Bible Study

This Bible study is an outline of selected scriptures.

It is created to offer an overview of important concepts within each of the Bible books.

The Old Testament consists of 39 books:
17 Historical, 5 Poetical and 17 Prophetical.

The New Testament consists of 27 books:
the four Gospels, Paul's letters, and an assortment of other letters.

2nd Timothy 2:15 (NIV) - "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

Click Here For A List Of Bible Books

Introduction

Genesis ("Origins")/Bereishit ("In the Beginning")
Genesis tells the story of creation, Noah and the flood, and the selection of Abraham and Sarah and their family as the bearers of God's covenant. Stories of sibling conflict and the long narratives of Jacob and his favorite son Joseph conclude with the family dwelling in Egypt.

Mesopotamia was the location of Eden, the tower of Babel, and Abram was born there.

Author: Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible (Pentateuch: "five-volumed book)). The most probable time for Moses to write was during the forty-years period of Israel's wanderings in the desert, which lasted from 1446BC to 1406BC.

Genesis is supremely a book of relationships, highlighting those between God and nature, God and man, and man and man.

Genesis gives us the first hint of God's provision for redemption from the forces of evil:

Genesis 3:15 - And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Romans 16:17-20 - 17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Genesis contains the oldest and most profound definition of faith:
Genesis 15:6 - Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Creation:

1. Light - Let there be light.
2. Sky - Let there be an expanse between the waters.
3. Land, vegetation, plants, trees.
4. Sun, Moon, Stars.
5. Fish, Birds,
6. Living creatures on land: wild animals and livestock, Man & Woman.
7. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Genesis - Chapter 1

Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:2 - Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 1:3 (Day 1) - And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

Genesis 1:4 - God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:5 - God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day.

Genesis 1:6 (Day 2) - And God said, "Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water."

Genesis 1:7 - So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.

Genesis 1:8 - God called the vault "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning - the second day.

Genesis 1:9 (Day 3) - And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so.

Genesis 1:10 - God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:11 - Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.

Genesis 1:12 - The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:13 - And there was evening, and there was morning - the third day.

Genesis 1:14 (Day 4) - And God said, "Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,

Genesis 1:15 - and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.

Genesis 1:16 - God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

Genesis 1:17 - God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,

Genesis 1:18 - to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:19 - And there was evening, and there was morning - the fourth day.

Genesis 1:20 (Day 5) - And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky."

Genesis 1:21 - So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:22 - God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth."

Genesis 1:23 - And there was evening, and there was morning - the fifth day.

Genesis 1:24 (Day 6) - And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.

Genesis 1:25 - God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:26 - Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

Genesis 1:27 - So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:28 - God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Genesis 1:29 - Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

Genesis 1:30 - And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

Genesis 1:31 - God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day.

Genesis - Chapter 2

Genesis 2:1 (Day 7) - Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

Genesis 2:2 - By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Genesis 2:3 - Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:4 - This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

Genesis 2:5 - Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground,

Genesis 2:6 - but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

Genesis 2:7 - Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:8 - Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.

Genesis 2:9 - The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:10 - A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.

Genesis 2:11 - The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:12 - (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.)

Genesis 2:13 - The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.

Genesis 2:14 - The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Genesis 2:15 - The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 2:16 - And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

Genesis 2:17 - but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."

Genesis 2:18 - The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Genesis 2:19 - Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

Genesis 2:20 - So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

Genesis 2:21 - So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.

Genesis 2:22 - Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

Genesis 2:23 - The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man."

Genesis 2:24 - That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Genesis 2:25 - Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Genesis - Chapter 3 - The Fall

Genesis 3:1 - Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

Genesis 3:2 - The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

Genesis 3:3 - but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

Genesis 3:4 - "You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman.

Genesis 3:5 - "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Genesis 3:6 - When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Genesis 3:7 - Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Genesis 3:8 - Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:9 - But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"

Genesis 3:10 - He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

Genesis 3:11 - And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

Genesis 3:12 - The man said, "The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

Genesis 3:13 - Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

Genesis 3:14 - So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:15 - And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Genesis 3:16 - To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

Genesis 3:17 - To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:18 - It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

Genesis 3:19 - By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

Genesis 3:20 - Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

Genesis 3:21 - The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Genesis 3:22 - And the Lord God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

Genesis 3:23 - So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

Genesis 3:24 - After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis - Chapter 4 - Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1 - Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man."

Genesis 4:2 - Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.

Genesis 4:3 - In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.

Genesis 4:4 - And Abel also brought an offering - fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

Genesis 4:5 - but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Genesis 4:6 - Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?

Genesis 4:7 - If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it."

Genesis 4:8 - Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Genesis 4:9 - Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Genesis 4:10 - The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

Genesis 4:11 - Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:12 - When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

Genesis 4:13 - Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is more than I can bear.

Genesis 4:14 - Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

Genesis 4:15 - But the Lord said to him, "Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

Genesis 4:16 - So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Genesis 4:17 - Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.

Genesis 4:18 - To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

Genesis 4:19 - Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.

Genesis 4:20 - Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock.

Genesis 4:21 - His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes.

Genesis 4:22 - Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.

Genesis 4:23 - Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me.

Genesis 4:24 - If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times."

Genesis 4:25 - Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him."

Genesis 4:26 - Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.

Genesis - Chapter 5 - From Adam to Noah

Genesis 5:1 - This is the written account of Adam's family line. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God.

Genesis 5:2 - He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them "Mankind" (Hebrew for Adam) when they were created.

Genesis 5:3 - When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

Genesis 5:4 - After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:5 - Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:6 - When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh.

Genesis 5:7 - After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:8 - Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:9 - When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan.

Genesis 5:10 - After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:11 - Altogether, Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:12 - When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel.

Genesis 5:13 - After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:14 - Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:15 - When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared.

Genesis 5:16 - After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:17 - Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:18 - When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch.

Genesis 5:19 - After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:20 - Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:21 - When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.

Genesis 5:22 - After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:23 - Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.

Genesis 5:24 - Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Genesis 5:25 - When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech.

Genesis 5:26 - After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:27 - Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:28 - When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son.

Genesis 5:29 - He named him Noah (Noah sounds like the Hebrew for comfort) and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed."

Genesis 5:30 - After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:31 - Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:32 - After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genesis - Chapter 6 - Wickedness in the World

Genesis 6:1 - When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,

Genesis 6:2 - the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.

Genesis 6:3 - Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with (Or My spirit will not remain in) humans forever, for they are mortal (Or corrupt); their days will be a hundred and twenty years."

Genesis 6:4 - The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Genesis 6:5 - The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

Genesis 6:6 - The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

Genesis 6:7 - So the Lord said, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created - and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground - for I regret that I have made them."

Genesis 6:8 - But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah and the Flood

Genesis 6:9 - This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

Genesis 6:10 - Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genesis 6:11 - Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence.

Genesis 6:12 - God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.

Genesis 6:13 - So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

Genesis 6:14 - So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

Genesis 6:15 - This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. (That is, about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 135 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high)

Genesis 6:16 - Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit (That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters) high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.

Genesis 6:17 - I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.

Genesis 6:18 - But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark - you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.

Genesis 6:19 - You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.

Genesis 6:20 - Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.

Genesis 6:21 - You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."

Genesis 6:22 - Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Genesis - Chapter 7

Genesis 7:1 - The Lord then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

Genesis 7:2 - Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate,

Genesis 7:3 - and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.

Genesis 7:4 - Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made."

Genesis 7:5 - And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.

Genesis 7:6 - Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth.

Genesis 7:7 - And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

Genesis 7:8 - Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground,

Genesis 7:9 - male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.

Genesis 7:10 - And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.

Genesis 7:11 - In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month - on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

Genesis 7:12 - And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.

Genesis 7:13 - On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark.

Genesis 7:14 - They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings.

Genesis 7:15 - Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark.

Genesis 7:16 - The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.

Genesis 7:17 - For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth.

Genesis 7:18 - The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.

Genesis 7:19 - They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered.

Genesis 7:20 - The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits. (That is, about 23 feet or about 6.8 meters) (Or rose more than fifteen cubits, and the mountains were covered)

Genesis 7:21 - Every living thing that moved on land perished - birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind.

Genesis 7:22 - Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.

Genesis 7:23 - Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

Genesis 7:24 - The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

Genesis - Chapter 8

Genesis 8:3-5 - (3) The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, (4) and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountain of Ararat. (5) The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.

Genesis 8:20-21 - (20) Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offering on it. (21) The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destoy all living creatures, as I have done.

Genesis - Chapter 9

Genesis 9:3 - Everything that lives and moves will be food for you.

Genesis 9:6 - Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.

Genesis 9:11 - I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.

Genesis 9:13 - I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

Genesis 9:20-21 - (20) Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. (21) When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.

Genesis - Chapter 10

Genesis 10:8 - Cush, was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth.

Genesis 10:10 - The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar.

Genesis - Chapter 11

Genesis 11:1 - Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

Genesis 11:4 - (Tower of Babel) Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.

Genesis 11:5-9 - (5) But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. (6) The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. (7) Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." (8) So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. (9) That is why is was called Babel--because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world.

Genesis 11:29-30 - (29) ...Abram's wife was Sarai... (30) Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.

Genesis - Chapter 12

Genesis 12:3 - I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Genesis 12:10 - Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

Genesis - Chapter 13

Genesis 13:6 - (Abram and Lot Separate) But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together.

Genesis - Chapter 14

Genesis 14:14 - (Abram Rescues Lot) When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

Genesis 14:16 - He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

Genesis 14:18 - Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram...

Genesis - Chapter 15

Genesis 15:4 - (God's Covenant With Abram) ...a son coming from your own body will be your heir.

Genesis 15:13 - Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

Genesis 15:14 - But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.

Genesis - Chapter 16

Genesis 16:1-2 - (Hagar and Ishmael) (1) Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; (2) so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."

Genesis 16:3 - Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wirfe. (4) He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

Genesis 16:6 - Then Sarai mistreated Hagar, so she fled from her.

Genesis 16:9-10 - (9) Then the angel of the Lord told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." (10) The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."

Genesis 16:11 - You shall name him Ishmael.

Genesis 16:12 - He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers."

Genesis - Chapter 17

Genesis 17:5 - No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

Genesis 17:7 - (The Covenant of Circumcision) I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

Genesis 17:8 - The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.

Genesis 17:10 - ...the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

Genesis 17:14 - Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.

Genesis 17:15 - As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.

Genesis 17:20-21 - (20) And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. (21) But my convenat I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.

Genesis - Chapter 18

Genesis 18:1 - (The Three Visitors) The Lord appeard to Abraham...

Genesis 18:17 - (Abraham Pleads for Sodom) Then the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

Genesis 18:23 - Will you sweep away the rightous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city?

Genesis 18:28 - What if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?

Genesis 18:29 - What if only forty are found there?

Genesis 18:30 - What if only thirty can be found there?

Genesis 18:31 - What if only twenty can be found there?

Genesis 18:32 - What if only ten can be found there?

Genesis - Chapter 19

Genesis 19:1 - The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city.

Genesis 19:4-5 - (4)...all the men from every part of the city of Sodom -- both young and old -- surrounded the house. (5) They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."

Genesis 19:8 - I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.

Genesis 19:10-11 - (10) But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. (11) Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

Genesis 19:13 - We are going to destory this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.

Genesis 19:17 - Flee for your lives! Don't look back...

Genesis 19:24 - Then the Lord rained down burning fulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah...

Genesis 19:26 - But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Genesis 19:31-32 - (Lot and His Daughters) (31) One day the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. (32) Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father."

Genesis 19:33 - That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

Genesis 19:36-38 - (36) So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. (37) The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. (38) The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the ammonites of today.

Genesis - Chapter 20

Genesis 20:3 - You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.

Genesis - Chapter 21

Genesis 21:10 - (Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away) That slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.

Genesis - Chapter 22

Genesis 22:2 - (Abraham Tested) then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.

Genesis 22:12 - "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

Genesis 22:14 - On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.

Genesis - Chapter 23

Genesis 23:1 - Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old.

Genesis - Chapter 24

Genesis 24:4 - (Isaac and Rebekah) Go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.

Genesis 24:47 - Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms...

Genesis - Chapter 25

Genesis 25:7 - Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years.

Genesis 25:9 - His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron... (10) Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.

Genesis 25:17 - Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years.

Genesis 25:18 - His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the borderr of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.

Genesis 25:20 - Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah...

Genesis 25:25-26 - (Sons of Isaac and Rebekah) The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. (26) After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

Genesis - Chapter 26

Genesis - Chapter 27

Genesis 27:22-24 - (22) Jacob went close to his father Isaac... (24) Are you really my son Esau?

Genesis 27:35 - Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.

Genesis 27:38 - Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!"

Genesis 27:39-40 - His father Isaac answered him, "Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. (40) You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck."

Genesis 27:41 - Esau held a grudge against Jacob... The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.

Genesis - Chapter 28

Genesis 28:12 - (Stairway to Heaven) Jacob ... He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Genesis 28:17-19 - ...this is the gate of heaven... (19) He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

Genesis - Chapter 29

Genesis 29:18 - (Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel) Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel."

Genesis 29:22-23 - (22) So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. (23) But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her.

Genesis 29:27-28 - (27) ...we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work. (28) And Jacob did so.

Genesis 29:31-32 - When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. (32) Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben...

Genesis - Chapter 30

Genesis 30:3 - (Rachel) Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family."

Genesis 30:9 - When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her maidservant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

Genesis 30:15 - (Speaking to Leah) "Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes."

Genesis 30:25 - (Jacob's Flocks Increase) Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat.

Genesis 30:39 - They mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. (Jacob was using Laban's own tactic (deception) against him. The scheme worked -- but only because of God's intervention, not because of Jacob's superstition.)

Genesis - Chapter 31

Genesis 31:34 - Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing.

Genesis - Chapter 32

Genesis 32:34 - So Jacob was left alone, and a man (God) wrestled with him till daybreak.

Genesis 32:28 - Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."

Genesis 32:30 - So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "Is is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

Genesis - Chapter 33

Genesis - Chapter 34

Genesis 34:14 - We can't give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us.

Genesis 34:25 - Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male.

Genesis - Chapter 35

Genesis 35:23 - Jacob had twelve sons:
* The sons of Leah:
          Reuben the firstborn of Jacob
          Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zubulun
* The sons of Rachel:
          Joseph and Benjamin
* The sons of Rachel's maidservant Bihah:
          Dan and Naphtali
* The sons of Leah's maidservant Zilpah:
          Gad and Asher

Genesis 35:28 - Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.

Genesis - Chapter 36

Genesis - Chapter 37

Genesis 37:3 - Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons.

Genesis 37:5 - Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.

Genesis 37:19-20 - (19) Here comes that dreamer! they said to each other. (20) Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams.

Genesis 37:26-27 - (26) Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? (27) Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed.

Genesis 37:28 - His brothers ... sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

Genesis 37:36 - Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.

Genesis - Chapter 38

Genesis 38:7 - But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death.

Genesis 38:8-10 - (8) Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." (9) But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. (10) What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight; so he put him to death also. (His refusal to perform his levirate duty.)

Genesis 38:15 - When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute...

Genesis 38:16 - Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you."

Genesis 38:21 - Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?

Genesis - Chapter 39

Genesis 39:5 - The Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.

Genesis 39:6-7 - Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!"

Genesis 39:10 - And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

Genesis 39:19-20 - (19) When his master heard the story his wife told him... (20) Joseph's master took him and put him in prison...

Genesis - Chapter 40

Genesis 40:8 - We both had dreams, they answered, but there is no one to interpret them.

Genesis 40:13 - Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position.

Genesis 40:16 - When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream."

Genesis 40:19 - Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh.

Genesis - Chapter 41

Genesis 41:1 - Pharaoh had a dream:...

Genesis 41:14 - So Pharaoh sent for Joseph.

Genesis 41:25 - Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same."

Genesis 41:29 - Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them.

Genesis 41:39 - Then Pharaoh said to Joseph...

Genesis 41:40 - You shall be in charge of my palace...

Genesis 41:51 - Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh.

Genesis 41:57 - And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.

Genesis - Chapter 42

Genesis 42:3 - Then ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

Genesis - Chapter 43

Genesis 43:32 - Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians.

Genesis - Chapter 44

Genesis 44:5 - Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination?

Genesis 44:17 - But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave."

Genesis 44:34 - How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me?

Genesis - Chapter 45

Genesis 45:26 - Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.

Genesis - Chapter 46

Genesis 46:3-4 - (3) I am God, the God of your father, he said, Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. (4) I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.

Genesis 46:34 - ...all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.

Genesis - Chapter 47

Genesis 47:7 - Jacob blessed Pharaoh

Genesis 47:11 - So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed.

Genesis 47:15 - When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food."

Genesis 47:16 - I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.

Genesis 47:19 - Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh.

Genesis 47:20 - (20) The land became Pharaoh's, (21) and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other.

Genesis 47:29 - ...put your hand under my thigh and promise...Do not bury me in Egypt...

Genesis - Chapter 48

Genesis 48:17 - When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim's head...Manasseh's head...

Genesis 48:19 - ...his younger brother will be greater than he,...

Genesis - Chapter 49

Genesis 49:1 - Then Jacob called for his sons and said: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

Genesis 49:8 - Judah, your brothers will praise you;...

Genesis 49:10 - The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nation is his.

Genesis 49:13 - Zebulun

Genesis 49:14 - Issachar

Genesis 49:16 - Dan

Genesis 49:19 - Gad

Genesis 49:20 - Asher

Genesis 49:21 - Naphtali

Genesis 49:22 - Joseph

Genesis 49:27 - Benjamin is a ravenous wolf.

Genesis - Chapter 50

Genesis 50:2 - Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel.

Genesis 50:15 - What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?

Genesis 50:16 - So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.

Genesis 50:20 - You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Genesis 50:22 - He lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children.

Genesis 50:25 - ...you must carry my bones up from this place.

Genesis 50:26 - And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Genesis 50 - Last Chapter

Introduction

Exodus is a Latin word derived from Greek Exodos. The word means "exit", "departure."
Exodus ("The Road Out")/Shemot ("Names")
Exodus tells of how the family of Jacob grew and then was enslaved in Egypt.
The baby Moses, born of Israelites but adopted by Pharaoh, becomes God's prophet who, after bringing 10 plagues down upon Egypt, leads the Israelites through the Red Sea to freedom and to the revelation at Mount Sinai. The story of the Israelites worshipping the golden calf, which follows soon after the revelation at Mount Sinai, is almost obscured by lengthy materials on the building of a sanctuary (tabernacle) in the wilderness.

Judgment and Salvation Through the Plagues - 7:6-11:10

1. Water turned to blood - 7:14-24
2. Frogs - 7:25-8:15
3. Gnats - 8:16-19
4. Flies - 8:20-32
5. Against Livestock - 9:1-7
6. Boils - 9:8-12
7. Hail - 9:13-35
8. Locusts - 10:1-20
9. Darkness - 10:21-29
10. Death of the firstborn - 11

The Passover - 12:1-28

The Exodus from Egypt - 12:29-51

The Consecration of the Firstborn - 13:1-16

Crossing The Red Sea - 13:17-15:21

Journey to Sinai - 15:22-18:27

Covenant at Sinai - 19-24

1. Laws on Slaves - 20:22-26
2. Laws on Homicide - 21:12-17
3. Laws on Bodily Injuries - 21:18-32
4. Laws on Property Damage - 21:33-22:15
5. Laws on Society - 22:16-31
6. Laws on Justice and Neighborliness - 23:1-9
7. Laws on Sacred Seasons - 23:10-19

Divine Worship

1. Instructions Concerning the Tabernacle - 25-31
2. False Worship - 32-34
3. The Building of the Tabernacle - 35-40

Exodus - Chapter 1

Exodus 1:6 - Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,...

Exodus 1:8 - Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.

Exodus 1:9 - Look, he said to his people, the Israelites, have become much too numerous for us.

Exodus 1:11 - So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.

Exodus 1:15 - The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,

Exodus 1:16 - When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.

Exodus 1:17 - The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.

Exodus 1:22 - Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.

Exodus - Chapter 2

Exodus 2:1 - Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,

Exodus 2:2 - and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.

Exodus 2:3 - But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.

Exodus 2:4 - His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

Exodus 2:5 - Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it.

Exodus 2:6 - She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. This is one of the Hebrew babies, she said.

Exodus 2:7 - Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?

Exodus 2:8 - Yes, go, she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother.

Exodus 2:9 - Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you. So the woman took the baby and nursed him.

Exodus 2:10 - When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daugher and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, I drew him out of the water.

Exodus 2:11 - He (Moses) saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.

Exodus 2:12 - Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

Exodus 2:15 - When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.

Exodus 2:18 - When the girls returned to Reuel their father...

Exodus 2:21 - Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.

Exodus 2:22 - Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, I have become an alien in a foreign land.

Exodus 2:24 - God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.

Exodus - Chapter 3

Exodus 3:2 - (Horeb) There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.

Exodus 3:5 - Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

Exodus 3:6 - Then he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

Exodus 3:7 - The Lord said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

Exodus 3:8 - So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

Exodus 3:14 - God said to Moses, I Am Who I Am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I Am has sent me to you.

Exodus 3:19 - But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.

Exodus 3:20 - So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them.

Exodus 3:21 - And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.

Exodus 3:22 - Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.

Exodus - Chapter 4

Exodus 4:3 - Moses threw it (a staff) on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.

Exodus 4:6 - Then the Lord said, "Put your hand inside you cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.

Exodus 4:10 - (Moses speaking) I am slow of speech and tongue.

Exodus 4:13 - But Moses said, O Lord, please send someone else to do it.

Exodus 4:14 - Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite?

Exodus 4:21 - The Lord said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perfom before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given ou the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.

Exodus 4:24 - At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him.

Exodus 4:25 - But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said.

Exodus 4:26 - So the Lord let him alone.

Exodus - Chapter 5

Exodus 5:1 - Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.

Exodus 5:2 - Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go."

Exodus 5:6-7 - That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: (7) You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw.

Exodus 5:22 - Moses returned to the Lord and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me?

Exodus 5:23 - Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.

Exodus - Chapter 6

Exodus 6:1 - Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh..."

Exodus 6:6 - I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

Exodus 6:7 - I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

Exodus 6:8 - And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.

