Old/New Testament
The Gibeonites Punish Saul’s Family
21 During the time David was king, there was a ·shortage of food [famine] that lasted for three years. So David ·prayed to [inquired of; consulted; L sought the face/presence of] the Lord.
The Lord answered, “Saul and his ·family of murderers [L bloody house] are the reason for this shortage, because he ·killed [murdered] the Gibeonites.” 2 (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites; they were ·a group of Amorites who were left alive [L the remnant of the Amorites]. The Israelites had ·promised [sworn; vowed; Josh. 9:14–15] not to hurt the Gibeonites, but Saul had tried to ·kill [annihilate; exterminate] them, because ·he was eager to help [of his zeal for] the people of Israel and Judah.)
King David called the Gibeonites together and spoke to them. 3 He asked, “What can I do for you? How can I make ·up [amends; expiation; atonement] for the harm done so you can bless the Lord’s ·people [L inheritance]?”
4 The Gibeonites said to David, “We cannot ·demand [settle this with] silver or gold from Saul or his ·family [L house]. And ·we don’t have the right [L it’s not for us] to kill anyone in Israel.”
Then David asked, “·What do you want me to do for you [Tell me what to do and I will do it]?”
5 The Gibeonites said, “·Saul [L The man] ·made plans against [destroyed; consumed] us and ·tried to destroy [planned to annihilate/exterminate] all our people ·who are [so we would have no place] left in the land of Israel. 6 So bring seven of his sons to us. Then we will ·kill them and hang them on stakes [impale/execute them] in the presence of the Lord at Gibeah, the hometown of Saul, the Lord’s chosen king.”
The king said, “I will give them to you.” 7 But the king ·protected [spared] Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the ·promise [oath] he had made to Jonathan in the Lord’s name [1 Sam. 20:14–17]. 8 The king did take Armoni and Mephibosheth [C not Jonathan’s son, but another person with the same name], sons of Rizpah and Saul [3:7]. (Rizpah was the daughter of Aiah.) And the king took the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab [1 Sam. 14:49; 18:17–19]. (Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite was the father of Merab’s five sons.) 9 David gave these seven sons to the Gibeonites. Then the Gibeonites ·killed them and hung them on stakes on a hill [impaled/executed them] in the presence of the Lord. All seven sons ·died [fell] together. They were put to death during the first days of the harvest season at the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Aiah’s daughter Rizpah took ·the rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth; C a sign of mourning or distress] and put it on a rock for herself. She stayed there from the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell on ·her sons’ bodies [L them from the heavens/sky]. During the day she did not let the ·birds of the sky [scavenger birds] touch her sons’ bodies, and during the night she did not let the wild animals touch them.
11 People told David what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s ·slave woman [L concubine; C a secondary wife; 3:7], was doing. 12 Then David took the bones of Saul and Jonathan from the men of Jabesh Gilead. (The Philistines had hung the bodies of Saul and Jonathan in the public square of Beth Shan after they had killed Saul at Gilboa. Later the men of Jabesh Gilead ·had secretly taken [stole] them from there [1 Sam. 31:8–13].) 13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from Gilead. Then the people gathered the ·bodies of Saul’s seven sons who were hanged on stakes [bones of those who had been impaled/executed]. 14 The people buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan at Zela in Benjamin in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. The people did everything the king commanded.
Then God ·answered the prayers for [took pity on] the land.
Wars with the Philistines(A)
15 Again there was war between the Philistines and Israel. David and his ·men [servants] went out to fight the Philistines, ·but [and] David ·became tired [grew weary/exhausted]. 16 Ishbi-Benob, one of the ·sons of Rapha [or descendants of the giants], had a bronze ·spearhead [spear] weighing ·about seven and one-half pounds [L three hundred shekels] and [L was armed with] a new sword. He ·planned [was about] to kill David, 17 but Abishai son of Zeruiah ·killed the Philistine and saved David’s life [L came to help him and struck down the Philistine].
Then David’s men ·made a promise [swore; vowed] to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle. ·If you were killed, Israel would lose its greatest leader [L …so that you do not extinguish the lamp/light of Israel].”
18 Later, at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, another ·one of the sons of Rapha [or descendant of the giants].
19 Later, there was another battle at Gob with the Philistines. Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim from Bethlehem killed Goliath from Gath [C see 1 Chr. 20:5 where he is called Lahmi, the brother of Goliath]. His spear was as large as a weaver’s ·rod [beam].
20 At Gath another battle took place. A huge man was there; he had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four fingers and toes in all. This man also was ·one of the sons of Rapha [or descended from the giants]. 21 When he ·challenged [defied; taunted] Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him.
