1 Samuel 30–31
1 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the south as far as Ziklag. They had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire. 2 They had taken as captives all the women who were there. They did not kill anyone, but carried them off and went on their way.
3 David and his men came to the city, and they found it burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters taken captive. 4 So David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no strength in them to weep. 5 Now David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 David was greatly distressed, for the people talked of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in spirit, each over his sons and daughters. But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Please bring the ephod to me.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 David inquired at the Lord, saying, “Should I pursue after this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”
And He answered him, “Pursue them, for you will surely overtake them and will surely recover all.”
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him. And they came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind remained. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross over the brook Besor remained behind.
11 They found an Egyptian in the field and took him to David. He gave him bread and he ate, and they made him drink water. 12 And they gave him a part of a cake of figs and two cakes of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit came back to him, for he had not eaten bread or drunk any water for three days and nights.
13 Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?”
And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. And my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick. 14 We raided the south of the Kerethites, the south of Judah, and the south of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15 David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this raiding party?”
And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will bring you down to this raiding party.”
16 When he brought him down, they were spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 David struck them from twilight until the evening of the next day, and no man escaped except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18 So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 Now there was nothing missing, from the smallest thing to the greatest, neither sons, nor daughters, or plunder, or anything which they had taken. David brought back all of it. 20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before the other livestock. And they said, “This is David’s spoil.”
21 Then David came to the two hundred men, who were too exhausted to follow David, whom they left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people, he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless ones from the men who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them anything from the spoil that we have rescued, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart.”
23 Then David said, “You will not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, for He has preserved us, and has delivered into our hand the raiding party that came against us. 24 And who will listen to you in this matter? Indeed as the share is of the one going down to battle, so will be the share of the one staying with the equipment. They will share equally.” 25 So it was so from that day forward, that he set it as a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift to you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord”: 27 to those who were in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negev, and in Jattir; 28 to those who were in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29 and in Rakal; to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30 to those who were in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak 31 and in Hebron; and to those who were in all the other places where David and his men had roamed.
Chapter 31
1 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and Israel’s fighting men fled before the Philistines and they fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, Saul’s sons. 3 The battle was heavy against Saul. The archers found him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.
4 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me.”
But his armor bearer would not, for he was very afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell upon it. 5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 So Saul died with his three sons and his armor bearer, together with all his men on that same day.
7 When Israel’s fighting men who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that Israel’s fighting men fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. So the Philistines came and lived in them.
8 The following day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent them into the land of the Philistines round about, to make it known in the house of their idols and among their people. 10 They put his armor in the house of Ashtoreth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and went all night, and they took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they mourned, fasting seven days.
Luke 13:23–35
23 Someone said to Him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?”
He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25 Once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’
26 “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’
27 “But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know you, or where you come from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’
28 “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and from the west and from the north and from the south and will sit down to dine in the kingdom of God. 30 Listen, there are the last who will be first, and the first who will be last.”
31 On the same day certain Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.”
32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Look, I cast out demons. And I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I shall be perfected.’ 33 Nevertheless I must travel today and tomorrow and the day following. For it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside Jerusalem.
34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 Look, your house is forsaken. Truly I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”