Old/New Testament
David Lives with the Philistines
27 But David ·thought to himself [L said in his heart], “·Saul will catch me someday [L Eventually I will die/perish at Saul’s hands]. The best thing I can do is escape to the land of the Philistines. Then he will give up looking for me in Israel, and I can ·get away from him [L escape from his hand].”
2 So David and his six hundred men ·left Israel and went [L crossed over] to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 David, his men, and their ·families [households] made their home in Gath with Achish. David had his two wives with him—Ahinoam of Jezreel [25:43] and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal [25:1–42]. 4 When Saul heard that David had run away to Gath, he stopped ·looking [searching; hunting] for him.
5 Then David said to Achish, “If ·you are pleased with me [L I have found favor in your eyes/sight], give me a place in one of the country towns where I can live. ·I don’t need to [L Why should your servant…?] live in the royal city with you.”
6 That day Achish gave David the town of Ziklag, and Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ·ever since [to this day]. 7 David lived in the Philistine land a year and four months.
8 David and his men raided the people of Geshur, Girzi, and Amalek. (These people had lived ·for a long time [since ancient times] in the land ·that reached to [near] Shur ·in the direction of [or as far as] Egypt.) 9 When David ·fought [attacked; L struck] them, he ·killed [L did not let live] all the men and women and took their sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.
10 Achish would ask David, “Where did you go raiding today?” And David would tell him ·that he had gone to the southern part [against the Negev] of Judah, or [against the Negev of] Jerahmeel, or ·to the land [against the Negev] of the Kenites. 11 David never brought a man or woman alive to Gath. He thought, “If we bring people alive, they may tell Achish, ‘This is what David really did.’” David did this all the time he lived in the Philistine land. 12 So Achish trusted David and said to himself, “·David’s own people, the Israelites, now hate him very much [L He has made himself detested/abhorrent/odious to his people Israel]. He will ·serve me [L be my servant] forever.”
Saul and the Medium of Endor
28 ·Later [L In those days], the Philistines ·gathered [mobilized; mustered] their armies [for war] to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You understand that you and your men must ·join [go out with; accompany] my army.”
2 David answered, “You will see for yourself what I, your servant, can do!”
Achish said, “Fine, I’ll make you my ·permanent [lifelong] ·bodyguard [L protector/guard of my head].”
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all the Israelites had ·shown their sadness [mourned; lamented] for him. They had buried Samuel in his hometown of Ramah.
And Saul had ·forced out [removed; banned] the mediums and ·fortune-tellers [wizards; spiritists] from the land [Lev. 19:31; 20:6].
4 The Philistines ·came together [assembled; mobilized] and made camp at Shunem. Saul gathered all the Israelites and made camp at Gilboa. 5 When he saw the Philistine army, he was afraid, and his heart ·pounded with fear [trembled violently]. 6 He ·prayed to [inquired of] the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him through dreams, Urim [C devices carried by the High Priest to inquire of God; Ex. 28:30], or prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his ·servants [advisers; attendants], “Find me a woman who ·is a medium [is a necromancer; T has a familiar spirit] so I may go and ·ask her what will happen [inquire of/consult her].”
His servants answered, “There is a ·medium [a necromancer; T woman with a familiar spirit] in Endor.”
8 Then Saul put on other clothes to disguise himself, and at night he and two of his men went to see the woman. Saul said to her, “·Talk to [Consult] a spirit for me. ·Bring [Conjure] up the person I name.”
9 But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has ·forced [outlawed; L cut off] the mediums and ·fortune-tellers [wizards; spiritists] from the land. ·You are [Why are you…?] trying to trap me and get me killed.”
10 Saul made a ·promise [vow; oath] to the woman in the name of the Lord. He said, “As surely as the Lord lives, you won’t be ·punished [blamed] for this.”
11 The woman asked, “Whom do you want me to ·bring up [conjure]?”
He answered, “·Bring [Conjure] up Samuel.”
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. She said, “Why have you ·tricked [deceived] me? You are Saul!”
13 The king said to the woman, “Don’t be afraid! What do you see?”
The woman said, “I see a ·spirit [ghost; god; divine being] coming up out of the ·ground [earth].”
14 Saul asked, “What ·does he look like [is his appearance/form]?”
The woman answered, “An old man wearing a ·coat [robe; cloak] is coming up.”
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he ·bowed facedown [prostrated himself] on the ground [and paid homage/did obeisance].
15 Samuel asked Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by ·bringing [conjuring] me up?”
Saul said, “I am ·greatly troubled [L in great trouble/distress]. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has ·left [abandoned; departed/turned away from] me. He won’t answer me anymore, either by prophets or in dreams. That’s why I ·called for [summoned] you. Tell me what to do.”
16 Samuel said, “The Lord has ·left [abandoned; departed/turned away from] you and has become your enemy. So why do you ·call on [ask; consult] me? 17 He has done what he ·said he would do [predicted; foretold]—the things he said ·through me [L by my hand; 15:27–29]. He has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors, David [16:1–13]. 18 You did not obey the [L voice of the] Lord; you did not ·show the Amalekites how angry he was with them [carry out/execute his fierce anger/wrath on Amalek; 15:10–23]. That’s why he has done this to you today. 19 The Lord will hand over both Israel and you ·to [L into the hands of] the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.”
