2 Samuel 15 - 16

Absalom’s Conspiracy

Now it happened afterwards, that Absalom prepared for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. 2 And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a case to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3 Then Absalom would say to him, “See, your words are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.” 4 Then Absalom would say, “Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any case or judgment could come to me and I would justify him.” 5 And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would send forth his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6 In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel. 7 Now it happened at the end of forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to Yahweh, in Hebron. 8 For your servant vowed a vow while I was living at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If Yahweh shall indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve Yahweh.’” 9 And the king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. 10 Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” 11 Now two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, who were invited and went innocently, and they did not know anything. 12 And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.

David Flees Jerusalem

13 Then an informant came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have followed Absalom.” 14 So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, for otherwise there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go in haste, lest he overtake us hastily and drive calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 Then the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.” 16 So the king went out and all his household with him. But the king left ten concubines to keep the house. 17 And the king went out and all the people with him, and they stopped at the last house. 18 Now all his servants passed on beside him, all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had come with him from Gath, passed on before the king. 19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile; return to your own place. 20 You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander with us, going about, while I go where I go? Return and cause your brothers to return; lovingkindness and truth be with you.” 21 But Ittai answered the king and said, “As Yahweh lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.” 22 So David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” So Ittai the Gittite passed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. 23 While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people passed over. The king also passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness. 24 Now behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar came up until all the people had finished passing from the city. 25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of Yahweh, then He will cause me to return and show me both it and His habitation. 26 But if He should say thus, ‘I have no delight in you,’ behold, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good in His sight.” 27 The king said also to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace and your two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 See, I am going to wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and remained there. 30 But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went, and his head was covered and he was walking barefoot. And all the people who were with him each covered his head and went up weeping as they went. 31 Now David informed them, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Yahweh, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness.” 32 Then it happened that as David was coming to the summit, where he used to worship God, that behold, Hushai the Archite met him with his coat torn and dust on his head. 33 And David said to him, “If you pass over with me, then you will be a burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so I will now be your servant,’ then you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me. 35 Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So it shall be that whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall inform Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Behold, their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by their hand you shall send me everything that you hear.” 37 So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

Ziba Meets David

Now David had passed a little beyond the summit, and behold, Ziba the young man of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine, for whoever is faint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 Then the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will return the kingdom of my father to me.’” 4 So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord, the king!”

Shimei Curses David

5 And King David came to Bahurim, and behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out cursing continually as he came. 6 He also threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left. 7 And thus Shimei said when he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, and vile fellow! 8 Yahweh has returned upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and Yahweh has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!” 9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me pass over now and remove his head.” 10 But the king said, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if Yahweh has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my son who came forth from my body seeks my life; how much more now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, for Yahweh has told him. 12 Perhaps Yahweh will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” 13 So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him. 14 Then the king and all the people who were with him arrived weary and he refreshed himself there.

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

15 Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, had entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 And it happened that when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your lovingkindness to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?” 18 Then Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whom Yahweh, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 Besides, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so I will be in your presence.” 20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?” 21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. 23 Now the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if one asked of the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.

2 John 1

Walk in Truth and Love

The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we received commandment from the Father. 5 Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 See to yourselves, that you do not lose what we accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. 9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. The one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting, 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. 12 Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you.

Ecclesiastes 2

The Vanity of Pleasure and Possessions

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with gladness, so that you shall see good things.” And behold, it too was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of gladness, “What does it do?” 3 I explored with my heart how to stimulate my body with wine—while my heart was guiding me wisely—and how to seize simpleminded folly, until I could see where is this good for the sons of men in what they do under heaven the few days of their lives. 4 I made my works great: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself; 5 I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; 6 I made for myself pools of water from which to water a forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of the sons of men—many concubines. 9 Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 10 All that my eyes asked for I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any gladness, for my heart was glad because of all my labor, and this was my reward for all my labor. 11 Thus I turned to all my works which my hands had done and the labor which I had labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and striving after wind, and there was no advantage under the sun.

Wisdom Excels Folly

12 So I turned to see wisdom, madness, and simpleminded folly. What will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? 13 And I saw that there is an advantage in wisdom over simpleminded folly as light has an advantage over darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that the fate of one becomes the fate of all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, “As is the fate of the fool, so will my fate be also. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said in my heart, “This too is vanity.” 16 For there is no remembrance of the wise man along with the fool forever, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man dies with the fool! 17 So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is vanity and striving after wind.

The Vanity of Labor

18 Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a man of simpleminded folly? Yet he will have power over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored and for which I have acted wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. 20 Therefore I turned my heart to despair of all my labor for which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, then he gives his portion to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil. 22 For what does a man get in all his labor and in the striving of his heart with which he labors under the sun? 23 Because all his days his endeavor is painful and vexing; even at night his heart does not lie down. This too is vanity. 24 There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and have his soul see good in his labor. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have enjoyment outside of Him? 26 For to a man who is good before Him, He has given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, while to the sinner He has given the endeavor of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good before God. This too is vanity and striving after wind.