2 Samuel 19

New International Version

19 ^[a]Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” ²And 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.” ³The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle. ⁴The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”

⁵Then 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. ⁶You 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. ⁷Now 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.”^(A)

⁸So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway,^(B)” they all came before him.

Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes.

David Returns to Jerusalem

⁹Throughout 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.^(C) But now he has fled the country to escape from Absalom;^(D) ¹⁰and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”

¹¹King David sent this message to Zadok^(E) 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? ¹²You are my relatives, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king?’ ¹³And say to Amasa,^(F) ‘Are you not my own flesh and blood?^(G) May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(H) if you are not the commander of my army for life in place of Joab.^(I)’”

¹⁴He 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.” ¹⁵Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan.

Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal^(J) to go out and meet the king and bring him across the Jordan. ¹⁶Shimei^(K) son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. ¹⁷With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba,^(L) the steward of Saul’s household,^(M) and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was. ¹⁸They 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 ¹⁹and 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.^(N) May the king put it out of his mind. ²⁰For 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.”

²¹Then Abishai^(O) son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed^(P) the Lord’s anointed.”^(Q)

²²David replied, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?^(R) What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today?^(S) Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel?” ²³So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king promised him on oath.^(T)

²⁴Mephibosheth,^(U) 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. ²⁵When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Why didn’t you go with me,^(V) Mephibosheth?”

²⁶He said, “My lord the king, since I your servant am lame,^(W) I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.’ But Ziba^(X) my servant betrayed me. ²⁷And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel^(Y) of God; so do whatever you wish. ²⁸All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death^(Z) from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table.^(AA) So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?”

²⁹The king said to him, “Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the land.”

³⁰Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has returned home safely.”

³¹Barzillai^(AB) the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and to send him on his way from there. ³²Now 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^(AC) man. ³³The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me and stay with me in Jerusalem, and I will provide for you.”

³⁴But Barzillai answered the king, “How many more years will I live, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king? ³⁵I am now eighty^(AD) 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?^(AE) Why should your servant be an added^(AF) burden to my lord the king? ³⁶Your servant will cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance, but why should the king reward me in this way? ³⁷Let your servant return, that I may die in my own town near the tomb of my father^(AG) and mother. But here is your servant Kimham.^(AH) Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever you wish.”

³⁸The 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.”

³⁹So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and bid him farewell,^(AI) and Barzillai returned to his home.

⁴⁰When 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.

⁴¹Soon 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?”^(AJ)

⁴²All 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?”

⁴³Then the men of Israel^(AK) 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.

Footnotes

2 Samuel 19:1 In Hebrew texts 19:1-43 is numbered 19:2-44.

Isaiah 40

New International Version

Comfort for God’s People

40 Comfort, comfort^(A) my people,
    says your God.
²Speak tenderly^(B) to Jerusalem,
    and proclaim to her
that her hard service^(C) has been completed,^(D)
    that her sin has been paid for,^(E)
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
    double^(F) for all her sins.

³A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way^(G) for the Lord^[a];
make straight^(H) in the desert
    a highway for our God.^[b]^(I)
⁴Every valley shall be raised up,^(J)
    every mountain and hill^(K) made low;
the rough ground shall become level,^(L)
    the rugged places a plain.
⁵And the glory^(M) of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.^(N)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”^(O)

⁶A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass,^(P)
    and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
⁷The grass withers^(Q) and the flowers fall,
    because the breath^(R) of the Lord blows^(S) on them.
    Surely the people are grass.
⁸The grass withers and the flowers^(T) fall,
    but the word^(U) of our God endures^(V) forever.^(W)”

⁹You who bring good news^(X) to Zion,
    go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,^[c]^(Y)
    lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
    say to the towns of Judah,
    “Here is your God!”^(Z)
¹⁰See, the Sovereign Lord comes^(AA) with power,^(AB)
    and he rules^(AC) with a mighty arm.^(AD)
See, his reward^(AE) is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.
¹¹He tends his flock like a shepherd:^(AF)
    He gathers the lambs in his arms^(AG)
and carries them close to his heart;^(AH)
    he gently leads^(AI) those that have young.^(AJ)

¹²Who has measured the waters^(AK) in the hollow of his hand,^(AL)
    or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?^(AM)
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
    or weighed the mountains on the scales
    and the hills in a balance?^(AN)
¹³Who can fathom the Spirit^[d]^(AO) of the Lord,
    or instruct the Lord as his counselor?^(AP)
¹⁴Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
    and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,^(AQ)
    or showed him the path of understanding?^(AR)

¹⁵Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
    they are regarded as dust on the scales;^(AS)
    he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.^(AT)
¹⁶Lebanon^(AU) is not sufficient for altar fires,
    nor its animals^(AV) enough for burnt offerings.
¹⁷Before him all the nations^(AW) are as nothing;^(AX)
    they are regarded by him as worthless
    and less than nothing.^(AY)

