The One Year Bible TLB (114 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
Praise the Lord, all nations everywhere. Praise him, all the peoples of the earth.
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For he loves us very dearly, and his truth endures. Praise the Lord.
Plans go wrong with too few counselors; many counselors bring success.
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Everyone enjoys giving good advice, and how wonderful it is to be able to say the right thing at the right time!
May 21The Philistine army now mobilized at Aphek, and the Israelis camped at the springs in Jezreel.
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As the Philistine captains were leading out their troops by battalions and companies, David and his men marched at the rear with King Achish.
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But the Philistine commanders demanded, “What are these Israelis doing here?”
And King Achish told them, “This is David, the runaway servant of King Saul of Israel. He’s been with me for years, and I’ve never found one fault in him since he arrived.”
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But the Philistine leaders were angry. “Send them back!” they demanded. “They aren’t going into the battle with us—they’ll turn against us. Is there any better way for him to reconcile himself with his master than by turning against us in the battle?
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This is the same man the women of Israel sang about in their dances: ‘Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands!’”
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So Achish finally summoned David and his men.
“I swear by the Lord,” he told them, “you are some of the finest men I’ve ever met, and I think you should go with us, but my commanders say no.
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Please don’t upset them, but go back quietly.”
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“What have I done to deserve this treatment?” David demanded. “Why can’t I fight your enemies?”
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But Achish insisted, “As far as I’m concerned, you’re as perfect as an angel of God. But my commanders are afraid to have you with them in the battle.
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Now get up early in the morning and leave as soon as it is light.”
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So David headed back into the land of the Philistines while the Philistine army went on to Jezreel.
30:
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Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their city of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had raided the city and burned it to the ground,
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carrying off all the women and children.
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As David and his men looked at the ruins and realized what had happened to their families,
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they wept until they could weep no more.
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(David’s two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, were among those who had been captured.)
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David was seriously worried, for in their bitter grief for their children, his men began talking of killing him. But David took strength from the Lord.
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Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it.
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David asked the Lord, “Shall I chase them? Will I catch them?”
And the Lord told him, “Yes, go after them; you will recover everything that was taken from you!”
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So David and his six hundred men set out after the Amalekites. When they reached Besor Brook, two hundred of the men were too exhausted to cross, but the other four hundred kept going.
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Along the way they found an Egyptian youth in a field and brought him to David. He had not had anything to eat or drink for three days and nights, so they gave him part of a fig cake, two clusters of raisins, and some water, and his strength soon returned.
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“Who are you and where do you come from?” David asked him.
“I am an Egyptian—the servant of an Amalekite,” he replied. “My master left me behind three days ago because I was sick.
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We were on our way back from raiding the Cherethites in the Negeb, and had raided the south of Judah and the land of Caleb, and had burned Ziklag.”
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“Can you tell me where they went?” David asked.
The young man replied, “If you swear by God’s name that you will not kill me or give me back to my master, then I will guide you to them.”
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So he led them to the Amalekite encampment. They were spread out across the fields, eating and drinking and dancing with joy because of the vast amount of loot they had taken from the Philistines and from the men of Judah.
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David and his men rushed in among them and slaughtered them all that night and the entire next day until evening. No one escaped except four hundred young men who fled on camels.
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David got back everything they had taken. The men recovered their families and all of their belongings, and David rescued his two wives.
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His troops rounded up all the flocks and herds and drove them on ahead of them. “These are all yours personally, as your reward!” they told David.
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When they reached Besor Brook and the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to go on, David greeted them joyfully.
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But some of the ruffians among David’s men declared, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the loot. Give them their wives and their children and tell them to be gone.”
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But David said, “No, my brothers! The Lord has kept us safe and helped us defeat the enemy.
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Do you think that anyone will listen to you when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.”
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From then on David made this a law for all of Israel, and it is still followed.
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When he arrived at Ziklag, he sent part of the loot to the elders of Judah. “Here is a present for you, taken from the Lord’s enemies,” he wrote them.
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The gifts were sent to the elders in the following cities where David and his men had been: Bethel, South Ramoth, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites, the cities of the Kenites, Hormah, Borashan, Athach, Hebron.
31:
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Meanwhile the Philistines had begun the battle against Israel, and the Israelis fled from them and were slaughtered wholesale on Mount Gilboa.
