David’s Victories

1 ^gAfter this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took ^hMetheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

2 ⁱAnd he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites ^jbecame servants to David and ^kbrought tribute.

3 David also defeated ^lHadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^mZobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. 4 ⁿAnd David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David ^ohamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. 5 ^pAnd when the ^qSyrians of Damascus came to help ^lHadadezer king of ^mZobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. 6 Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians ^rbecame servants to David and brought tribute. ^sAnd the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. 7 And David took ^tthe shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.

9 When Toi king of ^uHamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. 11 ^vThese also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, 12 from Edom, ^wMoab, ^xthe Ammonites, ^ythe Philistines, ^zAmalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^mZobah.

13 And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in ^athe Valley of Salt. 14 Then he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, ^band all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

David’s Officials

15 So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 16 ^cJoab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and ^dJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder, 17 and ^eZadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and ^fSeraiah was secretary, 18 and ^gBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was over¹ the ^hCherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were priests.

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may ⁱshow him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was ^jZiba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show ^kthe kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of ^lJonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of ^mMachir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And ⁿMephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, ⁱfor I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and ^oyou shall eat at my table always.” 8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for ^pa dead dog such as I?”

9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson ^oshall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had ^qfifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ^oate at David’s² table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, ^rwhose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for ^ohe ate always at the king’s table. Now ^lhe was lame in both his feet.

The Words of Agur

1 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.¹

1 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, ^xI have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” 2 And the high priest ^yAnanias commanded those who stood by him ^zto strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you ^awhitewashed ^bwall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet ^ccontrary to the law you ^corder me to be struck?” 4 Those who stood by said, “Would you revile ^dGod’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, ^e“I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ^f‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

6 Now when Paul perceived that one part were ^gSadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, ^hI am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is ⁱwith respect to the ^jhope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” 7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees ^ksay that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 Then a great clamor arose, and some of ^lthe scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, ^m“We find nothing wrong in this man. What ⁿif a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” 10 And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into ^othe barracks.

11 ^pThe following night ^qthe Lord stood by him and said, ^r“Take courage, for ^sas you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must ^ttestify also in Rome.”

A Plot to Kill Paul

12 When it was day, ^uthe Jews made a plot and ^vbound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

16 Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered ^wthe barracks and told Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul ^xthe prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” 19 The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 And he said, ^y“The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. 21 But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who ^zhave bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” 22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

Paul Sent to Felix the Governor

23 Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.¹ 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to ^aFelix ^bthe governor.” 25 And he wrote a letter to this effect:

26 “Claudius Lysias, to ^chis Excellency the governor Felix, ^dgreetings. 27 ^eThis man was seized by the Jews and ^fwas about to be killed by them ^fwhen I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, ^ghaving learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28 And ^hdesiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. 29 I found that he was being accused ⁱabout questions of their law, but ^jcharged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. 30 ^kAnd when it was disclosed to me ^lthat there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ^mordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”

31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 And on the next day they returned to ⁿthe barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. 33 When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34 On reading the letter, he asked what ^oprovince he was from. And when he learned ^pthat he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing ^qwhen your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod’s ^rpraetorium.

Paul Before Felix at Caesarea

1 And ^safter five days the high priest ^tAnanias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before ^uthe governor their case against Paul. 2 And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:

“Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, ^vmost excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 3 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. 4 But, to detain² you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. 5 For we have found this man a plague, ^wone who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of ^xthe sect of the Nazarenes. 6 ^yHe even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.³ 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”

9 The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.

10 And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied:

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. 11 You can verify that ^zit is not more than twelve days since I ^awent up ^bto worship in Jerusalem, 12 and ^cthey did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13 ^dNeither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 14 But this I confess to you, that according to ^ethe Way, which they call ^fa sect, ^gI worship ^hthe God of our fathers, believing everything ⁱlaid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 ^jhaving ^ka hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be ^la resurrection ^mof both the just and the unjust. 16 So I always ⁿtake pains to have a ^oclear conscience toward both God and man. 17 Now ^pafter several years ^qI came to bring alms to ^rmy nation and to present ^sofferings. 18 While I was doing this, they found me ^tpurified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But ^usome Jews from Asia— 19 ^vthey ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. 20 Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, 21 other than this one thing ^wthat I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”

Paul Kept in Custody

22 But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of ^xthe Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he gave orders to the centurion that he ^yshould be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that ^znone of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about ^afaith ^bin Christ Jesus. 25 And as he reasoned ^cabout righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. ^dWhen I get an opportunity I will summon you.” 26 At the same time he hoped ^ethat money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. 27 When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius ^fFestus. And ^gdesiring to do the Jews a favor, ^hFelix left Paul in prison.

Paul Appeals to Caesar

1 Now three days after Festus had arrived in ⁱthe province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews ^jlaid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, 3 asking as a favor against Paul⁴ that he summon him to Jerusalem—because ^kthey were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. 4 Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. 5 “So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.”

6 After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on ^lthe tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him ^mthat they could not prove. 8 Paul argued in his defense, “Neither ⁿagainst ^othe law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor ^pagainst Caesar have I committed any offense.” 9 But Festus, ^qwishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s ^rtribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. 11 If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. ^sI appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”

Paul Before Agrippa and Bernice

13 Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus. 14 And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, ^t“There is a man left prisoner by Felix, 15 and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case ^uagainst him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16 ^vI answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone ^wbefore the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him. 17 ^xSo when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on ^ythe tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. 18 When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed. 19 Rather they ^zhad certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about ^aa certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. 20 Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I ^basked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. 21 But ^cwhen Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of ^dthe emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Then ^eAgrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.”