David Defeats Ammon and Syria

1 ^sAfter this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. 2 And David said, “I will deal loyally¹ with Hanun the son of ^tNahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites. 3 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, ^uat their hips, and sent them away. 5 When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”

6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of ^vBeth-rehob, and ^wthe Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of ^xMaacah with 1,000 men, and the men of ^yTob, 12,000 men. 7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of ^zthe mighty men. 8 And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and ^wthe Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and ^ythe men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.

9 When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. 10 The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. 11 And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12 ^aBe of good courage, and ^blet us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and ^cmay the Lord do what seems good to him.” 13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. 14 And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

15 But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond ^dthe Euphrates.² They came to Helam, with ^eShobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. 17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. 18 And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded ^fShobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. 19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel ^gand became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.

Ministers of the New Covenant

1 ^qAre we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, ^ras some do, ^sletters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 ^tYou yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our¹ hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of ^uthe living God, not on ^vtablets of stone but on ^wtablets of ^xhuman hearts.²

4 ^ySuch is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 ^zNot that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but ^aour sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ^bministers of ^ca new covenant, not of ^dthe letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but ^ethe Spirit gives life.

7 Now if ^fthe ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory ^gthat the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in ^hthe ministry of condemnation, ⁱthe ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

12 Since we have such a hope, ^jwe are very bold, 13 not like Moses, ^kwho would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But ^ltheir minds were ^mhardened. For to this day, ⁿwhen they read ^othe old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when ^pone³ turns to the Lord, ^qthe veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord⁴ is the Spirit, and where ^rthe Spirit of the Lord is, there is ^sfreedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, ^tbeholding ^uthe glory of the Lord,^{5 v}are being transformed into the same image ^wfrom one degree of glory to another.⁶ For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 ^c“Son of man, ^dpropound a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel; 3 say, Thus says the Lord God: ^eA great eagle ^fwith great wings and long pinions, ^frich in plumage of many colors, came ^gto Lebanon ^hand took the top of the cedar. 4 He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it to a land of trade and set it in a city of merchants. 5 Then he took of the seed of the land ⁱand planted it in fertile soil.¹ He placed it beside abundant waters. ^jHe set it like a willow twig, 6 and it sprouted and became a ^klow ^lspreading vine, and its branches turned toward him, and its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out boughs.

7 ^m“And there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage, ^mand behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot forth its branches toward him from ⁿthe bed where it was planted, that he might water it. 8 ⁱIt had been planted on good soil by abundant waters, that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.

9 “Say, Thus says the Lord God: ^mWill it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers, so that all its fresh sprouting leaves wither? It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it from its roots. 10 Behold, it is planted; will it thrive? ^oWill it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it—wither away on the bed where it sprouted?”

11 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Say now to ^pthe rebellious house, ^qDo you not know what these things mean? Tell them, behold, ^rthe king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took her king and her princes and brought them to him to Babylon. 13 ^sAnd he took one of the royal offspring^{2 t}and made a covenant with him, ^uputting him under oath (^vthe chief men of the land he had taken away), 14 that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up, and keep his covenant that it might stand. 15 ^wBut he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors ^xto Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. ^yWill he thrive? Can one escape who does such things? Can he ^zbreak the covenant and yet escape?

16 ^a“As I live, declares the Lord God, surely ^bin the place where the king dwells ^cwho made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant with him he broke, in Babylon he shall die. 17 ^dPharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in war, ^ewhen mounds are cast up and siege walls built to cut off many lives. 18 He despised the oath in breaking the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all these things; he shall not escape. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely it is my oath that he despised, and my covenant that he broke. I will return it upon his head. 20 ^fI will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon ^gand enter into judgment with him there ^hfor the treachery he has committed against me. 21 And all the pick³ of his troops shall fall by the sword, ⁱand the survivors shall be scattered to every wind, and you shall know that ^jI am the Lord; I have spoken.”

22 Thus says the Lord God: ^k“I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. ^lI will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and ^mI myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 ⁿOn the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. ^oAnd under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. 24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; ^pI bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up ^qthe green tree, and make ^qthe dry tree flourish. ^rI am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

He Will Tread Down Our Foes

To the choirmaster: according to ^fShushan Eduth. A ^gMiktam¹ of David; ^hfor instruction; when he ⁱstrove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

Lead Me to the Rock

To the choirmaster: with ^lstringed instruments. Of David.