1 Samuel 23 - 24, Hebrews 12, Proverbs 20

David Saves Keilah

23Then they told David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against ^aKeilah and are pillaging the threshing floors.” ²So David ^aasked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go and strike these Philistines?” And Yahweh said to David, “Go and strike the Philistines and save Keilah.” ³But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the battle lines of the Philistines?” ⁴Then David asked of Yahweh once more. And Yahweh answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for ^aI will give the Philistines into your hand.” ⁵So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines; and he led away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. Thus David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶Now it happened when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech ^afled to David at Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand. ⁷Then it was told to Saul that David had come to Keilah, so Saul said, “God has ¹delivered him into my hand, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars.” ⁸Then Saul summoned all the people for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. ⁹But David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to ^aAbiathar the priest, “^bBring the ephod here.” ¹⁰Then David said, “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, Your slave has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to make the city a ruin on my account. ¹¹“Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your slave has heard? O Yahweh, the God of Israel, I pray, tell Your slave.” And Yahweh said, “He will come down.” ¹²Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And Yahweh said, “^aThey will surrender you.” ¹³Then David and his men, ^aabout six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went ^bwherever they could go. Now it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, so he ceased going out in pursuit. ¹⁴And David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of ^aZiph. And Saul sought him every day, but ^bGod did not give him into his hand.

Saul Pursues David

¹⁵Then David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. Now David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. ¹⁶So Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David at Horesh and ^astrengthened his hand in God. ¹⁷And he said to him, “^aDo not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you; and ^bSaul my father knows that also.” ¹⁸So ^athe two of them cut a covenant before Yahweh; and David stayed at Horesh while Jonathan went to his house.

¹⁹Then ^aZiphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on ^bthe hill of Hachilah, which is on the ¹south of ²Jeshimon? ²⁰“So now, O king, according to all the desire of your soul to come down, come down here; and ^aour part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” ²¹And Saul said, “May you be blessed of Yahweh, ^afor you have had compassion on me. ²²“Go now, make more sure, and know and see his place—where his very foot is—and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very crafty. ²³“So see and know about all the hiding places where he hides himself and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”

²⁴Then they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of ^aMaon, in the Arabah to the ¹south of ²Jeshimon. ²⁵So Saul and his men went to seek him, and they told David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul heard it and pursued David in the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶And Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was hurrying to get away from Saul, but Saul and his men ^awere surrounding David and his men to seize them. ²⁷But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid on the land.” ²⁸So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines; therefore they called that place ¹the Rock of Escape. ²⁹¹Then David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of ^aEngedi.

David Does Not Kill Saul

24Now ^awhen Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, ^bhe was told, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” ²Then ^aSaul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. ³And he came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul ^awent in to ¹relieve himself. Now ^bDavid and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. ⁴Then the men of David said to him, “Behold, ^athis is the day of which Yahweh said to you, ‘Behold, ^bI am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good in your eyes.’” Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. ⁵And it happened afterward that ^aDavid’s heart struck him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. ⁶So he said to his men, “^aFar be it from me because of Yahweh that I should do this thing to my lord, the anointed of Yahweh, to send forth my hand against him, since he is the anointed of Yahweh.” ⁷And David tore his men to pieces with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, ¹left the cave, and went on his way.

⁸Now afterward David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, ^aDavid bowed with his ¹face to the ground and prostrated himself. ⁹And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks ¹to do you evil’? ¹⁰“^aBehold, this day your eyes have seen that Yahweh had given you today into my hand in the cave, and ^bsome said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, ‘I will not send forth my hand against my lord, for he is the anointed of Yahweh.’ ¹¹“Now, ^amy father, see! Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is no evil or transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, though you ^bare lying in wait for my life to take it. ¹²“^aMay Yahweh judge between ¹you and me, and may Yahweh avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. ¹³“As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘^aOut of the wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you. ¹⁴“After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? ^aAfter a dead dog, after ^ba single flea? ¹⁵“^aTherefore Yahweh be judge and execute justice between ¹you and me; and may He see and ^bplead my cause and execute justice for me to escape from your hand.”

¹⁶Now it happened that when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “^aIs this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept. ¹⁷^aAnd he said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for ^byou have dealt well with me, while I have dealt evil with you. ¹⁸“And you have declared today that you have done good to me, that ^aYahweh surrendered me into your hand, and yet you did not kill me. ¹⁹“For if a man ^afinds his enemy, will he let him go away ¹safely? May Yahweh therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. ²⁰“So now, behold, ^aI know that you will surely be king, and that ^bthe kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. ²¹“So now ^aswear to me by Yahweh that you will not cut off my seed after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s household.” ²²So David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to ^athe fortress.

Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of Faith

12Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, ^alaying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us ^brun with ^cendurance the race that is set before us, ²¹fixing our eyes on Jesus, the ²^,^aauthor and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him ^bendured the cross, ^cdespising the shame, and has ^dsat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³For ^aconsider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, ^bfainting ¹in heart.

