The Daily Audio Bible

David Sent Back from Battle

29 Now the Philistines mustered all their armies at Aphek, while the Israelites were camping by the spring in Jezreel. ² As the Philistine lords were proceeding ahead of their hundreds and thousands, David and his men were bringing up the rear with Achish. ³ Then the Philistine commanders said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

Achish said to the Philistine commanders, “No! That’s David, servant of Israel’s King Saul—he’s been with me today for over a year, and I’ve not found any fault in him since the day he defected to me until now.”

⁴ But the Philistine commanders got angry with him, and the Philistine commanders said to him, “Make this man go back—back to his place you assigned him. He must not go down with us to the battle, or in the battle he might become our adversary. For how would this fellow appease his lord? Wouldn’t it be with the heads of our men? ⁵ Isn’t this one David, about whom they were singing in dances saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?’”

⁶ So Achish called David and said to him, “As Adonai lives, you have been upright and your going out and your coming in with me, in the army are pleasing in my eyes. For I never found fault with you since the day of your coming to me up to this day. However, the other lords do not approve of you. ⁷ So now, turn around and go back in peace, and you won’t be doing anything to displease the Philistine lords.”

⁸ “But what have I done?” David said to Achish. “What have you found in your servant from the day I have been before you to this day, that I shouldn’t go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

⁹ “I know,” Achish answered saying to David. “You are as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go up with us to the battle.’ ¹⁰ So now, rise up early in the morning, you and the servants of your lord that came with you, and as soon you rise, early in the morning, once there is light, leave.” ¹¹ So David rose up early, he and his men, leaving in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. Meanwhile, the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

Raid on Amalek

30 Now it came to pass, when David and his men returned to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire; ² taking the women in it captive, young and old, without killing anyone, but carried them off as they went their way. ³ So when David and his men came to the town, behold, it was burned with fire—and their wives, their sons and their daughters had been taken captives. ⁴ Then David and the troops with him lifted up their voice and wept until they there was no more strength in them to weep. ⁵ Even David’s two wives were taken captive—Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow.

⁶ So David was in a serious bind, for the troops were calling for his stoning, for all the troops were bitter of soul, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in Adonai his God. ⁷ Then David said to Abiathar the kohen son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ⁸ David inquired of Adonai saying, “Should I pursue after this raiding band? Shall I overtake them?”

He answered him, “Pursue! For you will surely overtake and you will surely rescue!” ⁹ So David went, he and the 600 men with him, and came to the Wadi Besor, where those left behind remained— ¹⁰ for 200 men stayed behind because they were too exhausted to cross Wadi Besor. Yet David pursued, he and the other 400 men.

¹¹ Then they found an Egyptian in the open field and brought him to David, gave him bread to eat and water to drink, ¹² and they also gave him a piece of fig cake and two cakes of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit came back to him, for he had eaten no bread and drunk no water for three days and three nights. ¹³ Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?”

“I am a young Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite,” he said. “My master abandoned me three days ago because I fell sick. ¹⁴ We made a raid in the Negev of the Cherethites, and on Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb; also we burned Ziklag with fire.”

¹⁵ Then David asked him, “Will you lead me to this raiding band?”

“Swear to me by God that you won’t kill me or deliver me into my master’s hands,” he said, “and I will lead you to this marauding band.” ¹⁶ So he led him down, and behold, they were scattered over all the area, eating, drinking and feasting because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ David attacked them from the twilight until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except 400 young men who rode on camels and fled.

¹⁸ So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ There was nothing of theirs missing, whether young or old, sons or daughters, spoils or anything else that had been carried off—David recovered everything. ²⁰ David took all the flocks and the herd that they had driven ahead of the other cattle, so they said, “This is David’s spoil.”

²¹ When David reached the 200 men—who had been too exhausted to follow David and were left at Wadi Besor—they came out to meet David and to meet the men with him, so David approached these people and greeted them. ²² But all the wicked men and worthless fellows among those who accompanied David said, “Because they did not accompany us, we shouldn’t give them any of the spoil that we’ve recovered, except every man may take his wife and his children and leave.”

²³ “You must not do so, my brothers with what Adonai has given us,” David said. “It is He who has protected us and gave into our hands the raiding band that attacked us. ²⁴ Who would listen to you in this matter? The share of him who went down to the battle is to be the same as that of him who remained by the baggage. They will share alike.” ²⁵ So it has been from that day forward—he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

²⁶ When David arrived at Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Look, a blessing for you from the spoil of the enemies of Adonai,” ²⁷ to those in Beth-el, Ramoth-Negev, Jattir, ²⁸ Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, ²⁹ Racal, to those in the towns of Jerahmeelite, to those in the towns of the Kenites, ³⁰ Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, ³¹ Hebron and to all the places where David and his men had roamed.

Saul Killed on Mt. Gilboa

31 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. Israel’s men fled before the Philistines and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ³ When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers hit him, so he was severely wounded by the archers. ⁴ Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, or else these uncircumcised will come and thrust me through after torturing me.” But his armor-bearer refused, for he was too afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it. ⁵ When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.

⁷ When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the towns and fled. Then the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ It was the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to spread the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ Then they put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth and fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.

¹¹ Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all their valiant men set out and walked all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, then went to Jabesh and burned them there. ¹³ They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted for seven days.

⁵⁵ Now the Jewish Passover was near; and many people went up out of the regions to Jerusalem before Passover, to purify themselves. ⁵⁶ So they were searching for Yeshua, saying to one another as they stood in the Temple, “What do you think? Won’t He come to the feast at all?” ⁵⁷ Now the ruling kohanim and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it so that they might arrest Him.

Miriam Anoints the Messiah

12 Six days before Passover, Yeshua came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Yeshua had raised from the dead. ² So they prepared a dinner there for Yeshua. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. ³ Then Miriam took a pound^[a] of very expensive oil of pure nard and anointed Yeshua’s feet, and she wiped His feet dry with her hair. Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

⁴ But Judah from Kriot, one of His disciples, the one who was about to betray Him, said, ⁵ “Why wasn’t this oil sold for three hundred denarii^[b] and the money given to the poor?” ⁶ Now he said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. Since he had the moneybox, he used to steal from what was put in it.

⁷ Therefore Yeshua said, “Leave her alone! She set it aside for the day of My burial. ⁸ You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me.”

⁹ Now a large crowd of Judeans knew He was there and came, not only for Yeshua but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the ruling kohanim made plans to kill Lazarus also, ¹¹ because on account of him many of the Jewish people were going and putting their trust in Yeshua.

Israel’s King Has Come

¹² The next day, the huge crowd that had come up for the feast heard that Yeshua was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³ So they took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting,

¹⁴ Finding a young donkey, Yeshua sat on it, as it is written,

¹⁶ His disciples did not understand these things at first. But when Yeshua was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that the crowd had done these things for Him.

¹⁷ So the crowd, which had been with Yeshua when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, kept on telling everyone about it. ¹⁸ It was also for this reason that the crowd came out to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to each other, “You see that you can’t do anything. Look, the whole world has taken off after Him!”

His Chesed Endures Forever

Psalm 118