1
Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officials that he planned to kill David. But Jonathan was very fond of David,
2
and so he told him, "My father is trying to kill you. Please be careful tomorrow morning; hide in some secret place and stay there.
3
I will go and stand by my father in the field where you are hiding, and I will speak to him about you. If I find out anything, I will let you know."
4
Jonathan praised David to Saul and said, "Sir, don't do wrong to your servant David. He has never done you any wrong; on the contrary, everything he has done has been a great help to you.
5
He risked his life when he killed Goliath, and the LORD won a great victory for Israel. When you saw it, you were glad. Why, then, do you now want to do wrong to an innocent man and kill David for no reason at all?"
6
Saul was convinced by what Jonathan said and made a vow in the LORD's name that he would not kill David.
7
So Jonathan called David and told him everything; then he took him to Saul, and David served the king as he had before.
8
War with the Philistines broke out again. David attacked them and defeated them so thoroughly that they fled.
9
One day an evil spirit from the LORD took control of Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was there, playing his harp.
10
Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David dodged, and the spear stuck in the wall. David ran away and escaped.
11
That same night Saul sent some men to watch David's house and kill him the next morning. Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't get away tonight, tomorrow you will be dead."
12
She let him down from a window, and he ran away and escaped.
13
Then she took the household idol, laid it on the bed, put a pillow made of goats' hair at its head, and put a cover over it.
14
When Saul's men came to get David, Michal told them that he was sick.
15
But Saul sent them back to see David for themselves. He ordered them, "Carry him here in his bed, and I will kill him."
16
They went inside and found the household idol in the bed and the goats' hair pillow at its head.
17
Saul asked Michal, "Why have you tricked me like this and let my enemy escape?" She answered, "He said he would kill me if I didn't help him escape."
18
David escaped and went to Samuel in Ramah and told him everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.
19
Saul was told that David was in Naioth in Ramah,
20
so he sent some men to arrest him. They saw the group of prophets dancing and shouting, with Samuel as their leader. Then the spirit of God took control of Saul's men, and they also began to dance and shout.
21
When Saul heard of this, he sent more messengers, and they also began to dance and shout. He sent messengers the third time, and the same thing happened to them.
22
Then he himself started out to Ramah. When he came to the large well in Secu, he asked where Samuel and David were and was told that they were at Naioth.
23
As he was going there, the spirit of God took control of him also, and he danced and shouted all the way to Naioth.
24
He took off his clothes and danced and shouted in Samuel's presence, and lay naked all that day and all that night. (This is how the saying originated, "Has even Saul become a prophet?")
1
Issachar had four sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
2
Tola had six sons: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel. They were heads of families of the clan of Tola and were famous soldiers. At the time of King David their descendants numbered 22,600.
3
Uzzi had one son, Izrahiah. Izrahiah and his four sons, Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, were all heads of families.
4
They had so many wives and children that their descendants were able to provide 36,000 men for military duty.
5
The official records of all the families of the tribe of Issachar listed 87,000 men eligible for military duty.
6
Benjamin had three sons: Bela, Becher, and Jediael.
7
Bela had five sons: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were heads of families in the clan and were all famous soldiers. Their descendants included 22,034 men eligible for military duty.
8
Becher had nine sons: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth.
9
The official record of their descendants by families listed 20,200 men eligible for military duty.
10
Jediael had one son, Bilhan, and Bilhan had seven sons: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
11
They were heads of families in the clan and were all famous soldiers. Their descendants included 17,200 men eligible for military duty.
12
Shuppim and Huppim also belonged to this tribe. Dan had one son, Hushim.
13
Naphtali had four sons: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum. (They were descendants of Bilhah. )
14
By his Aramean concubine, Manasseh had two sons, Asriel and Machir. Machir was the father of Gilead.
15
Machir found a wife for Huppim and one for Shuppim. His sister's name was Maacah. Machir's second son was Zelophehad, and he had only daughters.
16
Maacah, Machir's wife, gave birth to two sons, whom they named Peresh and Sheresh. Peresh had two sons, Ulam and Rakem,
17
and Ulam had a son named Bedan. These are all descendants of Gilead, the son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh.
18
Gilead's sister Hammolecheth had three sons: Ishod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19
(Shemida had four sons: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.)
20
These are the descendants of Ephraim from generation to generation: Shuthelah, Bered, Tahath, Eleadah, Tahath,
21
Zabad, Shuthelah. Ephraim had two other sons besides Shuthelah: Ezer and Elead, who were killed when they tried to steal the livestock belonging to the native inhabitants of Gath.
