Jesus Delivered to Pilate

1 ^cAnd as soon as it was morning, the chief priests ^dheld a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And ^ethey bound Jesus and ^fled him away and ^gdelivered him over to ^hPilate. 2 ⁱAnd Pilate asked him, ^j“Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, ^k“You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, ^l“Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus ^lmade no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

6 ^mNow at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had ⁿcommitted murder ^oin the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9 And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he perceived that ^pit was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with ^qthe man you call the King of the Jews?” 13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” 14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? ^rWhat evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having ^sscourged¹ Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Sons and Heirs

1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,¹ though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, ^cwere enslaved to the elementary principles² of the world. 4 But ^dwhen the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, ^eborn ^fof woman, born ^gunder the law, 5 ^hto redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive ⁱadoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent ^jthe Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then ^kan heir through God.

Paul’s Concern for the Galatians

8 Formerly, when you ^ldid not know God, you ^mwere enslaved to those that by nature ⁿare not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather ^oto be known by God, ^phow can you turn back again to ^qthe weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 ^rYou observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid ^sI may have labored over you in vain.

12 Brothers,^{3 t}I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. ^uYou did me no wrong. 13 You know it was ^vbecause of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you ^wat first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me ^xas an angel of God, ^yas Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by ^ztelling you the truth?⁴ 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and ^anot only when I am present with you, 19 ^bmy little children, ^cfor whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ ^dis formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Tremble at the Presence of the Lord

David and Ziba

1 When David had passed a little beyond ^pthe summit, ^qZiba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, ^ra hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, ^s“The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who ^tfaint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 And the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” ^uZiba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.’” 4 Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”

Shimei Curses David

5 When King David came to ^vBahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^wShimei, the son of Gera, and as he came ^xhe cursed continually. 6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 And Shimei said as he ^xcursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! 8 The Lord ^yhas avenged on you all ^zthe blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”

9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this ^adead dog ^bcurse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” 10 But the king said, ^c“What have I to do with you, ^dyou sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, ^emy own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me,¹ and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.” 13 So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and ^fcursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. 14 And the king, and all the people who were with him, ^garrived weary at the Jordan.² And there he refreshed himself.

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

15 ^hNow Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 And when Hushai the Archite, ^hDavid’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, ⁱ“Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? ^jWhy did you not go with your friend?” 18 And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 And again, ^kwhom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.”

20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What shall we do?” 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to ^lyour father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and ^mthe hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom ⁿon the roof. And Absalom went in to his father’s concubines ^oin the sight of all Israel. 23 Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, ^pboth by David and by Absalom.

Hushai Saves David

1 Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2 I will come upon him while he is ^qweary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. ^rI will strike down only the king, 3 and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man,³ and all the people will be at peace.” 4 And the advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

5 Then Absalom said, “Call ^sHushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say.” 6 And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “Thus has Ahithophel spoken; shall we do as he says? If not, you speak.” 7 Then Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.” 8 Hushai said, “You know that your father and his men are mighty men, and that they are enraged,^{4 t}like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people. 9 Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall⁵ at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10 Then even the valiant man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly ^umelt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that those who are with him are valiant men. 11 But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, ^vfrom Dan to Beersheba, ^was the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. 12 So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground, and of him and all the men with him not one will be left. 13 If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it into the valley, until not even a pebble is to be found there.” 14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” ^xFor the Lord had ordained⁶ to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom.

15 ^yThen Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so have I counseled. 16 Now therefore send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not stay tonight at ^zthe fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be ^aswallowed up.’” 17 Now ^bJonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at ^cEn-rogel. A female servant was to go and tell them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they were not to be seen entering the city. 18 But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house of a man at ^dBahurim, who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it. 19 ^eAnd the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it. 20 When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them, “They have gone over the brook⁷ of water.” And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

21 After they had gone, the men came up out of the well, and went and told King David. They said to David, ^f“Arise, and go quickly over the water, for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you.” 22 Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

23 When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to ^ghis own city. He ^hset his house in order and ⁱhanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.

24 Then David came to ^jMahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. 25 Now Absalom had set ^kAmasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite,⁸ who had married Abigal the daughter of ^lNahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. 26 And Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

27 When David came to Mahanaim, ^mShobi the son of Nahash from ⁿRabbah of the Ammonites, and ^oMachir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and ^pBarzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils,⁹ 29 honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and ^qweary and thirsty ^rin the wilderness.”