The Daily Audio Bible

David Learns of Saul’s Death

1 Now it came about after ^(A)the death of Saul, when David had returned from ^(B)the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David remained two days in Ziklag. ² On the third day, behold, ^(C)a man came out of the camp from Saul, ^(D)with his clothes torn and ^[a]dust on his head. And it came about when he came to David that ^(E)he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. ³ Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴ David said to him, “^(F)How did things go? Please tell me.” And he said, “The people have fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.” ⁵ So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” ⁶ The young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on ^(G)Mount Gilboa, and behold, ^(H)Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely. ⁷ When he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ He said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I ^[b]answered him, ‘^(I)I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ Then he said to me, ‘Please stand beside me and kill me, for agony has seized me because my ^[c]life still lingers in me.’ ¹⁰ So I stood beside him ^(J)and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And ^(K)I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Then ^(L)David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. ¹² They mourned and wept and ^(M)fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³ David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?” And he ^[d]answered, “^(N)I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ Then David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid ^(O)to stretch out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” ¹⁵ And David called one of the young men and said, “Go, ^[e]cut him down.” ^(P)So he struck him and he died. ¹⁶ David said to him, “^(Q)Your blood is on your head, for ^(R)your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

David’s Dirge for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ Then David ^(S)chanted with this lament over Saul and Jonathan his son, ¹⁸ and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in ^(T)the book of Jashar.

David Made King over Judah

2 Then it came about afterwards that ^(AJ)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” So David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “^(AK)To Hebron.” ² So David went up there, and ^(AL)his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the ^[g]widow of Nabal the Carmelite. ³ And ^(AM)David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they lived in the cities of Hebron. ⁴ Then the men of Judah came and there ^(AN)anointed David king over the house of Judah.

And they told David, saying, “It was ^(AO)the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” ⁵ David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “^(AP)May you be blessed of the Lord because you have ^[h]shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. ⁶ Now ^(AQ)may the Lord ^[i]show lovingkindness and truth to you; and I also will ^[j]show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. ⁷ Now therefore, let your hands be strong and be ^[k]valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ish-bosheth Made King over Israel

⁸ But ^(AR)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken ^[l]Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to ^(AS)Mahanaim. ⁹ He made him king over ^(AT)Gilead, over the ^(AU)Ashurites, over ^(AV)Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. ¹⁰ Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. ^11 (AW)The ^[m]time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Greeks Seek Jesus

²⁰ Now there were some ^(A)Greeks among those who were going up to worship at ^(B)the feast; ²¹ these then came to ^(C)Philip, who was from ^(D)Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip *came and *told ^(E)Andrew; Andrew and Philip *came and *told Jesus. ²³ And Jesus *answered them, saying, “^(F)The hour has come for the Son of Man to ^(G)be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(H)unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ^25 (I)He who loves his ^[a]life loses it, and he who ^(J)hates his ^[b]life in this world will keep it to life eternal. ²⁶ If anyone ^[c]serves Me, he must follow Me; and ^(K)where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone ^[d]serves Me, the Father will ^(L)honor him.

Jesus Foretells His Death

²⁷ “^(M)Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘^(N)Father, save Me from ^(O)this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ^28 (P)Father, glorify Your name.” Then a ^(Q)voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹ So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “^(R)An angel has spoken to Him.” ³⁰ Jesus answered and said, “^(S)This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. ^31 (T)Now judgment is upon this world; now ^(U)the ruler of this world will be cast out. ³² And I, if I ^(V)am lifted up from the earth, will ^(W)draw all men to Myself.” ³³ But He was saying this ^(X)to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. ³⁴ The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of ^(Y)the Law that ^[e](Z)the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The ^(AA)Son of Man must be ^(AB)lifted up’? Who is this ^(AC)Son of Man?” ³⁵ So Jesus said to them, “^(AD)For a little while longer ^(AE)the Light is among you. ^(AF)Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who ^(AG)walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. ³⁶ While you have the Light, ^(AH)believe in the Light, so that you may become ^(AI)sons of Light.”

These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and ^[f](AJ)hid Himself from them. ³⁷ But though He had performed so many ^[g]signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “^(AK)Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” ³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, ⁴⁰ “^(AL)He has blinded their eyes and He ^(AM)hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and ^[h]be converted and I heal them.” ⁴¹ These things Isaiah said because ^(AN)he saw His glory, and ^(AO)he spoke of Him. ⁴² Nevertheless ^(AP)many even of ^(AQ)the rulers believed in Him, but ^(AR)because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be ^[i](AS)put out of the synagogue; ^43 (AT)for they loved the ^[j]approval of men rather than the ^[k]approval of God.

⁴⁴ And Jesus cried out and said, “^(AU)He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. ^45 (AV)He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. ^46 (AW)I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. ⁴⁷ If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for ^(AX)I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ^48 (AY)He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; ^(AZ)the word I spoke is what will judge him at ^(BA)the last day. ^49 (BB)For I did not speak ^[l]on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me ^(BC)has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. ⁵⁰ I know that ^(BD)His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak ^(BE)just as the Father has told Me.”