1 Samuel 25
Christian Standard Bible
David, Nabal, and Abigail
25 Samuel died,(A) and all Israel assembled to mourn for him,(B) and they buried him by his home in Ramah.(C) David then went down to the Wilderness of Paran.[a](D)
2 A man in Maon(E) had a business in Carmel;(F) he was a very rich man with three thousand sheep and one thousand goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite,(G) was harsh and evil in his dealings.
4 While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep, 5 so David sent ten young men instructing them, “Go up to Carmel, and when you come to Nabal, greet him[b] in my name. 6 Then say this: ‘Long life to you,[c] and peace to you, peace to your family, and peace to all that is yours.(H) 7 I hear that you are shearing.[d] When your shepherds were with us, we did not harass them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were in Carmel.(I) 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, for we have come on a feast[e] day.(J) Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your son David.’”
9 David’s young men went and said all these things to Nabal on David’s behalf,[f] and they waited.[g] 10 Nabal asked them, “Who is David?(K) Who is Jesse’s son? Many slaves these days are running away from their masters. 11 Am I supposed to take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t know where they are from.”
12 David’s young men retraced their steps. When they returned to him, they reported all these words. 13 He said to his men, “All of you, put on your swords!” So each man put on his sword, and David also put on his sword. About four hundred men followed David while two hundred stayed with the supplies.(L)
14 One of Nabal’s young men informed Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master,(M) but he screamed at them. 15 The men treated us very well. When we were in the field, we weren’t harassed(N) and nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among them. 16 They were a wall around us, both day and night,(O) the entire time we were with them herding the sheep. 17 Now consider carefully[h] what you should do, because there is certain to be trouble for our master and his entire family. He is such a worthless fool nobody can talk to him!”
18 Abigail hurried, taking two hundred loaves of bread, two clay jars of wine, five butchered sheep, a bushel[i] of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.(P) 19 Then she said to her male servants, “Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you.”(Q) But she did not tell her husband, Nabal.
20 As she rode the donkey down a mountain pass hidden from view, she saw David and his men coming toward her and met them. 21 David had just said, “I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the wilderness for nothing. He was not missing anything, yet he paid me back evil for good. 22 May God punish me[j] and do so severely(R) if I let any of his males[k] survive until morning.”(S)
23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey and knelt down with her face to the ground and paid homage to David.(T) 24 She knelt at his feet and said, “The guilt is mine, my lord, but please let your servant speak to you directly. Listen to the words of your servant. 25 My lord should pay no attention to this worthless fool Nabal, for he lives up to his name:[l] His name means ‘stupid,’ and stupidity is all he knows.[m] I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men whom you sent. 26 Now my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live—it is the Lord who kept you from participating in bloodshed and avenging yourself(U) by your own hand—may your enemies and those who intend to harm my lord be like Nabal.(V) 27 Let this gift(W) your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive your servant’s offense,(X) for the Lord is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord(Y) because he fights the Lord’s battles.(Z) Throughout your life, may evil[n] not be found in you.(AA)
29 “Someone is pursuing you and intends to take your life. My lord’s life is tucked safely in the place[o] where the Lord your God protects the living, but he is flinging away your enemies’ lives like stones from a sling.(AB) 30 When the Lord does for my lord all the good he promised you and appoints you ruler over Israel,(AC) 31 there will not be remorse or a troubled conscience for my lord because of needless bloodshed or my lord’s revenge. And when the Lord does good things for my lord, may you remember me your servant.”(AD)
32 Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,(AE) who sent you to meet me today! 33 May your discernment be blessed, and may you be blessed. Today you kept me from participating in bloodshed and avenging myself by my own hand.(AF) 34 Otherwise, as surely as the Lord God of Israel lives, who prevented me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, Nabal wouldn’t have had any males[p] left by morning light.” 35 Then David accepted what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace.(AG) See, I have heard what you said and have granted your request.”(AH)
36 Then Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was in his house, holding a feast fit for a king.(AI) Nabal’s heart was cheerful,[q] and he was very drunk, so she didn’t say anything[r] to him(AJ) until morning light.
37 In the morning when Nabal sobered up,[s] his wife told him about these events. His heart died[t] and he became a stone. 38 About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal dead.(AK)
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who championed my cause against Nabal’s insults(AL) and restrained his servant from doing evil.(AM) The Lord brought Nabal’s evil deeds back on his own head.”(AN)
Then David sent messengers to speak to Abigail about marrying him. 40 When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David sent us to bring you to him as a wife.”
41 She stood up, paid homage with her face to the ground,(AO) and said, “Here I am, your servant, a slave to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”(AP) 42 Then Abigail got up quickly, and with her five female servants accompanying her, rode on the donkey following David’s messengers.(AQ) And so she became his wife.