Exodus 6:12 - But Moses said to the Lord, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?"

Exodus 6:20 - Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses.

Exodus - Chapter 7

Exodus 7:1 - Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.

Exodus 7:7 - Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Exodus 7:10 - So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.

Exodus 7:11 - Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts:

Exodus 7:12 - Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.

Exodus 7:17 - 1. The Plague of Blood: I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.

Exodus - Chapter 8

Exodus 8:2 - 2. The Plague of Frogs: I will plague your whole country with frogs.

Exodus 8:17 - 3. The Plague of Gnats: When Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came upon men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.

Exodus 8:18 - But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not.

Exodus 8:21 - 4. The Plague of Flies: If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses.

Exodus - Chapter 9

Exodus 9:6 - 5. The Plague on Livestock: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.

Exodus 9:8-9 - 6. The Plague of Boils: Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. (9) It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land."

Exodus 9:19 - 7. The Plague of Hail: Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.

Exodus 9:26 - The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.

Exodus - Chapter 10

Exodus 10:1-2 - Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them (2) that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord."

Exodus 10:4 - 8. The Plague of Locusts: If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. (5) They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields.

Exodus 10:12 - And the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts will swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.

Exodus 10:21-22 - 9. The Plague of Darkness: Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt -- darkness that can be felt." (22) So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.

Exodus 10:28-20 - Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die." (29) "Just as you say," Moses replied, "I will never appear before you again."

Exodus - Chapter 11

Exodus 11:4-5 - 10. The Plague on the Firstborn: So Moses said, "This is what the Lord says: "About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. (5) Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.

Exodus 11:6 - There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt -- worse than there has ever been or ever will be again.

Exodus - Chapter 12

Exodus 12:7 - Passover: Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.

Exodus 12:12 - On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn -- both men and animals -- and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. (13) The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

Exodus 12:14 - This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord -- a lasting ordinance.

Exodus 12:17 - Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.

Exodus 12:19 - For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or native-born.

Exodus 12:29 - At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt..

Exodus 12:30 - There was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

Exodus 12:31 - During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested.

Exodus 12:37-38 - There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. (38) Many other people went up with them as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.

Exodus 12:40 - Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 Years.

Exodus 12:43 - The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the regulations for the Passover." No foreigner is to eat of it. (44) Any slave you have bought may eat of it after you have circumcised him, (45) but a temporary resident and a hired worker may not eat of it.

Exodus - Chapter 13

Exodus 13:1 - The Lord said to Moses, (2) "Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal."

Exodus 13:19 - Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.

Exodus 13:21 - By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

Exodus - Chapter 14

Exodus 14:4 - And I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue them.

Exodus 14:11 - They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?

Exodus 14:13 - Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.

Exodus 14:14 - The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Exodus 14:16 - Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.

Exodus 14:22 - And the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

Exodus 14:28 - The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen -- the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

Exodus - Chapter 15

Exodus 15:26 - He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.

Exodus 40 - Last Chapter

Introduction

• Leviticus means "relating to the Levites."
• Exodus gave the directions for building the tabernacle, and now Leviticus gives the laws and regulations for worship there including instructions on ceremonial cleanness, oral laws, holy days, the sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee. These laws were given, at least for the most part, during the year that Israel camped at Mount Sinai, when God directed Moses in organizing Israel's worship, government and military forces.
• The book of Numbers continues the history with preparations for moving on from Sinai to Canaan.
• The key thought of Leviticus is holiness. In Leviticus spiritual holiness is symbolized by physical perfection. Therefore the book demands perfect animals for its many sacrifices and requires priests without deformity.
• Leviticus ("Laws of the Levites")/Vayikra ("And God Called")
  Leviticus deals mostly with laws of Israelite sacrificial worship. Related rules include the basis for Jewish dietary laws (kashrut) and issues of purity and impurity. The holiness code, which describes a sanctified communal life, is a highlight of the book.

Leviticus - Chapter 1 - The Burnt Offering

Leviticus - Chapter 2 - The Grain Offering

Leviticus - Chapter 3 - The Fellowship Offering

Leviticus - Chapter 4 - The Sin Offering

Leviticus - Chapter 5 - The Guilt Offering

Leviticus - Chapter 6

Leviticus 6:8 - The Burnt Offering

Leviticus 6:14 - The Grain Offering

Leviticus 6:24 - The Sin Offering

Leviticus - Chapter 7

Leviticus 7:1 - The Guilt Offering

Leviticus 7:11 - The Fellowship Offering

Leviticus 7:22 - Eating Fat and Blood Forbidden

• Leviticus 7:22 - The Lord said to Moses,


• Leviticus 7:23 - "Say to the Israelites: 'Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats.


• Leviticus 7:24 - The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it.


• Leviticus 7:25 - Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which an offering by fire may be made to the Lord must be cut off from his people.


• Leviticus 7:26 - And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal.


• Leviticus 7:27 - If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.'"

Leviticus 7:28 - The Priest's Share

• Leviticus 7:31 - The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.


• Leviticus 7:32 - You are to give the right thigh of your fellowship offerings to the priest as a contribution.


• Leviticus 7:33 - The son of Aaron who offers the blood and the fat of the fellowhip offering shall have the right thigh as his share.

Leviticus - Chapter 8 - The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons

Leviticus - Chapter 9 - The Priests Begin Their Ministry

Leviticus - Chapter 10 - The Death of Nadab and Abihu

Leviticus - Chapter 11

Leviticus 11 - Clean and Unclean Food

• Leviticus 11:3 - You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.


• Leviticus 11:4 - The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you.


• Leviticus 11:6 - The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.


• Leviticus 11:7 - And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.


• Leviticus 11:8 - You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.


• Leviticus 11:9 - Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales.


• Leviticus 11:12 - Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you.


• Leviticus 11:13 - These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture,


• Leviticus 11:14 - the red kite, any kind of black kite,


• Leviticus 11:15 - any kind of raven,


• Leviticus 11:16 - the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,


• Leviticus 11:17 - the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,


• Leviticus 11:18 - the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,


• Leviticus 11:19 - the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.


• Leviticus 11:20 - All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detesable to you.


• Leviticus 11:22 - Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper.


• Leviticus 11:27 - Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you;...


• Leviticus 11:29 - Of the animals that move about on the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard,


• Leviticus 11:30 - the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon.


• Leviticus 11:41 - Every creature tht moves about on the ground is detestable; it is not to be eaten.


• Leviticus 11:44 - I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.

Leviticus - Chapter 12

Leviticus 12 - Purification After Childbirth

• Leviticus 12:2 - A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period.


• Leviticus 12:3 - On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised.

Leviticus - Chapter 13

Leviticus 13:1 - Regulations About Infectious Skin Diseases

Leviticus 13:47 - Regulations About Mildew

• Leviticus 13:47 - If any clothing is contaminated with mildew --


• Leviticus 13:52 - ... the article must be burned up.

Leviticus - Chapter 14

Leviticus 14:1 - Cleansing From Infectious Skin Diseases

Leviticus 14:33 - Cleansing From Mildew

Leviticus - Chapter 15

Leviticus 15 - Discharges Causing Uncleanness

Leviticus - Chapter 16

Leviticus 16 - The Day of Atonement

Leviticus - Chapter 17

Leviticus 17 - Eating Blood Forbidden

• Leviticus 17:11 - For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.


• Leviticus 17:12 - Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood."

Leviticus - Chapter 18

Leviticus 18 - Unlawful Sexual Relations

• Leviticus 18:6 - No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations.


• Leviticus 18:7 - Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother.


• Leviticus 18:8 - Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father.


• Leviticus 18:9 - Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mothers daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.


• Leviticus 18:10 - Do not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter: that would dishonor you.


• Leviticus 18:11 - Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister.


• Leviticus 18:12 - Do not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative.


• Leviticus 18:13 - Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative.


• Leviticus 18:14 - Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.


• Leviticus 18:15 - Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; do not have relations with her.


• Leviticus 18:16 - Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife; that would dishonor your brother.


• Leviticus 18:17 - Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.


• Leviticus 18:18 - Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.


• Leviticus 18:19 - Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.


• Leviticus 18:20 - Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her.


• Leviticus 18:21 - Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God.


• Leviticus 18:22 - Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.


• Leviticus 18:23 - Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.


• Leviticus 18:24 - Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.


• Leviticus 18:25 - Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.


• Leviticus 18:26 - But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things,


• Leviticus 18:27 - for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land becamse defiled.


• Leviticus 18:28 - And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.


• Leviticus 18:29 - Everyone who does any of these detestable things -- such persons must be cut off from their people.


• Leviticus 18:30 - Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus - Chapter 19

Leviticus 19 - Various Laws

• Leviticus 19:2 - Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.


• Leviticus 19:3 - Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths.


• Leviticus 19:4 - Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves.


• Leviticus 19:9 - When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleaning of your harvest.


• Leviticus 19:10 - Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien.


• Leviticus 19:11 - Do not steal, Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.


• Leviticus 19:12 - Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God.


• Leviticus 19:13 - Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.


• Leviticus 19:14 - Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God.


• Leviticus 19:15 - Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.


• Leviticus 19:16 - Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life.


• Leviticus 19:17 - Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.


• Leviticus 19:18 - Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.


• Leviticus 19:19 - Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.


• Leviticus 19:20 - If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed.


• Leviticus 19:21 - The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord.


• Leviticus 19:22 - With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.


• Leviticus 19:23 - When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten.


• Leviticus 19:24 - In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord.


• Leviticus 19:25 - But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased.


• Leviticus 19:26 - Do not eat an meat with the blood still in it. Do not practice divination or sorcery.


• Leviticus 19:27 - Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.


• Leviticus 19:28 - Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves.


• Leviticus 19:29 - Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.


• Leviticus 19:30 - Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary.


• Leviticus 19:31 - Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.


• Leviticus 19:32 - Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.


• Leviticus 19:33 - When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him.


• Leviticus 19:34 - The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt.


• Leviticus 19:35 - Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.


• Leviticus 19:36 - Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin.


• Leviticus 19:37 - Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the Lord.

Leviticus - Chapter 20 - Punishments for Sin

• Leviticus 20:1 - The Lord said to Moses,


• Leviticus 20:2 - "Say to the Israelites: 'Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him.'"


• Leviticus 20:6 -I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.


• Leviticus 20:9 - If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head.


• Leviticus 20:10 - If a man commits adultery with another man's wife -- with the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.


• Leviticus 20:11 - If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonered his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.


• Leviticus 20:12 - If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death.


• Leviticus 20:13 - If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.


• Leviticus 20:14 - If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.


• Leviticus 20:15 - If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal.


• Leviticus 20:16 - If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal.


• Leviticus 20:17 - If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes of their people.


• Leviticus 20:18 - If a man lies with a woman during her monthly period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them must be cut off from their people.


• Leviticus 20:23 - You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.


• Leviticus 20:27 - A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.

Leviticus - Chapter 21 - Rules for Priests

• Leviticus 21:5 - Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies.


• Leviticus 21:7 - They must not marry women defiled by prostituion or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God.


• Leviticus 21:9 - If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.


• Leviticus 21:11 - He (priest) must not enter a place where there is a dead body.


• Leviticus 21:13 - The woman he marries must be a virgin.


• Leviticus 21:18 - No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed;


• Leviticus 21:19 - no man with a crippled foot or hand,


• Leviticus 21:20 - or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.


• Leviticus 21:21 - No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the offering made to the Lord by fire.

Leviticus - Chapter 22 - Rules for Priests (continued)

• Leviticus 22:8 - He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become unclean through it.


• Leviticus 22:17 - Unacceptable Sacrifices


• Leviticus 22:18 - If any of you -- either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel -- presents a gift for a burnt offereing to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering,


• Leviticus 22:19 - you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.


• Leviticus 22:20 - Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.


• Leviticus 22:22 - Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores.


• Leviticus 22:28 - Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.

Leviticus - Chapter 23 - Appointed Feasts and Sacred Assemblies

• Leviticus 23:3 - The Sabbath


• Leviticus 23:3 - There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord.


• Leviticus 23:4 - The Passover and Unleavened Bread


• Leviticus 23:9 - Firstfruits


• Leviticus 23:15 - Feast of Weeks


• Leviticus 23:23 - Feast of Trumpets


• Leviticus 23:26 - Day of Atonement


• Leviticus 23:33 - Feast of Tabernacles

Leviticus - Chapter 24

Leviticus 24:1 - Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord

Leviticus 24:10 - A Blasphemer Stoned

• Leviticus 24:16 - anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him.


• Leviticus 24:17 - Anyone who takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death.


• Leviticus 24:18 - Anyone who takes the life of someone's animal must make restitution -- life for life.


• Leviticus 24:19 - If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him.


• Leviticus 24:20 - fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured.


• Leviticus 24:21 - Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death.

Leviticus - Chapter 25 - The Sabbath Year

• Leviticus 25:4 - But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.


• Leviticus 25:5 - Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.


• Leviticus 25:6 - Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you -- for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worked and temporary resident who live among you,


• Leviticus 25:7 - as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.

Leviticus 25:8 - The Year of Jubilee

• Leviticus 25:8 - Count off seven sabbaths of years -- seven times seven years -- so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years .


• Leviticus 25:9 - Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month, on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land.


• Leviticus 25:10 - Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants, it shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan.


• Leviticus 25:11 - The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines.


• Leviticus 25:12 - For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.


• Leviticus 25:13 - In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property.


• Leviticus 25:14 - If you sell land to one of your countrymen or buy any from him, do not take advantage of each other.


• Leviticus 25:15 - You are to buy from your countryman on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops.


• Leviticus 25:16 - When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what he is really selling you is the number of crops.


• Leviticus 25:20 - You may ask, "What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?"


• Leviticus 25:21 - I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years.


• Leviticus 25:22 - While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.


• Leviticus 25:23 - The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.


• Leviticus 25:24 - Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.


• Leviticus 25:25 - If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold.


• Leviticus 25:29 - If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time he may redeem it.


• Leviticus 25:30 - If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and his descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee.


• Leviticus 25:31 - But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the Jubilee.


• Leviticus 25:35 - If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you.


• Leviticus 25:36 - Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you.


• Leviticus 25:37 - You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit.


• Leviticus 25:42 - Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves.


• Leviticus 25:43 - Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God.


• Leviticus 25:44 - Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves.


• Leviticus 25:45 -You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property.

Leviticus - Chapter 26 - Reward for Obedience

• Leviticus 26:3 - If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands,


• Leviticus 26:4 - I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit.


• Leviticus 26:5 - Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.


• Leviticus 26:6 - I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country.


• Leviticus 26:7 - You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you.


• Leviticus 26:8 - Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.


• Leviticus 26:12 - I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.


• Leviticus 26:13 - I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

Leviticus 26:14 - Punishment for Disobedience

• Leviticus 26:14 - But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands,


• Leviticus 26:15 - and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant,


• Leviticus 26:16 - then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life, you will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it.


• Leviticus 26:17 - I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies, those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.


• Leviticus 26:18 - If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. (7x)


• Leviticus 26:19 - I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.


• Leviticus 26:20 - Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.


• Leviticus 26:21 - If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. (7x7=49)


• Leviticus 26:22 - I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of yor children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.


• Leviticus 26:23 - If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me,


• Leviticus 26:24 - I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. (7x7x7=343)


• Leviticus 26:25 - And I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands.


• Leviticus 26:26 - When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.


• Leviticus 26:27 - If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me,


• Leviticus 26:28 - then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. (7x7x7x7=2401)


• Leviticus 26:29 - You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.


• Leviticus 26:31 - I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings.


• Leviticus 26:32 - I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appaled.


• Leviticus 26:33 - I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins.


• Leviticus 26:34 - Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths.


• Leviticus 26:35 - All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.


• Leviticus 26:39 - Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers' sins they will waste away.


• Leviticus 26:40 - But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers -- their treachery against me and their hostility toward me,


• Leviticus 26:41 - which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies -- then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin,


• Leviticus 26:42 - I will remember my covenant with Jocob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.


• Leviticus 26:43 - For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees.


• Leviticus 26:44 - Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them, I am the Lord their God.


• Leviticus 26:46 - These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established on Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.

Leviticus - Chapter 27 - Redeeming What Is The Lord's

• Leviticus 27:1 - The Lord said to Moses,


• Leviticus 27:2 - Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate persons to the Lord by giving equivalent values,

Age	Gender	Value in Silver Shekels	Ranking
One Month -> 5 Years	Male	5	7/8
One Month -> 5 Years	Female	3	8/8
5 - 20	Male	20	3/8
5 - 20	Female	10	5/8 - Tie
20 - 60	Male	50	1/8
20 - 60	Female	30	2/8
60+	Male	15	4/8
60+	Female	10	5/8 - Tie

• Leviticus 27:3 - set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel,


• Leviticus 27:4 - and if it is a female, set her value at thirty shekels.


• Leviticus 27:5 - If it is a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels and of a female at ten shekels.


• Leviticus 27:6 - If it is a person between one month and five years, set the value of a male at five shekels of silver and that of a female at three shekels of silver.


• Leviticus 27:7 - If it is a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekels and of a female at ten shekels.


• Leviticus 27:8 - If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay the specified amount, he is to present the person to the priest, who will set the value for him according to what the man making the vow can afford.


• Leviticus 27:26 - No one, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the Lord; whether an ox or a sheep, it is the Lord's.


• Leviticus 27:29 - No person devoted to destruction may be ransomed; he must be put to death.


• Leviticus 27:30 - A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.

Leviticus 27 - Last Chapter

Introduction

Numbers ("The Census")/Bamidbar ("In the Wilderness")
Numbers begins with a census of the Israelites and the tribe of Levi. A group of Israelites spy out the land of Canaan; their discouraging report sends them back into the desert for an additional 38 years, during which the Israelites continue to behave badly, rebelling against the authority of Moses and his brother Aaron, and having illicit relations with Moabite women.

Numbers - Chapter 1

Numbers 36 - Last Chapter

Introduction

Deuteronomy ("Second Law")/Devarim ("Words")
Deuteronomy is Moses' final message to the people of Israel before they cross over the Jordan River into Israel. Moses reminds the people of how God has redeemed the people from Egypt and of the details of the covenant between Israel and God. In stark language, Moses describes the rewards for observance of the laws of the covenant and the punishment for disobedience. Finally, Moses passes along his authority to Joshua who will lead the people into the land.

Deuteronomy - Chapter 6

Deuteronomy 6:7 - Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy - Chapter 10

Deuteronomy 10:12 - And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 34 - Last Chapter

Joshua - Chapter 7

Joshua 7 - Achan's Sin

Joshua 7:11 - he took some of the devoted things and hid them.

Joshua 7:12 - That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They have been liable to destruction.

Joshua 7:15 - He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him.

Joshua 7:20 - Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done:

Joshua 7:21 - When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.

Joshua 24 - Last Chapter

Judges - Chapter 1

Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites

Judges 1:1 - After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, "Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?"

Judges 1:2 - The Lord answered, "Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands."

Judges 1:3 - The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, "Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours." So the Simeonites went with them.

Judges 1:4 - When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.

Judges 1:5 - It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites.

Judges 1:6 - Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

Judges 1:7 - Then Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

Judges 1:8 - The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.

Judges 1:9 - After that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills.

Judges 1:10 - They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.

Judges 1:11 - From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).

Judges 1:12 - And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher."

Judges 1:13 - Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage.

Judges 1:14 - One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What can I do for you?"

Judges 1:15 - She replied, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

Judges 1:16 - The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.

Judges 1:17 - Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their fellow Israelites and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah.

Judges 1:18 - Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron - each city with its territory.

Judges 1:19 - The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron.

Judges 1:20 - As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak.

Judges 1:21 - The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

Judges 1:22 - Now the tribes of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with them.

Judges 1:23 - When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz),

Judges 1:24 - the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, "Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well."

Judges 1:25 - So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his whole family.

Judges 1:26 - He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

Judges 1:27 - But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.

Judges 1:28 - When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.

Judges 1:29 - Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.

Judges 1:30 - Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor.

Judges 1:31 - Nor did Asher drive out those living in Akko or Sidon or Ahlab or Akzib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob.

Judges 1:32 - The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out.

Judges 1:33 - Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them.

Judges 1:34 - The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain.

Judges 1:35 - And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the tribes of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor.

Judges 1:36 - The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond.

Judges - Chapter 2

The Angel of the Lord at Bokim

Judges 2:1 - The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you,

Judges 2:2 - and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.' Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?

Judges 2:3 - And I have also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.'"

Judges 2:4 - When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,

Judges 2:5 - and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

Disobedience and Defeat

Judges 2:6 - After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance.

Judges 2:7 - The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.

Judges 2:8 - Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten.

Judges 2:9 - And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

Judges 2:10 - After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.

Judges 2:11 - Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals.

Judges 2:12 - They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord's anger

Judges 2:13 - because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

Judges 2:14 - In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.

Judges 2:15 - Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.

Judges 2:16 - Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders.

Judges 2:17 - Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord's commands.

Judges 2:18 - Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them.

Judges 2:19 - But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

Judges 2:20 - Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, "Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me,

Judges 2:21 - I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.

Judges 2:22 - I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did."

Judges 2:23 - The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

Judges - Chapter 3

Judges 3:1 - These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan

Judges 3:2 - (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience):

Judges 3:3 - the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath.

Judges 3:4 - They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord's commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.

Judges 3:5 - The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

Judges 3:6 - They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

Othniel

Judges 3:7 - The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

Judges 3:8 - The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.

Judges 3:9 - But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them.

Judges 3:10 - The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him.

Judges 3:11 - So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Ehud

Judges 3:12 - Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel.

Judges 3:13 - Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.

Judges 3:14 - The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.

Judges 3:15 - Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer - Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

Judges 3:16 - Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing.

Judges 3:17 - He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man.

Judges 3:18 - After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it.

Judges 3:19 - But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, "Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you." The king said to his attendants, "Leave us!" And they all left.

Judges 3:20 - Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace and said, "I have a message from God for you." As the king rose from his seat,

Judges 3:21 - Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly.

Judges 3:22 - Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it.

Judges 3:23 - Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

Judges 3:24 - After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace."

Judges 3:25 - They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.

Judges 3:26 - While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah.

