2 Samuel 21–22
1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David called upon the Lord. The Lord said, “There is blood guilt upon Saul and upon his house because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
2 So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not from the children of Israel. Instead they were a remnant of the Amorites. Although the children of Israel had made a pact with them, Saul attempted to destroy them in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. 3 David said to the Gibeonites, “What must I do for you, and with what may I appease you that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?”
4 The Gibeonites said to him, “We have no concern for silver or gold from Saul or his household, nor is it for us to put any man in Israel to death.”
He said to them, “What are you saying I should do for you?”
5 They said to the king, “Regarding the man who put an end to us and planned to exterminate us from the entire territory of Israel, 6 let seven of his male descendants be handed over to us, and we will hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen one of the Lord.”
The king said, “I will hand them over.”
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul on account of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, Armoni and Mephibosheth, whom she had born to Saul, and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she had born to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9 He delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord; the seven of them fell together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, in the beginning of the barley harvest.
10 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of the harvest until the rains poured on them from heaven. She did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the animals of the field by night. 11 When it was reported to David that which Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12 David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had secretly taken them from the plaza in Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them the day the Philistines struck down Saul on Gilboa. 13 He brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged.
14 They interred the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin at Zela, in the tomb of Kish, his father. They did everything that the king commanded. After that God was entreated regarding the land.
15 Now once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. So David went down and his servants with him to fight the Philistines, and David grew weary. 16 Now Ishbi-Benob, who was among the descendants of the giant and was girded with new weaponry, had a spear weighing three hundred bronze shekels and had said that he would strike David down. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David made an oath with him, saying, “You shall no longer come out with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel.”
18 Now afterwards there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbekai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among the descendants of the giant.
19 Once again, there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob. On this occasion, Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite struck down Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam.
20 Once again, there was war at Gath. There was a man of stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number. Now he also was born to the giant. 21 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah, the brother of David, struck him down.
22 Now these four were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Chapter 22
1 Now on the day the Lord delivered him from the hand of all of his enemies and from the hand of Saul, David spoke to the Lord the words of this song. 2 He said:
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 the God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my fortress and my sanctuary;
my Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I call upon the Lord, who is praiseworthy,
and I am saved from my enemies.
5 When the waves of death encompassed me,
the currents of destruction made me afraid.
6 The ropes of Sheol were wrapped around me;
the snares of death were opposite me.
7 In my distress I called on the Lord,
and cried out to my God;
from His temple He heard my voice.
My cry reached His ears.
8 Then the earth quaked and trembled;
the foundations of the heavens rumbled and shook,
because He was angry.
9 Smoke rose from His nostrils,
devouring fire from His mouth;
coals blazed forth from Him.
10 He bowed the heaven as He came down,
with thick darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub as He flew,
and appeared upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness canopies around Him,
dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the brightness before Him
embers of fire are kindled.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered His voice.
15 He sent out arrows and dispersed them;
with lightning He sent them into confusion.
16 The channels of the sea appeared,
the foundations of the world were exposed
with the rebuke of the Lord,
from the blast of breath from His nostrils.
17 He reached from on high and took me;
He drew me out of mighty waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,
from those who hate me;
for they were stronger than I.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me to the open expanse;
He rescued me, for He delighted in me.
21 The Lord did for me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands He recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and I have not become guilty against my God.
23 For all His judgments are before me,
and I have not abandoned His statutes.
24 I am blameless toward Him,
and I have kept myself from guilt.
25 The Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in His sight.
26 With the faithful You prove Yourself faithful;
with the blameless You prove Yourself blameless;
27 with the pure You show Yourself pure;
but with the perverse You show Yourself shrewd.
28 You deliver a humble people;
but Your eyes are upon the exalted to bring them down.
29 For You are my lamp, O Lord;
the Lord illuminates my darkness.
30 For by You I can run over a channel;
by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 As for God, His way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in Him.
32 For who is God except the Lord?
And who is a rock except our God?
33 God is my strong fortress,
and He sets the blameless on His way.
34 He makes my feet like hinds’ feet;
He sets me on my high places.
35 He trains my hand for battle,
so that my arm may bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me a shield of Your salvation,
and Your humility has made me great.
37 You widen my stride under me,
and my feet do stagger.
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them;
I did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them and shattered them so that they did not rise;
they fell under my feet.
40 You girded me with strength for the battle;
You subjugated under me those who rose up against me.
41 You caused my enemies to retreat from me;
I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was no one to save them,
to the Lord, but He did not respond.
43 I crushed them like the dust of the land,
like the mud of the streets, I ground them and stamped them down.
44 You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people;
You have kept me as the head of the nations.
A people whom I have not known will serve me.
45 Foreigners submit to me, cringing;
as soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart;
they gird themselves as they leave their fortresses.
47 The Lord lives; blessed be my rock.
May the God of the rock of my salvation be exalted,
48 the God who gave me retribution
and brought down peoples under me,
49 who brought me out from my enemies.
You exalted me above those who rose up against me;
You delivered me from violent ones.
50 Therefore, I praise You, O Lord, among the nations;
I sing praises to Your name.
51 He is a tower of salvation for His king,
and He acts faithfully toward His anointed,
toward David and his descendants forever.
Luke 18:18–43
18 A certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good, except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother.”
21 He said, “All these I have kept since my youth.”
22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “Yet you lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow Me.”
23 When he heard this he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. 24 When Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Those who heard this said, “Who then can be saved?”
27 He said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” 28 Peter said, “Look, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 He said to them, “Truly, I tell you, there is no man who has left his home or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”
31 Taking the twelve, He said, “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished, 32 for He will be handed over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. 33 They will scourge Him and put Him to death, and on the third day He will rise again.”
34 They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what was spoken.
35 As He was drawing near Jericho, a certain blind man sat along the way begging. 36 Hearing a crowd passing by, he asked what it meant. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
38 He cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who went in front rebuked him, so that he would keep quiet. But he cried out much more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stood and commanded him to be brought to Him. When he came near, He asked him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, grant that I may receive my sight.” 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Him, glorifying God. When all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.