Psalm 148; 2 Samuel 18:1–15; 2 Samuel 18:19–33; Ephesians 1:1–14

red bookmark icon blue bookmark icon gold bookmark icon
Psalm 148

Praise the Name of the Lord

rPraise the Lord!

Praise the Lord sfrom the heavens;

praise him tin the heights!

Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his uhosts!

Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, all you shining stars!

Praise him, you vhighest heavens,

and you wwaters above the heavens!

xLet them praise the name of the Lord!

For yhe commanded and they were created.

And he zestablished them forever and ever;

he gave aa decree, and it shall not bpass away.1

Praise the Lord cfrom the earth,

you dgreat sea creatures and all deeps,

efire and hail, fsnow and mist,

gstormy wind hfulfilling his word!

iMountains and all hills,

jfruit trees and all kcedars!

10  lBeasts and all livestock,

creeping things and mflying birds!

11  Kings of the earth and nall peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth!

12  Young men and maidens together,

old men and children!

13  oLet them praise the name of the Lord,

for phis name alone is exalted;

qhis majesty is above earth and heaven.

14  He has rraised up a horn for his people,

spraise for all his saints,

for the people of Israel who are tnear to him.

uPraise the Lord!


2 Samuel 18:1–15

Absalom Killed

Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of sIttai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, I myself will also go out with you. tBut the men said, You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city. The king said to them, Whatever seems best to you I will do. So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom. uAnd all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the vforest of Ephraim. And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.

And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak,1 wand his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. 10 And a certain man saw it and told Joab, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak. 11 Joab said to the man who told him, What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt. 12 But the man said to Joab, Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for xin our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, For my sake protect the young man Absalom. 13 On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life2 (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof. 14 Joab said, I will not waste time like this with you. And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. 15 And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.


2 Samuel 18:19–33

David Hears of Absalom’s Death

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, dLet me run and carry news to the king that ethe Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies. 20 And Joab said to him, You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son is dead. 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, Go, tell the king what you have seen. The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. 22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite. And Joab said, Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news? 23 Come what may, he said, I will run. So he said to him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of fthe plain, and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David gwas sitting between the two gates, and hthe watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, If he is alone, there is news in his mouth. And he drew nearer and nearer. 26 The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, See, another man running alone! The king said, He also brings news. 27 The watchman said, I think the running of the first is ilike the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, jHe is a good man and comes with good news.

28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, All is well. And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, kBlessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king. 29 And the king said, lIs it well with the young man Absalom? Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was. 30 And the king said, Turn aside and stand here. So he turned aside and stood still.

David’s Grief

31 And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, Good news for my lord the king! For mthe Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you. 32 The king said to the Cushite, lIs it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite answered, nMay the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man. 33 1 And the king was deeply moved and went up gto the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, oO my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!


Ephesians 1:1–14

Greeting

Paul, aan apostle of Christ Jesus bby the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and care faithful1 in Christ Jesus:

dGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

eBlessed be fthe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing gin the heavenly places, heven as he ichose us in him jbefore the foundation of the world, that we should be kholy and blameless before him. In love lhe predestined us2 for madoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, naccording to the purpose of his will, oto the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in pthe Beloved. qIn him we have rredemption sthrough his blood, tthe forgiveness of our trespasses, uaccording to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight vmaking known3 to us the mystery of his will, naccording to his purpose, which he wset forth in Christ 10 as a plan for xthe fullness of time, yto unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained zan inheritance, ahaving been predestined baccording to the purpose of him who works all things according to cthe counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be dto the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard ethe word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, fwere sealed with the gpromised Holy Spirit, 14 who is hthe guarantee4 of our iinheritance until jwe acquire kpossession of it,5 lto the praise of his glory.