Judges 3:27 - When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.

Judges 3:28 - "Follow me," he ordered, "for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands." So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over.

Judges 3:29 - At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped.

Judges 3:30 - That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.

Shamgar

Judges 3:31 - After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

Judges - Chapter 4

Deborah

Judges 4:1 - Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead.

Judges 4:2 - So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim.

Judges 4:3 - Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.

Judges 4:4 - Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.

Judges 4:5 - She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.

Judges 4:6 - She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor.

Judges 4:7 - - I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.'"

Judges 4:8 - - Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go."

Judges 4:9 - "Certainly I will go with you," said Deborah. "But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.

Judges 4:10 - There Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him.

Judges 4:11 - Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses' brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

Judges 4:12 - When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,

Judges 4:13 - Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron.

Judges 4:14 - Then Deborah said to Barak, "Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?" So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him.

Judges 4:15 - At Barak's advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.

Judges 4:16 - Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera's troops fell by the sword; not a man was left.

Judges 4:17 - Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.

Judges 4:18 - Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

Judges 4:19 - "I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.

Judges 4:20 - "Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone in there?' say 'No.'"

Judges 4:21 - But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

Judges 4:22 - Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she said, "I will show you the man you're looking for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple - dead.

Judges 4:23 - On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites.

Judges 4:24 - And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.

Judges - Chapter 5

The Song of Deborah

Judges 5:1 - On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

Judges 5:2 - "When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves - praise the Lord!

Judges 5:3 - "Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.

Judges 5:4 - "When you, Lord, went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water.

Judges 5:5 - The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel.

Judges 5:6 - "In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths.

Judges 5:7 - Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.

Judges 5:8 - God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

Judges 5:9 - My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!

Judges 5:10 - "You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, consider

Judges 5:11 - the voice of the singers at the watering places. They recite the victories of the Lord, the victories of his villagers in Israel. "Then the people of the Lord went down to the city gates.

Judges 5:12 - 'Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.'

Judges 5:13 - "The remnant of the nobles came down; the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.

Judges 5:14 - Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed you. From Makir captains came down, from Zebulun those who bear a commander's staff.

Judges 5:15 - The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, sent under his command into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.

Judges 5:16 - Why did you stay among the sheep pens to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.

Judges 5:17 - Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves.

Judges 5:18 - The people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the terraced fields.

Judges 5:19 - "Kings came, they fought, the kings of Canaan fought. At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo, they took no plunder of silver.

Judges 5:20 - From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera.

Judges 5:21 - The river Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong!

Judges 5:22 - Then thundered the horses' hooves - galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.

Judges 5:23 - 'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the Lord. 'Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty.'

Judges 5:24 - "Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.

Judges 5:25 - He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.

Judges 5:26 - Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman's hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple.

Judges 5:27 - At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell - dead.

Judges 5:28 - "Through the window peered Sisera's mother; behind the lattice she cried out, 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?'

Judges 5:29 - The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself,

Judges 5:30 - 'Are they not finding and dividing the spoils: a woman or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck - all this as plunder?'

Judges 5:31 - "So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength." Then the land had peace forty years.

Judges - Chapter 6

Gideon

Judges 6:1 - The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.

Judges 6:2 - Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.

Judges 6:3 - Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country.

Judges 6:4 - They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.

Judges 6:5 - They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.

Judges 6:6 - Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.

Judges 6:7 - When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian,

Judges 6:8 - he sent them a prophet, who said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Judges 6:9 - I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land.

Judges 6:10 - I said to you, 'I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.' But you have not listened to me."

Judges 6:11 - The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

Judges 6:12 - When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."

Judges 6:13 - "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian."

Judges 6:14 - The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

Judges 6:15 - "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

Judges 6:16 - The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive."

Judges 6:17 - Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me

Judges 6:18 - Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you." And the Lord said, "I will wait until you return."

Judges 6:19 - Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.

Judges 6:20 - The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so.

Judges 6:21 - Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared.

Judges 6:22 - When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, "Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!"

Judges 6:23 - But the Lord said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."

Judges 6:24 - So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Judges 6:25 - That same night the Lord said to him, "Take the second bull from your father's herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.

Judges 6:26 - Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering."

Judges 6:27 - So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

Judges 6:28 - In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal's altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!

Judges 6:29 - They asked each other, "Who did this?" When they carefully investigated, they were told, "Gideon son of Joash did it."

Judges 6:30 - The people of the town demanded of Joash, "Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it."

Judges 6:31 - But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, "Are you going to plead Baal's cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar."

Judges 6:32 - So because Gideon broke down Baal's altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, "Let Baal contend with him."

Judges 6:33 - Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.

Judges 6:34 - Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.

Judges 6:35 - He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them.

Judges 6:36 - Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised -

Judges 6:37 - look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said."

Judges 6:38 - And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew - a bowlful of water.

Judges 6:39 - Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew." 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

Judges - Chapter 7

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

Judges 7:1 - Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.

Judges 7:2 - The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, 'My own strength has saved me.'

Judges 7:3 - Now announce to the army, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

Judges 7:4 - But the Lord said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go."

Judges 7:5 - So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink."

Judges 7:6 - Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

Judges 7:7 - The Lord said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home."

Judges 7:8 - So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.

Judges 7:9 - During that night the Lord said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.

Judges 7:10 - If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah

Judges 7:11 - and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.

Judges 7:12 - The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.

Judges 7:13 - Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. "I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed."

Judges 7:14 - His friend responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands."

Judges 7:15 - When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, "Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands."

Judges 7:16 - Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.

Judges 7:17 - "Watch me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do.

Judges 7:18 - When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, 'For the Lord and for Gideon.'"

Judges 7:19 - Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands.

Judges 7:20 - The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!"

Judges 7:21 - While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.

Judges 7:22 - When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.

Judges 7:23 - Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites.

Judges 7:24 - Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah." So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they seized the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah.

Judges 7:25 - They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.

Judges - Chapter 8

Zebah and Zalmunna

Judges 8:1 - Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they challenged him vigorously.

Judges 8:2 - But he answered them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren't the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?

Judges 8:3 - God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided.

Judges 8:4 - Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it.

Judges 8:5 - He said to the men of Sukkoth, "Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

Judges 8:6 - But the officials of Sukkoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?"

Judges 8:7 - Then Gideon replied, "Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers."

Judges 8:8 - From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had.

Judges 8:9 - So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower."

Judges 8:10 - Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen.

Judges 8:11 - Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the unsuspecting army.

Judges 8:12 - Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.

Judges 8:13 - Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.

Judges 8:14 - He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth, the elders of the town.

Judges 8:15 - Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, 'Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?'"

Judges 8:16 - He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers.

Judges 8:17 - He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.

Judges 8:18 - Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" "Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a prince."

Judges 8:19 - Gideon replied, "Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you."

Judges 8:20 - Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.

Judges 8:21 - Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Come, do it yourself. 'As is the man, so is his strength.'" So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels' necks.

Gideon's Ephod

Judges 8:22 - The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us - you, your son and your grandson - because you have saved us from the hand of Midian."

Judges 8:23 - But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you."

Judges 8:24 - And he said, "I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder." (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

Judges 8:25 - They answered, "We'll be glad to give them." So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it.

Judges 8:26 - The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels' necks.

Judges 8:27 - Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

Gideon's Death

Judges 8:28 - Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon's lifetime, the land had peace forty years.

Judges 8:29 - Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live.

Judges 8:30 - He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives.

Judges 8:31 - His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek.

Judges 8:32 - Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Judges 8:33 - No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god

Judges 8:34 - and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.

Judges 8:35 - They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.

Judges - Chapter 9

Abimelek

Judges 9:1 - Abimelek son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother's brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother's clan,

Judges 9:2 - "Ask all the citizens of Shechem, 'Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal's sons rule over you, or just one man?' Remember, I am your flesh and blood."

Judges 9:3 - When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelek, for they said, "He is related to us."

Judges 9:4 - They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelek used it to hire reckless scoundrels, who became his followers.

Judges 9:5 - He (Abimelek) went to his father's home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding.

Judges 9:6 - Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelek king.

Parable
Judges 9:7 - When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, "Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.

Judges 9:8 - One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Be our king.'

Judges 9:9 - "But the olive tree answered, 'Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?'

Judges 9:10 - "Next, the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and be our king.'

Judges 9:11 - "But the fig tree replied, 'Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?'

Judges 9:12 - "Then the trees said to the vine, 'Come and be our king.'

Judges 9:13 - "But the vine answered, 'Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and humans, to hold sway over the trees?'

Judges 9:14 - "Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, 'Come and be our king.'

Judges 9:15 - "The thornbush said to the trees, 'If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!'

Judges 9:16 - "Have you acted honorably and in good faith by making Abimelek king? Have you been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family? Have you treated him as he deserves?

Judges 9:17 - Remember that my father fought for you and risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian.

Judges 9:18 - But today you have revolted against my father's family. You have murdered his seventy sons on a single stone and have made Abimelek, the son of his female slave, king over the citizens of Shechem because he is related to you.

Judges 9:19 - So have you acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today? If you have, may Abimelek be your joy, and may you be his, too!

Judges 9:20 - But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelek and consume you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelek!"

Judges 9:21 - Then Jotham fled, escaping to Beer, and he lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelek.

Judges 9:22 - After Abimelek had governed Israel three years,

Judges 9:23 - God stirred up animosity between Abimelek and the citizens of Shechem so that they acted treacherously against Abimelek.

Judges 9:24 - God did this in order that the crime against Jerub-Baal's seventy sons, the shedding of their blood, might be avenged on their brother Abimelek and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.

Judges 9:25 - In opposition to him these citizens of Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and rob everyone who passed by, and this was reported to Abimelek.

Judges 9:26 - Now Gaal son of Ebed moved with his clan into Shechem, and its citizens put their confidence in him.

Judges 9:27 - After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelek.

Judges 9:28 - Then Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelek, and why should we Shechemites be subject to him? Isn't he Jerub-Baal's son, and isn't Zebul his deputy? Serve the family of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelek?

Judges 9:29 - If only this people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelek, 'Call out your whole army!'"

Judges 9:30 - When Zebul the governor of the city heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry.

Judges 9:31 - Under cover he sent messengers to Abimelek, saying, "Gaal son of Ebed and his clan have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.

Judges 9:32 - Now then, during the night you and your men should come and lie in wait in the fields.

Judges 9:33 - In the morning at sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, seize the opportunity to attack them."

Judges 9:34 - So Abimelek and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies.

Judges 9:35 - Now Gaal son of Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance of the city gate just as Abimelek and his troops came out from their hiding place.

Judges 9:36 - When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!" Zebul replied, "You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men."

Judges 9:37 - But Gaal spoke up again: "Look, people are coming down from the central hill, and a company is coming from the direction of the diviners' tree."

Judges 9:38 - Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your big talk now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelek that we should be subject to him?' Aren't these the men you ridiculed? Go out and fight them!"

Judges 9:39 - So Gaal led out the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelek.

Judges 9:40 - Abimelek chased him all the way to the entrance of the gate, and many were killed as they fled.

Judges 9:41 - Then Abimelek stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his clan out of Shechem.

Judges 9:42 - The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelek.

Judges 9:43 - So he took his men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them.

Judges 9:44 - Abimelek and the companies with him rushed forward to a position at the entrance of the city gate. Then two companies attacked those in the fields and struck them down.

Judges 9:45 - All that day Abimelek pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.

Judges 9:46 - On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith.

Judges 9:47 - When Abimelek heard that they had assembled there,

Judges 9:48 - he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, "Quick! Do what you have seen me do!"

Judges 9:49 - So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelek. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire with the people still inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.

Judges 9:50 - Next Abimelek went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it.

Judges 9:51 - Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women - all the people of the city - had fled. They had locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof.

Judges 9:52 - Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire,

Judges 9:53 - a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.

Judges 9:54 - Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can't say, 'A woman killed him.'" So his servant ran him through, and he died.

Judges 9:55 - When the Israelites saw that Abimelek was dead, they went home.

Judges 9:56 - Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers.

Judges 9:57 - God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.

Judges - Chapter 10

Tola

Judges 10:1 - After the time of Abimelek, a man of Issachar named Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.

Judges 10:2 - He led Israel twenty-three years; then he died, and was buried in Shamir.

Jair

Judges 10:3 - He was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty-two years.

Judges 10:4 - He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair.

Judges 10:5 - When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

Jephthah

Judges 10:6 - Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him,

Judges 10:7 - he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites,

Judges 10:8 - who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites.

Judges 10:9 - The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim; Israel was in great distress.

Judges 10:10 - Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, "We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals."

Judges 10:11 - The Lord replied, "When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,

Judges 10:12 - the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands?

Judges 10:13 - But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.

Judges 10:14 - Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!"

Judges 10:15 - But the Israelites said to the Lord, "We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now."

Judges 10:16 - Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel's misery no longer.

Judges 10:17 - When the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.

Judges 10:18 - The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, "Whoever will take the lead in attacking the Ammonites will be head over all who live in Gilead."

Judges - Chapter 11

Judges 11:1 - Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute.

Judges 11:2 - Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman."

Judges 11:3 - So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him.

Judges 11:4 - Some time later, when the Ammonites were fighting against Israel,

Judges 11:5 - the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

Judges 11:6 - "Come," they said, "be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites."

Judges 11:7 - Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why do you come to me now, when you're in trouble?"

Judges 11:8 - The elders of Gilead said to him, "Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be head over all of us who live in Gilead."

Judges 11:9 - Jephthah answered, "Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me - will I really be your head?"

Judges 11:10 - The elders of Gilead replied, "The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say."

Judges 11:11 - So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.

Judges 11:12 - Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: "What do you have against me that you have attacked my country?"

Judges 11:13 - The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah's messengers, "When Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably."

Judges 11:14 - Jephthah sent back messengers to the Ammonite king,

Judges 11:15 - saying: "This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.

Judges 11:16 - But when they came up out of Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and on to Kadesh.

Judges 11:17 - Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Give us permission to go through your country,' but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab, and he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.

Judges 11:18 - "Next they traveled through the wilderness, skirted the lands of Edom and Moab, passed along the eastern side of the country of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon. They did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was its border.

Judges 11:19 - "Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, 'Let us pass through your country to our own place.'

Judges 11:20 - Sihon, however, did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He mustered all his troops and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.

Judges 11:21 - "Then the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and his whole army into Israel's hands, and they defeated them. Israel took over all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country,

Judges 11:22 - capturing all of it from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan.

Judges 11:23 - "Now since the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before his people Israel, what right have you to take it over?

Judges 11:24 - Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? Likewise, whatever the Lord our God has given us, we will possess.

Judges 11:25 - Are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or fight with them?

Judges 11:26 - For three hundred years Israel occupied Heshbon, Aroer, the surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon. Why didn't you retake them during that time?

Judges 11:27 - I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites."

Judges 11:28 - The king of Ammon, however, paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him.

Judges 11:29 - Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites.

Judges 11:30 - And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands,

Judges 11:31 - whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

Judges 11:32 - Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands.

Judges 11:33 - He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.

Judges 11:34 - When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter.

Judges 11:35 - When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break."

Judges 11:36 - "My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.

Judges 11:37 - But grant me this one request," she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."

Judges 11:38 - "You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never marry.

Judges 11:39 - After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin. From this comes the Israelite tradition 40 that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

Judges - Chapter 12

Jephthah and Ephraim

Judges 12:1 - The Ephraimite forces were called out, and they crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We're going to burn down your house over your head."

Judges 12:2 - Jephthah answered, "I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn't save me out of their hands.

Judges 12:3 - When I saw that you wouldn't help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?"

Judges 12:4 - Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, "You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh."

Judges 12:5 - The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he replied, "No,"

Judges 12:6 - they said, "All right, say 'Shibboleth.'" If he said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

Judges 12:7 - Jephthah led Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in a town in Gilead. Ibzan, Elon and Abdon

Judges 12:8 - After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel.

Judges 12:9 - He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years.

Judges 12:10 - Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.

Judges 12:11 - After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years.

Judges 12:12 - Then Elon died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

Judges 12:13 - After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel.

Judges 12:14 - He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel eight years.

Judges 12:15 - Then Abdon son of Hillel died and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

Judges - Chapter 13

The Birth of Samson

Judges 13:1 - Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

Judges 13:2 - A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth.

Judges 13:3 - The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, "You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.

Judges 13:4 - Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean.

Judges 13:5 - You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

Judges 13:6 - Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name.

Judges 13:7 - But he said to me, 'You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.'"

Judges 13:8 - Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: "Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."

Judges 13:9 - God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.

Judges 13:10 - The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!"

Judges 13:11 - Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the man who talked to my wife?" "I am," he said.

Judges 13:12 - So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy's life and work?"

Judges 13:13 - The angel of the Lord answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her.

Judges 13:14 - She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her."

Judges 13:15 - Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you."

Judges 13:16 - The angel of the Lord replied, "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the Lord.)

Judges 13:17 - Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?"

Judges 13:18 - He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding."

Judges 13:19 - Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched:

Judges 13:20 - As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.

Judges 13:21 - When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord.

Judges 13:22 - "We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!"

Judges 13:23 - But his wife answered, "If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this."

Judges 13:24 - The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him,

Judges 13:25 - and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges - Chapter 14

Samson's Marriage

Judges 14:1 - Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.

Judges 14:2 - When he returned, he said to his father and mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife."

Judges 14:3 - His father and mother replied, "Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She's the right one for me."

Judges 14:4 - (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)

Judges 14:5 - Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him.

Judges 14:6 - The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.

Judges 14:7 - Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.

Judges 14:8 - Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey.

Judges 14:9 - He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion's carcass.

Judges 14:10 - Now his father went down to see the woman. And there Samson held a feast, as was customary for young men.

Judges 14:11 - When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions.

Judges 14:12 - "Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.

Judges 14:13 - If you can't tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes." "Tell us your riddle," they said. "Let's hear it."

Judges 14:14 - He replied, "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet." For three days they could not give the answer.

Judges 14:15 - On the fourth day, they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father's household to death. Did you invite us here to steal our property?"

Judges 14:16 - Then Samson's wife threw herself on him, sobbing, "You hate me! You don't really love me. You've given my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer." "I haven't even explained it to my father or mother," he replied, "so why should I explain it to you?"

Judges 14:17 - She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.

Judges 14:18 - Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" Samson said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle."

Judges 14:19 - Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he returned to his father's home.

Judges 14:20 - And Samson's wife was given to one of his companions who had attended him at the feast.

Judges - Chapter 15

Samson's Vengeance on the Philistines

Judges 15:1 - Later on, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said, "I'm going to my wife's room." But her father would not let him go in.

Judges 15:2 - "I was so sure you hated her," he said, "that I gave her to your companion. Isn't her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead."

Judges 15:3 - Samson said to them, "This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them."

Judges 15:4 - So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails,

Judges 15:5 - lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.

Judges 15:6 - When the Philistines asked, "Who did this?" they were told, "Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, because his wife was given to his companion." So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.

Judges 15:7 - Samson said to them, "Since you've acted like this, I swear that I won't stop until I get my revenge on you."

Judges 15:8 - He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.

Judges 15:9 - The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi.

Judges 15:10 - The people of Judah asked, "Why have you come to fight us?" "We have come to take Samson prisoner," they answered, "to do to him as he did to us."

Judges 15:11 - Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, "Don't you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?" He answered, "I merely did to them what they did to me."

Judges 15:12 - They said to him, "We've come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines." Samson said, "Swear to me that you won't kill me yourselves."

Judges 15:13 - "Agreed," they answered. "We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.

Judges 15:14 - As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands.

Judges 15:15 - Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

Judges 15:16 - Then Samson said, "With a donkey's jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone I have killed a thousand men."

Judges 15:17 - When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.

Judges 15:18 - Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, "You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"

Judges 15:19 - Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.

Judges 15:20 - Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Judges - Chapter 16

Samson and Delilah

Judges 16:1 - One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her.

Judges 16:2 - The people of Gaza were told, "Samson is here!" So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, "At dawn we'll kill him."

Judges 16:3 - But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

Judges 16:4 - Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.

Judges 16:5 - The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver."

Judges 16:6 - So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued."

Judges 16:7 - Samson answered her, "If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I'll become as weak as any other man."

Judges 16:8 - Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them.

Judges 16:9 - With men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

Judges 16:10 - Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied."

Judges 16:11 - He said, "If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I'll become as weak as any other man."

Judges 16:12 - So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.

Judges 16:13 - Delilah then said to Samson, "All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied." He replied, "If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as any other man." So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric

Judges 16:14 - and tightened it with the pin. Again she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

Judges 16:15 - Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength."

Judges 16:16 - With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

Judges 16:17 - So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother's womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man."

Judges 16:18 - When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything." So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.

Judges 16:19 - After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.

Judges 16:20 - Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

Judges 16:21 - Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.

Judges 16:22 - But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

The Death of Samson

Judges 16:23 - Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, "Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands."

Judges 16:24 - When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, "Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain."

Judges 16:25 - While they were in high spirits, they shouted, "Bring out Samson to entertain us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars,

Judges 16:26 - Samson said to the servant who held his hand, "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them."

Judges 16:27 - Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.

Judges 16:28 - Then Samson prayed to the Lord, "Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes."

Judges 16:29 - Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other,

Judges 16:30 - Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

Judges 16:31 - Then his brothers and his father's whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.

Judges - Chapter 17

Micah's Idols

Judges 17:1 - Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim

Judges 17:2 - said to his mother, "The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse - I have that silver with me; I took it." Then his mother said, "The Lord bless you, my son!"

Judges 17:3 - When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, "I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver. I will give it back to you."

Judges 17:4 - So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah's house.

Judges 17:5 - Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest.

Judges 17:6 - In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

Judges 17:7 - A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah,

Judges 17:8 - left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim.

Judges 17:9 - Micah asked him, "Where are you from?" "I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah," he said, "and I'm looking for a place to stay."

Judges 17:10 - Then Micah said to him, "Live with me and be my father and priest, and I'll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food."

Judges 17:11 - So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him.

Judges 17:12 - Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.

Judges 17:13 - And Micah said, "Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest."

Judges - Chapter 18

The Danites Settle in Laish

Judges 18:1 - In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

Judges 18:2 - So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, "Go, explore the land." So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.

