2 Samuel 9; 2 Samuel 10; 2 Samuel 11; Luke 15:11-32

1 David asked, "Is anyone left from the royal house of Saul? If there is, I want to be kind to him because of Jonathan."

2 Ziba was a servant in Saul's family. David sent for him to come and see him. The king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "I'm ready to serve you," he replied.

3 The king asked, "Isn't anyone left from the royal house of Saul? God has been very kind to me. I would like to be kind to someone in the same way." Ziba answered the king, "A son of Jonathan is still living. Both of his feet were hurt."

4 "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He's in the town of Lo Debar. He's staying at the house of Makir, the son of Ammiel."

5 So King David had Mephibosheth brought from Makir's house in Lo Debar.

6 Mephibosheth came to David. He was the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul. Mephibosheth bowed down to David to show him respect. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "I'm ready to serve you," he replied.

7 "Don't be afraid," David told him. "You can be sure that I will be kind to you because of your father Jonathan. I'll give back to you all of the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. And I'll always provide what you need."

8 Mephibosheth bowed down to David. He said, "Who am I? Why should you pay attention to me? I'm nothing but a dead dog."

9 Then the king sent for Saul's servant Ziba. He said to him, "I'm giving your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.

10 You and your sons and your servants must farm the land for him. You must bring in the crops. Then he'll be taken care of. I'll always provide what he needs." Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants.

11 Then Ziba said to the king, "I'll do anything you command me to do. You are my king and master." So David provided what Mephibosheth needed. He treated him like one of the king's sons.

12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. All of the members of Ziba's family became servants of Mephibosheth.

13 Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem. The king always provided what he needed. Both of his feet were hurt.

1 The king of Ammon died. His son Hanun became the next king after him.

2 David thought, "I'm going to be kind to Hanun. His father Nahash was kind to me." So David sent messengers to Hanun. He wanted them to tell Hanun how sad he was that Hanun's father had died. David's messengers went to the land of Ammon.

3 The Ammonite nobles spoke to their master Hanun. They said, "David has sent messengers to tell you he is sad. They say he wants to honor your father. But the real reason they've come is to look the city over. They want to destroy it."

4 So Hanun grabbed hold of David's men. He shaved off half of each man's beard. He cut their clothes off just below the waist and left them half naked. Then he sent them away.

5 David was told about it. So he sent messengers to his men because they were filled with shame. King David said to them, "Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out again. Then come back here."

6 The Ammonites realized that what they had done had made David very angry with them. So they hired 20,000 Aramean soldiers who were on foot. The soldiers came from Beth Rehob and Zobah. The Ammonites also hired the king of Maacah and 1,000 men. And they hired 12,000 men from Tob.

7 David heard about it. So he sent Joab out with the entire army of Israel's fighting men.

8 The Ammonites marched out. They took up their battle positions at the entrance of their city gate. The Arameans of Zobah and Rehob gathered their troops together in the open country. So did the men of Tob and Maacah.

9 Joab saw that there were lines of soldiers in front of him and behind him. So he chose some of the best troops in Israel. He sent them to march out against the Arameans.

10 He put the rest of the men under the command of his brother Abishai. Joab sent them to march out against the Ammonites.

11 He said, "Suppose the Arameans are too strong for me. Then you must come and help me. But suppose the Ammonites are too strong for you. Then I'll come and help you.

12 "Be strong. Let's be brave as we fight for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what he thinks is best."

13 Then Joab and the troops who were with him marched out to attack the Arameans. They ran away from him.

14 The Ammonites saw that the Arameans were running away. So they ran away from Abishai. They went inside the city. After Joab had fought against the Ammonites, he went back to Jerusalem.

15 The Arameans saw that they had been driven away by Israel. So they brought their troops together.

16 Hadadezer had some Arameans brought from east of the Euphrates River. They went to Helam under the command of Shobach. He was the commander of Hadadezer's army.

17 David was told about it. So he gathered the whole army of Israel together. They went across the Jordan River to Helam. The Arameans lined up their soldiers to go to war against David. They began to fight against him.

18 But then they ran away from Israel. David killed 700 of their chariot riders. He killed 40,000 of their soldiers who were on foot. He also struck down Shobach, the commander of their army. Shobach died there.

19 All of the kings who were under the rule of Hadadezer saw that Israel had won the battle over them. So they made a peace treaty with the Israelites. They were brought under Israel's rule. After that, the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

1 It was spring. It was the time when kings go off to war. So David sent Joab out with the king's special troops and the whole army of Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites. They went to the city of Rabbah. They surrounded it and got ready to attack it. But David remained in Jerusalem.