20 Saul ·quickly [immediately] fell flat on the ground and was ·afraid [terrified] of what Samuel had said. ·He was also very weak [And his strength was gone] because he had eaten nothing all that day and night.
21 Then the woman came to Saul and saw that he was really ·frightened [terrified; shaken; distraught]. She said, “Look, I, your servant, have obeyed you. I have ·risked my life [L taken my life in my hands] and ·done [listened to] what you told me to do. 22 Now please also listen to me. Let me give you some ·food [bread] so you may eat and have enough strength to go on your way.”
23 But Saul refused, saying, “I won’t eat.”
His servants joined the woman in ·asking [urging] him to eat, and he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the ·bed [couch].
24 At the house the woman had a fat calf, which she quickly ·killed [slaughtered]. She took some flour and kneaded dough with her hands. Then she baked some ·bread without yeast [unleavened bread]. 25 She put the food before Saul and his servants, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.
David Goes Back to Ziklag
29 The Philistines ·gathered [mobilized; mustered] all their soldiers at Aphek. Israel camped by the spring at Jezreel. 2 The Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords] were marching with their groups of ·a hundred [hundreds] and ·a thousand men [thousands]. David and his men were marching ·behind [or at the rear with] Achish. 3 The Philistine commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”
Achish told them, “·This is David. He [L Is this not David who…?] served Saul king of Israel, but he has been with me for ·over a year now [L days and years]. I have found nothing wrong in David since the time he ·left Saul [L deserted until today].”
4 But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, “Send David back to the ·city you gave him [place you assigned him]. He cannot go with us into battle. If he does, ·we’ll have an enemy in our own camp [L he may become an adversary to us]. He could ·please [make himself acceptable to/reconcile himself to] his king ·by killing our own [with the heads of these] men. 5 ·David is [L Is not David…?] the one the Israelites dance and sing about, saying:
“‘Saul has ·killed thousands of his enemies [T slain his thousands],
·but [and] David has ·killed [T slain his] tens of thousands [18:7].’”
6 So Achish called David and said to him, “As surely as the Lord lives, you ·are loyal [have been trustworthy/reliable/honest]. I would be pleased to have you ·serve in my army [march into battle]. Since the day you came to me [L until the present], I have found no ·wrong [fault; evil] in you. But the other ·kings [rulers; lords] don’t ·trust [approve of] you. 7 Go back in peace. Don’t do anything ·to displease [L evil in the eyes/sight of] the Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords].”
8 David asked, “What ·wrong have [have] I done? What ·evil have [have] you found in ·me [L your servant] from the day I came to you until now? Why can’t I go fight your enemies, my lord ·and [the] king?”
9 Achish answered, “I know you are as ·good [pleasing to me] as an angel from God. But the Philistine commanders have said, ‘David must not go with us into battle.’ 10 Early in the morning you and your master’s servants should leave. Get up as soon as it is light and go.”
11 So David and his men got up early in the morning and went back to the country of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
Change Your Hearts
13 At that time some people were there who told Jesus that Pilate [C Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea from ad 26 to 36; see 3:1] had killed some people from Galilee while they were worshiping. He mixed their blood with the blood of the animals they were sacrificing to God. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think ·this happened to them [L they suffered these things] because they were more sinful than all others from Galilee? 3 No, I tell you. But unless you ·change your hearts and lives [repent], you will [L all] be destroyed as they were! 4 [L Or] What about those eighteen people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were ·more sinful [more guilty; greater offenders] than all the others who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you. But unless you ·change your hearts and lives [repent], you will all be destroyed too!”
The Useless Tree
6 Jesus told this ·story [parable]: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for some fruit on the tree, but he found none. 7 So the man said to his gardener, ‘[L Look,] I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down. Why should it ·waste the ground [take up space]?’ 8 But the servant answered, ‘·Master [Sir], let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and put on some ·fertilizer [manure]. 9 If the tree produces fruit next year, good. But if not, you can cut it down.’”
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
10 Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. 11 A woman was there who, for eighteen years, had an evil spirit in her that made her ·crippled [disabled]. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are ·free [released; set free] from your ·sickness [disability].” 13 Jesus ·put [laid] his hands on her, and immediately she was able to stand up straight and began ·praising [giving glory to] God.
14 The synagogue leader was ·angry [indignant] because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, “There are six days when one has to work. So come to be healed on one of those days, and not on the Sabbath day.”
15 The Lord answered, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you untie your ·work animals [L ox or donkey from the stall] and lead them to drink water on the Sabbath day? 16 This woman that I healed, a daughter of Abraham, has been held by Satan for eighteen years. ·Surely it is not wrong [L Was it not necessary…?] for her to be freed from ·her sickness [L this bond/imprisonment] on a Sabbath day!” 17 When Jesus said this, all of those who were ·criticizing [opposing] him were ashamed, but the entire crowd rejoiced at all the ·wonderful [glorious] things Jesus was doing.
Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast(A)
18 Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it with? 19 It is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the ·wild birds [L birds of the sky] build nests in its branches.”
20 Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? 21 It is like ·yeast [leaven] that a woman took and ·hid [mixed] in a large tub [C Greek: three sata; about fifty pounds] of flour until ·it made all the dough rise [L the whole was leavened; Matt. 13:33].”
The Narrow Door(B)
22 Jesus was teaching in every town and village as he traveled toward Jerusalem.
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