Judges 18:3 - When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?"

Judges 18:4 - He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest."

Judges 18:5 - Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful."

Judges 18:6 - The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the Lord's approval."

Judges 18:7 - So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else.

Judges 18:8 - When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, "How did you find things?"

Judges 18:9 - They answered, "Come on, let's attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren't you going to do something? Don't hesitate to go there and take it over.

Judges 18:10 - When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever."

Judges 18:11 - Then six hundred men of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 18:12 - On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day.

Judges 18:13 - From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.

Judges 18:14 - Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their fellow Danites, "Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, some household gods and an image overlaid with silver? Now you know what to do."

Judges 18:15 - So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him.

Judges 18:16 - The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate.

Judges 18:17 - The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance of the gate.

Judges 18:18 - When the five men went into Micah's house and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"

Judges 18:19 - They answered him, "Be quiet! Don't say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn't it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's household?"

Judges 18:20 - The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people.

Judges 18:21 - Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.

Judges 18:22 - When they had gone some distance from Micah's house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites.

Judges 18:23 - As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?"

Judges 18:24 - He replied, "You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, 'What's the matter with you?'"

Judges 18:25 - The Danites answered, "Don't argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives."

Judges 18:26 - So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home.

Judges 18:27 - Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city.

Judges 18:28 - There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there.

Judges 18:29 - They named it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel - though the city used to be called Laish.

Judges 18:30 - There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land.

Judges 18:31 - They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.

Judges - Chapter 19

A Levite and His Concubine

Judges 19:1 - In those days Israel had no king. Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.

Judges 19:2 - But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents' home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months,

Judges 19:3 - her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her parents' home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.

Judges 19:4 - His father-in-law, the woman's father, prevailed on him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there.

Judges 19:5 - On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh yourself with something to eat; then you can go."

Judges 19:6 - So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Afterward the woman's father said, "Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself."

Judges 19:7 - And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.

Judges 19:8 - On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the woman's father said, "Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!" So the two of them ate together.

Judges 19:9 - Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman's father, said, "Now look, it's almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home."

Judges 19:10 - But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.

Judges 19:11 - When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, "Come, let's stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night."

Judges 19:12 - His master replied, "No. We won't go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah."

Judges 19:13 - He added, "Come, let's try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places."

Judges 19:14 - So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.

Judges 19:15 - There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.

Judges 19:16 - That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields.

Judges 19:17 - When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"

Judges 19:18 - He answered, "We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the Lord. No one has taken me in for the night.

Judges 19:19 - We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants - me, the woman and the young man with us. We don't need anything."

Judges 19:20 - "You are welcome at my house," the old man said. "Let me supply whatever you need. Only don't spend the night in the square."

Judges 19:21 - So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.

Judges 19:22 - While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him."

Judges 19:23 - The owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends, don't be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this outrageous thing.

Judges 19:24 - Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don't do such an outrageous thing."

Judges 19:25 - But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go.

Judges 19:26 - At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.

Judges 19:27 - When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold.

Judges 19:28 - He said to her, "Get up; let's go." But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

Judges 19:29 - When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel.

Judges 19:30 - Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!"

Judges - Chapter 20

The Israelites Punish the Benjamites

Judges 20:1 - Then all Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came together as one and assembled before the Lord in Mizpah.

Judges 20:2 - The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God's people, four hundred thousand men armed with swords.

Judges 20:3 - (The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the Israelites said, "Tell us how this awful thing happened."

Judges 20:4 - So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, "I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.

Judges 20:5 - During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died.

Judges 20:6 - I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel's inheritance, because they committed this lewd and outrageous act in Israel.

Judges 20:7 - Now, all you Israelites, speak up and tell me what you have decided to do."

Judges 20:8 - All the men rose up together as one, saying, "None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house.

Judges 20:9 - But now this is what we'll do to Gibeah: We'll go up against it in the order decided by casting lots.

Judges 20:10 - We'll take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to get provisions for the army. Then, when the army arrives at Gibeah in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for this outrageous act done in Israel."

Judges 20:11 - So all the Israelites got together and united as one against the city.

Judges 20:12 - The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What about this awful crime that was committed among you?

Judges 20:13 - Now turn those wicked men of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel." But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites.

Judges 20:14 - From their towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites.

Judges 20:15 - At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in addition to seven hundred able young men from those living in Gibeah.

Judges 20:16 - Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

Judges 20:17 - Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle.

Judges 20:18 - The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, "Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites?" The Lord replied, "Judah shall go first."

Judges 20:19 - The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah.

Judges 20:20 - The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah.

Judges 20:21 - The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day.

Judges 20:22 - But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day.

Judges 20:23 - The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and they inquired of the Lord. They said, "Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?" The Lord answered, "Go up against them."

Judges 20:24 - Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day.

Judges 20:25 - This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords.

Judges 20:26 - Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.

Judges 20:27 - And the Israelites inquired of the Lord. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,

Judges 20:28 - with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, "Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?" The Lord responded, "Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands."

Judges 20:29 - Then Israel set an ambush around Gibeah.

Judges 20:30 - They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before.

Judges 20:31 - The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads - the one leading to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.

Judges 20:32 - While the Benjamites were saying, "We are defeating them as before," the Israelites were saying, "Let's retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads."

Judges 20:33 - All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place on the west of Gibeah.

Judges 20:34 - Then ten thousand of Israel's able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was.

Judges 20:35 - The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.

Judges 20:36 - Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten. Now the men of Israel had given way before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah.

Judges 20:37 - Those who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword.

Judges 20:38 - The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

Judges 20:39 - and then the Israelites would counterattack. The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, "We are defeating them as in the first battle."

Judges 20:40 - But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the whole city going up in smoke.

Judges 20:41 - Then the Israelites counterattacked, and the Benjamites were terrified, because they realized that disaster had come on them.

Judges 20:42 - So they fled before the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness, but they could not escape the battle. And the Israelites who came out of the towns cut them down there.

Judges 20:43 - They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and easily overran them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east.

Judges 20:44 - Eighteen thousand Benjamites fell, all of them valiant fighters.

Judges 20:45 - As they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, the Israelites cut down five thousand men along the roads. They kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more.

Judges 20:46 - On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters.

Judges 20:47 - But six hundred of them turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.

Judges 20:48 - The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals and everything else they found. All the towns they came across they set on fire.

Judges - Chapter 21

Wives for the Benjamites

Judges 21:1 - The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: "Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite."

Judges 21:2 - The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly.

Judges 21:3 - "Lord, God of Israel," they cried, "why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?"

Judges 21:4 - Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

Judges 21:5 - Then the Israelites asked, "Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the Lord?" For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death.

Judges 21:6 - Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. "Today one tribe is cut off from Israel," they said.

Judges 21:7 - "How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?"

Judges 21:8 - Then they asked, "Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?" They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly.

Judges 21:9 - For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.

Judges 21:10 - So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children.

Judges 21:11 - "This is what you are to do," they said. "Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin."

Judges 21:12 - They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.

Judges 21:13 - Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.

Judges 21:14 - So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.

Judges 21:15 - The people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel.

Judges 21:16 - And the elders of the assembly said, "With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left?

Judges 21:17 - The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.

Judges 21:18 - We can't give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: 'Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.'

Judges 21:19 - But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."

Judges 21:20 - So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, "Go and hide in the vineyards

Judges 21:21 - and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin.

Judges 21:22 - When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, 'Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.'"

Judges 21:23 - So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.

Judges 21:24 - At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.

Judges 21:25 - In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

Judges 21 - Last Chapter

Ruth - Chapter 1

Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons

Ruth 1:1 - In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.

Ruth 1:2 - The man's name was Elimelek, his wife's name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

Ruth 1:3 - Now Elimelek, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.

Ruth 1:4 - They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years,

Ruth 1:5 - both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:6 - When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.

Ruth 1:7 - With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

Ruth 1:8 - Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me.

Ruth 1:9 - May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud

Ruth 1:10 - and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people."

Ruth 1:11 - But Naomi said, "Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?

Ruth 1:12 - Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me - even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons -

Ruth 1:13 - would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord's hand has turned against me!"

Ruth 1:14 - At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

Ruth 1:15 - "Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her."

Ruth 1:16 - But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

Ruth 1:17 - Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me."

Ruth 1:18 - When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

Ruth 1:19 - So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?"

Ruth 1:20 - "Don't call me Naomi," she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.

Ruth 1:21 - I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me."

Ruth 1:22 - So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.

Ruth - Chapter 2

Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field

Ruth 2:1 - Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.

Ruth 2:2 - And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor." Naomi said to her, "Go ahead, my daughter."

Ruth 2:3 - So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.

Ruth 2:4 - Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "The Lord be with you!" "The Lord bless you!" they answered.

Ruth 2:5 - Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, "Who does that young woman belong to?"

Ruth 2:6 - The overseer replied, "She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi.

Ruth 2:7 - She said, 'Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.' She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter."

Ruth 2:8 - So Boaz said to Ruth, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me.

Ruth 2:9 - Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled."

Ruth 2:10 - At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me - a foreigner?"

Ruth 2:11 - Boaz replied, "I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband - how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before.

Ruth 2:12 - May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge."

Ruth 2:13 - "May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord," she said. "You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant - though I do not have the standing of one of your servants."

Ruth 2:14 - At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar." When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.

Ruth 2:15 - As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, "Let her gather among the sheaves and don't reprimand her.

Ruth 2:16 - Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don't rebuke her."

Ruth 2:17 - So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.

Ruth 2:18 - She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.

Ruth 2:19 - Her mother-in-law asked her, "Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!" Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. "The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz," she said.

Ruth 2:20 - "The Lord bless him!" Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. "He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead." She added, "That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers."

Ruth 2:21 - Then Ruth the Moabite said, "He even said to me, 'Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.'"

Ruth 2:22 - Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else's field you might be harmed."

Ruth 2:23 - So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth - Chapter 3

Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor

Ruth 3:1 - One day Ruth's mother-in-law Naomi said to her, "My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for.

Ruth 3:2 - Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.

Ruth 3:3 - Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.

Ruth 3:4 - When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do."

Ruth 3:5 - "I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered.

Ruth 3:6 - So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

Ruth 3:7 - When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down.

Ruth 3:8 - In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned - and there was a woman lying at his feet!

Ruth 3:9 - "Who are you?" he asked. "I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family."

Ruth 3:10 - "The Lord bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.

Ruth 3:11 - And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.

Ruth 3:12 - Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I.

Ruth 3:13 - Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."

Ruth 3:14 - So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, "No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor."

Ruth 3:15 - He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out." When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and placed the bundle on her. Then he went back to town.

Ruth 3:16 - When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?" Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her

Ruth 3:17 - and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'"

Ruth 3:18 - Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."

Ruth - Chapter 4

Boaz Marries Ruth

Ruth 4:1 - Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, "Come over here, my friend, and sit down." So he went over and sat down.

Ruth 4:2 - Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, "Sit here," and they did so.

Ruth 4:3 - Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, "Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek.

Ruth 4:4 - I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line." "I will redeem it," he said.

Ruth 4:5 - Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property."

Ruth 4:6 - At this, the guardian-redeemer said, "Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it."

Ruth 4:7 - (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)

Ruth 4:8 - So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it yourself." And he removed his sandal.

Ruth 4:9 - Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon.

Ruth 4:10 - I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!"

Ruth 4:11 - Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.

Ruth 4:12 - Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah."

Naomi Gains a Son

Ruth 4:13 - So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

Ruth 4:14 - The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel!

Ruth 4:15 - He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth."

Ruth 4:16 - Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him.

Ruth 4:17 - The women living there said, "Naomi has a son!" And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The Genealogy of David

Ruth 4:18 - This, then, is the family line of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,

Ruth 4:19 - Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab,

Ruth 4:20 - Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Ruth 4:21 - Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed,

Ruth 4:22 - Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.

Ruth 4 - Last Chapter

1 Samuel - Introduction

1 and 2 Samuel are named after the person God used to establish kingship in Israel. Samuel not only anointed both Saul and David, Israel's first two kings, but he also gave definition to the new order of God's rule over Israel that began with the incorporation of kingship into its structure. Samuel's importance as God's representative in this period of Israel's history is close to that of Moses since he, more than any other person, provided for covenant continuity in the transition from the rule of the judges to that of the monarchy.

1 Samuel Chapters 4-6: This section describes how the ark of God was captured by the Philistines and then, after God wreaked havoc on several Philistine cities, how it was returned to Israel. These narratives reveal the folly of Israel's notion that possession of the ark automatically guaranteed victory over her enemies.

1 Samuel 7: Samuel calls Israel to repentance and renewed dedication to the Lord.

1 Samuel Chapter 8, 9, 10, & 12: On the one hand, Samuel is commanded by the Lord to give the people a king, on the other hand, their request for a king is considered a sinful rejection of the Lord.

The king in Israel was not to be autonomous in his authority and power; rather, he was to be subject to the law of the Lord and the word of the prophet (10:25 & 12:23)

Saul very quickly demonstrated that he was unwilling to submit to the requirements of his theocratic office.

Saul was wounded in a battle with the Philistines and, fearing capture, took his own life. Three of Saul's sons, including David's loyal friend Jonathan, were killed in the same battle.

1 Samuel - Chapter 1

The Birth of Samuel

1 Samuel 1:1 - There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

1 Samuel 1:2 - He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

1 Samuel 1:3 - Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord.

1 Samuel 1:4 - Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.

1 Samuel 1:5 - But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.

1 Samuel 1:6 - Because the Lord had closed Hannah's womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.

1 Samuel 1:7 - This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.

1 Samuel 1:8 - Her husband Elkanah would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"

1 Samuel 1:9 - Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord's house.

1 Samuel 1:10 - In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.

1 Samuel 1:11 - And she made a vow, saying, "Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

1 Samuel 1:12 - As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.

1 Samuel 1:13 - Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk

1 Samuel 1:14 - and said to her, "How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine."

1 Samuel 1:15 - "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.

1 Samuel 1:16 - Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."

1 Samuel 1:17 - Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."

1 Samuel 1:18 - She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

1 Samuel 1:19 - Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.

1 Samuel 1:20 - So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him."

Hannah Dedicates Samuel

1 Samuel 1:21 - When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow,

1 Samuel 1:22 - Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always."

1 Samuel 1:23 - "Do what seems best to you," her husband Elkanah told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

1 Samuel 1:24 - After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.

1 Samuel 1:25 - When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli,

1 Samuel 1:26 - and she said to him, "Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord.

1 Samuel 1:27 - I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.

1 Samuel 1:28 - So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord." And he worshiped the Lord there.

1 Samuel - Chapter 2

Hannah's Prayer

1 Samuel 2:1 - Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.

1 Samuel 2:2 - "There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:3 - "Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.

1 Samuel 2:4 - "The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

1 Samuel 2:5 - Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.

1 Samuel 2:6 - "The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.

1 Samuel 2:7 - The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.

1 Samuel 2:8 - He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; on them he has set the world.

1 Samuel 2:9 - He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. "It is not by strength that one prevails;

1 Samuel 2:10 - those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed."

1 Samuel 2:11 - Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest.

Eli's Wicked Sons

1 Samuel 2:12 - Eli's sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:13 - Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled

1 Samuel 2:14 - and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.

1 Samuel 2:15 - But even before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw."

1 Samuel 2:16 - If the person said to him, "Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't, I'll take it by force."

1 Samuel 2:17 - This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt.

1 Samuel 2:18 - But Samuel was ministering before the Lord - a boy wearing a linen ephod.

1 Samuel 2:19 - Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.

1 Samuel 2:20 - Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord." Then they would go home.

1 Samuel 2:21 - And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:22 - Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

1 Samuel 2:23 - So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours.

1 Samuel 2:24 - No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord's people is not good.

1 Samuel 2:25 - If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?" His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the Lord's will to put them to death.

1 Samuel 2:26 - And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.

Prophecy Against the House of Eli

1 Samuel 2:27 - Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the Lord says: 'Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor's family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh?

1 Samuel 2:28 - I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor's family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites.

1 Samuel 2:29 - Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?'

1 Samuel 2:30 - "Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.' But now the Lord declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.

1 Samuel 2:31 - The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age,

1 Samuel 2:32 - and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age.

1 Samuel 2:33 - Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.

1 Samuel 2:34 - "'And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you - they will both die on the same day.

1 Samuel 2:35 - I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always.

1 Samuel 2:36 - Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, "Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat."'"

1 Samuel - Chapter 3

The Lord Calls Samuel

1 Samuel 3:1 - The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

1 Samuel 3:2 - One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.

1 Samuel 3:3 - The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

1 Samuel 3:4 - Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am."

1 Samuel 3:5 - And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.

1 Samuel 3:6 - Again the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."

1 Samuel 3:7 - Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

1 Samuel 3:8 - A third time the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.

1 Samuel 3:9 - So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

1 Samuel 3:10 - The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

1 Samuel 3:11 - And the Lord said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.

1 Samuel 3:12 - At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family - from beginning to end.

1 Samuel 3:13 - For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them.

1 Samuel 3:14 - Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'"

1 Samuel 3:15 - Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,

1 Samuel 3:16 - but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son." Samuel answered, "Here I am."

1 Samuel 3:17 - "What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you."

1 Samuel 3:18 - So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes."

1 Samuel 3:19 - The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground.

1 Samuel 3:20 - And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.

1 Samuel 3:21 - The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

1 Samuel - Chapter 4

1 Samuel 4:1 And Samuel's word came to all Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

1 Samuel 4:1 - Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek.

1 Samuel 4:2 - The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.

1 Samuel 4:3 - When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord's covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies."

1 Samuel 4:4 - So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

1 Samuel 4:5 - When the ark of the Lord's covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.

1 Samuel 4:6 - Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, "What's all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?" When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp,

1 Samuel 4:7 - the Philistines were afraid. "A god has come into the camp," they said. "Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before.

1 Samuel 4:8 - We're doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.

1 Samuel 4:9 - Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!"

1 Samuel 4:10 - So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.

1 Samuel 4:11 - The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Death of Eli

1 Samuel 4:12 - That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust on his head.

1 Samuel 4:13 - When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.

1 Samuel 4:14 - Eli heard the outcry and asked, "What is the meaning of this uproar?" The man hurried over to Eli,

1 Samuel 4:15 - who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes had failed so that he could not see.

1 Samuel 4:16 - He told Eli, "I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day." Eli asked, "What happened, my son?"

1 Samuel 4:17 - The man who brought the news replied, "Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured."

1 Samuel 4:18 - When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led Israel forty years.

1 Samuel 4:19 - His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains.

1 Samuel 4:20 - As she was dying, the women attending her said, "Don't despair; you have given birth to a son." But she did not respond or pay any attention.

1 Samuel 4:21 - She named the boy Ichabod, saying, "The Glory has departed from Israel" - because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

1 Samuel 4:22 - She said, "The Glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."

1 Samuel - Chapter 5

The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron

1 Samuel 5:1 - After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

1 Samuel 5:2 - Then they carried the ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon.

1 Samuel 5:3 - When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place.

1 Samuel 5:4 - But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained.

1 Samuel 5:5 - That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon's temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.

1 Samuel 5:6 - The Lord's hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors.

1 Samuel 5:7 - When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god."

1 Samuel 5:8 - So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, "What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?" They answered, "Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath." So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

1 Samuel 5:9 - But after they had moved it, the Lord's hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.

1 Samuel 5:10 - So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people."

1 Samuel 5:11 - So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, "Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people." For death had filled the city with panic; God's hand was very heavy on it.

1 Samuel 5:12 - Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

1 Samuel - Chapter 6

The Ark Returned to Israel

1 Samuel 6:1 - When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months,

1 Samuel 6:2 - the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place."

1 Samuel 6:3 - They answered, "If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift; by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you."

1 Samuel 6:4 - The Philistines asked, "What guilt offering should we send to him?" They replied, "Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.

1 Samuel 6:5 - Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory to Israel's god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land.

1 Samuel 6:6 - Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel's god dealt harshly with them, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?

1 Samuel 6:7 - "Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

1 Samuel 6:8 - Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way,

1 Samuel 6:9 - but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance."

1 Samuel 6:10 - So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves.

1 Samuel 6:11 - They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors.

1 Samuel 6:12 - Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

1 Samuel 6:13 - Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight.

1 Samuel 6:14 - The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.

1 Samuel 6:15 - The Levites took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord.

1 Samuel 6:16 - The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

1 Samuel 6:17 - These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord - one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron.

1 Samuel 6:18 - And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers - the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

1 Samuel 6:19 - But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them.

1 Samuel 6:20 - And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?"

1 Samuel 6:21 - Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town."

1 Samuel - Chapter 7

1 Samuel 7:1 - So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord.

1 Samuel 7:2 - The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time - twenty years in all.

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

1 Samuel 7:2 - Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord.

1 Samuel 7:3 - So Samuel said to all the Israelites, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."

1 Samuel 7:4 - So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

1 Samuel 7:5 - Then Samuel said, "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you."

1 Samuel 7:6 - When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the Lord." Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.

1 Samuel 7:7 - When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 7:8 - They said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines."

1 Samuel 7:9 - Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf, and the Lord answered him.

1 Samuel 7:10 - While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.

1 Samuel 7:11 - The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

1 Samuel 7:12 - Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."

1 Samuel 7:13 - So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel's territory. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines.

1 Samuel 7:14 - The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

1 Samuel 7:15 - Samuel continued as Israel's leader all the days of his life.

1 Samuel 7:16 - From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places.

1 Samuel 7:17 - But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.

1 Samuel - Chapter 8

Israel Asks for a King

1 Samuel 8:1 - When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel's leaders.

1 Samuel 8:2 - The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba.

1 Samuel 8:3 - But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

1 Samuel 8:4 - So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.

1 Samuel 8:5 - They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."

1 Samuel 8:6 - But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord.

1 Samuel 8:7 - And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

1 Samuel 8:8 - As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.

1 Samuel 8:9 - Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights."

1 Samuel 8:10 - Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king.

1 Samuel 8:11 - He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.

1 Samuel 8:12 - Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

1 Samuel 8:13 - He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.

1 Samuel 8:14 - He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants.

1 Samuel 8:15 - He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants.

1 Samuel 8:16 - Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use.

1 Samuel 8:17 - He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.

1 Samuel 8:18 - When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day."

1 Samuel 8:19 - But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us.

1 Samuel 8:20 - Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."

1 Samuel 8:21 - When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord.

1 Samuel 8:22 - The Lord answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." Then Samuel said to the Israelites, "Everyone go back to your own town."

