Mark 15:16–32; Galatians 4:21–31; Psalm 115; 2 Samuel 18–19

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Mark 15:16–32

Jesus Is Mocked

16 tAnd the soldiers led him away inside uthe palace (that is, vthe governor’s headquarters),1 and they called together the whole wbattalion.2 17 And they clothed him in xa purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, yHail, King of the Jews! 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and zspitting on him and akneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had bmocked him, they stripped him of xthe purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they cled him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

21 dAnd they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 eAnd they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with fmyrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and gdivided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And hit was the third hour3 when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, iThe King of the Jews. 27 And with him they crucified two jrobbers, kone on his right and one on his left.4 29 And lthose who passed by derided him, mwagging their heads and saying, nAha! oYou who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross! 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, pHe saved others; qhe cannot save himself. 32 Let rthe Christ, sthe King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may tsee and believe. uThose who were crucified with him also reviled him.


Galatians 4:21–31

Example of Hagar and Sarah

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, eone by a slave woman and fone by a free woman. 23 But gthe son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while hthe son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two icovenants. jOne is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;1 she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But kthe Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

lRejoice, O barren one who does not bear;

break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!

For the children of the desolate one will be more

than those of the one who has a husband.

28 Now you,2 brothers, mlike Isaac, nare children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh opersecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, pso also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? qCast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman. 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but rof the free woman.


Psalm 115

To Your Name Give Glory

aNot to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,

bfor the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

Why should the nations say,

cWhere is their God?

dOur God is in the heavens;

ehe does all that he pleases.

fTheir idols are silver and gold,

gthe work of human hands.

They have mouths, hbut do not speak;

eyes, but do not see.

They have ears, but do not hear;

noses, but do not smell.

They have hands, but do not feel;

feet, but do not walk;

and they do not make a sound in their throat.

iThose who make them become like them;

so do all who trust in them.

O jIsrael,1 ktrust in the Lord!

He is their lhelp and their shield.

10  O jhouse of Aaron, trust in the Lord!

He is their help and mtheir shield.

11  You nwho fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!

He is their help and their shield.

12  The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us;

he will bless othe house of Israel;

he will bless othe house of Aaron;

13  he will pbless those who fear the Lord,

qboth the small and the great.

14  May the Lord rgive you increase,

you and your children!

15  May syou be blessed by the Lord,

twho made heaven and earth!

16  The heavens are the Lord’s heavens,

but the earth he has given to the children of man.

17  uThe dead do not praise the Lord,

nor do any who go down into vsilence.

18  But wwe will bless the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore.

xPraise the Lord!


2 Samuel 18–19

Absalom Killed

Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of sIttai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, I myself will also go out with you. tBut the men said, You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city. The king said to them, Whatever seems best to you I will do. So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom. uAnd all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the vforest of Ephraim. And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.

And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak,1 wand his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. 10 And a certain man saw it and told Joab, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak. 11 Joab said to the man who told him, What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt. 12 But the man said to Joab, Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for xin our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, For my sake protect the young man Absalom. 13 On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life2 (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof. 14 Joab said, I will not waste time like this with you. And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. 15 And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.

16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them. 17 And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him ya very great heap of stones. And all Israel zfled every one to his own home. 18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself athe pillar that is in bthe King’s Valley, for he said, cI have no son to keep my name in remembrance. He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument3 to this day.

David Hears of Absalom’s Death

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, dLet me run and carry news to the king that ethe Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies. 20 And Joab said to him, You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son is dead. 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, Go, tell the king what you have seen. The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. 22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite. And Joab said, Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news? 23 Come what may, he said, I will run. So he said to him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of fthe plain, and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David gwas sitting between the two gates, and hthe watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, If he is alone, there is news in his mouth. And he drew nearer and nearer. 26 The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, See, another man running alone! The king said, He also brings news. 27 The watchman said, I think the running of the first is ilike the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, jHe is a good man and comes with good news.

28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, All is well. And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, kBlessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king. 29 And the king said, lIs it well with the young man Absalom? Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was. 30 And the king said, Turn aside and stand here. So he turned aside and stood still.

David’s Grief

31 And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, Good news for my lord the king! For mthe Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you. 32 The king said to the Cushite, lIs it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite answered, nMay the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man. 33 4 And the king was deeply moved and went up gto the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, oO my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!

Joab Rebukes David

It was told Joab, Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom. So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, The king is grieving for his son. And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle. The king pcovered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, qO my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. Now therefore arise, go out and speak rkindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now. Then the king arose and took his sseat in the gate. And the people were all told, Behold, the king is sitting in the gate. And all the people came before the king.

David Returns to Jerusalem

Now Israel had tfled every man to his own home. And all the people were arguing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, uThe king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and vsaved us from the hand of the Philistines, and now whe has fled out of the land from Absalom. 10 But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?

11 And King David sent this message to xZadok and Abiathar the priests: Say to the elders of Judah, Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king?5 12 You are my brothers; yyou are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king? 13 And say to Amasa, zAre you not my bone and my flesh? aGod do so to me and more also, if you are not bcommander of my army from now on in place of Joab. 14 And he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah cas one man, so that they sent word to the king, Return, both you and all your servants. 15 So the king came back to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king over the Jordan.

David Pardons His Enemies

16 And dShimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17 And with him were a thousand men from Benjamin. And eZiba the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king, 18 and they crossed the ford to bring over the king’s household and to do his pleasure. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, 19 and said to the king, fLet not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant gdid wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart. 20 For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first hof all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king. 21 Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because ihe cursed the Lord’s anointed? 22 But David said, jWhat have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? kShall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel? 23 lAnd the king said to Shimei, You shall not die. And the king gave him his oath.

24 And mMephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. 25 And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, nWhy did you not go with me, Mephibosheth? 26 He answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, I will saddle a donkey for myself,6 that I may ride on it and go with the king. For oyour servant is lame. 27 pHe has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is qlike the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. 28 For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but ryou set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king? 29 And the king said to him, Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land. 30 And Mephibosheth said to the king, Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.

31 Now sBarzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, and he went on with the king to the Jordan, to escort him over the Jordan. 32 Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. tHe had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. 33 And the king said to Barzillai, Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem. 34 But Barzillai said to the king, uHow many years have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am this day veighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be wan added burden to my lord the king? 36 Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward? 37 Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant xChimham. Let him go over with my lord the king, and do for him whatever seems good to you. 38 And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you, and all that you desire of me I will do for you. 39 Then all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over. And ythe king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own home. 40 The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him. All the people of Judah, and also half the people of Israel, brought the king on his way.

41 Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and zbrought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him? 42 All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is aour close relative. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift? 43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, We have bten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king? cBut the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.