1 Samuel 24
New King James Version
David Spares Saul
24 Now it happened, (A)when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and (B)went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3 So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and (C)Saul went in to (D)attend to his needs. ((E)David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) 4 (F)Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 Now it happened afterward that (G)David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 6 And he said to his men, (H)“The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7 So David (I)restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.
8 David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. 9 And David said to Saul: (J)“Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’? 10 Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11 Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is (K)neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you (L)hunt my life to take it. 12 (M)Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, (N)‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? (O)A dead dog? (P)A flea? 15 (Q)Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and (R)see and (S)plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.”
16 So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, (T)“Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 (U)Then he said to David: “You are (V)more righteous than I; for (W)you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. 18 And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when (X)the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. 19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20 And now (Y)I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 21 (Z)Therefore swear now to me by the Lord (AA)that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.”
22 So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to (AB)the stronghold.
Psalm 57
New King James Version
Prayer for Safety from Enemies(A)
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David (B)when he fled from Saul into the cave.
57 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
(C)And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
(D)Until these calamities have passed by.
2 I will cry out to God Most High,
To God (E)who performs all things for me.
3 (F)He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who [b]would swallow me up. Selah
God (G)shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
4 My soul is among lions;
I lie among the sons of men
Who are set on fire,
(H)Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
5 (I)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 (J)They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me;
Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah
7 (K)My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake, (L)my glory!
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (M)I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the [c]nations.
10 (N)For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.
11 (O)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 57:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 57:3 snaps at or hounds me, or crushes me
- Psalm 57:9 Gentiles
Psalm 58
New King James Version
The Just Judgment of the Wicked
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David.
58 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones?
Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
2 No, in heart you work wickedness;
You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.
3 (A)The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
4 (B)Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;
They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
5 Which will not (C)heed the voice of charmers,
Charming ever so skillfully.
6 (D)Break[b] their teeth in their mouth, O God!
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 (E)Let them flow away as waters which run continually;
When he bends his bow,
Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.
8 Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes,
(F)Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
9 Before your (G)pots can feel the burning thorns,
He shall take them away (H)as with a whirlwind,
As in His living and burning wrath.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the (I)vengeance;
(J)He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
11 (K)So that men will say,
“Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely He is God who (L)judges in the earth.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 58:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 58:6 Break away
Matthew 8
New King James Version
Jesus Cleanses a Leper(A)
8 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 (B)And behold, a leper came and (C)worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy (D)was cleansed.
4 And Jesus said to him, (E)“See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that (F)Moses (G)commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant(H)
5 (I)Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a (J)centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, (K)I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only (L)speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that (M)many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But (N)the sons of the kingdom (O)will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed(P)
14 (Q)Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw (R)his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served [a]them.
Many Healed in the Evening(S)
16 (T)When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
(U)“He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses.”
The Cost of Discipleship(V)
18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 (W)Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
21 (X)Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, (Y)let me first go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Wind and Wave Obey Jesus(Z)
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 (AA)And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then (AB)He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, [b]“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Two Demon-Possessed Men Healed(AC)
28 (AD)When He had come to the other side, to the country of the [c]Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, [d]permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”
32 And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, (AE)they begged Him to depart from their region.
Footnotes
- Matthew 8:15 NU, M Him
- Matthew 8:27 Lit. What sort of man is this
- Matthew 8:28 NU Gadarenes
- Matthew 8:31 NU send us into
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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