Old/New Testament
War with the Ammonites and Arameans(A)
19 When Nahash king of the Ammonites died, his son became king after him. 2 David said, “Nahash ·was loyal [showed kindness] to me, so I will ·be loyal [show kindness] to his son Hanun.” So David sent messengers to ·comfort [express sympathy to] Hanun about his father’s death.
David’s officers went to the land of the Ammonites to ·comfort [express sympathy to] Hanun. 3 But the Ammonite ·leaders [officials; commanders] said to Hanun, “Do you think David wants to honor your father by sending men to ·comfort you [express sympathy]? No! David sent them to ·study [search; explore] the land and ·capture [conquer; overthrow] it and spy it out.” 4 So Hanun ·arrested [seized] David’s officers. He shaved their beards and cut off their clothes at the ·hips [buttocks; C both intended to shame them]. Then he sent them away.
5 When the people told David what had happened to ·his officers [the men], he sent messengers to meet them, because they were ·very ashamed [greatly humiliated]. King David said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back. Then come home.”
6 ·The Ammonites knew that they had insulted [When the Ammonites realized they had become disgusting/L a stench to] David. So Hanun and the Ammonites sent ·about seventy-four thousand pounds [L one thousand talents] of silver to hire chariots and chariot drivers from ·northwest Mesopotamia [L Aram-naharaim], Aram Maacah, and Zobah. 7 The Ammonites hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maacah and his ·army [people]. So they came and set up camp near the town of Medeba. The Ammonites themselves ·came out of [assembled/mustered from] their towns and got ready for battle.
8 When David heard about this, he sent Joab with the ·whole army [entire army of warriors/mighty men]. 9 The Ammonites came out and ·prepared for battle [drew up in battle lines] at the city ·gate [entrance]. The kings who had come to help were out in the ·field [open country] by themselves.
10 Joab saw that there were enemies both in front of him and behind him. So he chose some of the ·best [elite] soldiers of Israel and ·sent them out to fight [deployed/arrayed them against] the ·Arameans [or Ammonites, 2 Sam. 10:10]. 11 Joab put the rest of the army under the command of Abishai, his brother. ·Then they went out to fight the Ammonites [or …who was to attack the Ammonites; C possibly Joab attacked the Arameans and Abishai attacked the Ammonites]. 12 Joab said to Abishai, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, you must help me. Or, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you. 13 Be ·strong [brave; courageous]. We must fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what ·he thinks is right [L is good in his sight].”
14 Then Joab and the army with him went to attack the Arameans, and the Arameans ·ran away [fled before him]. 15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were ·running away [fleeing], they also ·ran away [fled] from Joab’s brother Abishai and ·went back [retreated] to their city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.
16 When the Arameans saw that Israel had defeated them, they sent messengers to bring other Arameans from ·east of the Euphrates [L beyond the] River. Their leader was ·Shophach [or Shobach; 2 Sam. 10:18], the commander of Hadadezer’s army.
17 When David heard about this, he ·gathered [mobilized; mustered] all the Israelites, and they crossed over the Jordan River. He ·prepared [positioned; deployed] them for battle, facing the Arameans. The Arameans fought with him, 18 but they ·ran away [fled] from the Israelites. David killed seven thousand [C seven hundred in 2 Sam. 10:18] Aramean chariot drivers and forty thousand Aramean foot soldiers. He also killed ·Shophach [or Shobach, 2 Sam. 10:18], the commander of the Aramean army.
19 When ·those who served [the subjects/vassals of] Hadadezer saw that the Israelites had defeated them, they made peace with David and ·served him [became his subjects]. So the Arameans ·refused [were unwilling] to help the Ammonites again.
Joab Destroys the Ammonites(B)
20 In the ·spring [L turning of the year], the time of year when kings normally went out to ·battle [war], Joab led out the army of Israel. But David stayed in Jerusalem. The army of Israel ·destroyed [ravaged; laid waste] the land of Ammon and went to the city of Rabbah and ·attacked it [lay siege to it; tore it down]. 2 David took the crown off the head of ·their king [or Milcom; C the god of the Ammonites], and had it placed on his own head. That gold crown weighed ·about seventy-five pounds [L one talent], and it ·had valuable gems in it [was set with precious stones]. And David took ·many valuable things [a great amount of plunder/spoil] from the city. 3 He also brought out the people of the city and forced them to work [C enslaved them] with saws, iron picks, and axes. David did this to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his army returned to Jerusalem.
Philistine Giants Are Killed(C)
4 Later, at Gezer [C Gob in 2 Sam. 21:18], war broke out with the Philistines. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed ·Sippai [or Saph; 2 Sam. 21:18], who was one of the descendants of the Rephaites. So those Philistines were ·defeated [subdued; subjugated].
5 Later, there was another battle with the Philistines. Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath, who was from the town of Gath. His spear was as ·large [thick] as a weaver’s ·rod [beam; 2 Sam. 21:19].
