7 Therefore, since we have these promises,^(A) dear friends,^(B) let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness^(C) out of reverence for God.

David Destroys the Amalekites

30 David and his men reached Ziklag^(A) on the third day. Now the Amalekites^(B) had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned^(C) it, ² and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

³ When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.^{(D) 4} So David and his men wept^(E) aloud until they had no strength left to weep. ⁵ David’s two wives^(F) had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶ David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning^(G) him; each one was bitter^(H) in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength^(I) in the Lord his God.

⁷ Then David said to Abiathar^(J) the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.^(K)” Abiathar brought it to him, ⁸ and David inquired^(L) of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”

“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed^(M) in the rescue.^(N)”

⁹ David and the six hundred men^(O) with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. ¹⁰ Two hundred of them were too exhausted^(P) to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.

¹¹ They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— ¹² part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived,^(Q) for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

¹³ David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?”

He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite.^(R) My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. ¹⁴ We raided the Negev of the Kerethites,^(S) some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb.^(T) And we burned^(U) Ziklag.”

¹⁵ David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?”

He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master,^(V) and I will take you down to them.”

¹⁶ He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling^(W) because of the great amount of plunder^(X) they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. ¹⁷ David fought^(Y) them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.^{(Z) 18} David recovered^(AA) everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. ²⁰ He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

²¹ Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted^(AB) to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. ²² But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”

²³ David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. ²⁴ Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.^(AC)” ²⁵ David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

²⁶ When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift^(AD) for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”

²⁷ David sent it to those who were in Bethel,^(AE) Ramoth^(AF) Negev and Jattir;^{(AG) 28} to those in Aroer,^(AH) Siphmoth,^(AI) Eshtemoa^{(AJ) 29} and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites^(AK) and the Kenites;^{(AL) 30} to those in Hormah,^(AM) Bor Ashan,^(AN) Athak ³¹ and Hebron;^(AO) and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

Saul Takes His Life^(AP)

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.^{(AQ) 2} The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons,^(AR) and they killed his sons Jonathan,^(AS) Abinadab and Malki-Shua.^{(AT) 3} The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded^(AU) him critically.

⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through,^(AV) or these uncircumcised^(AW) fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. ⁵ When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died^(AX) together that same day.

⁷ When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines^(AY) came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news^(AZ) in the temple of their idols and among their people.^{(BA) 10} They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths^(BB) and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.^(BC)

¹¹ When the people of Jabesh Gilead^(BD) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all their valiant men^(BE) marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned^(BF) them. ¹³ Then they took their bones^(BG) and buried them under a tamarisk^(BH) tree at Jabesh, and they fasted^(BI) seven days.^(BJ)

Psalm 125

A song of ascents.

Egypt’s Descent Into the Realm of the Dead

¹⁷ In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:^{(A) 18} “Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt and consign^(B) to the earth below both her and the daughters of mighty nations, along with those who go down to the pit.^{(C) 19} Say to them, ‘Are you more favored than others? Go down and be laid among the uncircumcised.’^{(D) 20} They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; let her be dragged^(E) off with all her hordes.^{(F) 21} From within the realm of the dead^(G) the mighty leaders will say of Egypt and her allies, ‘They have come down and they lie with the uncircumcised,^(H) with those killed by the sword.’

²² “Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword. ²³ Their graves are in the depths of the pit^(I) and her army lies around her grave.^(J) All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword.

²⁴ “Elam^(K) is there, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.^(L) All who had spread terror in the land of the living^(M) went down uncircumcised to the earth below. They bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.^{(N) 25} A bed is made for her among the slain, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised,^(O) killed by the sword. Because their terror had spread in the land of the living, they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among the slain.

²⁶ “Meshek and Tubal^(P) are there, with all their hordes around their graves. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword because they spread their terror in the land of the living. ²⁷ But they do not lie with the fallen warriors of old,^[a](Q) who went down to the realm of the dead with their weapons of war—their swords placed under their heads and their shields^[b] resting on their bones—though these warriors also had terrorized the land of the living.

²⁸ “You too, Pharaoh, will be broken and will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.

²⁹ “Edom^(R) is there, her kings and all her princes; despite their power, they are laid with those killed by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.^(S)

³⁰ “All the princes of the north^(T) and all the Sidonians^(U) are there; they went down with the slain in disgrace despite the terror caused by their power. They lie uncircumcised^(V) with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.^(W)

³¹ “Pharaoh—he and all his army—will see them and he will be consoled^(X) for all his hordes that were killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord. ³² Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh^(Y) and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord.”^(Z)

7 Therefore, since we have these promises,^(A) dear friends,^(B) let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness^(C) out of reverence for God.

Paul’s Joy Over the Church’s Repentance

² Make room for us in your hearts.^(D) We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. ³ I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts^(E) that we would live or die with you. ⁴ I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you.^(F) I am greatly encouraged;^(G) in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.^(H)

⁵ For when we came into Macedonia,^(I) we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn^(J)—conflicts on the outside, fears within.^{(K) 6} But God, who comforts the downcast,^(L) comforted us by the coming of Titus,^{(M) 7} and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

⁸ Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter,^(N) I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— ⁹ yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation^(O) and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹ See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,^(P) what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. ¹² So even though I wrote to you,^(Q) it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong^(R) nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. ¹³ By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus^(S) was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. ¹⁴ I had boasted to him about you,^(T) and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus^(U) has proved to be true as well. ¹⁵ And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient,^(V) receiving him with fear and trembling.^{(W) 16} I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.^(X)