God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. ^gAccording to Alamoth.¹ A Song.

God Is King over All the Earth

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

Nathan Rebukes David

1 ^kAnd the Lord sent ^lNathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms,¹ and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall ^mrestore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ⁿ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 ^oWhy have you ^pdespised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And ^qI will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 13 David said to Nathan, ^r“I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; ^syou shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord,² the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.

David’s Child Dies

And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and ^tlay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ^u‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? ^vI shall go to him, but he ^wwill not return to me.”

Peter Reports to the Church

1 Now the apostles and the brothers¹ who were throughout Judea ^rheard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, ^sthe circumcision party² criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ^tate with them.” 4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5 ^u“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a ^vtrance I saw a ^wvision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ^x‘By no means, Lord; for ^ynothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ^z‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the ^aSpirit told me to go with them, ^bmaking no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them ^cjust as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ^d‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave the same ^egift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^fwho was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they ^gglorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”