6 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 a descendant of the giants]. 7 When he ·spoke against [taunted; defied] Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.
8 These descendants ·of Rapha [from the giants] from Gath were killed by David and his ·men [warriors].
David Counts the Israelites(D)
21 ·Satan was against [or An adversary opposed] Israel, and he ·caused [incited] David to ·count [take a census of; C doing so implied trust in themselves rather than in God] the people of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and ·count [take a census of] all the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan [C the whole expanse of Israel from south to north]. Then tell me so I will know how many there are.”
3 But Joab said, “May the Lord give the ·nation [or army] a hundred times more people. My ·master [lord] the king, ·all the Israelites are [L are they not all…?] your servants. Why do you want to do this, my master? ·You will make Israel guilty of sin [Why should you bring guilt/judgment to Israel?].”
4 But the ·king commanded [king’s word/edict prevailed despite] Joab, so Joab left and went through all Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. 5 Joab gave the ·list [number] of the ·people [soldiers; warriors] to David. There were one million one hundred thousand men in all of Israel who could use the sword, and there were four hundred seventy thousand men in Judah who could use the sword. 6 But Joab did not count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he ·didn’t like [was repulsed/disgusted/distressed by] King David’s order. 7 David had done something ·God had said was wrong [that displeased/offended God], so God ·punished [attacked; struck] Israel [C taking a census of the army indicated confidence in military strength].
8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by what I have done! Now, I beg you to ·forgive me, [take away the guilt/iniquity of] your servant, because I have been very foolish.”
9 The Lord said to Gad, who was David’s ·seer [prophet], 10 “Go and tell David, ‘·This is what the Lord says [T Thus says the Lord]: I offer you three ·choices [L things]. Choose one of them and I will ·do it [inflict it on you].’”
11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “·This is what the Lord says [T Thus says the Lord]: ‘·Choose for yourself [Take your choice:] 12 three years of ·hunger [famine]. Or choose three months of ·running from [being swept away by] your enemies as they ·chase [overtake] you with their swords. Or choose three days of ·punishment from [L the sword of] the Lord, in which a ·terrible disease [plague; pestilence] will spread through the ·country [land]. The angel of the Lord will go through Israel ·destroying [ravaging] the people.’ Now, David, decide ·which of these things [what answer] I should ·tell [give] the Lord who sent me.”
13 David said to Gad, “I am in ·great trouble [deep distress; a desperate situation]. Let ·the Lord punish me [L me fall into the hand of the Lord], because the Lord is very merciful. Don’t let ·my punishment come from [L me fall into the hand of] human beings.”
14 So the Lord sent a ·terrible disease [plague; pestilence] on Israel, and seventy thousand people died. 15 God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but when the angel ·started [was about/preparing] to destroy it, the Lord saw it and ·felt very sorry about the terrible things that had happened [L relented regarding the disaster/calamity]. So he said to the angel who was destroying, “That is enough! ·Put down your arm [L Withhold your hand]!” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of ·Araunah [or Ornan; or Aravna; 2 Sam. 24:16] the Jebusite.
16 David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord ·in the sky [L standing between earth and heaven], with his drawn sword in this hand ·pointing toward [extended over] Jerusalem. Then David and the ·elders [leaders] bowed facedown on the ground. They were wearing ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap; C a sign of grief or repentance]. 17 David said to God, “·I am [L Am not I…?] the one who sinned and did wrong. I gave the order for the ·people to be counted [census]. ·These people only followed me like sheep. They did nothing wrong. [L These sheep—what have they done?] Lord my God, please ·punish [L let your hand fall on] me and my ·family [L father’s house], but ·stop the terrible disease that is killing [lift the plague from] your people.”
18 Then the angel of the Lord ·told [ordered; commanded] Gad to tell David that he should build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of ·Araunah [or Ornan; or Aravna; 2 Sam. 24:16] the Jebusite. 19 So David ·did what Gad told him to do, [went up as Gad had spoken/instructed/commanded] in the name of the Lord.
20 ·Araunah [or Ornan; or Aravna; 2 Sam. 24:16] was ·separating the wheat from the straw [threshing wheat]. When he turned around, he saw the angel. Araunah’s four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21 David came to Araunah, and when Araunah saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed facedown on the ground before David.
22 David said to him, “·Sell me [Let me have] your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the Lord here. Then the ·terrible disease will stop [plague will be lifted from the people]. ·Sell it to me for the full price [I’ll pay top price; L Full silver].”
23 ·Araunah [or Ornan; or Aravna; v. 18] said to David, “Take this threshing floor. My master the king, do ·anything you want [L whatever is good in your eyes]. Look, I will also give you oxen for the whole burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], the threshing ·boards [sledges; sleds] for the wood, and wheat for the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1]. I give everything to you.”
24 But King David answered Araunah, “No, I ·will pay [insist on paying] the full price for the land. I won’t take anything that is yours and give it to the Lord. I won’t offer a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] that costs me nothing.”