2 One evening David got up from his bed. He walked around on the roof of his palace. From the roof he saw a woman taking a bath. She was very beautiful.

3 David sent a messenger to find out who she was. The messenger returned and said, "She is Bathsheba. She's the daughter of Eliam. She's the wife of Uriah. He's a Hittite."

4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him. And he had sex with her. Then she went back home. All of that took place after she had already made herself "clean" from her monthly period.

5 Later, Bathsheba found out she was pregnant. She sent a message to David. It said, "I'm pregnant."

6 So David sent a message to Joab. It said, "Send me Uriah, the Hittite." Joab sent him to David.

7 Uriah came to David. David asked him how Joab and the soldiers were doing. He also asked him how the war was going.

8 David said to Uriah, "Go home and enjoy some time with your wife." So Uriah left the palace. Then the king sent him a gift.

9 But Uriah didn't go home. Instead, he slept at the entrance to the palace. He stayed there with all of his master's servants.

10 David was told, "Uriah didn't go home." So he sent for Uriah. He said to him, "You have been away for a long time. Why didn't you go home?"

11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and the army of Israel and Judah are out there in tents. My master Joab and your special troops are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink? How could I go there and make love to my wife? I could never do a thing like that. And that's just as sure as you are alive!"

12 Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day. Tomorrow I'll send you back to the battle." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.

13 David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him. David got him drunk. But Uriah still didn't go home. In the evening he went out and slept on his mat. He stayed there among his master's servants.

14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab. He sent it along with Uriah.

15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah on the front lines. That's where the fighting is the heaviest. Then pull your men back from him. When you do, the Ammonites will strike him down and kill him."

16 So Joab attacked the city. He put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest enemy fighters were.

17 The troops came out of the city. They fought against Joab. Some of the men in David's army were killed. Uriah, the Hittite, also died.

18 Joab sent David a full report of the battle.

19 He told the messenger, "Tell the king everything that happened in the battle. When you are finished,

20 his anger might explode. He might ask you, 'Why did you go so close to the city to fight against it? Didn't you know that the enemy soldiers would shoot arrows down from the wall?

21 Don't you remember how Abimelech, the son of Jerub-Besheth, was killed? A woman dropped a large millstone on him from the wall. That's how he died in Thebez. So why did you go so close to the wall?' If the king asks you that, tell him, 'Your servant Uriah, the Hittite, is also dead.' "

22 The messenger started out for Jerusalem. When he arrived there, he told David everything Joab had sent him to say.

23 The messenger said to David, "The men who were in the city were more powerful than we were. They came out to fight against us in the open. But we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate.

24 Then those who were armed with bows shot arrows at us from the wall. Some of your special troops were killed. Your servant Uriah, the Hittite, is also dead."

25 David told the messenger, "Tell Joab, 'Don't get upset over what happened. Swords kill one person as well as another. So keep on attacking the city. Destroy it.' Tell that to Joab. It will cheer him up."

26 Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead. She sobbed over him.

27 When her time of sadness was over, David had her brought to his house. She became his wife. And she had a son by him. But the LORD wasn't pleased with what David had done.

11 Jesus continued, "There was a man who had two sons.

12 The younger son spoke to his father. He said, 'Father, give me my share of the family property.' So the father divided his property between his two sons.

13 "Not long after that, the younger son packed up all he had. Then he left for a country far away. There he wasted his money on wild living.

14 He spent everything he had. "Then the whole country ran low on food. So the son didn't have what he needed.

15 He went to work for someone who lived in that country, who sent him to the fields to feed the pigs.

16 The son wanted to fill his stomach with the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.

17 "Then he began to think clearly again. He said, 'How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food! But here I am dying from hunger!

18 I will get up and go back to my father. I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven. And I have sinned against you.

19 I am no longer fit to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers." '

20 So he got up and went to his father. "While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him. He was filled with tender love for his son. He ran to him. He threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.'

22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

23 Bring the fattest calf and kill it. Let's have a big dinner and celebrate.

24 This son of mine was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.' "So they began to celebrate.

25 "The older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.

26 So he called one of the servants. He asked him what was going on.

27 " 'Your brother has come home,' the servant replied. 'Your father has killed the fattest calf. He has done this because your brother is back safe and sound.'

28 "The older brother became angry. He refused to go in. So his father went out and begged him.

29 "But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've worked like a slave for you. I have always obeyed your orders. You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

30 But this son of yours wasted your money with some prostitutes. Now he comes home. And for him you kill the fattest calf!'

31 " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me. Everything I have is yours.

32 But we had to celebrate and be glad. This brother of yours was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.' "