Monday, 20 May

1.   Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2.   Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. 3.   The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. 4.   Then Saul said to his armorbearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and abuse me." But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. 5.   And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. 6.   So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together. 7.   And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; then the Philistines came and dwelt in them. 8.   So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9.   And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among the people. 10.   Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. 11.   And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12.   all the valiant men arose and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons; and they brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days. 13.   So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. 14.   But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

1.   Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, "Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. 2.   "Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’" 3.   Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. Then they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel. 4.   And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were , the inhabitants of the land. 5.   Then the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You shall not come in here!" Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). 6.   Now David said, "Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain." And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. 7.   Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the City of David. 8.   And he built the city around it, from the Millo to the surrounding area. Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9.   Then David went on and became great, and the LORD of hosts was with him. 10.   Now these were the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. 11.   And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam the son of a Hachmonite, chief of the captains; he had lifted up his spear against three hundred, killed by him at one time. 12.   After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. 13.   He was with David at Pasdammim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. And the people fled from the Philistines. 14.   But they stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory. 15.   Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16.   David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 17.   And David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" 18.   So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. 19.   And he said, "Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy ? For at the risk of their lives they brought it." Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men. 20.   Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another three. He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men , killed them , and won a name among these three. 21.   Of the three he was more honored than the other two men. Therefore he became their captain. However he did not attain to the first three. 22.   Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion–like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 23.   And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 24.   These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. 25.   Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard. 26.   Also the mighty warriors were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27.   Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28.   Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29.   Sibbechai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30.   Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31.   Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32.   Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33.   Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34.   the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, 35.   Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36.   Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37.   Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38.   Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39.   Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite (the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), 40.   Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41.   Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42.   Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and thirty with him, 43.   Hanan the son of Maachah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44.   Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45.   Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 46.   Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, 47.   Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

1.   Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, 2.   armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul’s brethren. 3.   The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite; 4.   Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; 5.   Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6.   Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; 7.   and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor. 8.   Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains: 9.   Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, 10.   Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11.   Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12.   Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13.   Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh. 14.   These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand. 15.   These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west. 16.   Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. 17.   And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, "If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment." 18.   Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: "We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you." So David received them, and made them captains of the troop. 19.   And some from Manasseh defected to David when he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement, saying, "He may defect to his master Saul and endanger our heads." 20.   When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh. 21.   And they helped David against the bands of raiders , for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. 22.   For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God. 23.   Now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD: 24.   of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred armed for war; 25.   of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor fit for war, seven thousand one hundred; 26.   of the sons of Levi four thousand six hundred; 27.   Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him three thousand seven hundred; 28.   Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his father’s house twenty–two captains; 29.   of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, three thousand (until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul); 30.   of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men throughout their father’s house; 31.   of the half–tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king; 32.   of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command; 33.   of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks; 34.   of Naphtali one thousand captains, and with them thirty–seven thousand with shield and spear; 35.   of the Danites who could keep battle formation, twenty–eight thousand six hundred; 36.   of Asher, those who could go out to war, able to keep battle formation, forty thousand; 37.   of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half–tribe of Manasseh, from the other side of the Jordan, one hundred and twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war. 38.   All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king. 39.   And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them. 40.   Moreover those who were near to them, from as far away as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys and camels, on mules and oxen––provisions of flour and cakes of figs and cakes of raisins, wine and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.

1.   Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2.   Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one. 3.   I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4.   Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. 5.   For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. 6.   Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7.   and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. 8.   For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9.   Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10.   For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11.   For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 12.   Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you. 13.   Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14.   For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true. 15.   And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. 16.   Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything.