Old/New Testament
The Second Book of Samuel
1 4 It was told David of Saul’s death. 15 He causeth him to be slain that brought the tidings. 19 He lamenteth the death of Saul and Jonathan.
1 After the death of Saul, when David was returned from the (A)slaughter of the Amalekites, and had been two days in Ziklag,
2 Behold, a man came the third day out of the host from Saul with [a]his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and when he came to David, he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.
3 Then David said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the host of Israel I am escaped.
4 And David said unto him, What is done? I pray thee, tell me. Then he said, that the people is fled from the battle, and many of the people are overthrown, and dead, and also Saul and Jonathan his son are dead.
5 And David said unto the young man that told it him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
6 Then the young man that told him, answered, [b]As I came to mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear, and lo, the chariots and [c]horsemen followed hard after him.
7 And when he looked back, he saw me, and called me. And I answered, Here am I.
8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an [d]Amalekite.
9 Then said he unto me, I pray thee,[e]come upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my [f]life is yet whole in me.
10 So [g]I came upon him, and slew him, and because I was sure that he could not live, after that he had fallen, I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and brought them hither unto my lord.
11 Then David took hold on his clothes, (B)and rent them, and likewise all the men that were with him.
12 And they mourned and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they were slain with the sword.
13 ¶ [h]Afterward David said unto the young man that told it him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger an Amalekite.
14 And David said unto him, (C)How wast thou not afraid, to put forth thine hand to destroy the Anointed of the Lord?
15 Then David called one of his young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
16 Then said David unto him, [i]Thy blood be upon thine own head: for thine own mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s Anointed.
17 ¶ Then David mourned with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son,
18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah to [j]shoot, as it is written in the book of (D)[k]Jasher.)
19 O noble Israel, [l]he is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty overthrown!
20 (E)Tell it not in Gath, nor publish it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, upon you be neither dew nor rain, nor [m]be there fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is cast down, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
22 The bow of Jonathan never turned back, neither did the sword of Saul return empty from the blood of the slain, and from the fat of the mighty.
23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths they were not [n]divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, which clothed you in scarlet, [o]with pleasures, and hanged ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25 How were the mighty slain in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
26 Woe is me for thee, my brother Jonathan: very kind hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of [p]women: how are the mighty overthrown, and the weapons of war destroyed!
2 1 David is anointed King in Hebron. 9 Abner maketh Ishbosheth King over Israel. 15 The battle of the servants of David and Ishbosheth. 32 The burial of Asahel.
1 After this, David [q]asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go? He then answered, Unto [r]Hebron.
2 So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite.
3 And David brought up the men that were with [s]him, every man with his household, and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
4 ¶ Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David King over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, (F)that the men of Jabesh Gilead buried Saul.
5 And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said unto them, Blessed are ye of the Lord, that ye have showed such kindness unto your lord Saul, that you have buried him.
6 Therefore now the Lord show mercy and [t]truth unto you: and I will recompense you this benefit, because ye have done this thing.
7 Therefore now let your hands be strong, and be you valiant: albeit your master Saul be dead, yet nevertheless the house of Judah hath anointed me [u]King over them.
8 ¶ But Abner the son of Ner that was captain of Saul’s host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him to Mahanaim,
9 And made him King over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over [v]all Israel.
10 Ishbosheth Saul’s son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years: but the house of Judah followed David.
11 (And the time which David reigned in Hebron over the house of Judah, was seven years and six [w]months.)
12 ¶ And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul went out of Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David went out and met one another by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
14 Then Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and [x]play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
15 Then there arose and went over twelve of Benjamin by number, which pertained to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
16 And every one caught his [y]fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side, so they fell down together: wherefore the place was called [z]Helkath Hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.
17 And the battle was exceedingly sore that same day: for Abner and the men of Israel [aa]fell before the servants of David.
18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as light on foot as a wild roe.
19 And Asahel followed after Abner, and in going he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from Abner.
20 Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, Yea.
21 Then Abner said, Turn thee either to the right hand or to the left, and take one of the young men, and take thee his [ab]weapons: and Asahel would not depart from him.
22 And Abner said to Asahel, Depart from me: [ac]wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I be able to hold up my face to Joab thy brother?
23 And when he would not depart, Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the [ad]fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him: and he fell down there, and died in his place. And as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down, and died, stood still.
24 Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and were on an heap, and stood on the top of an hill.
26 Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the [ae]sword devour forever? knowest thou not, that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long then shall it be, or thou bid the people return from following their brethren?
27 And Joab said, As God liveth, if thou hadst not [af]spoken, surely even in the morning the people had departed every one back from his brother.
28 ¶ So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they anymore.
29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the [ag]plain, and went over Jordan, and past through all Bithron till they came [ah]to Mahanaim.
30 Joab also returned back from Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s servants nineteen men, and Asahel.
31 But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner’s men, so that three [ai]hundred and threescore men died.
32 And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulcher of his father, which was in Bethlehem: and Joab and his men went all night, and when they came to Hebron, the day arose.
14 The dropsy healed on the Sabbath. 8 The chief place: at banquets. 12 The poor must be called to our feasts. 16 Of those that were bid to the great supper. 23 Some compelled to come in. 28 One about to build a tower.
1 And [a]it came to pass that when he was entered into the house of [b]one of the chief Pharisees on the Sabbath day, to eat bread, they watched him.
2 And behold, there was a certain man before him, which had the dropsy.
3 Then Jesus answering, spake unto the Lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?
4 And they held their peace. Then he took him, and healed him, and let him go,
5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass, or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day?
6 And they could not answer him again to those things.
7 ¶ [c]He spake also a parable to the guests, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms, and said unto them,
8 When thou shalt be bidden of any man to a wedding, set not thyself down in the chiefest place, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him,
9 And he that bade both him and thee, come, and say to thee, Give this man room, and thou then begin with shame to take the lowest room.
10 (A)But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room, that when he that bade thee, cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, sit up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at table with thee.
11 (B)For whosoever exalteth himself, shall be brought low, and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.
12 ¶ [d]Then said he also to him that had bidden him, (C)When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor the rich neighbors, lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind,
14 And thou shalt be blessed, because they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
15 ¶ Now when one of them that sat at table heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God.
16 Then said he to him, (D)A certain man made a great supper, and bade many,
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come: for all things are now ready.
18 [e]But they all with [f]one mind began to make excuse: The first said unto him, I have bought a farm, and I must needs go out and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 So that servant returned, and showed his master these things. Then was the good man of the house angry, and said to his servant, Go out quickly into the [g]streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 Then the master said to the servant, Go out into the highways, and hedges, and compel them to come in, that mine house may be filled.
24 For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden, shall taste of my supper.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.