1 Samuel 21-22
English Standard Version
David and the Holy Bread
21 [a] Then David came to (A)Nob, to (B)Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech (C)came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is (D)holy bread—(E)if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him (F)the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, (G)which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was (H)Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.
8 Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.” 9 And the priest said, (I)“The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in (J)the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”
David Flees to Gath
10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to (K)Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? (L)Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,
‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”
12 And David (M)took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
David at the Cave of Adullam
22 David departed from there and escaped to (N)the cave of (O)Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 (P)And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul,[b] gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him (Q)about four hundred men.
3 And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay[c] with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5 Then the prophet (R)Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
Saul Kills the Priests at Nob
6 Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under (S)the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. 7 And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse (T)give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, 8 that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me (U)when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you (V)is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, (W)to lie in wait, as at this day.” 9 Then answered (X)Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse (Y)coming to Nob, to (Z)Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 10 (AA)and he inquired of the Lord for him and (AB)gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and (AC)have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, (AD)to lie in wait, as at this day?” 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and captain over[d] your bodyguard, and honored in your house? 15 Is today the first time (AE)that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, (AF)much or little.” 16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house.” 17 And the king said to (AG)the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, (AH)and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19 And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; (AI)both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.
20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named (AJ)Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, (AK)when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house. 23 (AL)Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 21:1 Ch 21:2 in Hebrew
- 1 Samuel 22:2 Or discontented
- 1 Samuel 22:3 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew go out
- 1 Samuel 22:14 Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew and has turned aside to
Psalm 31
English Standard Version
Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
31 (A)In you, O Lord, do I (B)take refuge;
(C)let me never be put to shame;
in your (D)righteousness deliver me!
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily!
Be (E)a rock of (F)refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me!
3 For you are my rock and my fortress;
and for your (G)name's sake you lead me and guide me;
4 you (H)take me out of (I)the net they have hidden for me,
for you are my (J)refuge.
5 (K)Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, (L)faithful God.
6 I (M)hate[a] those who pay (N)regard to worthless (O)idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have (P)known the distress of my soul,
8 and you have not (Q)delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in (R)a broad place.
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am (S)in distress;
(T)my eye is wasted from grief;
my soul and my body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and (U)my bones waste away.
11 Because of all my adversaries I have become (V)a reproach,
especially to my (W)neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street (X)flee from me.
12 I have been (Y)forgotten like one who is dead;
I have become like (Z)a broken vessel.
13 For I (AA)hear the whispering of many—
terror on every side!—
(AB)as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
14 But I (AC)trust in you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My (AD)times are in your hand;
(AE)rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
16 (AF)Make your face shine on your servant;
save me in your steadfast love!
17 O Lord, (AG)let me not be put to shame,
for I call upon you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go (AH)silently to Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be mute,
which (AI)speak (AJ)insolently against the righteous
in pride and contempt.
19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
(AK)in the sight of the children of mankind!
20 In (AL)the cover of your presence you hide them
from the plots of men;
you (AM)store them in your shelter
from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously (AN)shown his steadfast love to me
when I was in (AO)a besieged city.
22 I had said in my (AP)alarm,[b]
“I am (AQ)cut off from (AR)your sight.”
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
when I cried to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all you his (AS)saints!
The Lord preserves the faithful
but abundantly (AT)repays the one who acts in pride.
24 (AU)Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 31:6 Masoretic Text; one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome You hate
- Psalm 31:22 Or in my haste
Psalm 34
English Standard Version
Taste and See That the Lord Is Good
[a] Of David, when he (A)changed his behavior before (B)Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
34 I will bless the Lord (C)at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul (D)makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and (E)be glad.
3 Oh, (F)magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I (G)sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are (H)radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 (I)This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and (J)saved him out of all his troubles.
7 (K)The angel of the Lord (L)encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, (M)taste and see that (N)the Lord is good!
(O)Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 (P)The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who (Q)seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 (R)Come, O children, listen to me;
(S)I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 (T)What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may (U)see good?
13 (V)Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from (W)speaking deceit.
14 (X)Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and (Y)pursue it.
15 (Z)The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
(AA)and his ears toward their cry.
16 (AB)The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to (AC)cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 (AD)When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to (AE)the brokenhearted
and saves (AF)the crushed in spirit.
19 (AG)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
(AH)but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
(AI)not one of them is broken.
21 (AJ)Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord (AK)redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be (AL)condemned.
Footnotes
- Psalm 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
Acts 11
English Standard Version
Peter Reports to the Church
11 Now the apostles and (A)the brothers[a] who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, (B)the circumcision party[b] criticized him, saying, 3 (C)“You went to uncircumcised men and (D)ate with them.” 4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5 (E)“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, (F)making no distinction. (G)These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 (H)he will declare to you a message by which (I)you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15 As I began to speak, (J)the Holy Spirit fell on them (K)just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, (L)‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then (M)God gave (N)the same gift to them as he gave to us (O)when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, (P)who was I (Q)that I could stand in God's way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they (R)glorified God, saying, (S)“Then to the Gentiles also God has (T)granted (U)repentance that leads to life.”
The Church in Antioch
19 (V)Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists[c] also, (W)preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And (X)the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed (Y)turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw (Z)the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord (AA)with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, (AB)full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people (AC)were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to (AD)Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called (AE)Christians.
27 Now in these days (AF)prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named (AG)Agabus stood up and foretold (AH)by the Spirit that there would be a great (AI)famine over all the world (this took place in the days of (AJ)Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, (AK)to send relief to (AL)the brothers[d] living in Judea. 30 (AM)And they did so, sending it to (AN)the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
Footnotes
- Acts 11:1 Or brothers and sisters
- Acts 11:2 Or Jerusalem, those of the circumcision
- Acts 11:20 Or Greeks (that is, Greek-speaking non-Jews)
- Acts 11:29 Or brothers and sisters
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.