18 David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ² David sent out his troops,^(A) a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai^(B) son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai^(C) the Gittite. The king told the troops, “I myself will surely march out with you.”

³ But the men said, “You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won’t care about us. Even if half of us die, they won’t care; but you are worth ten^(D) thousand of us.^[a] It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.”^(E)

⁴ The king answered, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”

So the king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. ⁵ The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.

⁶ David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest^(F) of Ephraim. ⁷ There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.

⁹ Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair^(G) got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

¹⁰ When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”

¹¹ Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike^(H) him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels^[b] of silver and a warrior’s belt.^(I)”

¹² But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels^[c] were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.^[d]’ ¹³ And if I had put my life in jeopardy^[e]—and nothing is hidden from the king^(J)—you would have kept your distance from me.”

¹⁴ Joab^(K) said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. ¹⁵ And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.^(L)

¹⁶ Then Joab^(M) sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. ¹⁷ They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up^(N) a large heap of rocks^(O) over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.

¹⁸ During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley^(P) as a monument^(Q) to himself, for he thought, “I have no son^(R) to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

David Mourns

¹⁹ Now Ahimaaz^(S) son of Zadok said, “Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him by delivering him from the hand of his enemies.^(T)”

²⁰ “You are not the one to take the news today,” Joab told him. “You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”

²¹ Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.

²² Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.”

But Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to go? You don’t have any news that will bring you a reward.”

²³ He said, “Come what may, I want to run.”

So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain^[f] and outran the Cushite.

²⁴ While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman^(U) went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. ²⁵ The watchman called out to the king and reported it.

The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the runner came closer and closer.

²⁶ Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!”

The king said, “He must be bringing good news,^(V) too.”

²⁷ The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like^(W) Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”

“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.”

²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king.”

²⁹ The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.”

³⁰ The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.

³¹ Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

³² The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”^(X)

³³ The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died^(Y) instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”^[g](Z)

The Lord Will Be Israel’s Shepherd

34 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?^{(A) 3} You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.^{(B) 4} You have not strengthened the weak or healed^(C) the sick or bound up^(D) the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.^{(E) 5} So they were scattered because there was no shepherd,^(F) and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.^{(G) 6} My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill.^(H) They were scattered^(I) over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.^(J)

⁷ “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered^(K) and has become food for all the wild animals,^(L) and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,^{(M) 9} therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against^(N) the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue^(O) my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.^(P)

¹¹ “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep^(Q) and look after them. ¹² As a shepherd^(R) looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.^{(S) 13} I will bring them out from the nations and gather^(T) them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land.^(U) I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.^{(V) 14} I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel^(W) will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture^(X) on the mountains of Israel.^{(Y) 15} I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down,^(Z) declares the Sovereign Lord.^{(AA) 16} I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up^(AB) the injured and strengthen the weak,^(AC) but the sleek and the strong I will destroy.^(AD) I will shepherd the flock with justice.^(AE)

¹⁷ “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.^{(AF) 18} Is it not enough^(AG) for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet?^(AH) Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

²⁰ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.^{(AI) 21} Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns^(AJ) until you have driven them away, ²² I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.^{(AK) 23} I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend^(AL) them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.^{(AM) 24} I the Lord will be their God,^(AN) and my servant David^(AO) will be prince among them.^(AP) I the Lord have spoken.^(AQ)

²⁵ “‘I will make a covenant^(AR) of peace^(AS) with them and rid the land of savage beasts^(AT) so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.^{(AU) 26} I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing.^[a](AV) I will send down showers in season;^(AW) there will be showers of blessing.^{(AX) 27} The trees will yield their fruit^(AY) and the ground will yield its crops;^(AZ) the people will be secure^(BA) in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke^(BB) and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.^{(BC) 28} They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety,^(BD) and no one will make them afraid.^{(BE) 29} I will provide for them a land renowned^(BF) for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine^(BG) in the land or bear the scorn^(BH) of the nations.^{(BI) 30} Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.^{(BJ) 31} You are my sheep,^(BK) the sheep of my pasture,^(BL) and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

2 I want you to know how hard I am contending^(A) for you and for those at Laodicea,^(B) and for all who have not met me personally. ² My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart^(C) and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery^(D) of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.^{(E) 4} I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.^{(F) 5} For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit^(G) and delight to see how disciplined^(H) you are and how firm^(I) your faith in Christ^(J) is.

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,^(K) continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted^(L) and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,^(M) and overflowing with thankfulness.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,^(N) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world^(O) rather than on Christ.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness^(P) of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head^(Q) over every power and authority.^{(R) 11} In him you were also circumcised^(S) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh^[b](T) was put off when you were circumcised by^[c] Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism,^(U) in which you were also raised with him^(V) through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.^(W)

¹³ When you were dead in your sins^(X) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[d] alive^(Y) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,^{(Z) 14} having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,^(AA) which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.^{(AB) 15} And having disarmed the powers and authorities,^(AC) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them^(AD) by the cross.^[e]

Freedom From Human Rules

¹⁶ Therefore do not let anyone judge you^(AE) by what you eat or drink,^(AF) or with regard to a religious festival,^(AG) a New Moon celebration^(AH) or a Sabbath day.^{(AI) 17} These are a shadow of the things that were to come;^(AJ) the reality, however, is found in Christ. ¹⁸ Do not let anyone who delights in false humility^(AK) and the worship of angels disqualify you.^(AL) Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. ¹⁹ They have lost connection with the head,^(AM) from whom the whole body,^(AN) supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.^(AO)

²⁰ Since you died with Christ^(AP) to the elemental spiritual forces of this world,^(AQ) why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:^{(AR) 21} “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? ²² These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish^(AS) with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.^{(AT) 23} Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility^(AU) and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Psalm 93