18:1And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. 18:2And David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. 18:3But the people said, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but thou art worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that thou be ready to succor us out of the city. 18:4And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate-side, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands. 18:5And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.
18:6So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim. 18:7And the people of Israel were smitten there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men. 18:8For the battle was there spread over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
18:9And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. And Absalom was riding upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between heaven and earth; and the mule that was under him went on. 18:10And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak. 18:11And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest it, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten pieces of silver, and a girdle. 18:12And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, yet would I not put forth my hand against the king's son; for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. 18:13Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life (and there is no matter hid from the king), then thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me. 18:14Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. 18:15And ten young men that bare Joab's armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
18:16And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab held back the people. 18:17And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every one to his tent. 18:18Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the king's dale; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, unto this day.
18:19Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that Jehovah hath avenged him of his enemies. 18:20And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not be the bearer of tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day; but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead. 18:21Then said Joab to the Cushite, Go, tell the king what thou hast seen. And the Cushite bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. 18:22Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But come what may, let me, I pray thee, also run after the Cushite. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou wilt have no reward for the tidings? 18:23But come what may, said he, I will run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.
18:24Now David was sitting between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man running alone. 18:25And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near. 18:26And the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold, another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings. 18:27And the watchman said, I think the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.
18:28And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and said, Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king. 18:29And the king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, even me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was. 18:30And the king said, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still.
18:31And, behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Tidings for my lord the king; for Jehovah hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee. 18:32And the king said unto the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. 18:33And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
11:1Would that ye could bear with me in a little foolishness: but indeed ye do bear with me. 11:2For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 11:3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. 11:4For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him. 11:5For I reckon that I am not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. 11:6But though I be rude in speech, yet am I not in knowledge; nay, in every way have we made this manifest unto you in all things. 11:7Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I preached to you the gospel of God for nought? 11:8I robbed other churches, taking wages of them that I might minister unto you; 11:9and when I was present with you and was in want, I was not a burden on any man; for the brethren, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my want; and in everything I kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. 11:10As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this glorying in the regions of Achaia. 11:11Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. 11:12But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them that desire an occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. 11:13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ. 11:14And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. 11:15It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. 11:16I say again, let no man think me foolish; but if ye do, yet as foolish receive me, that I also may glory a little. 11:17That which I speak, I speak not after the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of glorying. 11:18Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. 11:19For ye bear with the foolish gladly, being wise yourselves. 11:20For ye bear with a man, if he bringeth you into bondage, if he devoureth you, if he taketh you captive, if he exalteth himself, if he smiteth you on the face. 11:21I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also. 11:22Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. 11:23Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft. 11:24Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 11:25Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; 11:26in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 11:27in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 11:28Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches. 11:29Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not? 11:30If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness. 11:31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for evermore knoweth that I lie not. 11:32In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to take me: 11:33and through a window was I let down in a basket by the wall, and escaped his hands.
25:1And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 25:2Son of man, set thy face toward the children of Ammon, and prophesy against them: 25:3and say unto the children of Ammon, Hear the word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was made desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity: 25:4therefore, behold, I will deliver thee to the children of the east for a possession, and they shall set their encampments in thee, and make their dwellings in thee; they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk. 25:5And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the children of Ammon a couching-place for flocks: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. 25:6For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast clapped thy hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced with all the despite of thy soul against the land of Israel; 25:7therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the nations; and I will cut thee off from the peoples, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah. 25:8Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the nations; 25:9therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim, 25:10unto the children of the east, to go against the children of Ammon; and I will give them for a possession, that the children of Ammon may not be remembered among the nations. 25:11and I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am Jehovah. 25:12Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; 25:13therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, I will stretch out my hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; even unto Dedan shall they fall by the sword. 25:14And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel; and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my wrath; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord Jehovah. 25:15Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with despite of soul to destroy with perpetual enmity; 25:16therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will stretch out my hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. 25:17And I will execute great vengeance upon them with wrathful rebukes; and they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.
A Psalm of Asaph.
73:1Surely God is good to Israel,
Even to such as are pure in heart.
73:2But as for me, my feet were almost gone;
My steps had well nigh slipped.
73:3For I was envious at the arrogant,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
73:4For there are no pangs in their death;
But their strength is firm.
73:5They are not in trouble as other men;
Neither are they plagued like other men.
73:6Therefore pride is as a chain about their neck;
Violence covereth them as a garment.
73:7Their eyes stand out with fatness:
They have more than heart could wish.
73:8They scoff, and in wickedness utter oppression:
They speak loftily.
73:9They have set their mouth in the heavens,
And their tongue walketh through the earth.
73:10Therefore his people return hither:
And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
73:11And they say, How doth God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?
73:12Behold, these are the wicked;
And, being alway at ease, they increase in riches.
73:13Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart,
And washed my hands in innocency;
73:14For all the day long have I been plagued,
And *chastened every morning.
73:15If I had said, I will speak thus;
Behold, I had dealt treacherously with the generation of thy children.
73:16When I thought how I might know this,
It was too painful for me;
73:17Until I went into the sanctuary of God,
And considered their latter end.
73:18Surely thou settest them in slippery places:
Thou castest them down to destruction.
73:19How are they become a desolation in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
73:20As a dream when one awaketh,
So, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou wilt despise their image.
73:21For my soul was grieved,
And I was pricked in my heart:
73:22So brutish was I, and ignorant;
I was as a beast before thee.
73:23Nevertheless I am continually with thee:
Thou hast holden my right hand.
73:24Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
73:25Whom have I in heaven but thee?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.
73:26My flesh and my heart faileth;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.
73:27For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish:
Thou hast destroyed all them that play the harlot, departing from thee.
73:28But it is good for me to draw near unto God:
I have made the Lord Jehovah my refuge,
That I may tell of all thy works.