22 These four ·sons of Rapha [or descendants of giants] from Gath were killed by David and his ·men [L servants].
David’s Song of Praise(B)
22 David sang [L the words of] this song [C see the close parallel to the following song in Psalm 18] to the Lord when the Lord ·saved [rescued; T delivered] him from Saul and all his other enemies. 2 He said:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my ·Savior [rescuer; T deliverer].
3 My God is my rock.
·I can run to him for safety [L In whom I find protection/take refuge].
He is my shield and ·my saving strength [L the horn of my salvation; C symbolizes strength based on an animal lifting its head triumphantly],
my ·defender [stronghold] and my ·place of safety [refuge].
The Lord saves me from ·those who want to harm me [L violence].
4 I ·will call to [call upon] the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I ·will be [or am] saved from my enemies.
5 “The waves of death ·came around [swirled about; encompassed] me;
the ·deadly rivers [floods/torrents of destruction] overwhelmed me.
6 The ·ropes of death [cords of the grave/Sheol] ·wrapped around [entangled; coiled around] me.
The ·traps [snares] of death ·were before [confronted; lay ahead of] me.
7 In my ·trouble [distress; anguish] I ·called [cried out] to the Lord;
I ·cried out [called] to my God.
From his ·temple [sanctuary] he heard my voice;
my ·call for help [cry] reached his ears.
8 “The earth ·trembled [reeled; quaked] and ·shook [rocked].
The foundations of heaven began to ·shake [shudder].
They ·trembled [reeled; quaked] because the Lord was angry.
9 Smoke ·came out of his nose [poured/rose from his nostrils],
and ·burning [devouring] fire came out of his mouth.
Burning coals ·went before [blazed/flamed out from] him.
10 He ·tore open [parted; bowed] the ·sky [heavens] and came down
with ·dark clouds [storm clouds; thick darkness] under his feet.
11 He rode a ·creature with wings [cherub; C a mighty spiritual being/angel; Ezek. 1] and flew.
·He raced […soaring] on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his ·shelter [canopy, shroud]
surrounded by ·fog and [thick rain] clouds.
13 Out of the brightness ·of his presence [before him]
·came [blazed; flamed] ·flashes of lightning [L fiery coals].
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the ·Most High raised his voice [voice of the Most High resounded].
15 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies.
His bolts of lightning ·confused them with fear [routed them].
16 ·The wind blew from his nose [L At the blast of breath from his nostrils…] when he spoke.
Then the ·valleys [floor; channels] of the sea ·appeared [were exposed],
and the foundations of the earth were ·seen [laid bare].
17 “The Lord reached down from ·above [heaven; on high] and ·took [rescued] me;
he ·pulled me from the deep water [drew me out of mighty waters].
18 He ·saved [rescued; T delivered] me from my powerful enemies,
from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.
19 They ·attacked [confronted] me ·at my time of trouble [L in the day of my distress/calamity/disaster],
but the Lord ·supported me [was my stay].
20 He took me to a ·safe [spacious; open; L broad] place.
Because he delights in me, he ·saved [rescued; T delivered] me.
21 “The Lord ·spared [rewarded] me ·because I did what was right [L according to my righteousness].
Because ·I have not done evil [of my innocence; L of the cleanness of my hands], he has ·rewarded [L restored] me.
22 I have ·followed [obeyed; kept; L guarded] the ways of the Lord;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
23 I ·remember [follow; L have before me] all his ·laws [regulations]
and have not ·broken [abandoned; L turned from] his ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
24 I am ·innocent [blameless] before him;
I have kept myself from ·doing evil [sin; guilt; iniquity].
25 The Lord ·rewarded [repaid] me ·because I did what was right [L according to my righteousness],
·because I did what the Lord said was right [L according to my cleanness/purity in his sight].
26 “Lord, you ·are [show yourself] ·loyal [faithful; kind] to those who are loyal [faithful; kind],
and you are good to those who are good.
27 You ·are [show yourself] ·pure [sincere] to those who are pure [sincere],
but you ·are [show yourself] ·against [hostile/shrewd/cunning/perverse to] those who are ·evil [perverse; devious; crooked].
28 You ·save [rescue; T deliver] the ·humble [afflicted],
but you ·bring down [watch and humiliate] ·those who are proud [the haughty].
29 Lord, you ·give light to [L are] my lamp.
The Lord ·brightens the darkness around me [lights up/illuminates my darkness].
30 With your help I can ·attack [crush] an army.
With God’s help I can ·jump over [scale] a wall.
31 “The ·ways [way; path] of God are ·without fault [blameless; perfect];
the Lord’s ·words [promises] are ·pure [tested; flawless; proven true].
He is a shield to those who ·trust [seek protection/take refuge in] him.
32 Who is God? Only the Lord.
Who is the Rock? Only our God.
