Saul’s Growing Fear of David

18 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan^(A) became one in spirit with David, and he loved^(B) him as himself.^{(C) 2} From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. ³ And Jonathan made a covenant^(D) with David because he loved him as himself. ⁴ Jonathan took off the robe^(E) he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.^(F)

⁵ Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful^(G) that Saul gave him a high rank in the army.^(H) This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.

⁶ When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing,^(I) with joyful songs and with timbrels^(J) and lyres. ⁷ As they danced, they sang:^(K)

⁸ Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?^(M)” ⁹ And from that time on Saul kept a close^(N) eye on David.

¹⁰ The next day an evil^[a] spirit^(O) from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre,^(P) as he usually^(Q) did. Saul had a spear^(R) in his hand ¹¹ and he hurled it, saying to himself,^(S) “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded^(T) him twice.^(U)

¹² Saul was afraid^(V) of David, because the Lord^(W) was with^(X) David but had departed from^(Y) Saul. ¹³ So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led^(Z) the troops in their campaigns.^{(AA) 14} In everything he did he had great success,^(AB) because the Lord was with^(AC) him. ¹⁵ When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. ¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.^(AD)

¹⁷ Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter^(AE) Merab. I will give her to you in marriage;^(AF) only serve me bravely and fight the battles^(AG) of the Lord.” For Saul said to himself,^(AH) “I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!”

¹⁸ But David said to Saul, “Who am I,^(AI) and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?^(AJ)” ¹⁹ So^[b] when the time came for Merab,^(AK) Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.^(AL)

²⁰ Now Saul’s daughter Michal^(AM) was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.^{(AN) 21} “I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare^(AO) to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.”

²² Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.’”

²³ They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law?^(AP) I’m only a poor man and little known.”

²⁴ When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, ²⁵ Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price^(AQ) for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge^(AR) on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan^(AS) was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

²⁶ When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, ²⁷ David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal^(AT) in marriage.

²⁸ When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal^(AU) loved David, ²⁹ Saul became still more afraid^(AV) of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

³⁰ The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success^(AW) than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.

Levi

6 ^[a]The sons of Levi:^(A)

The Temple Musicians^(X)

³¹ These are the men^(Y) David put in charge of the music^(Z) in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there. ³² They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.

³³ Here are the men who served, together with their sons:

⁴⁸ Their fellow Levites^(AI) were assigned to all the other duties of the tabernacle, the house of God. ⁴⁹ But Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar^(AJ) of burnt offering and on the altar of incense^(AK) in connection with all that was done in the Most Holy Place, making atonement for Israel, in accordance with all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

⁵⁴ These were the locations of their settlements^(AM) allotted as their territory (they were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clan, because the first lot was for them):

⁶¹ The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of half the tribe of Manasseh.

⁶² The descendants of Gershon, clan by clan, were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali, and from the part of the tribe of Manasseh that is in Bashan.

⁶³ The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, were allotted twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

⁶⁴ So the Israelites gave the Levites these towns^(AT) and their pasturelands. ⁶⁵ From the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin they allotted the previously named towns.

⁶⁶ Some of the Kohathite clans were given as their territory towns from the tribe of Ephraim.

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

3 In those days John the Baptist^(B) came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven^(C) has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

⁴ John’s^(E) clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.^(F) His food was locusts^(G) and wild honey. ⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized^(H) by him in the Jordan River.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!^(I) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(J) 8} Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.^{(K) 9} And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(L) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.^(M)

¹¹ “I baptize you with^[b] water for repentance.^(N) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with^[c] the Holy Spirit^(O) and fire.^{(P) 12} His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”^(Q)

The Baptism of Jesus^(R)

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.^{(S) 14} But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened,^(T) and he saw the Spirit of God^(U) descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven^(V) said, “This is my Son,^(W) whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”^(X)