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The Philistines closed in on Saul and killed his sons Jonathan, Abinidab, and Malchishua.
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Then the archers overtook Saul and wounded him badly. He groaned to his armor bearer, “Kill me with your sword before these heathen Philistines capture me and torture me.” But his armor bearer was afraid to, so Saul took his own sword and fell upon the point of the blade, and it pierced him through.
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When his armor bearer saw that he was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.
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So Saul, his armor bearer, his three sons, and his troops died together that same day.
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When the Israelis on the other side of the valley and beyond the Jordan heard that their comrades had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities; and the Philistines lived in them.
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The next day when the Philistines went out to strip the dead, they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa.
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They cut off Saul’s head and stripped off his armor and sent the wonderful news of Saul’s death to their idols and to the people throughout their land.
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His armor was placed in the temple of Ashtaroth, and his body was fastened to the wall of Beth-shan.
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But when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done,
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warriors from that town traveled all night to Beth-shan and took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall and brought them to Jabesh, where they cremated them.
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Then they buried their remains beneath the oak tree at Jabesh and fasted for seven days.
The Passover, a Jewish holy day, was near, and many country people arrived in Jerusalem several days early so that they could go through the cleansing ceremony before the Passover began.
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They wanted to see Jesus, and as they gossiped in the Temple, they asked each other, “What do you think? Will he come for the Passover?”
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Meanwhile the chief priests and Pharisees had publicly announced that anyone seeing Jesus must report him immediately so that they could arrest him.
12:
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Six days before the Passover ceremonies began, Jesus arrived in Bethany where Lazarus was—the man he had brought back to life.
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A banquet was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus sat at the table with him.
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Then Mary took a jar of costly perfume made from essence of nard, and anointed Jesus’ feet with it and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance.
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But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples—the one who would betray him—said,
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“That perfume was worth a fortune. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.”
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Not that he cared for the poor, but he was in charge of the disciples’ funds and often dipped into them for his own use!
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Jesus replied,
“Let her alone. She did it in preparation for my burial.
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You can always help the poor, but I won’t be with you very long.”
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When the ordinary people of Jerusalem heard of his arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus—the man who had come back to life again.
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Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus too,
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for it was because of him that many of the Jewish leaders had deserted and believed in Jesus as their Messiah.
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The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city, and a huge crowd of Passover visitors
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took palm branches and went down the road to meet him, shouting, “The Savior! God bless the King of Israel! Hail to God’s Ambassador!”
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Jesus rode along on a young donkey, fulfilling the prophecy that said:
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“Don’t be afraid of your King, people of Israel, for he will come to you meekly, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
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(His disciples didn’t realize at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy; but after Jesus returned to his glory in heaven, then they noticed how many prophecies of Scripture had come true before their eyes.)
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And those in the crowd who had seen Jesus call Lazarus back to life were telling all about it.
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That was the main reason why so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this mighty miracle.
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Then the Pharisees said to each other, “We’ve lost. Look—the whole world has gone after him!”
Oh, thank the Lord, for he’s so good! His loving-kindness is forever.
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Let the congregation of Israel praise him with these same words: “His loving-kindness is forever.”
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And let the priests of Aaron chant, “His loving-kindness is forever.”
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Let the Gentile converts chant, “His loving-kindness is forever.”
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In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me.
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He is for me! How can I be afraid? What can mere man do to me?
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The Lord is on my side; he will help me. Let those who hate me beware.
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It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in men.
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It is better to take refuge in him than in the mightiest king!
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Though all the nations of the world attack me, I will march out behind his banner and destroy them.
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Yes, they surround and attack me; but with his flag flying above me I will cut them off.
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They swarm around me like bees; they blaze against me like a roaring flame. Yet beneath his flag I shall destroy them.
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You did your best to kill me, O my enemy, but the Lord helped me.
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He is my strength and song in the heat of battle, and now he has given me the victory.
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Songs of joy at the news of our rescue are sung in the homes of the godly. The strong arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
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I shall not die but live to tell of all his deeds.
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The Lord has punished me but not handed me over to death.
The road of the godly leads upward, leaving hell behind.
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The Lord destroys the possessions of the proud but cares for widows.
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The Lord hates the thoughts of the wicked but delights in kind words.
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