The Father’s Discipline

⁴^aYou have not yet resisted ¹^,^bto the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin. ⁵And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “^aMy son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the ¹Lord,Nor ^bfaint when you are reproved by Him;

⁶^aFor those ^bwhom the ¹Lord loves He disciplines,And He flogs every son whom He receives.”

⁷It is for discipline that you endure; ^aGod deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸But if you are without discipline, ^aof which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹Furthermore, we ¹had ²earthly fathers to discipline us, and we ^arespected them. Shall we not much rather be subject to ^bthe Father of ³spirits, and ^clive? ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our benefit, ^aso that we may share His holiness. ¹¹And all discipline ^afor the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, but to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the ^bpeaceful fruit of righteousness.

¹²Therefore, ¹^,^astrengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, ¹³and ^amake straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather ^bbe healed.

¹⁴^aPursue peace with all men, and the ^bsanctification without which no one will ^csee the Lord, ¹⁵seeing to it that no one ^afalls short of the grace of God; that no ^broot of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be ^cdefiled; ¹⁶that also there be no ^asexually immoral or ^bgodless person like Esau, ^cwho sold his own birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷For you know that even afterwards, ^awhen he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Contrast of Sinai and Zion

¹⁸^aFor you have not come to ^ba mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, ¹⁹and to the ^ablast of a trumpet and the ^bsound of words which was such that those who heard ^cbegged that no further word be spoken to them. ²⁰For they could not bear what was being commanded, “^aIf even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” ²¹And so terrible was what appeared, that Moses said, “^aI am full of fear and trembling.” ²²But ^ayou have come to Mount Zion and to ^bthe city of ^cthe living God, ^dthe heavenly Jerusalem, and to ^emyriads of ¹angels, ²³to the festal gathering and ^aassembly of the firstborn who ^bare enrolled in heaven, and to God, ^cthe Judge of all, and to the ^dspirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴and to Jesus, the ^amediator of a new covenant, and to the ^bsprinkled blood, which speaks better than ^cthe blood of Abel.

An Unshakable Kingdom

²⁵^aSee to it that you do not refuse Him who is ^bspeaking. For ^cif those did not escape when they ^drefused him who ^ewarned them on earth, ¹much less will we escape who turn away from Him who ^fwarns from heaven. ²⁶And ^aHis voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “^bYet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” ²⁷Now this expression, “Yet once more,” indicates ^athe removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving a ^akingdom which cannot be shaken, let us ¹show gratitude, by which we may ^boffer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; ²⁹for ^aour God is a consuming fire.

Hope in Yahweh and He Will Save You

20^aWine is a mocker, ^bstrong drink a brawler,And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.²The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;He who provokes him to anger ^asins against his own soul.³It is a glory for a man to ^acease quarreling,But any ignorant fool will break out in dispute.⁴The ^asluggard does not plow from winter on,So he ¹begs during the harvest and has nothing.⁵Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water,But a man of discernment draws it out.⁶Many a man will ^acall out his own lovingkindness,But a ^bfaithful man, who can find?⁷A righteous man who ^awalks in his integrity—^bHow blessed are his sons after him.⁸^aA king who sits on the throne of justice¹Disperses all evil with his eyes.⁹^aWho can say, “I have kept my heart pure,I am clean from my sin”?¹⁰¹^,^aDiffering weights and differing measures,Both of them are an abomination to Yahweh.¹¹It is by his deeds that a young man ^amakes himself knownIf his conduct is pure and right.¹²The hearing ^aear and the seeing eye,Yahweh has made both of them.¹³^aDo not love sleep, lest you become poor;Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with ¹food.¹⁴“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,But when he goes his way, then he boasts.¹⁵There is gold, and an abundance of pearls;But the lips of knowledge are a more precious vessel.¹⁶Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger;And for foreigners, hold him in pledge.¹⁷^aBread obtained by lying is sweet to a man,But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.¹⁸¹^,^aThoughts are established by counsel,So ^bmake war by guidance.¹⁹He who ^agoes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,Therefore do not associate with ¹^,^bone of loose lips.²⁰He who ^acurses his father or his mother,His ^blamp will go out in the ¹midst of darkness.²¹An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginningIn the end will not be blessed.²²^aDo not say, “I will repay evil”;^bHope in Yahweh, and He will save you.²³¹^,^aDiffering weights are an abomination to Yahweh,And a ^bdeceitful balance is not good.²⁴^aThe steps of a man are from Yahweh,How then can man understand his way?²⁵It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!”And ^aafter the vows to make inquiry.²⁶A ^awise king winnows the wicked,And turns the ^bthreshing wheel over them.²⁷The ¹^,^abreath of man is the lamp of Yahweh,Searching all the ²innermost parts of his body.²⁸Lovingkindness and ^atruth will guard the king,And he upholds his throne by lovingkindness.²⁹The honor of young men is their strength,And the ¹^,^amajesty of old men is their gray hair.³⁰^aStripes that wound scour away evil,And strokes reach the ¹innermost parts of the body.