1 Samuel - Chapter 9

Samuel Anoints Saul

1 Samuel 9:1 - There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.

1 Samuel 9:2 - Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.

1 Samuel 9:3 - Now the donkeys belonging to Saul's father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys."

1 Samuel 9:4 - So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

1 Samuel 9:5 - When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, "Come, let's go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us."

1 Samuel 9:6 - But the servant replied, "Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let's go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take."

1 Samuel 9:7 - Saul said to his servant, "If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?"

1 Samuel 9:8 - The servant answered him again. "Look," he said, "I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take."

1 Samuel 9:9 - (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire of God, they would say, "Come, let us go to the seer," because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)

1 Samuel 9:10 - "Good," Saul said to his servant. "Come, let's go." So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

1 Samuel 9:11 - As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water, and they asked them, "Is the seer here?"

1 Samuel 9:12 - "He is," they answered. "He's ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place.

1 Samuel 9:13 - As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time."

1 Samuel 9:14 - They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place.

1 Samuel 9:15 - Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel:

1 Samuel 9:16 - "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me."

1 Samuel 9:17 - When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, "This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people."

1 Samuel 9:18 - Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, "Would you please tell me where the seer's house is?"

1 Samuel 9:19 - "I am the seer," Samuel replied. "Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart.

1 Samuel 9:20 - As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?"

1 Samuel 9:21 - Saul answered, "But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?"

1 Samuel 9:22 - Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited - about thirty in number.

1 Samuel 9:23 - Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside."

1 Samuel 9:24 - So the cook took up the thigh with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, "Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion from the time I said, 'I have invited guests.'" And Saul dined with Samuel that day.

1 Samuel 9:25 - After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house.

1 Samuel 9:26 - They rose about daybreak, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, "Get ready, and I will send you on your way." When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together.

1 Samuel 9:27 - As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us" - and the servant did so - "but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God."

1 Samuel - Chapter 10

1 Samuel 10:1 - Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?

1 Samuel 10:2 - When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, 'The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, "What shall I do about my son?"'

1 Samuel 10:3 - "Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine.

1 Samuel 10:4 - They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.

1 Samuel 10:5 - "After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying.

1 Samuel 10:6 - The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.

1 Samuel 10:7 - Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

1 Samuel 10:8 - "Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do."

Saul Made King

1 Samuel 10:9 - As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.

1 Samuel 10:10 - When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.

1 Samuel 10:11 - When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, "What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

1 Samuel 10:12 - A man who lived there answered, "And who is their father?" So it became a saying: "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

1 Samuel 10:13 - After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.

1 Samuel 10:14 - Now Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, "Where have you been?" "Looking for the donkeys," he said. "But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel."

1 Samuel 10:15 - Saul's uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to you."

1 Samuel 10:16 - Saul replied, "He assured us that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

1 Samuel 10:17 - Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah

1 Samuel 10:18 - and said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.'

1 Samuel 10:19 - But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, 'No, appoint a king over us.' So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans."

1 Samuel 10:20 - When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.

1 Samuel 10:21 - Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri's clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found.

1 Samuel 10:22 - So they inquired further of the Lord, "Has the man come here yet?" And the Lord said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies."

1 Samuel 10:23 - They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others.

1 Samuel 10:24 - Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

1 Samuel 10:25 - Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

1 Samuel 10:26 - Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched.

1 Samuel 10:27 - But some scoundrels said, "How can this fellow save us?" They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.

1 Samuel - Chapter 11

Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh

1 Samuel 11:1 - Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, "Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you."

1 Samuel 11:2 - But Nahash the Ammonite replied, "I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel."

1 Samuel 11:3 - The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you."

1 Samuel 11:4 - When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud.

1 Samuel 11:5 - Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, "What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?" Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

1 Samuel 11:6 - When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger.

1 Samuel 11:7 - He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one.

1 Samuel 11:8 - When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.

1 Samuel 11:9 - They told the messengers who had come, "Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, 'By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.'" When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated.

1 Samuel 11:10 - They said to the Ammonites, "Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like."

1 Samuel 11:11 - The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

1 Samuel 11:12 - The people then said to Samuel, "Who was it that asked, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death."

1 Samuel 11:13 - But Saul said, "No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel."

1 Samuel 11:14 - Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship."

1 Samuel 11:15 - So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

1 Samuel - Chapter 12

Samuel's Farewell Speech

1 Samuel 12:1 - Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you.

1 Samuel 12:2 - Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day.

1 Samuel 12:3 - Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right."

1 Samuel 12:4 - "You have not cheated or oppressed us," they replied. "You have not taken anything from anyone's hand."

1 Samuel 12:5 - Samuel said to them, "The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." "He is witness," they said.

1 Samuel 12:6 - Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt.

1 Samuel 12:7 - Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.

1 Samuel 12:8 - "After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

1 Samuel 12:9 - "But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.

1 Samuel 12:10 - They cried out to the Lord and said, 'We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.'

1 Samuel 12:11 - Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.

1 Samuel 12:12 - "But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, 'No, we want a king to rule over us' - even though the Lord your God was your king.

1 Samuel 12:13 - Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you.

1 Samuel 12:14 - If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God - good!

1 Samuel 12:15 - But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

1 Samuel 12:16 - "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!

1 Samuel 12:17 - Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call on the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king."

1 Samuel 12:18 - Then Samuel called on the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.

1 Samuel 12:19 - The people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king."

1 Samuel 12:20 - "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.

1 Samuel 12:21 - Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.

1 Samuel 12:22 - For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.

1 Samuel 12:23 - As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.

1 Samuel 12:24 - But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

1 Samuel 12:25 - Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish."

1 Samuel - Chapter 13

Samuel Rebukes Saul

1 Samuel 13:1 - Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty- two years.

1 Samuel 13:2 - Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.

1 Samuel 13:3 - Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, "Let the Hebrews hear!"

1 Samuel 13:4 - So all Israel heard the news: "Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines." And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.

1 Samuel 13:5 - The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven.

1 Samuel 13:6 - When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.

1 Samuel 13:7 - Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.

1 Samuel 13:8 - He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter.

1 Samuel 13:9 - So he said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." And Saul offered up the burnt offering.

1 Samuel 13:10 - Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

1 Samuel 13:11 - "What have you done?" asked Samuel. Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash,

1 Samuel 13:12 - I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering."

1 Samuel 13:13 - "You have done a foolish thing," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.

1 Samuel 13:14 - But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command."

1 Samuel 13:15 - Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.

Israel Without Weapons

1 Samuel 13:16 - Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash.

1 Samuel 13:17 - Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual,

1 Samuel 13:18 - another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim facing the wilderness.

1 Samuel 13:19 - Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!"

1 Samuel 13:20 - So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened.

1 Samuel 13:21 - The price was two-thirds of a shekel for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

1 Samuel 13:22 - So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Jonathan Attacks the Philistines

1 Samuel 13:23 Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.

1 Samuel - Chapter 14

1 Samuel 14:1 - 1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side." But he did not tell his father.

1 Samuel 14:2 - Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men,

1 Samuel 14:3 - among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

1 Samuel 14:4 - On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh.

1 Samuel 14:5 - One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.

1 Samuel 14:6 - Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few."

1 Samuel 14:7 - "Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."

1 Samuel 14:8 - Jonathan said, "Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us.

1 Samuel 14:9 - If they say to us, 'Wait there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are and not go up to them.

1 Samuel 14:10 - But if they say, 'Come up to us,' we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands."

1 Samuel 14:11 - So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. "Look!" said the Philistines. "The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in."

1 Samuel 14:12 - The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, "Come up to us and we'll teach you a lesson." So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, "Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel."

1 Samuel 14:13 - Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him.

1 Samuel 14:14 - In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

Israel Routs the Philistines

1 Samuel 14:15 - Then panic struck the whole army - those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties - and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.

1 Samuel 14:16 - Saul's lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions.

1 Samuel 14:17 - Then Saul said to the men who were with him, "Muster the forces and see who has left us." When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.

1 Samuel 14:18 - Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.)

1 Samuel 14:19 - While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand."

1 Samuel 14:20 - Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords.

1 Samuel 14:21 - Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

1 Samuel 14:22 - When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit.

1 Samuel 14:23 - So on that day the Lord saved Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.

Jonathan Eats Honey

1 Samuel 14:24 - Now the Israelites were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, "Cursed be anyone who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!" So none of the troops tasted food.

1 Samuel 14:25 - The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground.

1 Samuel 14:26 - When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out; yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath.

1 Samuel 14:27 - But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.

1 Samuel 14:28 - Then one of the soldiers told him, "Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, 'Cursed be anyone who eats food today!' That is why the men are faint."

1 Samuel 14:29 - Jonathan said, "My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey.

1 Samuel 14:30 - How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?"

1 Samuel 14:31 - That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Mikmash to Aijalon, they were exhausted.

1 Samuel 14:32 - They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood.

1 Samuel 14:33 - Then someone said to Saul, "Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that has blood in it." "You have broken faith," he said. "Roll a large stone over here at once."

1 Samuel 14:34 - Then he said, "Go out among the men and tell them, 'Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.'" So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there.

1 Samuel 14:35 - Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first time he had done this.

1 Samuel 14:36 - Saul said, "Let us go down and pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive." "Do whatever seems best to you," they replied. But the priest said, "Let us inquire of God here."

1 Samuel 14:37 - So Saul asked God, "Shall I go down and pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel's hand?" But God did not answer him that day.

1 Samuel 14:38 - Saul therefore said, "Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today.

1 Samuel 14:39 - As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if the guilt lies with my son Jonathan, he must die." But not one of them said a word.

1 Samuel 14:40 - Saul then said to all the Israelites, "You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here." "Do what seems best to you," they replied.

1 Samuel 14:41 - Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, "Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault, respond with Thummim." Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared.

1 Samuel 14:42 - Saul said, "Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was taken.

1 Samuel 14:43 - Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." So Jonathan told him, "I tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now I must die!"

1 Samuel 14:44 - Saul said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan."

1 Samuel 14:45 - But the men said to Saul, "Should Jonathan die - he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God's help." So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.

1 Samuel 14:46 - Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land.

1 Samuel 14:47 - After Saul had assumed rule over Israel, he fought against their enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them.

1 Samuel 14:48 - He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them.

Saul's Family

1 Samuel 14:49 - Saul's sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was Merab, and that of the younger was Michal.

1 Samuel 14:50 - His wife's name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of Saul's army was Abner son of Ner, and Ner was Saul's uncle.

1 Samuel 14:51 - Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were sons of Abiel.

1 Samuel 14:52 - All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines, and whenever Saul saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service.

1 Samuel - Chapter 15

The Lord Rejects Saul as King

1 Samuel 15:1 - Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord.

1 Samuel 15:2 - This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt.

1 Samuel 15:3 - Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"

1 Samuel 15:4 - So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim - two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah.

1 Samuel 15:5 - Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine.

1 Samuel 15:6 - Then he said to the Kenites, "Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 15:7 - Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt.

1 Samuel 15:8 - He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.

1 Samuel 15:9 - But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs - everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

1 Samuel 15:10 - Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel:

1 Samuel 15:11 - "I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

1 Samuel 15:12 - Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, "Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal."

1 Samuel 15:13 - When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord's instructions."

1 Samuel 15:14 - But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?"

1 Samuel 15:15 - Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest."

1 Samuel 15:16 - "Enough!" Samuel said to Saul. "Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night." "Tell me," Saul replied.

1 Samuel 15:17 - Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.

1 Samuel 15:18 - And he sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.'

1 Samuel 15:19 - Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?"

1 Samuel 15:20 - "But I did obey the Lord," Saul said. "I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king.

1 Samuel 15:21 - The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal."

1 Samuel 15:22 - But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:23 - For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king."

1 Samuel 15:24 - Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.

1 Samuel 15:25 - Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord."

1 Samuel 15:26 - But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!"

1 Samuel 15:27 - As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore.

1 Samuel 15:28 - Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors - to one better than you.

1 Samuel 15:29 - He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind."

1 Samuel 15:30 - Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God."

1 Samuel 15:31 - So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

1 Samuel 15:32 - Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites." Agag came to him in chains. And he thought, "Surely the bitterness of death is past."

1 Samuel 15:33 - But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women." And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.

1 Samuel 15:34 - Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul.

1 Samuel 15:35 - Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

1 Samuel - Chapter 16

Samuel Anoints David

1 Samuel 16:1 - The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

1 Samuel 16:2 - But Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me." The Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.'

1 Samuel 16:3 - Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate."

1 Samuel 16:4 - Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?"

1 Samuel 16:5 - Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

1 Samuel 16:6 - When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord."

1 Samuel 16:7 - But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:8 - Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either."

1 Samuel 16:9 - Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the Lord chosen this one."

1 Samuel 16:10 - Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The Lord has not chosen these."

1 Samuel 16:11 - So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered. "He is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."

1 Samuel 16:12 - So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; this is the one."

1 Samuel 16:13 - So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

David in Saul's Service

1 Samuel 16:14 - Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.

1 Samuel 16:15 - Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

1 Samuel 16:16 - Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better."

1 Samuel 16:17 - So Saul said to his attendants, "Find someone who plays well and bring him to me."

1 Samuel 16:18 - One of the servants answered, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him."

1 Samuel 16:19 - Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep."

1 Samuel 16:20 - So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.

1 Samuel 16:21 - David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers.

1 Samuel 16:22 - Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him."

1 Samuel 16:23 - Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

1 Samuel - Chapter 17

David and Goliath

1 Samuel 17:1 - Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah.

1 Samuel 17:2 - Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.

1 Samuel 17:3 - The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

1 Samuel 17:4 - A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.

1 Samuel 17:5 - He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels;

1 Samuel 17:6 - on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.

1 Samuel 17:7 - His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

1 Samuel 17:8 - Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me.

1 Samuel 17:9 - If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us."

1 Samuel 17:10 - Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other."

1 Samuel 17:11 - On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

1 Samuel 17:12 - Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's time he was very old.

1 Samuel 17:13 - Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah.

1 Samuel 17:14 - David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul,

1 Samuel 17:15 - but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

1 Samuel 17:16 - For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

1 Samuel 17:17 - Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.

1 Samuel 17:18 - Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them.

1 Samuel 17:19 - They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines."

1 Samuel 17:20 - Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.

1 Samuel 17:21 - Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other.

1 Samuel 17:22 - David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were.

1 Samuel 17:23 - As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it.

1 Samuel 17:24 - Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.

1 Samuel 17:25 - Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel."

1 Samuel 17:26 - David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

1 Samuel 17:27 - They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."

1 Samuel 17:28 - When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

1 Samuel 17:29 - "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?"

1 Samuel 17:30 - He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.

1 Samuel 17:31 - What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

1 Samuel 17:32 - David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."

1 Samuel 17:33 - Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth."

1 Samuel 17:34 - But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,

1 Samuel 17:35 - I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.

1 Samuel 17:36 - Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.

1 Samuel 17:37 - The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you."

1 Samuel 17:38 - Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.

1 Samuel 17:39 - David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off.

1 Samuel 17:40 - Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:41 - Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.

1 Samuel 17:42 - He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him.

1 Samuel 17:43 - He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

1 Samuel 17:44 - "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!"

1 Samuel 17:45 - David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

1 Samuel 17:46 - This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.

1 Samuel 17:47 - All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

1 Samuel 17:48 - As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.

1 Samuel 17:49 - Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

1 Samuel 17:50 - So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

1 Samuel 17:51 - David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.

1 Samuel 17:52 - Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.

1 Samuel 17:53 - When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.

1 Samuel 17:54 - David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine's weapons in his own tent.

1 Samuel 17:55 - As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is that young man?" Abner replied, "As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don't know."

1 Samuel 17:56 - The king said, "Find out whose son this young man is."

1 Samuel 17:57 - As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine's head.

1 Samuel 17:58 - "Whose son are you, young man?" Saul asked him. David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

1 Samuel - Chapter 18

Saul's Growing Fear of David

1 Samuel 18:1 - After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.

1 Samuel 18:2 - From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family.

1 Samuel 18:3 - And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

1 Samuel 18:4 - Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

1 Samuel 18:5 - Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul's officers as well.

1 Samuel 18:6 - When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres.

1 Samuel 18:7 - As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."

1 Samuel 18:8 - Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?"

1 Samuel 18:9 - And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.

1 Samuel 18:10 - The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand

1 Samuel 18:11 - and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice.

1 Samuel 18:12 - Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul.

1 Samuel 18:13 - So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns.

1 Samuel 18:14 - In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him.

1 Samuel 18:15 - When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.

1 Samuel 18:16 - But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.

1 Samuel 18:17 - Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!"

1 Samuel 18:18 - But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

1 Samuel 18:19 - So when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.

1 Samuel 18:20 - Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.

1 Samuel 18:21 - "I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law."

1 Samuel 18:22 - Then Saul ordered his attendants: "Speak to David privately and say, 'Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.'"

1 Samuel 18:23 - They repeated these words to David. But David said, "Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known."

1 Samuel 18:24 - When Saul's servants told him what David had said,

1 Samuel 18:25 - Saul replied, "Say to David, 'The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.'" Saul's plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 18:26 - When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed,

1 Samuel 18:27 - David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.

1 Samuel 18:28 - When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David,

1 Samuel 18:29 - Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

1 Samuel 18:30 - The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known.

1 Samuel - Chapter 19

Saul Tries to Kill David

1 Samuel 19:1 - Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David

1 Samuel 19:2 - and warned him, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there.

1 Samuel 19:3 - I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out."

1 Samuel 19:4 - Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly.

1 Samuel 19:5 - He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?"

1 Samuel 19:6 - Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: "As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death."

1 Samuel 19:7 - So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

1 Samuel 19:8 - Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.

1 Samuel 19:9 - But an evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre,

1 Samuel 19:10 - Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

1 Samuel 19:11 - Saul sent men to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't run for your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed."

1 Samuel 19:12 - So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped.

1 Samuel 19:13 - Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats' hair at the head.

1 Samuel 19:14 - When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said, "He is ill."

1 Samuel 19:15 - Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, "Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him."

1 Samuel 19:16 - But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats' hair.

1 Samuel 19:17 - Saul said to Michal, "Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?" Michal told him, "He said to me, 'Let me get away. Why should I kill you?'"

1 Samuel 19:18 - When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.

1 Samuel 19:19 - Word came to Saul: "David is in Naioth at Ramah";

1 Samuel 19:20 - so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul's men, and they also prophesied.

1 Samuel 19:21 - Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied.

1 Samuel 19:22 - Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" "Over in Naioth at Ramah," they said.

1 Samuel 19:23 - So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth.

1 Samuel 19:24 - He stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel's presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

1 Samuel - Chapter 20

David and Jonathan

1 Samuel 20:1 - Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?"

1 Samuel 20:2 - "Never!" Jonathan replied. "You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn't so!"

1 Samuel 20:3 - But David took an oath and said, "Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, 'Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.' Yet as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death."

1 Samuel 20:4 - Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you."

1 Samuel 20:5 - So David said, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow.

1 Samuel 20:6 - If your father misses me at all, tell him, 'David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.'

1 Samuel 20:7 - If he says, 'Very well,' then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me.

1 Samuel 20:8 - As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the Lord. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?"

1 Samuel 20:9 - "Never!" Jonathan said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?"

1 Samuel 20:10 - David asked, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"

1 Samuel 20:11 - "Come," Jonathan said, "let's go out into the field." So they went there together.

1 Samuel 20:12 - Then Jonathan said to David, "I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know?

1 Samuel 20:13 - But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father.

1 Samuel 20:14 - But show me unfailing kindness like the Lord's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed,

1 Samuel 20:15 - and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family - not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth."

1 Samuel 20:16 - So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the Lord call David's enemies to account."

1 Samuel 20:17 - And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

1 Samuel 20:18 - Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

1 Samuel 20:19 - The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel.

1 Samuel 20:20 - I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target.

1 Samuel 20:21 - Then I will send a boy and say, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,' then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger.

1 Samuel 20:22 - But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away.

1 Samuel 20:23 - And about the matter you and I discussed - remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever."

1 Samuel 20:24 - So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat.

1 Samuel 20:25 - He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.

1 Samuel 20:26 - Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, "Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean - surely he is unclean."

1 Samuel 20:27 - But the next day, the second day of the month, David's place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"

1 Samuel 20:28 - Jonathan answered, "David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.

1 Samuel 20:29 - He said, 'Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.' That is why he has not come to the king's table."

1 Samuel 20:30 - Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you?

1 Samuel 20:31 - As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!"

1 Samuel 20:32 - "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father.

1 Samuel 20:33 - But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

1 Samuel 20:34 - Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of David.

1 Samuel 20:35 - In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him,

1 Samuel 20:36 - and he said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

1 Samuel 20:37 - When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?"

1 Samuel 20:38 - Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master.

1 Samuel 20:39 - (The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.)

1 Samuel 20:40 - Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, "Go, carry them back to town."

1 Samuel 20:41 - After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together - but David wept the most.

1 Samuel 20:42 - Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.'" Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

1 Samuel - Chapter 21

David at Nob

1 Samuel 21:1 - David went to Nob, to Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek trembled when he met him, and asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?"

1 Samuel 21:2 - David answered Ahimelek the priest, "The king sent me on a mission and said to me, 'No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.' As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place.

1 Samuel 21:3 - Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find."

1 Samuel 21:4 - But the priest answered David, "I don't have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here - provided the men have kept themselves from women."

1 Samuel 21:5 - David replied, "Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men's bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!"

1 Samuel 21:6 - So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

1 Samuel 21:7 - Now one of Saul's servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief shepherd.

1 Samuel 21:8 - David asked Ahimelek, "Don't you have a spear or a sword here? I haven't brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king's mission was urgent."

1 Samuel 21:9 - The priest replied, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one." David said, "There is none like it; give it to me."

David at Gath

1 Samuel 21:10 - That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.

1 Samuel 21:11 - But the servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances: "'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?"