22
Their father Ephraim mourned for them for many days, and his relatives came to comfort him.
23
Then he had intercourse with his wife again, and she became pregnant and had a son. They named him Beriah, because of the trouble that had come to their family.
24
Ephraim had a daughter named Sheerah. She built the towns of Upper and Lower Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah.
25
Ephraim also had a son named Rephah, whose descendants were as follows: Resheph, Telah, Tahan,
26
Ladan, Ammihud, Elishama,
28
The territory which they took and settled included Bethel and the towns around it, as far east as Naaran and as far west as Gezer and the towns around it. It also included the cities of Shechem and Ayyah, and the towns around them.
29
The descendants of Manasseh controlled the cities of Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, and the towns around them. All these are the places where the descendants of Joseph son of Jacob lived.
30
These are the descendants of Asher. He had four sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and one daughter, Serah.
31
Beriah had two sons, Heber and Malchiel. (Malchiel founded the city of Birzaith.)
32
Heber had three sons: Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham; and one daughter, Shua.
33
Japhlet also had three sons: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath.
34
His brother Shomer had three sons: Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram.
35
His brother Hotham had four sons: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
36
The descendants of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,
37
Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.
38
The descendants of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara,
39
and the descendants of Ulla were Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.
40
All of these were descendants of Asher. They were heads of families, famous fighting men, outstanding leaders. Asher's descendants included 26,000 men eligible for military duty.
1
Save me from my enemies, my God; protect me from those who attack me!
2
Save me from those evil people; rescue me from those murderers!
3
Look! They are waiting to kill me; cruel people are gathering against me. It is not because of any sin or wrong I have done,
4
nor because of any fault of mine, O LORD, that they hurry to their places.
5
Rise, LORD God Almighty, and come to my aid; see for yourself, God of Israel! Wake up and punish the heathen; show no mercy to evil traitors!
6
They come back in the evening, snarling like dogs as they go about the city.
7
Listen to their insults and threats. Their tongues are like swords in their mouths, yet they think that no one hears them.
8
But you laugh at them, LORD; you mock all the heathen.
9
I have confidence in your strength; you are my refuge, O God.
10
My God loves me and will come to me; he will let me see my enemies defeated.
11
Do not kill them, O God, or my people may forget. Scatter them by your strength and defeat them, O Lord, our protector.
12
Sin is on their lips; all their words are sinful; may they be caught in their pride! Because they curse and lie,
13
destroy them in your anger; destroy them completely. Then everyone will know that God rules in Israel, that his rule extends over all the earth.
14
My enemies come back in the evening, snarling like dogs as they go about the city,
15
like dogs roaming about for food and growling if they do not find enough.
16
But I will sing about your strength; every morning I will sing aloud of your constant love. You have been a refuge for me, a shelter in my time of trouble.
17
I will praise you, my defender. My refuge is God, the God who loves me.
1
Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil.
2
After spending forty days and nights without food, Jesus was hungry.
3
Then the Devil came to him and said, "If you are God's Son, order these stones to turn into bread."
4
But Jesus answered, "The scripture says, 'Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.' "
5
Then the Devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, the Holy City, set him on the highest point of the Temple,
6
and said to him, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down, for the scripture says, 'God will give orders to his angels about you; they will hold you up with their hands, so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.' "
7
Jesus answered, "But the scripture also says, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "
8
Then the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness.
9
"All this I will give you," the Devil said, "if you kneel down and worship me."
10
Then Jesus answered, "Go away, Satan! The scripture says, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!' "
11
Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him.
12
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went away to Galilee.
13
He did not stay in Nazareth, but went to live in Capernaum, a town by Lake Galilee, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.
14
This was done to make come true what the prophet Isaiah had said,
15
"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, on the road to the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee, land of the Gentiles!
16
The people who live in darkness will see a great light. On those who live in the dark land of death the light will shine."
17
From that time Jesus began to preach his message: "Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near!"
18
As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers who were fishermen, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew, catching fish in the lake with a net.
19
Jesus said to them, "Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people."
20
At once they left their nets and went with him.
21
He went on and saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat with their father Zebedee, getting their nets ready. Jesus called them,
22
and at once they left the boat and their father, and went with him.
23
Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the Good News about the Kingdom, and healing people who had all kinds of disease and sickness.
24
The news about him spread through the whole country of Syria, so that people brought to him all those who were sick, suffering from all kinds of diseases and disorders: people with demons, and epileptics, and paralytics---and Jesus healed them all.
25
Large crowds followed him from Galilee and the Ten Towns, from Jerusalem, Judea, and the land on the other side of the Jordan.