33 God ·is my protection [is my strong fortress; or girds me with strength].
He makes my way ·free from fault [perfect; secure; a wide path].
34 He makes ·me [L my feet] like a deer [C surefooted];
he ·helps me stand [sets me] on the ·steep mountains [heights].
35 He trains my hands for battle
so my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36 You ·protect me with your saving shield [L have given me the shield of your salvation/victory].
·You have stooped to make [Your help makes] me great.
37 You ·give me a better way to live [broaden my path; L widen my steps beneath me]
so ·I live as you want me to [my feet do not slip/L ankles do not weaken].
38 I ·chased [pursued] my enemies and ·destroyed [exterminated] them.
I did not ·quit [turn back] till they were ·destroyed [annihilated; consumed].
39 I ·destroyed [devoured; consumed] and ·crushed them [shattered them; struck them down]
so they couldn’t ·rise [get] up again.
They fell beneath my feet.
40 You ·gave me [L armed/girded me with] strength ·in [for] battle.
You ·made my enemies bow [humbled/subdued my enemies] ·before me [under my feet].
41 You made my enemies ·turn back [turn their backs; retreat],
and I destroyed ·those who hated me [my foes].
42 They ·called for help [looked around],
but no one came to ·save [rescue] them.
They ·called [looked] to the Lord,
but he did not answer them.
43 I ·beat my enemies into pieces [ground/pulverized them],
like dust ·on the ground [of the earth].
I ·poured them out and walked [crushed and stamped] on them
like ·mud [mire] in the streets.
44 “You ·saved [rescued; T delivered] me when my people ·attacked me [quarreled; fought].
You kept me as the ·leader [ruler; head] of nations.
People I never knew serve me.
45 Foreigners ·obey [cower/L cringe before] me.
As soon as they hear ·me [of me], they obey me.
46 They all ·become afraid [lose heart/their courage]
and ·tremble in [come trembling from] their ·hiding places [fortresses; strongholds].
47 “The Lord lives!
May my Rock be ·praised [blessed]!
Praise God, the Rock, ·who saves me […of my salvation]!
48 God gives me ·victory [revenge; vengeance] over my enemies
and brings ·people [the nations] under ·my rule [me].
49 He frees me from my enemies.
“You ·set me over those who hate me [exalt/lift me above my enemies].
You ·saved [rescued; T delivered] me from violent people.
50 So I will ·praise [extol] you, Lord, among the nations.
I will sing praises to your name.
51 The Lord ·gives great victories [is a tower of salvation] to his king.
He ·is loyal [shows kindness/faithful love] to his ·appointed king [anointed],
to David and his descendants forever.”
24 ·Jesus looked at him and [or When Jesus saw this reaction, he] said, “·It is very hard [L How hard it is…!] for ·rich people [L those who have wealth] to enter the kingdom of God. 25 [L For; Indeed] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God [C meaning it is impossible, by human effort; see v. 27].”
Who Can Be Saved?
26 When the people heard this, they asked, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus answered, “The things impossible ·for people [humanly speaking] are possible for God.”
28 Peter said, “Look, we have left ·everything [or our possessions; or our home] and followed you.”
29 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, all those who have left houses, wives, brothers [or siblings], parents, or children ·for [for the sake of] the kingdom of God 30 will get much more in this ·life [age; L time]. And in the ·age [aeon; world] that is coming, they will have ·life forever [eternal life].”
Jesus Will Rise from the Dead(A)
31 Then Jesus took ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve] aside and said to them, “[L Look; T Behold] We are going [L up] to Jerusalem. Everything the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will ·happen [be fulfilled/completed/accomplished]. 32 He will be turned over to the Gentiles [C the Roman authorities]. They will ·laugh at [mock] him, insult him, spit on him, 33 ·beat him with whips [flog him; T scourge him], and kill him. But on the third day, he will rise to life again.” 34 ·The apostles [L They] did not understand this; the meaning was hidden from them, and they did not ·realize [comprehend] what was said.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man(B)
35 As Jesus came near the city of Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging. 36 When he heard the people ·coming down the road [passing by], he asked, “What is happening?”
37 They told him, “Jesus, ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene], is going by.”
38 The blind man cried out, “Jesus, Son of David [C a title for the Messiah, a descendant of King David; 2 Sam. 7:11–16], ·have mercy [take pity] on me!”
39 The people leading the group ·warned [rebuked; scolded] the blind man to be quiet. But the blind man shouted even more, “Son of David, ·have mercy [take pity] on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the blind man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, I want to see.”
42 Jesus said to him, “Then see. ·You are healed because you believed [Your faith has healed/saved you].”
43 At once the man was able to see, and he followed Jesus, thanking God. All the people who saw this praised God.
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