Old/New Testament

Saul Takes His Life^(A)

10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. ³ The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him.

⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and abuse me.”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. ⁵ When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. ⁶ So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.

⁷ When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people. ¹⁰ They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.^(B)

¹¹ When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead^(C) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

¹³ Saul died^(D) because he was unfaithful^(E) to the Lord; he did not keep^(F) the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium^(G) for guidance, ¹⁴ and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned^(H) the kingdom^(I) over to David son of Jesse.

David Becomes King Over Israel^(J)

11 All Israel^(K) came together to David at Hebron^(L) and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. ² In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.^(M) And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd^(N) my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.^(O)’”

³ When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed^(P) David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

David Conquers Jerusalem^(Q)

⁴ David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). The Jebusites^(R) who lived there ⁵ said to David, “You will not get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.

⁶ David had said, “Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become commander in chief.” Joab^(S) son of Zeruiah went up first, and so he received the command.

⁷ David then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the City of David. ⁸ He built up the city around it, from the terraces^[a](T) to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city. ⁹ And David became more and more powerful,^(U) because the Lord Almighty was with him.

David’s Mighty Warriors^(V)

¹⁰ These were the chiefs of David’s mighty warriors—they, together with all Israel,^(W) gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the Lord had promised^(X)— ¹¹ this is the list of David’s mighty warriors:^(Y)

Jashobeam,^[b] a Hakmonite, was chief of the officers^[c]; he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

¹² Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty warriors. ¹³ He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ But they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.^(Z)

¹⁵ Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley^(AA) of Rephaim. ¹⁶ At that time David was in the stronghold,^(AB) and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁸ So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured^(AC) it out to the Lord. ¹⁹ “God forbid that I should do this!” he said. “Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it.

Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.

²⁰ Abishai^(AD) the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. ²¹ He was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he was not included among them.

²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel,^(AE) performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.^{(AF) 23} And he struck down an Egyptian who was five cubits^[d] tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod^(AG) in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. ²⁵ He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

Warriors Join David

12 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag,^(AQ) while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; ² they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed;^(AR) they were relatives of Saul^(AS) from the tribe of Benjamin):

⁸ Some Gadites^(AV) defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions,^(AW) and they were as swift as gazelles^(AX) in the mountains.

¹⁴ These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred,^(AY) and the greatest for a thousand.^{(AZ) 15} It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks,^(BA) and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

¹⁶ Other Benjamites^(BB) and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you.”

¹⁸ Then the Spirit^(BC) came on Amasai,^(BD) chief of the Thirty, and he said:

So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands.

¹⁹ Some of the tribe of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said, “It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Saul.”)^{(BF) 20} When David went to Ziklag,^(BG) these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of a thousand in Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army. ²² Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.^[f]

Others Join David at Hebron

²³ These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron^(BH) to turn^(BI) Saul’s kingdom over to him, as the Lord had said:^(BJ)

³⁸ All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel.^(BO) All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king. ³⁹ The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking,^(BP) for their families had supplied provisions for them. ⁴⁰ Also, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. There were plentiful supplies^(BQ) of flour, fig cakes, raisin^(BR) cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy^(BS) in Israel.

⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[a](A) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;^(B) only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.^{(C) 48} I am the bread of life.^{(D) 49} Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.^{(E) 50} But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,^(F) which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread^(G) that came down from heaven.^(H) Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”^(I)

⁵² Then the Jews^(J) began to argue sharply among themselves,^(K) “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh^(L) of the Son of Man^(M) and drink his blood,^(N) you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.^{(O) 55} For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.^{(P) 57} Just as the living Father sent me^(Q) and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”^{(R) 59} He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples^(S) said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”^(T)

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?^{(U) 62} Then what if you see the Son of Man^(V) ascend to where he was before!^{(W) 63} The Spirit gives life;^(X) the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit^[b] and life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known^(Y) from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.^{(Z) 65} He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”^(AA)

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples^(AB) turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.^(AC)

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him,^(AD) “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.^{(AE) 69} We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”^(AF)

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you,^(AG) the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”^{(AH) 71} (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,^(AI) who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)^(AJ)