43 David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel,(AR) and the two of them became his wives. 44 But Saul gave his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti(AS) son of Laish, who was from Gallim.(AT)
Footnotes
- 25:1 LXX reads to Maon
- 25:5 Or Nabal, ask him for peace
- 25:6 Lit ‘To life
- 25:7 Lit you have shearers
- 25:8 Lit good
- 25:9 Lit name
- 25:9 LXX reads and he became arrogant
- 25:17 Lit Now know and see
- 25:18 Lit sheep, five seahs
- 25:22 LXX; MT reads David’s enemies
- 25:22 Lit of those of his who are urinating against the wall
- 25:25 Lit for as is his name is, so he is
- 25:25 Lit and foolishness is with him
- 25:28 Or trouble
- 25:29 Lit bundle
- 25:34 Lit had anyone urinating against a wall
- 25:36 Lit Nabal’s heart was good on him
- 25:36 Lit anything at all
- 25:37 Lit when the wine had gone out of Nabal
- 25:37 Lit Then his heart died within him
1 Chronicles 7
Christian Standard Bible
Issachar’s Descendants
7 Issachar’s sons:(A) Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron—four.
2 Tola’s sons: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, the heads of their ancestral families.[a] During David’s reign, 22,600 descendants of Tola were recorded as valiant warriors in their family records.(B)
3 Uzzi’s son: Izrahiah.
Izrahiah’s sons: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, Isshiah. All five of them were chiefs. 4 Along with them, they had 36,000 troops for battle according to the family records of their ancestral families, for they had many wives and children. 5 Their tribesmen who were valiant warriors belonging to all the families of Issachar totaled 87,000 in their genealogies.
Benjamin’s Descendants
6 Three(C) of Benjamin’s sons: Bela, Becher, and Jediael.
7 Bela’s sons: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri—five. They were valiant warriors and heads of their ancestral families; 22,034 were listed in their genealogies.
8 Becher’s sons: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth; all these were Becher’s sons. 9 Their family records were recorded according to the heads of their ancestral families—20,200 valiant warriors.
10 Jediael’s son: Bilhan.
Bilhan’s sons: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11 All these sons of Jediael listed by family heads were valiant warriors; there were 17,200 who could serve in the army. 12 Shuppim and Huppim were sons of Ir, and the Hushim were the sons of Aher.
Naphtali’s Descendants
13 Naphtali’s sons:(D) Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum—Bilhah’s sons.
Manasseh’s Descendants
14 Manasseh’s(E) sons through his Aramean concubine: Asriel and Machir the father of Gilead. 15 Machir took wives from Huppim and Shuppim. The name of his sister was Maacah. Another descendant was named Zelophehad, but he had only daughters.
16 Machir’s wife Maacah gave birth to a son, and she named him Peresh. His brother was named Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem.
17 Ulam’s son: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead son of Machir, son of Manasseh. 18 His sister Hammolecheth gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19 Shemida’s sons: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
Ephraim’s Descendants
20 Ephraim’s(F) sons: Shuthelah, and his son Bered,
his son Tahath, his son Eleadah,
his son Tahath, 21 his son Zabad,
his son Shuthelah, also Ezer, and Elead.
The men of Gath, born in the land, killed them because they went down to raid their cattle. 22 Their father Ephraim mourned a long time, and his relatives[b] came to comfort him. 23 He slept with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. So he named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his home.[c] 24 His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth-horon(G) and Uzzen-sheerah,
25 his son Rephah,[d] his son Resheph,
his son Telah, his son Tahan,
26 his son Ladan, his son Ammihud,
his son Elishama, 27 his son Nun,
and his son Joshua.(H)
28 Their holdings and settlements were Bethel(I) and its surrounding villages; Naaran to the east, Gezer and its villages to the west, and Shechem and its villages as far as Ayyah and its villages, 29 and along the borders of the descendants of Manasseh, Beth-shean, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor with their surrounding villages. The sons of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.
Asher’s Descendants
30 Asher’s(J) sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, with their sister Serah.
31 Beriah’s sons: Heber, and Malchiel, who fathered Birzaith.
32 Heber fathered Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham, with their sister Shua.
33 Japhlet’s sons: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were Japhlet’s sons.
34 Shemer’s sons: Ahi, Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram.
35 His brother Helem’s sons: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
36 Zophah’s sons: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.
38 Jether’s sons: Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara.
39 Ulla’s sons: Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.
40 All these were Asher’s descendants. They were the heads of their ancestral families, chosen men, valiant warriors, and chiefs among the leaders. The number of men listed in their genealogies for military service was 26,000.
Acts 17
Christian Standard Bible
A Short Ministry in Thessalonica
17 After they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,(A) where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As usual, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,(B) 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.”(C) 4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a large number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women.(D)
Riot in the City
5 But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.(E) 6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, 7 and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees,(F) saying that there is another king—Jesus.”(G) 8 The crowd and city officials who heard these things were upset. 9 After taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.
The Bereans Search the Scriptures
10 As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea.(H) Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined[a] the Scriptures(I) daily to see if these things were so. 12 Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and upsetting[b] the crowds. 14 Then the brothers and sisters immediately sent Paul away to go to the coast, but Silas and Timothy(J) stayed on there. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.(K)
Paul in Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.(L) 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off[c] trying to say?”
Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.(M)
19 They took him and brought him to the Areopagus,[d] and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you are presenting?(N) 20 Because what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.
The Areopagus Address
22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, “People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. 23 For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it(O)—he is Lord of heaven and earth(P)—does not live in shrines made by hands.(Q) 25 Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything,(R) since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.(S) 26 From one man[e] he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.(T) 27 He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.(U) 28 For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’(V) 29 Since, then, we are God’s offspring, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.(W)
30 “Therefore, having overlooked(X) the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”(Y)
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him, but others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.” 33 So Paul left their presence. 34 However, some people joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
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