¹⁸With whom, then, will you compare God?^(AZ)
    To what image^(BA) will you liken him?
¹⁹As for an idol,^(BB) a metalworker casts it,
    and a goldsmith^(BC) overlays it with gold^(BD)
    and fashions silver chains for it.
²⁰A person too poor to present such an offering
    selects wood^(BE) that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
    to set up an idol^(BF) that will not topple.^(BG)

²¹Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?^(BH)
Has it not been told^(BI) you from the beginning?^(BJ)
    Have you not understood^(BK) since the earth was founded?^(BL)
²²He sits enthroned^(BM) above the circle of the earth,
    and its people are like grasshoppers.^(BN)
He stretches out the heavens^(BO) like a canopy,^(BP)
    and spreads them out like a tent^(BQ) to live in.^(BR)
²³He brings princes^(BS) to naught
    and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.^(BT)
²⁴No sooner are they planted,
    no sooner are they sown,
    no sooner do they take root^(BU) in the ground,
than he blows^(BV) on them and they wither,^(BW)
    and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.^(BX)

²⁵“To whom will you compare me?^(BY)
    Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.^(BZ)
²⁶Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:^(CA)
    Who created^(CB) all these?
He who brings out the starry host^(CC) one by one
    and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,^(CD)
    not one of them is missing.^(CE)

²⁷Why do you complain, Jacob?
    Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
    my cause is disregarded by my God”?^(CF)
²⁸Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?^(CG)
The Lord is the everlasting^(CH) God,
    the Creator^(CI) of the ends of the earth.^(CJ)
He will not grow tired or weary,^(CK)
    and his understanding no one can fathom.^(CL)
²⁹He gives strength^(CM) to the weary^(CN)
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men^(CO) stumble and fall;^(CP)
³¹but those who hope^(CQ) in the Lord
    will renew their strength.^(CR)
They will soar on wings like eagles;^(CS)
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.^(CT)

Footnotes

Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one calling in the wilderness: / “Prepare the way for the Lord
Isaiah 40:3 Hebrew; Septuagint make straight the paths of our God
Isaiah 40:9 Or Zion, bringer of good news, / go up on a high mountain. / Jerusalem, bringer of good news
Isaiah 40:13 Or mind

Jude

New International Version

¹Jude,^(A) a servant of Jesus Christ^(B) and a brother of James,

To those who have been called,^(C) who are loved in God the Father and kept for^[a] Jesus Christ:^(D)

²Mercy, peace^(E) and love be yours in abundance.^(F)

The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People

³Dear friends,^(G) although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share,^(H) I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend^(I) for the faith^(J) that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.^(K) ⁴For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about^[b] long ago have secretly slipped in among you.^(L) They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.^(M)

⁵Though you already know all this,^(N) I want to remind you^(O) that the Lord^[c] at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.^(P) ⁶And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.^(Q) ⁷In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah^(R) and the surrounding towns^(S) gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.^(T)

⁸In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.^(U) ⁹But even the archangel^(V) Michael,^(W) when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses,^(X) did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”^[d]^(Y) ¹⁰Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.^(Z)

¹¹Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain;^(AA) they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error;^(AB) they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.^(AC)

¹²These people are blemishes at your love feasts,^(AD) eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves.^(AE) They are clouds without rain,^(AF) blown along by the wind;^(AG) autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted^(AH)—twice dead. ¹³They are wild waves of the sea,^(AI) foaming up their shame;^(AJ) wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.^(AK)

¹⁴Enoch,^(AL) the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming^(AM) with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones^(AN) ¹⁵to judge^(AO) everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”^[e]^(AP) ¹⁶These people are grumblers^(AQ) and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires;^(AR) they boast^(AS) about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

A Call to Persevere

¹⁷But, dear friends, remember what the apostles^(AT) of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.^(AU) ¹⁸They said to you, “In the last times^(AV) there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”^(AW) ¹⁹These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.^(AX)

²⁰But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up^(AY) in your most holy faith^(AZ) and praying in the Holy Spirit,^(BA) ²¹keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait^(BB) for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.^(BC)

²²Be merciful to those who doubt; ²³save others by snatching them from the fire;^(BD) to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.^[f]^(BE)

Doxology

²⁴To him who is able^(BF) to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence^(BG) without fault^(BH) and with great joy— ²⁵to the only God^(BI) our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!^(BJ) Amen.^(BK)

Footnotes

Jude 1:1 Or by; or in
Jude 1:4 Or individuals who were marked out for condemnation
Jude 1:5 Some early manuscripts Jesus
Jude 1:9 Jude is alluding to the Jewish Testament of Moses (approximately the first century a.d.).
Jude 1:15 From the Jewish First Book of Enoch (approximately the first century b.c.)
Jude 1:23 The Greek manuscripts of these verses vary at several points.