1 Samuel 21:12 - David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath.

1 Samuel 21:13 - So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

1 Samuel 21:14 - Achish said to his servants, "Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me?

1 Samuel 21:15 - Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?"

1 Samuel - Chapter 22

David at Adullam and Mizpah

1 Samuel 22:1 - David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there.

1 Samuel 22:2 - All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.

1 Samuel 22:3 - From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, "Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?"

1 Samuel 22:4 - So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.

1 Samuel 22:5 - But the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

Saul Kills the Priests of Nob

1 Samuel 22:6 - Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul was seated, spear in hand, under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing at his side.

1 Samuel 22:7 - He said to them, "Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?

1 Samuel 22:8 - Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today."

1 Samuel 22:9 -But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul's officials, said, "I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob.

1 Samuel 22:10 - Ahimelek inquired of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

1 Samuel 22:11 - Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king.

1 Samuel 22:12 - Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." "Yes, my lord," he answered.

1 Samuel 22:13 - Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?"

1 Samuel 22:14 - Ahimelek answered the king, "Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king's son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household?

1 Samuel 22:15 - Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father's family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair."

1 Samuel 22:16 - But the king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family."

1 Samuel 22:17 - Then the king ordered the guards at his side: "Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me." But the king's officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.

1 Samuel 22:18 - The king then ordered Doeg, "You turn and strike down the priests." So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.

1 Samuel 22:19 - He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

1 Samuel 22:20 - But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David.

1 Samuel 22:21 - He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord.

1 Samuel 22:22 - Then David said to Abiathar, "That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family.

1 Samuel 22:23 - Stay with me; don't be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me."

1 Samuel - Chapter 23

David Saves Keilah

1 Samuel 23:1 - When David was told, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,"

1 Samuel 23:2 - he inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" The Lord answered him, "Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah."

1 Samuel 23:3 - But David's men said to him, "Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!"

1 Samuel 23:4 - Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, "Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand."

1 Samuel 23:5 - So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah.

1 Samuel 23:6 - (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelek had brought the ephod down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)

Saul Pursues David

1 Samuel 23:7 - Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has delivered him into my hands, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and

1 Samuel 23:8 - And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

1 Samuel 23:9 - When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod."

1 Samuel 23:10 - David said, "Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me.

1 Samuel 23:11 - Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the Lord said, "He will."

1 Samuel 23:12 - Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the Lord said, "They will."

1 Samuel 23:13 - So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

1 Samuel 23:14 - David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.

1 Samuel 23:15 - While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life.

1 Samuel 23:16 - And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.

1 Samuel 23:17 - "Don't be afraid," he said. "My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this."

1 Samuel 23:18 - The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

1 Samuel 23:19 - The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon?

1 Samuel 23:20 - Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for giving him into your hands."

1 Samuel 23:21 - Saul replied, "The Lord bless you for your concern for me.

1 Samuel 23:22 - Go and get more information. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty.

1 Samuel 23:23 - Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track him down among all the clans of Judah."

1 Samuel 23:24 - So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.

1 Samuel 23:25 - Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David.

1 Samuel 23:26 - Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them,

1 Samuel 23:27 - a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land."

1 Samuel 23:28 - Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth.

1 Samuel 23:29 - And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.

1 Samuel - Chapter 24

David Spares Saul's Life

1 Samuel 24:1 - After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, "David is in the Desert of En Gedi."

1 Samuel 24:2 - So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

1 Samuel 24:3 - He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.

1 Samuel 24:4 - The men said, "This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.'" Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe.

1 Samuel 24:5 - Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.

1 Samuel 24:6 - He said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord."

1 Samuel 24:7 - With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

1 Samuel 24:8 - Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, "My lord the king!" When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

1 Samuel 24:9 - He said to Saul, "Why do you listen when men say, 'David is bent on harming you'?

1 Samuel 24:10 - This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, 'I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord's anointed.'

1 Samuel 24:11 - See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life.

1 Samuel 24:12 - May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.

1 Samuel 24:13 - As the old saying goes, 'From evildoers come evil deeds,' so my hand will not touch you.

1 Samuel 24:14 - "Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?

1 Samuel 24:15 - May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand."

1 Samuel 24:16 - When David finished saying this, Saul asked, "Is that your voice, David my son?" And he wept aloud.

1 Samuel 24:17 - "You are more righteous than I," he said. "You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.

1 Samuel 24:18 - You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me.

1 Samuel 24:19 - When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today.

1 Samuel 24:20 - I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands.

1 Samuel 24:21 - Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father's family."

1 Samuel 24:22 - So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

1 Samuel - Chapter 25

David, Nabal and Abigail

1 Samuel 25:1 - Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran.

1 Samuel 25:2 - A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel.

1 Samuel 25:3 - His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings - he was a Calebite.

1 Samuel 25:4 - While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep.

1 Samuel 25:5 - So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name.

1 Samuel 25:6 - Say to him: 'Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!'

1 Samuel 25:7 - "'Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing.

1 Samuel 25:8 - Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.'"

1 Samuel 25:9 - When David's men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David's name. Then they waited.

1 Samuel 25:10 - Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days.

1 Samuel 25:11 - Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?"

1 Samuel 25:12 - David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word.

1 Samuel 25:13 - David said to his men, "Each of you strap on your sword!" So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.

1 Samuel 25:14 - One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal's wife, "David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them.

1 Samuel 25:15 - Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing.

1 Samuel 25:16 - Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them.

1 Samuel 25:17 - Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him."

1 Samuel 25:18 - Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

1 Samuel 25:19 - Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

1 Samuel 25:20 - As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them.

1 Samuel 25:21 - David had just said, "It's been useless - all my watching over this fellow's property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good.

1 Samuel 25:22 - May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!"

1 Samuel 25:23 - When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground.

1 Samuel 25:24 - She fell at his feet and said: "Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say.

1 Samuel 25:25 - Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name - his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent.

1 Samuel 25:26 - And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal.

1 Samuel 25:27 - And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you.

1 Samuel 25:28 - "Please forgive your servant's presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord's battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live.

1 Samuel 25:29 - Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling.

1 Samuel 25:30 - When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel,

1 Samuel 25:31 - my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant."

1 Samuel 25:32 - David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me.

1 Samuel 25:33 - May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.

1 Samuel 25:34 - Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak."

1 Samuel 25:35 - Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request."

1 Samuel 25:36 - When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until daybreak.

1 Samuel 25:37 - Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone.

1 Samuel 25:38 - About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.

1 Samuel 25:39 - When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise be to the Lord, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal's wrongdoing down on his own head." Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife.

1 Samuel 25:40 - His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, "David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife."

1 Samuel 25:41 - She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, "I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord's servants."

1 Samuel 25:42 - Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David's messengers and became his wife.

1 Samuel 25:43 - David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives.

1 Samuel 25:44 - But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

1 Samuel - Chapter 26

David Again Spares Saul's Life

1 Samuel 26:1 - The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?"

1 Samuel 26:2 - So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand select Israelite troops, to search there for David.

1 Samuel 26:3 - Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had followed him there,

1 Samuel 26:4 - he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived.

1 Samuel 26:5 - Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him.

1 Samuel 26:6 - David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, "Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?" "I'll go with you," said Abishai.

1 Samuel 26:7 - So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.

1 Samuel 26:8 - Abishai said to David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won't strike him twice."

1 Samuel 26:9 - But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?

1 Samuel 26:10 - As surely as the Lord lives," he said, "the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.

1 Samuel 26:11 - But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go."

1 Samuel 26:12 - So David took the spear and water jug near Saul's head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.

1 Samuel 26:13 - Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them.

1 Samuel 26:14 - He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, "Aren't you going to answer me, Abner?" Abner replied, "Who are you who calls to the king?"

1 Samuel 26:15 - David said, "You're a man, aren't you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn't you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king.

1 Samuel 26:16 - What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men must die, because you did not guard your master, the Lord's anointed. Look around you. Where are the king's spear and water jug that were near his head?"

1 Samuel 26:17 - Saul recognized David's voice and said, "Is that your voice, David my son?" David replied, "Yes it is, my lord the king."

1 Samuel 26:18 - And he added, "Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of?

1 Samuel 26:19 - Now let my lord the king listen to his servant's words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have driven me today from my share in the Lord's inheritance and have said, 'Go, serve other gods.'

1 Samuel 26:20 - Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea - as one hunts a partridge in the mountains."

1 Samuel 26:21 - Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong."

1 Samuel 26:22 - "Here is the king's spear," David answered. "Let one of your young men come over and get it.

1 Samuel 26:23 - The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord's anointed.

1 Samuel 26:24 - As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble."

1 Samuel 26:25 - Then Saul said to David, "May you be blessed, David my son; you will do great things and surely triumph." So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

1 Samuel - Chapter 27

David Among the Philistines

1 Samuel 27:1 - But David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand."

1 Samuel 27:2 - So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath.

1 Samuel 27:3 - David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.

1 Samuel 27:4 - When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

1 Samuel 27:5 - Then David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"

1 Samuel 27:6 - So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.

1 Samuel 27:7 - David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.

1 Samuel 27:8 - Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.)

1 Samuel 27:9 - Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.

1 Samuel 27:10 - When Achish asked, "Where did you go raiding today?" David would say, "Against the Negev of Judah" or "Against the Negev of Jerahmeel" or "Against the Negev of the Kenites."

1 Samuel 27:11 - He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, "They might inform on us and say, 'This is what David did.'" And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory.

1 Samuel 27:12 - Achish trusted David and said to himself, "He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life."

1 Samuel - Chapter 28

1 Samuel 28:1 - In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, "You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army."

1 Samuel 28:2 - David said, "Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do." Achish replied, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."

Saul and the Medium at Endor

1 Samuel 28:3 - Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

1 Samuel 28:4 - The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa.

1 Samuel 28:5 - When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart.

1 Samuel 28:6 - He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.

1 Samuel 28:7 - Saul then said to his attendants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her." "There is one in Endor," they said.

1 Samuel 28:8 - So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. "Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name."

1 Samuel 28:9 - But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?"

1 Samuel 28:10 - Saul swore to her by the Lord, "As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this."

1 Samuel 28:11 - Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" "Bring up Samuel," he said.

1 Samuel 28:12 - When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!"

1 Samuel 28:13 - The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth."

1 Samuel 28:14 - "What does he look like?" he asked. "An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

1 Samuel 28:15 - Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" "I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."

1 Samuel 28:16 - Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy?

1 Samuel 28:17 - The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors - to David.

1 Samuel 28:18 - Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.

1 Samuel 28:19 - The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines."

1 Samuel 28:20 - Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.

1 Samuel 28:21 - When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, "Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do.

1 Samuel 28:22 - Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way."

1 Samuel 28:23 - He refused and said, "I will not eat." But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.

1 Samuel 28:24 - The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast.

1 Samuel 28:25 - Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.

1 Samuel - Chapter 29

Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag

1 Samuel 29:1 - The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel.

1 Samuel 29:2 - As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish.

1 Samuel 29:3 - The commanders of the Philistines asked, "What about these Hebrews?" Achish replied, "Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him."

1 Samuel 29:4 - But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, "Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master's favor than by taking the heads of our own men?

1 Samuel 29:5 - Isn't this the David they sang about in their dances: "'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?"

1 Samuel 29:6 - So Achish called David and said to him, "As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don't approve of you.

1 Samuel 29:7 - Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers."

1 Samuel 29:8 - "But what have I done?" asked David. "What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can't I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"

1 Samuel 29:9 - Achish answered, "I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, 'He must not go up with us into battle.'

1 Samuel 29:10 - Now get up early, along with your master's servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light."

1 Samuel 29:11 - So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel - Chapter 30

David Destroys the Amalekites

1 Samuel 30:1 - David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it,

1 Samuel 30:2 - and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

1 Samuel 30:3 - When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

1 Samuel 30:4 - So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.

1 Samuel 30:5 - David's two wives had been captured - Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

1 Samuel 30:6 - David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

1 Samuel 30:7 - Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him,

1 Samuel 30:8 - and David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."

1 Samuel 30:9 - David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.

1 Samuel 30:10 - Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.

1 Samuel 30:11 - They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat -

1 Samuel 30:12 - part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

1 Samuel 30:13 - David asked him, "Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.

1 Samuel 30:14 - We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag."

1 Samuel 30:15 - David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?" He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them."

1 Samuel 30:16 - He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.

1 Samuel 30:17 - David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.

1 Samuel 30:18 - David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

1 Samuel 30:19 - Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

1 Samuel 30:20 - He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, "This is David's plunder."

1 Samuel 30:21 - Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were.

1 Samuel 30:22 - But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go."

1 Samuel 30:23 - David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.

1 Samuel 30:24 - Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike."

1 Samuel 30:25 - David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

1 Samuel 30:26 - When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, "Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord's enemies."

1 Samuel 30:27 - David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir;

1 Samuel 30:28 - to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa

1 Samuel 30:29 - and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites;

1 Samuel 30:30 - to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak

1 Samuel 30:31 - and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

1 Samuel - Chapter 31

Saul Takes His Life

1 Samuel 31:1 - Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.

1 Samuel 31:2 - The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.

1 Samuel 31:3 - The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.

1 Samuel 31:4 - Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me." But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

1 Samuel 31:5 - When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.

1 Samuel 31:6 - So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.

1 Samuel 31:7 - When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

1 Samuel 31:8 - The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

1 Samuel 31:9 - They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.

1 Samuel 31:10 - They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

1 Samuel 31:11 - When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

1 Samuel 31:12 - all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them.

1 Samuel 31:13 - Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

I Samuel 31 - Last Chapter

2 Samuel - Introduction

1st and 2nd Samuel were originally one book.

2nd Samuel depict David as a true (though imperfect) representative of the ideal theocratic king. David was initially acclaimed king at Hebron by the tribe of Judah (chapters 1-4), and subsequently was accepted by the remaining tibes after the murder of Ish-Bosheth, one of Saul's surviving sons (chapter 5:1-5). David's leadership was decisive and effective. He captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made it his royal city and residence. Shortly afterward he brough the ark of the Lord from the house of Abinadab to Jerusalem, publickly acknowledging the Lord's kingship and rule over himself and the nation (chapter 6).

Under David's rule the Lord caused the nation to prosper, to defeat its enemies and, in fulfillment of his promise (Genesis 15:18), to extend its borders from Egypt to the Euphrates. David wanted to build a temple for the Lord - as his royal house, as a place for his throne (the ark) and as a place for Israel to worship him. But the prophet Nathan told David that he was not to build the Lord a house (temple), rather, the Lord would build David a house (dynasty). Chapter 7 announces the Lord's promise that his Davidic dynasty would endure forever. This climactic chapter also describes the establishment of the Davidic convneant, a covenant that promises ultimate victory over the evil one through the offspring of Eve (Genesis 3:15). This promise - which had come to be focused on Shem and his descendants, then on Abraham and his descendants, and then on Judah and his descendants - is now focused specifically on the royal family of David. Later the prophets make clear that a descendant of David who sits on David's throne will perfectly fulfill the role of the theocratic king. He will complete the redemption of God's people (Isaiah (:6-7; 11:1-16; Jeremiah 23:5-6; 30:8-9; 33:14-16; Ezekial 34:23-24; 37:24-25), thus enabling them to achieve the promised victory with him (Romans 16:20).

After the description of David's rule in its glory and success, chapters 10-20 depict the darker side of his reign and describe David's weaknesses and failures. Even though David remained a king after God's own heart because he was willing to acknowledge his sin and repent (12:13), he nevertheless fell far short of the theocratic ideal and suffered the disciplinary results of his disobedience (12:10-12). His sin with Bathsheba and his leniency both with the wickedness of his sons, and with the insubordination of Joab led to intrigue, violence and bloodshed within his own family and the nation. It eventually drove him from Jerusalem at the time of Absalom's rebellion. Nonetheless the Lord was gracious to David, and his reign became a standard by which the reigns of later kings were measured.

The book ends with David's own words of praise to God, who had delivered him from all his enemies, and with words of expectation for the fulfillment of God's promise that a king will come from the house of David and rule "over men in righteousness" (23:3-5). These songs echo many of the themes of Hannah's song (1st Samuel 2:1-10), and together they frame the basic narrative.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 1

David Hears of Saul's Death

2 Samuel 1:1 - After the death of Saul, David returned from striking down the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.

2 Samuel 1:2 - On the third day a man arrived from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.

2 Samuel 1:3 - "Where have you come from?" David asked him. He answered, "I have escaped from the Israelite camp."

2 Samuel 1:4 - "What happened?" David asked. "Tell me." "The men fled from the battle," he replied. "Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead."

2 Samuel 1:5 - Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"

2 Samuel 1:6 - "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa," the young man said, "and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and their drivers in hot pursuit.

2 Samuel 1:7 - When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, 'What can I do?'

2 Samuel 1:8 - "He asked me, 'Who are you?' "'An Amalekite,' I answered.

2 Samuel 1:9 - "Then he said to me, 'Stand here by me and kill me! I'm in the throes of death, but I'm still alive.'

2 Samuel 1:10 - "So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord."

2 Samuel 1:11 - Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them.

2 Samuel 1:12 - They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

2 Samuel 1:13 - David said to the young man who brought him the report, "Where are you from?" "I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite," he answered.

2 Samuel 1:14 - David asked him, "Why weren't you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?"

2 Samuel 1:15 - Then David called one of his men and said, "Go, strike him down!" So he struck him down, and he died.

2 Samuel 1:16 - For David had said to him, "Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, 'I killed the Lord's anointed.'"

David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan

2 Samuel 1:17 - David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,

2 Samuel 1:18 - and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

2 Samuel 1:19 - "A gazelle lies slain on your heights, Israel. How the mighty have fallen!

2 Samuel 1:20 - "Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.

2 Samuel 1:21 - "Mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, may no showers fall on your terraced fields. For there the shield of the mighty was despised, the shield of Saul - no longer rubbed with oil.

2 Samuel 1:22 - "From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.

2 Samuel 1:23 - Saul and Jonathan - in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

2 Samuel 1:24 - "Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.

2 Samuel 1:25 - "How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.

2 Samuel 1:26 - I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.

2 Samuel 1:27 - "How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!"

2nd Samuel - Chapter 2

David Anointed King Over Judah

2 Samuel 2:1 - In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. "Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" he asked. The Lord said, "Go up." David asked, "Where shall I go?" "To Hebron," the Lord answered.

2 Samuel 2:2 - So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

2 Samuel 2:3 - David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns.

2 Samuel 2:4 - Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah. When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul,

2 Samuel 2:5 - he sent messengers to them to say to them, "The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him.

2 Samuel 2:6 - May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this.

2 Samuel 2:7 - Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them." War Between the Houses of David and Saul

2 Samuel 2:8 - Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.

2 Samuel 2:9 - He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.

2 Samuel 2:10 - Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David.

2 Samuel 2:11 - The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.

2 Samuel 2:12 - Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.

2 Samuel 2:13 - Joab son of Zeruiah and David's men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

2 Samuel 2:14 - Then Abner said to Joab, "Let's have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us." "All right, let them do it," Joab said.

2 Samuel 2:15 - So they stood up and were counted off - twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David.

2 Samuel 2:16 - Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent's side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.

2 Samuel 2:17 - The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David's men.

2 Samuel 2:18 - The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle.

2 Samuel 2:19 - He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him.

2 Samuel 2:20 - Abner looked behind him and asked, "Is that you, Asahel?" "It is," he answered.

2 Samuel 2:21 - Then Abner said to him, "Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons." But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

2 Samuel 2:22 - Again Abner warned Asahel, "Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?"

2 Samuel 2:23 - But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel's stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.

2 Samuel 2:24 - But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon.

2 Samuel 2:25 - Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

2 Samuel 2:26 - Abner called out to Joab, "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?"

2 Samuel 2:27 - Joab answered, "As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning."

2 Samuel 2:28 - So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

2 Samuel 2:29 - All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours and came to Mahanaim.

2 Samuel 2:30 - Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David's men were found missing.

2 Samuel 2:31 But David's men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner.

2 Samuel 2:32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 3

2 Samuel 3:1 - The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

2 Samuel 3:2 - Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;

2 Samuel 3:3 - his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

2 Samuel 3:4 - the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

2 Samuel 3:5 - and the sixth, Ithream the son of David's wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

Abner Goes Over to David

2 Samuel 3:6 - During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul.

2 Samuel 3:7 - Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, "Why did you sleep with my father's concubine?"

2 Samuel 3:8 - Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, "Am I a dog's head - on Judah's side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven't handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman!

2 Samuel 3:9 - May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the Lord promised him on oath

2 Samuel 3:10 - and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David's throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba."

2 Samuel 3:11 - Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

2 Samuel 3:12 - Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, "Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you."

2 Samuel 3:13 - "Good," said David. "I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me."

2 Samuel 3:14 - Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, "Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins."

2 Samuel 3:15 - So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish.

2 Samuel 3:16 - Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go back home!" So he went back.

2 Samuel 3:17 - Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, "For some time you have wanted to make David your king.

2 Samuel 3:18 - Now do it! For the Lord promised David, 'By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.'"

2 Samuel 3:19 - Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do.

2 Samuel 3:20 - When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men.

2 Samuel 3:21 - Then Abner said to David, "Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires." So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

Joab Murders Abner

2 Samuel 3:22 - Just then David's men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

2 Samuel 3:23 - When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

2 Samuel 3:24 - So Joab went to the king and said, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone!

2 Samuel 3:25 - You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing."

2 Samuel 3:26 - Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it.

2 Samuel 3:27 - Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.

2 Samuel 3:28 - Later, when David heard about this, he said, "I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.

2 Samuel 3:29 - May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab's family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food."

2 Samuel 3:30 - (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

2 Samuel 3:31 - Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, "Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner." King David himself walked behind the bier.

2 Samuel 3:32 - They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner's tomb. All the people wept also.

2 Samuel 3:33 - The king sang this lament for Abner: "Should Abner have died as the lawless die?

2 Samuel 3:34 - Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell as one falls before the wicked." And all the people wept over him again.