25 So David paid ·Araunah [or Ornan; or Aravna; v. 18] ·about fifteen pounds [L six hundred shekels] of gold for the place. 26 David built an altar to the Lord there [C the site of the future Temple; 2 Chr. 3:1] and offered whole burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1]. David ·prayed to [called on] the Lord, and he answered him by sending down fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. 27 Then the Lord commanded the angel to put his sword back into its ·holder [sheath].
28 When David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of ·Araunah [or Ornan; or Aravna; v. 18], he offered sacrifices there. 29 The ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] that Moses made while the Israelites were in the ·desert [wilderness] and the altar of burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] were in Gibeon at the ·place of worship [L high place]. 30 But David could not go ·to the Holy Tent to speak with [before it to inquire of] God, because he was ·afraid [terrified] of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
The Woman Caught in Adultery
8 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives [C east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley]. 2 But ·early in the morning [at dawn] he went back to the Temple [courts; 2:14], and all the people came to him, and he sat and taught them. 3 The ·teachers of the law [scribes; C experts in the law of Moses] and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They forced her to stand ·before [or in the midst of] the people. 4 They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught ·having sexual relations with a man who is not her husband [in the very act of committing adultery]. 5 The law of Moses commands that we stone to death every woman who does this [compare Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22–24]. What do you say we should do?” 6 They were asking this to ·trick [trap; test] Jesus so that they could have some ·charge [accusation] against him.
But Jesus ·bent over [stooped down] and started writing on the ground with his finger [C we do not know what he is writing though there has been much speculation]. 7 When they continued to ask Jesus their question, he ·raised up [straightened] and said, “Anyone here who ·has never sinned [is guiltless; T is without sin] can throw the first stone at her [Deut. 13:9; 17:7; comp. Lev. 24:14].” 8 Then Jesus ·bent over [stooped down] again and wrote on the ground.
9 Those who heard Jesus began to leave one by one, first the ·older men [elders] and then the others. Jesus was left there alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus ·raised up [straightened] again and asked her, “Woman [C a respectful term of address in Greek; see 2:4], where are they? Has no one ·judged you guilty [condemned you]?”
11 She answered, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “I also don’t ·judge you guilty [condemn you]. ·You may go now, but don’t sin anymore [T Go, and sin no more].”|
Jesus Is the Light of the World
12 Later, Jesus talked to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world [C the Feast of Shelters included a lamp lighting ritual that Jesus may be alluding to; 7:37–39]. The person who follows me will never ·live [L walk] in darkness but will have the light ·that gives life [L of life].”
13 The Pharisees [see 1:24] said to Jesus, “When you ·talk [testify; witness] about yourself, ·you are the only one to say these things are true. We cannot accept what you say [L your testimony/witness is not true/valid; 5:31].”
14 Jesus answered, “Yes, I am ·saying these things [witnessing; testifying] about myself, but they are true [valid]. I know where I came from [C from the Father or “from above”] and where I am going. But you don’t know where I came from or where I am going. 15 You judge ·by human standards [T according to the flesh; C rather than guided by the Spirit]. I am not judging anyone. 16 But ·when [if] I do judge, ·I judge truthfully [L my judgment is true], because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me. 17 Your own law says that ·when two witnesses say the same thing, you must accept what they say [L the testimony of two witnesses is true/valid; Deut. 17:6; 19:15]. 18 I am one of the witnesses who speaks about myself, and the Father who sent me is the other witness.”
19 [L Therefore] They asked him, “Where is your father?”
Jesus answered, “You don’t know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father, too.” 20 Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the Temple [courts], near ·where the money is kept [the treasury; offering box]. But no one ·arrested [seized] him, because ·the right time for him [L his hour; see 2:4] had not yet come.
The People Misunderstand Jesus
21 Again, Jesus said to the people, “I will leave you [C when he dies, is raised, and ascends to the Father], and you will ·look for [seek; search for] me, but you will die in your ·sins [L sin; C of unbelief]. You cannot come where I am going.”
22 So the Jews asked, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he said, ‘You cannot come where I am going’?”
23 Jesus said, “You people are from here below [C from the earth], but I am from above [C from heaven or from God]. You belong to this world, but I ·don’t belong to this world [L am not of this world]. 24 So I told you that you would die in your sins. Yes, you will die in your sins if you don’t believe that ·I am he [L I am; C this may be an allusion to God’s (Yahweh’s) self identification either from Ex. 3:14 (the great “I AM”) or Is. 40—55, where God repeatedly says, “I am he”)].”
25 [L Therefore] They asked, “Then who are you?”
Jesus answered them, “·I am what I have told you from the beginning [or Why do I speak to you at all?]. 26 I have many things to say and ·decide about you [or condemn/judge you for]. But I tell ·people [the world] only the things I have heard from the One who sent me, and he speaks the truth.”
27 The people did not understand that he was talking to them about the Father.
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