The Last Words of David

1 Now these are the last words of David:

David’s Mighty Men

8 ^rThese are the names of the mighty men whom David had: ^sJosheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three.⁵ He wielded his spear⁶ against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.

9 And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of ^tDodo, son of ^uAhohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. 10 He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain.

11 And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the ^vHararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi,⁷ where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.

13 And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the ^wcave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped ^xin the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then ^yin the stronghold, and ^zthe garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 15 And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the Lord 17 and said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink ^athe blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty.⁸ And he wielded his spear against three hundred men⁹ and killed them and won a name beside the three. 19 He was the most renowned of the thirty¹⁰ and became their commander, but he did not attain to ^bthe three.

20 And ^cBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man¹¹ of ^dKabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels¹² of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 21 And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. 23 He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.

24 ^eAsahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 ^fShammah of Harod, Elika of Harod, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh ^gof Tekoa, 27 Abiezer ^hof Anathoth, Mebunnai ⁱthe Hushathite, 28 Zalmon ^jthe Ahohite, Maharai ^kof Netophah, 29 Heleb the son of Baanah ^kof Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of ^lGibeah of the people of Benjamin, 30 Benaiah ^mof Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of ⁿGaash, 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of ^oBahurim, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33 ^pShammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, 34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai ^qof Maacah, ^rEliam the son of ^sAhithophel the Gilonite, 35 Hezro^{13 t}of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal the son of Nathan ^uof Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai ^vof Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38 ^wIra the ^xIthrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 ^yUriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

1 Brothers,¹ my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that ^bthey have a zeal for God, ^cbut not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of ^dthe righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For ^eChrist is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.²

The Message of Salvation to All

5 For ^fMoses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^gthe person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But ^hthe righteousness based on faith says, ⁱ“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the ^jabyss?’” (that is, ^kto bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? ^l“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if ^myou confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and ⁿbelieve in your heart ^othat God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, ^p“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 ^qFor there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; ^rfor the same Lord is Lord of all, ^sbestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For ^t“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him ^uof whom they have never heard?³ And how are they to hear ^vwithout someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ^w“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But ^xthey have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^y“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So ^zfaith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

21 But of Israel he says, ^g“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

The Remnant of Israel

1 I ask, then, ^hhas God rejected his people? By no means! For ⁱI myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,⁴ a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 ^jGod has not rejected his people whom he ^kforeknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 ^l“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? ^m“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is ⁿa remnant, chosen by grace. 6 ^oBut if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

7 What then? ^pIsrael failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest ^qwere hardened, 8 as it is written,

9 And David says,

Gentiles Grafted In

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass ^usalvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion⁵ mean!

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as ^vI am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and ^wthus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means ^xthe reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 ^yIf the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 But if ^zsome of the branches were broken off, and you, ^aalthough a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root⁶ of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you ^bstand fast through faith. So ^cdo not become proud, but ^dfear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, ^eprovided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise ^fyou too will be cut off. 23 And ^geven they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Mystery of Israel’s Salvation

25 ^hLest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:^{7 i}a partial hardening has come upon Israel, ^juntil the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are ^obeloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and ^pthe calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as ^qyou were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now⁸ receive mercy. 32 For God ^rhas consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and ^swisdom and knowledge of God! ^tHow unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

36 For ^xfrom him and through him and to him are all things. ^yTo him be glory forever. Amen.

A Living Sacrifice

1 ^zI appeal to you therefore, brothers,⁹ by the mercies of God, ^ato present your bodies ^bas a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.¹⁰ 2 ^cDo not be conformed to this world,¹¹ but be transformed by ^dthe renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^ediscern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.¹²

Gifts of Grace

3 For ^fby the grace given to me I say to everyone among you ^gnot to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, ^heach according to ⁱthe measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For ^jas in one body we have many members,¹³ and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, ^kthough many, ^lare one body in Christ, and individually ^mmembers one of another. 6 ⁿHaving gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if ^oprophecy, ^pin proportion to our faith; 7 if ^qservice, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; ^rthe one who leads,¹⁴ with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with ^scheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

9 ^tLet love be genuine. ^uAbhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 ^vLove one another with brotherly affection. ^wOutdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, ^xbe fervent in spirit,^{15 y}serve the Lord. 12 ^zRejoice in hope, ^abe patient in tribulation, ^bbe constant in prayer. 13 ^cContribute to the needs of the saints and ^dseek to show hospitality.

14 ^eBless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 ^fRejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 ^gLive in harmony with one another. ^hDo not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^{16 i}Never be wise in your own sight. 17 ^jRepay no one evil for evil, but ^kgive thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, ^llive peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, ^mnever avenge yourselves, but leave it¹⁷ to the wrath of God, for it is written, ⁿ“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, ^o“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.