2 Samuel 3:35 - Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!"

2 Samuel 3:36 - All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them.

2 Samuel 3:37 - So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

2 Samuel 3:38 - Then the king said to his men, "Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day?

2 Samuel 3:39 - And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!"

2nd Samuel - Chapter 4

Ish-Bosheth Murdered

2 Samuel 4:1 - When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed.

2 Samuel 4:2 - Now Saul's son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin - Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,

2 Samuel 4:3 - because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day.

2 Samuel 4:4 - (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

2 Samuel 4:5 - Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest.

2 Samuel 4:6 - They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

2 Samuel 4:7 - They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah.

2 Samuel 4:8 - They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring."

2 Samuel 4:9 - David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble,

2 Samuel 4:10 - when someone told me, 'Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!

2 Samuel 4:11 - How much more - when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed - should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!"

2 Samuel 4:12 - So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner's tomb at Hebron.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 5

David Becomes King Over Israel

2 Samuel 5:1 - All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood.

2 Samuel 5:2 - In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'"

2 Samuel 5:3 - When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.

2 Samuel 5:4 - David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.

2 Samuel 5:5 - In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

David Conquers Jerusalem

2 Samuel 5:6 - The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here."

2 Samuel 5:7 - Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion - which is the City of David.

2 Samuel 5:8 - On that day David had said, "Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those 'lame and blind' who are David's enemies." That is why they say, "The 'blind and lame' will not enter the palace."

2 Samuel 5:9 - David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward.

2 Samuel 5:10 - And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.

2 Samuel 5:11 - Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.

2 Samuel 5:12 - Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

2 Samuel 5:13 - After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.

2 Samuel 5:14 - These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

2 Samuel 5:15 - Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

2 Samuel 5:16 - Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

2 Samuel 5:17 - When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.

2 Samuel 5:18 - Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;

2 Samuel 5:19 - so David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?" The Lord answered him, "Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands."

2 Samuel 5:20 - So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, "As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me." So that place was called Baal Perazim.

2 Samuel 5:21 - The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.

2 Samuel 5:22 - Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;

2 Samuel 5:23 - so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees.

2 Samuel 5:24 - As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army."

2 Samuel 5:25 - So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 6

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 6:1 - David again brought together all the able young men of Israel - thirty thousand.

2 Samuel 6:2 - He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark.

2 Samuel 6:3 - They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart

2 Samuel 6:4 - with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it.

2 Samuel 6:5 - David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.

2 Samuel 6:6 - When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.

2 Samuel 6:7 - The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.

2 Samuel 6:8 - Then David was angry because the Lord's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.

2 Samuel 6:9 - David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, "How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?"

2 Samuel 6:10 - He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

2 Samuel 6:11 - The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.

2 Samuel 6:12 - Now King David was told, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.

2 Samuel 6:13 - When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.

2 Samuel 6:14 - Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might,

2 Samuel 6:15 - while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

2 Samuel 6:16 - As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

2 Samuel 6:17 - They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord.

2 Samuel 6:18 - After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty.

2 Samuel 6:19 - Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.

2 Samuel 6:20 - When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

2 Samuel 6:21 - David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel - I will celebrate before the Lord.

2 Samuel 6:22 - I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

2 Samuel 6:23 - And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 7

God's Promise to David

2 Samuel 7:1 - After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him,

2 Samuel 7:2 - he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."

2 Samuel 7:3 - Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you."

2 Samuel 7:4 - But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

2 Samuel 7:5 - "Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?

2 Samuel 7:6 - I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling.

2 Samuel 7:7 - Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'

2 Samuel 7:8 - "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel.

2 Samuel 7:9 - I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth.

2 Samuel 7:10 - And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning

2 Samuel 7:11 - and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. "'The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you:

2 Samuel 7:12 - When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.

2 Samuel 7:13 - He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

2 Samuel 7:14 - I will be his father, and he will be my son. When (if) he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.

2 Samuel 7:15 - But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

2 Samuel 7:16 - Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"

2 Samuel 7:17 - Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

David's Prayer

2 Samuel 7:18 - Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: "Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

2 Samuel 7:19 - And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant - and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!

2 Samuel 7:20 - "What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord.

2 Samuel 7:21 - For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

2 Samuel 7:22 - "How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

2 Samuel 7:23 - And who is like your people Israel - the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?

2 Samuel 7:24 - You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.

2 Samuel 7:25 - "And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised,

2 Samuel 7:26 - so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, 'The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.

2 Samuel 7:27 - "Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.

2 Samuel 7:28 - Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

2 Samuel 7:29 - Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."

2nd Samuel - Chapter 8

David's Victories

2 Samuel 8:1 - In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.

2 Samuel 8:2 - David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.

2 Samuel 8:3 - Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument at the Euphrates River.

2 Samuel 8:4 - David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

2 Samuel 8:5 - When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them.

2 Samuel 8:6 - He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

2 Samuel 8:7 - David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 8:8 - From Tebah and Berothai, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze.

2 Samuel 8:9 - When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,

2 Samuel 8:10 - he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold and of bronze.

2 Samuel 8:11 - King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued:

2 Samuel 8:12 - Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

2 Samuel 8:13 - And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

2 Samuel 8:14 - He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

David's Officials

2 Samuel 8:15 - David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.

2 Samuel 8:16 - Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;

2 Samuel 8:17 - Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary;

2 Samuel 8:18 - Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David's sons were priests.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 9

David and Mephibosheth

2 Samuel 9:1 - David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

2 Samuel 9:2 - Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "At your service," he replied.

2 Samuel 9:3 - The king asked, "Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet."

2 Samuel 9:4 - "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."

2 Samuel 9:5 - So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.

2 Samuel 9:6 - When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "At your service," he replied.

2 Samuel 9:7 - "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table."

2 Samuel 9:8 - Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"

2 Samuel 9:9 - Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's steward, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.

2 Samuel 9:10 - You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

2 Samuel 9:11 - Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons.

2 Samuel 9:12 - Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 9:13 - And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table; he was lame in both feet.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 10

David Defeats the Ammonites

2 Samuel 10:1 - In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king.

2 Samuel 10:2 David thought, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David's men came to the land of the Ammonites,

2 Samuel 10:3 the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Hasn't David sent them to you only to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?"

2 Samuel 10:4 So Hanun seized David's envoys, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.

2 Samuel 10:5 When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."

2 Samuel 10:6 When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maakah with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob.

2 Samuel 10:7 On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men.

2 Samuel 10:8 The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maakah were by themselves in the open country.

2 Samuel 10:9 Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans.

2 Samuel 10:10 He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites.

2 Samuel 10:11 Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you.

2 Samuel 10:12 Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight."

2 Samuel 10:13 Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.

2 Samuel 10:14 When the Ammonites realized that the Arameans were fleeing, they fled before Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 10:15 After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped.

2 Samuel 10:16 Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the Euphrates River; they went to Helam, with Shobak the commander of Hadadezer's army leading them.

2 Samuel 10:17 When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him.

2 Samuel 10:18 But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobak the commander of their army, and he died there.

2 Samuel 10:19 When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 11

David and Bathsheba

2 Samuel 11:1 - In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 11:2 - One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,

2 Samuel 11:3 - and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite."

2 Samuel 11:4 - Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home.

2 Samuel 11:5 - The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."

2 Samuel 11:6 - So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David.

2 Samuel 11:7 - When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going.

2 Samuel 11:8 - Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.

2 Samuel 11:9 - But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house.

2 Samuel 11:10 - David was told, "Uriah did not go home." So he asked Uriah, "Haven't you just come from a military campaign? Why didn't you go home?"

2 Samuel 11:11 - Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!"

2 Samuel 11:12 - Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.

2 Samuel 11:13 - At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home.

2 Samuel 11:14 - In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.

2 Samuel 11:15 - In it he wrote, "Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."

2 Samuel 11:16 - So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were.

2 Samuel 11:17 - When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

2 Samuel 11:18 - Joab sent David a full account of the battle.

2 Samuel 11:19 - He instructed the messenger: "When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle,

2 Samuel 11:20 - the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall?

2 Samuel 11:21 - Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.'"

2 Samuel 11:22 - The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say.

2 Samuel 11:23 - The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate.

2 Samuel 11:24 - Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead."

2 Samuel 11:25 - David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab."

2 Samuel 11:26 - When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.

2 Samuel 11:27 - After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 12

Nathan Rebukes David (Parable of David's Sin)

2 Samuel 12:1 - The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.

2 Samuel 12:2 - The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,

2 Samuel 12:3 - but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

2 Samuel 12:4 - "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him."

2 Samuel 12:5 - David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!

2 Samuel 12:6 - He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."

2 Samuel 12:7 - Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

2 Samuel 12:8 - I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.

2 Samuel 12:9 - Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

2 Samuel 12:10 - Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'

2 Samuel 12:11 - "This is what the Lord says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.

2 Samuel 12:12 - You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'"

2 Samuel 12:13 - Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.

2 Samuel 12:14 - But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die."

2 Samuel 12:15 - After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill.

2 Samuel 12:16 - David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.

2 Samuel 12:17 - The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.

2 Samuel 12:18 - On the seventh day the child died. David's attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, "While the child was still living, he wouldn't listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate."

2 Samuel 12:19 - David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. "Is the child dead?" he asked. "Yes," they replied, "he is dead."

2 Samuel 12:20 - Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

2 Samuel 12:21 - His attendants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"

2 Samuel 12:22 - He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.'

2 Samuel 12:23 - But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."

2 Samuel 12:24 - Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him;

2 Samuel 12:25 - and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.

2 Samuel 12:26 - Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel.

2 Samuel 12:27 - Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, "I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply.

2 Samuel 12:28 - Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me."

2 Samuel 12:29 - So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and attacked and captured it.

2 Samuel 12:30 - David took the crown from their king's head, and it was placed on his own head. It weighed a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones. David took a great quantity of plunder from the city

2 Samuel 12:31 - and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brickmaking. David did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 13

Amnon and Tamar

2 Samuel 13:1 - In the course of time, /U>Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David.

2 Samuel 13:2 - Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.

2 Samuel 13:3 - Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man.

2 Samuel 13:4 - He asked Amnon, "Why do you, the king's son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won't you tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."

2 Samuel 13:5 - "Go to bed and pretend to be ill," Jonadab said. "When your father comes to see you, say to him, 'I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.'"

2 Samuel 13:6 - So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, "I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand."

2 Samuel 13:7 - David sent word to Tamar at the palace: "Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him."

2 Samuel 13:8 - So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it.

2 Samuel 13:9 - Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat. "Send everyone out of here," Amnon said. So everyone left him.

2 Samuel 13:10 - Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand." And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom.

2 Samuel 13:11 - But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, "Come to bed with me, my sister."

2 Samuel 13:12 - "No, my brother!" she said to him. "Don't force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don't do this wicked thing.

2 Samuel 13:13 - What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you."

2 Samuel 13:14 - But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.

2 Samuel 13:15 - Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, "Get up and get out!"

2 Samuel 13:16 - "No!" she said to him. "Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me." But he refused to listen to her.

2 Samuel 13:17 - He called his personal servant and said, "Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her."

2 Samuel 13:18 - So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore.

2 Samuel 13:19 - Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.

2 Samuel 13:20 - Her brother Absalom said to her, "Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart." And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman.

2 Samuel 13:21 - When King David heard all this, he was furious.

2 Samuel 13:22 - And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.

Absalom Kills Amnon

2 Samuel 13:23 - Two years later, when Absalom's sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come there.

2 Samuel 13:24 - Absalom went to the king and said, "Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?"

2 Samuel 13:25 - "No, my son," the king replied. "All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you." Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.

2 Samuel 13:26 - Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us." The king asked him, "Why should he go with you?"

2 Samuel 13:27 - But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king's sons.

2 Samuel 13:28 - Absalom ordered his men, "Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, 'Strike Amnon down,' then kill him. Don't be afraid. Haven't I given you this order? Be strong and brave."

2 Samuel 13:29 - So Absalom's men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.

2 Samuel 13:30 - While they were on their way, the report came to David: "Absalom has struck down all the king's sons; not one of them is left."

2 Samuel 13:31 - The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn.

2 Samuel 13:32 - But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, "My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom's express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar.

2 Samuel 13:33 - My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king's sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead."

2 Samuel 13:34 - Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, "I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill."

2 Samuel 13:35 - Jonadab said to the king, "See, the king's sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said."

2 Samuel 13:36 - As he finished speaking, the king's sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly.

2 Samuel 13:37 - Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son.

2 Samuel 13:38 - After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years.

2 Samuel 13:39 - And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon's death.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 14

Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 14:1 - Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom.

2 Samuel 14:2 - So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, "Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don't use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead.

2 Samuel 14:3 - Then go to the king and speak these words to him." And Joab put the words in her mouth.

2 Samuel 14:4 - When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, "Help me, Your Majesty!"

2 Samuel 14:5 - The king asked her, "What is troubling you?" She said, "I am a widow; my husband is dead.

2 Samuel 14:6 - I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him.

2 Samuel 14:7 - Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, 'Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.' They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth."

2 Samuel 14:8 - The king said to the woman, "Go home, and I will issue an order in your behalf."

2 Samuel 14:9 - But the woman from Tekoa said to him, "Let my lord the king pardon me and my family, and let the king and his throne be without guilt."

2 Samuel 14:10 - The king replied, "If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again."

2 Samuel 14:11 - She said, "Then let the king invoke the Lord his God to prevent the avenger of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed." "As surely as the Lord lives," he said, "not one hair of your son's head will fall to the ground."

2 Samuel 14:12 - Then the woman said, "Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." "Speak," he replied.

2 Samuel 14:13 - The woman said, "Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son?

2 Samuel 14:14 - Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.

2 Samuel 14:15 - "And now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, 'I will speak to the king; perhaps he will grant his servant's request.

2 Samuel 14:16 - Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God's inheritance.'

2 Samuel 14:17 - "And now your servant says, 'May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the Lord your God be with you.'"

2 Samuel 14:18 - Then the king said to the woman, "Don't keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you." "Let my lord the king speak," the woman said.

2 Samuel 14:19 - The king asked, "Isn't the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant.

2 Samuel 14:20 - Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God - he knows everything that happens in the land."

2 Samuel 14:21 - The king said to Joab, "Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom."

2 Samuel 14:22 - Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king. Joab said, "Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant's request."

2 Samuel 14:23 - Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 14:24 - But the king said, "He must go to his own house; he must not see my face." So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king.

2 Samuel 14:25 - In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him.

2 Samuel 14:26 - Whenever he cut the hair of his head - he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him - he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels by the royal standard.

2 Samuel 14:27 - Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter's name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman.

2 Samuel 14:28 - Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king's face.

2 Samuel 14:29 - Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come.

2 Samuel 14:30 - Then he said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire." So Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

2 Samuel 14:31 - Then Joab did go to Absalom's house, and he said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"

2 Samuel 14:32 - Absalom said to Joab, "Look, I sent word to you and said, 'Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there!"' Now then, I want to see the king's face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death."

2 Samuel 14:33 - So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 15

Absalom's Conspiracy

2 Samuel 15:1 - In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him.

2 Samuel 15:2 - He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, "What town are you from?" He would answer, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel."

2 Samuel 15:3 - Then Absalom would say to him, "Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you."

2 Samuel 15:4 - And Absalom would add, "If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice."

2 Samuel 15:5 - Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him.

2 Samuel 15:6 - Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

2 Samuel 15:7 - At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord.

2 Samuel 15:8 - While your servant was living at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: 'If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.'"

2 Samuel 15:9 - The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he went to Hebron.

2 Samuel 15:10 - Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'"

2 Samuel 15:11 - Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter.

2 Samuel 15:12 - While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom's following kept on increasing.

David Flees

2 Samuel 15:13 - A messenger came and told David, "The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom."

2 Samuel 15:14 - Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword."

2 Samuel 15:15 - The king's officials answered him, "Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses."

2 Samuel 15:16 - The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines to take care of the palace.

2 Samuel 15:17 - So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at the edge of the city.

2 Samuel 15:18 - All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.

2 Samuel 15:19 - The king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland.

2 Samuel 15:20 - You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness."

2 Samuel 15:21 - But Ittai replied to the king, "As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be."

2 Samuel 15:22 - David said to Ittai, "Go ahead, march on." So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.

2 Samuel 15:23 - The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

2 Samuel 15:24 - Zadok was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

2 Samuel 15:25 - Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord's eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again.

2 Samuel 15:26 - But if he says, 'I am not pleased with you,' then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him."

2 Samuel 15:27 - The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Do you understand? Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar's son Jonathan. You and Abiathar return with your two sons.

2 Samuel 15:28 - I will wait at the fords in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me."

2 Samuel 15:29 - So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.

2 Samuel 15:30 - But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.

2 Samuel 15:31 - Now David had been told, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." So David prayed, "Lord, turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness."

2 Samuel 15:32 - When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head.

2 Samuel 15:33 - David said to him, "If you go with me, you will be a burden to me.

2 Samuel 15:34 - But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father's servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,' then you can help me by frustrating Ahithophel's advice.

2 Samuel 15:35 - Won't the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king's palace.

2 Samuel 15:36 - Their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear."

2 Samuel 15:37 - So Hushai, David's confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom was entering the city.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 16

David and Ziba

2 Samuel 16:1 - When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.

2 Samuel 16:2 - The king asked Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the wilderness."

2 Samuel 16:3 - The king then asked, "Where is your master's grandson?" Ziba said to him, "He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, 'Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather's kingdom.'"

2 Samuel 16:4 - Then the king said to Ziba, "All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours." "I humbly bow," Ziba said. "May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king."

Shimei Curses David

2 Samuel 16:5 - As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out.

2 Samuel 16:6 - He pelted David and all the king's officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David's right and left.

2 Samuel 16:7 - As he cursed, Shimei said, "Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel!

2 Samuel 16:8 - The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!"

2 Samuel 16:9 - Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head."

2 Samuel 16:10 - But the king said, "What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, 'Curse David,' who can ask, 'Why do you do this?'"

2 Samuel 16:11 - David then said to Abishai and all his officials, "My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.

2 Samuel 16:12 - It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today."

2 Samuel 16:13 - So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.

2 Samuel 16:14 - The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.

The Advice of Ahithophel and Hushai

2 Samuel 16:15 - Meanwhile, Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him.

2 Samuel 16:16 - Then Hushai the Arkite, David's confidant, went to Absalom and said to him, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"

2 Samuel 16:17 - Absalom said to Hushai, "So this is the love you show your friend? If he's your friend, why didn't you go with him?"

2 Samuel 16:18 - Hushai said to Absalom, "No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel - his I will be, and I will remain with him.

2 Samuel 16:19 - Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you."

2 Samuel 16:20 - Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give us your advice. What should we do?"

2 Samuel 16:21 - Ahithophel answered, "Sleep with your father's concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute."

2 Samuel 16:22 - So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

2 Samuel 16:23 - Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel's advice.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 17

2 Samuel 17:1 - Ahithophel said to Absalom, "I would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.

2 Samuel 17:2 - I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king

2 Samuel 17:3 - and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed."

2 Samuel 17:4 - This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel.

2 Samuel 17:5 - But Absalom said, "Summon also Hushai the Arkite, so we can hear what he has to say as well."

2 Samuel 17:6 - When Hushai came to him, Absalom said, "Ahithophel has given this advice. Should we do what he says? If not, give us your opinion."

2 Samuel 17:7 - Hushai replied to Absalom, "The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time.

2 Samuel 17:8 - You know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter; he will not spend the night with the troops.

2 Samuel 17:9 - Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place. If he should attack your troops first, whoever hears about it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.'

2 Samuel 17:10 - Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave.

2 Samuel 17:11 - "So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba - as numerous as the sand on the seashore - be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle.

2 Samuel 17:12 - Then we will attack him wherever he may be found, and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive.

2 Samuel 17:13 - If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not so much as a pebble is left."

2 Samuel 17:14 - Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel." For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.

2 Samuel 17:15 - Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, "Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so.

2 Samuel 17:16 - Now send a message at once and tell David, 'Do not spend the night at the fords in the wilderness; cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.'"

2 Samuel 17:17 - Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel. A female servant was to go and inform them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city.

2 Samuel 17:18 - But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So the two of them left at once and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it.

2 Samuel 17:19 - His wife took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it. No one knew anything about it.

2 Samuel 17:20 - When Absalom's men came to the woman at the house, they asked, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" The woman answered them, "They crossed over the brook." The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 17:21 - After they had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, "Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you."

2 Samuel 17:22 - So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

2 Samuel 17:23 - When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father's tomb.

Absalom's Death

2 Samuel 17:24 - David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.

2 Samuel 17:25 - Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether, an Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab.

2 Samuel 17:26 - The Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

2 Samuel 17:27 - When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim

2 Samuel 17:28 - brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils,

2 Samuel 17:29 - honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows' milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, "The people have become exhausted and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness."

2nd Samuel - Chapter 18

2 Samuel 18:1 - David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.

2 Samuel 18:2 - David sent out his troops, a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king told the troops, "I myself will surely march out with you."

2 Samuel 18:3 - But the men said, "You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city."

2 Samuel 18:4 - The king answered, "I will do whatever seems best to you." So the king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands.

2 Samuel 18:5 - The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, "Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake." And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.

2 Samuel 18:6 - David's army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.

2 Samuel 18:7 - There Israel's troops were routed by David's men, and the casualties that day were great - twenty thousand men.

2 Samuel 18:8 - The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.

2 Samuel 18:9 - Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

2 Samuel 18:10 - When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree."

2 Samuel 18:11 - Joab said to the man who had told him this, "What! You saw him? Why didn't you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior's belt."

2 Samuel 18:12 - But the man replied, "Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king's son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.'

2 Samuel 18:13 - And if I had put my life in jeopardy - and nothing is hidden from the king - you would have kept your distance from me."

2 Samuel 18:14 - Joab said, "I'm not going to wait like this for you." So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom's heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree.

2 Samuel 18:15 - And ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.

2 Samuel 18:16 - Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them.

2 Samuel 18:17 - They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.

2 Samuel 18:18 - During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, "I have no son to carry on the memory of my name." He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day.

David Mourns

2 Samuel 18:19 - Now Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, "Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him by delivering him from the hand of his enemies."

2 Samuel 18:20 - "You are not the one to take the news today," Joab told him. "You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king's son is dead."

