1 Samuel 30; 1 Samuel 31; Luke 13:23-35

1 On the third day, when David and his men arrived at Ziklag, he found that the Amalekites had raided southern Judah and Ziklag, attacking Ziklag and burning it.

2 They captured the women and everyone, young and old, but they had not killed anyone. They had only taken them away.

3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found the town had been burned and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken as prisoners.

4 Then David and his army cried loudly until they were too weak to cry anymore.

5 David's two wives had also been taken -- Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel.

6 The men in the army were threatening to kill David with stones, which greatly upset David. Each man was sad and angry because his sons and daughters had been captured, but David found strength in the Lord his God.

7 David said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring me the holy vest."

8 Then David asked the Lord, "Should I chase the people who took our families? Will I catch them?" The Lord answered, "Chase them. You will catch them, and you will succeed in saving your families."

9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some of the men stayed.

10 David and four hundred men kept up the chase. The other two hundred men stayed behind because they were too tired to cross the ravine.

11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave the Egyptian some water to drink and some food to eat.

12 And they gave him a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. Then he felt better, because he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and nights.

13 David asked him, "Who is your master? Where do you come from?" He answered, "I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. Three days ago my master left me, because I was sick.

14 We had raided the southern area of the Kerethites, the land of Judah, and the southern area of Caleb. We burned Ziklag, as well.

15 David asked him, "Can you lead me to the people who took our families?" He answered, "Yes, if you promise me before God that you won't kill me or give me back to my master. Then I will take you to them."

16 So the Egyptian led David to the Amalekites. They were lying around on the ground, eating and drinking and celebrating with the things they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.

17 David fought them from sunset until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode off on their camels.

18 David got his two wives back and everything the Amalekites had taken.

19 Nothing was missing. David brought back everyone, young and old, sons and daughters. He recovered the valuable things and everything the Amalekites had taken.

20 David took all the sheep and cattle, and his men made these animals go in front, saying, "They are David's prize."

21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too tired to follow him, who had stayed at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. When he came near, David greeted the men at the ravine.

22 But the evil men and troublemakers among those who followed David said, "Since these two hundred men didn't go with us, we shouldn't give them any of the things we recovered. Just let each man take his wife and children and go."

23 David answered, "No, my brothers. Don't do that after what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and given us the enemy who attacked us.

24 Who will listen to what you say? The share will be the same for the one who stayed with the supplies as for the one who went into battle. All will share alike."

25 David made this an order and rule for Israel, which continues even today.

26 When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the things he had taken from the Amalekites to his friends, the leaders of Judah. He said, "Here is a present for you from the things we took from the Lord's enemies."

27 David also sent some things to the leaders in Bethel, Ramoth in the southern part of Judah, Jattir,

28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

29 Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites,

30 Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach,

31 Hebron, and to the people in all the other places where he and his men had been.

1 The Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites ran away from them. Many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa.

2 The Philistines fought hard against Saul and his sons, killing his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.

3 The fighting was heavy around Saul. The archers shot him, and he was badly wounded.

4 He said to the officer who carried his armor, "Pull out your sword and kill me. Then those uncircumcised men won't make fun of me and kill me." But Saul's officer refused, because he was afraid. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.

5 When the officer saw that Saul was dead, he threw himself on his own sword, and he died with Saul.

6 So Saul, his three sons, and the officer who carried his armor died together that day.

7 When the Israelites who lived across the Jezreel Valley and those who lived across the Jordan River saw how the Israelite army had run away, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities and ran away. Then the Philistines came and lived there.

8 The next day when the Philistines came to take all the valuable things from the dead soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.

9 They cut off Saul's head and took off his armor. Then they sent messengers through all the land of the Philistines to tell the news in the temple of their idols and to their people.

10 They put Saul's armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth Shan.

11 When the people living in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

12 the brave men of Jabesh marched all night and came to Beth Shan. They removed the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and brought them to Jabesh. There they burned the bodies.

13 They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. Then the people of Jabesh gave up eating for seven days.

23 Someone said to Jesus, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" Jesus said,

24 "Try hard to enter through the narrow door, because many people will try to enter there, but they will not be able.

25 When the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you can stand outside and knock on the door and say, 'Sir, open the door for us.' But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'

26 Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in the streets of our town.'

27 But he will say to you, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Go away from me, all you who do evil!'

28 You will cry and grind your teeth with pain when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God's kingdom, but you yourselves thrown outside.

29 People will come from the east, west, north, and south and will sit down at the table in the kingdom of God.

30 There are those who have the lowest place in life now who will have the highest place in the future. And there are those who have the highest place now who will have the lowest place in the future."

31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Go away from here! Herod wants to kill you!"

32 Jesus said to them, "Go tell that fox Herod, 'Today and tomorrow I am forcing demons out and healing people. Then, on the third day, I will reach my goal.'

33 Yet I must be on my way today and tomorrow and the next day. Surely it cannot be right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.

34 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. Many times I wanted to gather your people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me.

35 Now your house is left completely empty. I tell you, you will not see me until that time when you will say, 'God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord.'"