forever
And is a faithful witness in heaven.”
(Pause)
Proverbs 19:1–6
1 A man’s lack of discernment maltreats his ways,
And in his heart he blames God.
2 Wealth adds many friends,
But the poor man is even forsaken by an existing friend.
3 A false witness shall not be unpunished,
And he who accuses unrighteously shall not escape.
4 Many men serve in the presence of kings,
But every evil man becomes a reproach to another man.
5 Every man who hates his poor brother,
He shall be far from friendship.
6 Good understanding will draw near those who know it,
And a man with discernment will find it.
Luke 13:1–21
1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?
3 “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
4 “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.
7 “Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’
8 “But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.
9 ‘And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”
A Spirit of Infirmity
10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.
12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”
13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”
15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?
16 “So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”
17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matt. 13:31, 32; Mark 4:30–32)
18 Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
19 “It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
The Parable of the Leaven
(Matt. 13:33)
20 And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21 “It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”