2 Samuel 18:21 - Then Joab said to a Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.

2 Samuel 18:22 - Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, "Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite." But Joab replied, "My son, why do you want to go? You don't have any news that will bring you a reward."

2 Samuel 18:23 - He said, "Come what may, I want to run." So Joab said, "Run!" Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.

2 Samuel 18:24 - While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone.

2 Samuel 18:25 - The watchman called out to the king and reported it. The king said, "If he is alone, he must have good news." And the runner came closer and closer.

2 Samuel 18:26 - Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, "Look, another man running alone!" The king said, "He must be bringing good news, too."

2 Samuel 18:27 - The watchman said, "It seems to me that the first one runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok." "He's a good man," the king said. "He comes with good news."

2 Samuel 18:28 - Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, "All is well!" He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, "Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king."

2 Samuel 18:29 - The king asked, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" Ahimaaz answered, "I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king's servant and me, your servant, but I don't know what it was."

2 Samuel 18:30 - The king said, "Stand aside and wait here." So he stepped aside and stood there.

2 Samuel 18:31 - Then the Cushite arrived and said, "My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you."

2 Samuel 18:32 - The king asked the Cushite, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" The Cushite replied, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man."

2 Samuel 18:33 - The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you - O Absalom, my son, my son!"

2nd Samuel - Chapter 19

2 Samuel 19:1 - Joab was told, "The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom."

2 Samuel 19:2 - And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, "The king is grieving for his son."

2 Samuel 19:3 - The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle.

2 Samuel 19:4 - The king covered his face and cried aloud, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!"

2 Samuel 19:5 - Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, "Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines.

2 Samuel 19:6 - You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.

2 Samuel 19:7 - Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don't go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now."

2 Samuel 19:8 - So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, "The king is sitting in the gateway," they all came before him. Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes.

David Returns to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 19:9 - Throughout the tribes of Israel, all the people were arguing among themselves, saying, "The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines. But now he has fled the country to escape from Absalom;

2 Samuel 19:10 - and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?"

2 Samuel 19:11 - King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: "Ask the elders of Judah, 'Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace, since what is being said throughout Israel has reached the king at his quarters?

2 Samuel 19:12 - You are my relatives, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king?'

2 Samuel 19:13 - And say to Amasa, 'Are you not my own flesh and blood? May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you are not the commander of my army for life in place of Joab.'"

2 Samuel 19:14 - He won over the hearts of the men of Judah so that they were all of one mind. They sent word to the king, "Return, you and all your men."

2 Samuel 19:15 - Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan. Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal to go out and meet the king and bring him across the Jordan.

2 Samuel 19:16 - Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David.

2 Samuel 19:17 - With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba, the steward of Saul's household, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was.

2 Samuel 19:18 - They crossed at the ford to take the king's household over and to do whatever he wished. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king

2 Samuel 19:19 - and said to him, "May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind.

2 Samuel 19:20 - For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first from the tribes of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king."

2 Samuel 19:21 - Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, "Shouldn't Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the Lord's anointed."

2 Samuel 19:22 - David replied, "What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don't I know that today I am king over Israel?"

2 Samuel 19:23 - So the king said to Shimei, "You shall not die." And the king promised him on oath.

2 Samuel 19:24 - Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely.

2 Samuel 19:25 - When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, "Why didn't you go with me, Mephibosheth?"

2 Samuel 19:26 - He said, "My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, 'I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.' But Ziba my servant betrayed me.

2 Samuel 19:27 - And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever you wish.

2 Samuel 19:28 - All my grandfather's descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?"

2 Samuel 19:29 - The king said to him, "Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the land."

2 Samuel 19:30 - Mephibosheth said to the king, "Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has returned home safely."

2 Samuel 19:31 - Barzillai the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and to send him on his way from there.

2 Samuel 19:32 - Now Barzillai was very old, eighty years of age. He had provided for the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man.

2 Samuel 19:33 - The king said to Barzillai, "Cross over with me and stay with me in Jerusalem, and I will provide for you."

2 Samuel 19:34 - But Barzillai answered the king, "How many more years will I live, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king?

2 Samuel 19:35 - I am now eighty years old. Can I tell the difference between what is enjoyable and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats and drinks? Can I still hear the voices of male and female singers? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?

2 Samuel 19:36 - Your servant will cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance, but why should the king reward me in this way?

2 Samuel 19:37 - Let your servant return, that I may die in my own town near the tomb of my father and mother. But here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever you wish."

2 Samuel 19:38 - The king said, "Kimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him whatever you wish. And anything you desire from me I will do for you."

2 Samuel 19:39 - So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and bid him farewell, and Barzillai returned to his home.

2 Samuel 19:40 - When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham crossed with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel had taken the king over.

2 Samuel 19:41 - Soon all the men of Israel were coming to the king and saying to him, "Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, steal the king away and bring him and his household across the Jordan, together with all his men?"

2 Samuel 19:42 - All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, "We did this because the king is closely related to us. Why are you angry about it? Have we eaten any of the king's provisions? Have we taken anything for ourselves?"

2 Samuel 19:43 - Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, "We have ten shares in the king; so we have a greater claim on David than you have. Why then do you treat us with contempt? Weren't we the first to speak of bringing back our king?" But the men of Judah pressed their claims even more forcefully than the men of Israel.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 20

Sheba Rebels Against David

2 Samuel 20:1 - Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted, "We have no share in David, no part in Jesse's son! Every man to his tent, Israel!"

2 Samuel 20:2 - So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 20:3 - When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.

2 Samuel 20:4 - Then the king said to Amasa, "Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself."

2 Samuel 20:5 - But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.

2 Samuel 20:6 - David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master's men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us."

2 Samuel 20:7 - So Joab's men and the Kerethites and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

2 Samuel 20:8 - While they were at the great rock in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath.

2 Samuel 20:9 - Joab said to Amasa, "How are you, my brother?" Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

2 Samuel 20:10 - Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger in Joab's hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri.

2 Samuel 20:11 - One of Joab's men stood beside Amasa and said, "Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!"

2 Samuel 20:12 - Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him.

2 Samuel 20:13 - After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

2 Samuel 20:14 - Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah and through the entire region of the Bikrites, who gathered together and followed him.

2 Samuel 20:15 - All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah. They built a siege ramp up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down,

2 Samuel 20:16 - a wise woman called from the city, "Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him."

2 Samuel 20:17 - He went toward her, and she asked, "Are you Joab?" "I am," he answered. She said, "Listen to what your servant has to say." "I'm listening," he said.

2 Samuel 20:18 - She continued, "Long ago they used to say, 'Get your answer at Abel,' and that settled it.

2 Samuel 20:19 - We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord's inheritance?"

2 Samuel 20:20 - "Far be it from me!" Joab replied, "Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy!

2 Samuel 20:21 - That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I'll withdraw from the city." The woman said to Joab, "His head will be thrown to you from the wall."

2 Samuel 20:22 - Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.

David's Officials

2 Samuel 20:23 - Joab was over Israel's entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites;

2 Samuel 20:24 - Adoniram was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;

2 Samuel 20:25 - Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite was David's priest.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 21

The Gibeonites Avenged

2 Samuel 21:1 - During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death."

2 Samuel 21:2 - The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.)

2 Samuel 21:3 - David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord's inheritance?"

2 Samuel 21:4 - The Gibeonites answered him, "We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death." "What do you want me to do for you?" David asked.

2 Samuel 21:5 - They answered the king, "As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel,

2 Samuel 21:6 - let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul - the Lord's chosen one." So the king said, "I will give them to you."

2 Samuel 21:7 - The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

2 Samuel 21:8 - But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah's daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

2 Samuel 21:9 - He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.

2 Samuel 21:10 - Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night.

2 Samuel 21:11 - When David was told what Aiah's daughter Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done,

2 Samuel 21:12 - he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)

2 Samuel 21:13 - David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.

2 Samuel 21:14 - They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.

Wars Against the Philistines

2 Samuel 21:15 - Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted.

2 Samuel 21:16 - And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David.

2 Samuel 21:17 - But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, saying, "Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished."

2 Samuel 21:18 - In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.

2 Samuel 21:19 - In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod.

2 Samuel 21:20 - In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot - twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha.

2 Samuel 21:21 - When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him.

2 Samuel 21:22 - These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 22

David's Song of Praise

2 Samuel 22:1 - David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

2 Samuel 22:2 - He said: "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

2 Samuel 22:3 - my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior - from violent people you save me.

2 Samuel 22:4 - "I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.

2 Samuel 22:5 - The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

2 Samuel 22:6 - The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

2 Samuel 22:7 - "In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.

2 Samuel 22:8 - The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry.

2 Samuel 22:9 - Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.

2 Samuel 22:10 - He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

2 Samuel 22:11 - He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.

2 Samuel 22:12 - He made darkness his canopy around him - the dark rain clouds of the sky.

2 Samuel 22:13 - Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth.

2 Samuel 22:14 - The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

2 Samuel 22:15 - He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

2 Samuel 22:16 - The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of breath from his nostrils.

2 Samuel 22:17 - "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.

2 Samuel 22:18 - He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.

2 Samuel 22:19 - They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.

2 Samuel 22:20 - He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

2 Samuel 22:21 - "The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

2 Samuel 22:22 - For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God.

2 Samuel 22:23 - All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.

2 Samuel 22:24 - I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.

2 Samuel 22:25 - The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.

2 Samuel 22:26 - "To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

2 Samuel 22:27 - to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.

2 Samuel 22:28 - You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.

2 Samuel 22:29 - You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.

2 Samuel 22:30 - With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.

2 Samuel 22:31 - "As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.

2 Samuel 22:32 - For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?

2 Samuel 22:33 - It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.

2 Samuel 22:34 - He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.

2 Samuel 22:35 - He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

2 Samuel 22:36 - You make your saving help my shield; your help has made me great.

2 Samuel 22:37 - You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.

2 Samuel 22:38 - "I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

2 Samuel 22:39 - I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.

2 Samuel 22:40 - You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me.

2 Samuel 22:41 - You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.

2 Samuel 22:42 - They cried for help, but there was no one to save them - to the Lord, but he did not answer.

2 Samuel 22:43 - I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.

2 Samuel 22:44 - "You have delivered me from the attacks of the peoples; you have preserved me as the head of nations. People I did not know now serve me,

2 Samuel 22:45 - foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.

2 Samuel 22:46 - They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.

2 Samuel 22:47 - "The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!

2 Samuel 22:48 - He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me,

2 Samuel 22:49 - who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me.

2 Samuel 22:50 - Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.

2 Samuel 22:51 - "He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever."

2nd Samuel - Chapter 23

David's Last Words

2 Samuel 23:1 These are the last words of David: "The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel's songs:

2 Samuel 23:2 - "The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.

2 Samuel 23:3 - The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: 'When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God,

2 Samuel 23:4 - he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.'

2 Samuel 23:5 - "If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire.

2 Samuel 23:6 - But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand.

2 Samuel 23:7 - Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burned up where they lie."

David's Mighty Warriors

2 Samuel 23:8 - These are the names of David's mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

2 Samuel 23:9 - Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated,

2 Samuel 23:10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.

2 Samuel 23:11 - Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them.

2 Samuel 23:12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

2 Samuel 23:13 - During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

2 Samuel 23:14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.

2 Samuel 23:15 David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!"

2 Samuel 23:16 So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord.

2 Samuel 23:17 "Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.

2 Samuel 23:18 - Abishai the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three.

2 Samuel 23:19 Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them.

2 Samuel 23:20 - Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab's two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

2 Samuel 23:21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.

2 Samuel 23:22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors.

2 Samuel 23:23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

2 Samuel 23:24 - Among the Thirty were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,

2 Samuel 23:25 - Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

2 Samuel 23:26 - Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,

2 Samuel 23:27 - Abiezer from Anathoth, Sibbekai the Hushathite,

2 Samuel 23:28 - Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

2 Samuel 23:29 - Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin,

2 Samuel 23:30 - Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai from the ravines of Gaash,

2 Samuel 23:31 - Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

2 Samuel 23:32 - Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan

2 Samuel 23:33 - son of Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,

2 Samuel 23:34 - Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

2 Samuel 23:35 - Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

2 Samuel 23:36 - Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, the son of Hagri,

2 Samuel 23:37 - Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,

2 Samuel 23:38 - Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite

2 Samuel 23:39 - and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.

2nd Samuel - Chapter 24

David Enrolls the Fighting Men

2 Samuel 24:1 - Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah."

2 Samuel 24:2v So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are."

2 Samuel 24:3 - But Joab replied to the king, "May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?"

2 Samuel 24:4 - The king's word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.

2 Samuel 24:5 - After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.

2 Samuel 24:6 - They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.

2 Samuel 24:7 - Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.

2 Samuel 24:8 - After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

2 Samuel 24:9 - Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.

2 Samuel 24:10 - David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing."

2 Samuel 24:11 - Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David's seer:

2 Samuel 24:12 - "Go and tell David, 'This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.'"

2 Samuel 24:13 - So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me."

2 Samuel 24:14 - David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands."

2 Samuel 24:15 - So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.

2 Samuel 24:16 - When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

2 Samuel 24:17 - When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, "I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family."

David Builds an Altar

2 Samuel 24:18 - On that day Gad went to David and said to him, "Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."

2 Samuel 24:19 - So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad.

2 Samuel 24:20 - When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

2 Samuel 24:21 - Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" "To buy your threshing floor," David answered, "so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped."

2 Samuel 24:22 - Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.

2 Samuel 24:23 - Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the Lord your God accept you."

2 Samuel 24:24 - But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.

2 Samuel 24:25 - David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

II Samuel 24 - Last Chapter

1st Kings - Chapter 1

I Kings 22 - Last Chapter

2nd Kings - Chapter 1

II Kings 25 - Last Chapter

1st Chronicles - Chapter 28

I Chronicles 28:9 - And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

I Chronicles 29 - Last Chapter

2nd Chronicles - Chapter 1

II Chronicles 36 - Last Chapter

History - Ezra (440 BC)

The oldest manuscripts of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT treat Ezra and Nehemiah as one book.

Most scholars conclude that the author/compiler of Ezra and Nehemiah was also the author of 1,2 Chronicles.

Outline:

• First Return from Exile and Rebuilding of the Temple (Chapters 1-6)
• First Return of the Exiles (Chapter 1)
• List of Returning Exiles (Chapter 2)
• Revival of Temple Worship (Chapter 3)
• Opposition to Rebuilding (Chapter 4:1-23)
• Completion of the Temple (Chapters 4:24-6:22)
• Ezra's Return and reforms (Chapters 7-10)
• Ezra's Return (Chapters 7-8)
• Ezra's Reforms (Chapters 9-10)

Ezra - Chapter 1 - Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return

Ezra 1:1 - In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

Ezra 1:2 - "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.

Ezra 1:3 - Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them.

Ezra 1:4 - And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.'"

Ezra 1:5 - Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites - everyone whose heart God had moved - prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

Ezra 1:6 - All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

Ezra 1:7 - Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.

Ezra 1:8 - Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

Ezra 1:9 - This was the inventory:
gold dishes 30
silver dishes 1,000
silver pans 29

Ezra 1:10 - gold bowls 30
matching silver bowls 410
other articles 1,000

Ezra 1:11 - In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra 10 - Last Chapter

Nehemiah - Chapter 1

Nehemiah 13 - Last Chapter

Esther - Chapter 1

Esther 10 - Last Chapter

Job - Chapter 1

Job 1:1 - In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

Job 1:3 - He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

Job 1:6 - One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.

Job 1:7 - The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

Job 1:8 - Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God, and shuns evil."

Job 1:9 - Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied.

Job 1:10 - Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.

Job 1:11 - But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.

Job 1:12 - The Lord said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job 1:13 - One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,

Job 1:14 - a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby,

Job 1:15 - and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!

Job 1:16 - While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

Job 1:21 - Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.

Job - Chapter 2

Job 2:4 - "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life.

Job 2:5 - But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and He will surely curse you to your face."

Job 2:9 - His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

Job 2:10 - He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

Job - Chapter 3

Job 3:1 - After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

Job 3:20 - Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul,

Job 3:21 - to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure.

Job - Chapter 4

Job 4:7 - Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished?

Job - Chapter 5

Job 5:2 - Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.

Job 5:17 - Blessed is the man whom God corrects...

Job 5:26 - You will come to the grave in full vigor...

Job - Chapter 6

Job 6:10 - Then I would still have this consolation - my joy in unrelenting pain - that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.

Job 6:15 - But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams...

Job 6:21 - Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid.

Job 6:24 - Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong.

Job 6:25 - How painful are honest words!

Job - Chapter 7

Job 7:20 - O watcher of men? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?

Job 7:21 - Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins?

Job - Chapter 8

Job 8:1-3 - Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: (2) "How long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind. (3) Does God pervert justice?

Job 8:20 - Surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers.

Job 8:22 - Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more.

Job - Chapter 9

Job 9:1-2 - (1) Then Job replied: (2)"Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can a mortal be righteous before God?"

Job 9:9 - He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

Job 9:15 - Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.

Job 9:20 - Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.

Job 9:22 - He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.

Job 9:24 - If it is not he, then who is it?

Job - Chapter 10

Job 10:3 - Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?

Job 10:4 - Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees?

Job 10:8 - Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me?

Job 10:18 - Why then did you bring me out of the womb?

Job - Chapter 11

Job 11:1 - Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

Job 11:5 - Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you...

Job 11:14 - if you put away the sin that is in your hand...

Job 11:16 - You will surely forget your trouble....

Job - Chapter 12

Job 12:3 - Then Job replied, "I am not inferior to you."

Job 12:5 - Men at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

Job 12:8 - ...or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you.

Job 12:11 - Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?

Job 12:17 - He leads counselors away stripped and makes fools of judges.

Job - Chapter 13

Job 13:4 - You, however, smear me with lies; you are worthless physicians, all of you!

Job 13:5 - If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom.

Job 13:9 - Would it turn out well if he examined you?

Job 13:15 - Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.

Job - Chapter 14

Job 14:14 - If a man dies, will he live again?

Job 14:16 - Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin.

Job - Chapter 15

Job 15:6 - Your own mouth condems you, not mine; your own lips testify against you.

Job - Chapter 16

Job 16:2-3 - (2) ...miserable comforters are you all! (3) Will your long-winded speeches never end?

Job 16:5 - But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

Job 16:17 - ...yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure.

Job 16:19 - Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.

Job 16:20 - My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God;

Job 16:21 - on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.

Job - Chapter 17

Job - Chapter 18

Job 18:19 - He has no offspring or descendants among his people, no survivor where once he lived.

Job 18:21 - Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man; such is the place of one who knows not God.

Job - Chapter 19

Job 19:4 - If it is true that I have gone astray, my error remains my concern alone.

Job 19:25 - I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

Job 19:28 - If you say, "How we will hound him, since the root of the trouble lies in him,

Job 19:29 - you should fear the sword yourselves; for wrath will bring punishment by the sword, and then you will know that there is judgment.

Job - Chapter 20

Job 20:5 - ...the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.

Job 20:12-14 - (12) Though evil is sweet in his mouth... (14) it will become the venom of serpents within him.

Job 20:18 - What he toiled for he must give back uneaten; he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.

Job 20:20 - Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure.

Job - Chapter 21

Job 21:7 - Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?

Job 21:13 - They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.

Job 21:14 - Yet they say to God, "Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways."

Job 21:19 - It is said, "God stores up a man's punishment for his sons." Let him repay the man himself, so that he will know it!

Job - Chapter 22

Job 22:23 - If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent...

Job - Chapter 23

Job 23:11 - My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.

Job - Chapter 24

Job - Chapter 25

Job 25:4 - How then can a man be righteous before God?

Job - Chapter 26

Job - Chapter 27

Job - Chapter 28

Job 28:18-20 - (18) ...the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. (19) it cannot be bought with pure gold. (20) Whre then does wisdom come from?

Job 28:23 - God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells.

Job 28:28 - The fear of the Lord -- that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.

Job - Chapter 29

Job 29:14 - I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.

Job - Chapter 30

Job - Chapter 31

Job 31:1 - I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.

Job 31:11-12 - (11) For that would have been shameful, a sin to be judged. (12) It is a fire that burns to Destruction.

Job 31:24 - If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, "You are my security...

Job 31:28 - then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

Job - Chapter 32

Job 32:1 - So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

Job - Chapter 33

Job - Chapter 34

Job 34:3 - For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.

Job 34:10-11 - (10) Far be it from God to do evil,... (11) He repays a man for what he has done; he brings upon him what his conduct deserves.

Job 34:33 - Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent?

Job - Chapter 35

Job - Chapter 36

Job 36:1-4 - (1) Elihu continued: (4) one perfect in knowledge is with you.

Job 36:16 - He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction...

Job 36:18 - Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

Job 36:19 - Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress?

Job - Chapter 37

Job 37:24 - Therefore, men revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?

Job - Chapter 38

Job 38:1 - Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.

Job 38:2 - Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?

Job 38:33 - Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?

Job - Chapter 39

Job 39:16-17 - (16) She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers; she cares not that her labor was in vain, (17) for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense.

Job - Chapter 40

Job 40:1 - The Lord said to Job:

Job 40:8 - Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

Job 40:15+19 - (15) Look at the behemoth, (19) He ranks first among the works of God.

Job - Chapter 41

Job 41:1 - Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope?

Job 41:8 - If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!

Job 41:11 - Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.

Job - Chapter 42

Job 42:1-2 - (1) Then Job replied to the Lord: (2) I know tht you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.

Job 42:8 - My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly.

Job 42:10 - After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

Job 42:12 - The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first.

Job 42:13 - And he also had seven sons and three daughters.

Job 42:15 - Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

Job 42:16 - After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years.

Job 42 - Last Chapter

Psalms - Chapter 1

Psalms 1:1 - Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

Psalms 1:2 - But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his not hers; she cards not that her labor was in vain,ddfdfdsddfssdfsdfsdfsdflaw he meditates day and night.

Psalms 1:6 - For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalms - Chapter 3

Psalms 3:5 - I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

Psalms - Chapter 4

Psalms 4:8 - I will lie don and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalms - Chapter 7

Psalms 7:15 - The trouble he causes recoils on himself.