²³ And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.

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²⁴ And, lo, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God; and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city. ²⁵ And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favor in the eyes of Jehovah, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation: ²⁶ but if he say thus, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. ²⁷ The king said also unto Zadok the priest, Art thou not a seer? return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. ²⁸ See, I will tarry at the fords of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me. ²⁹ Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they abode there.

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³⁰ And David went up by the ascent of the mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered, and went barefoot: and all the people that were with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up. ³¹ And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Jehovah, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. ³² And it came to pass, that, when David was come to the top of the ascent, ^‍where God was worshipped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head. ³³ And David said unto him, If thou passest on with me, then thou wilt be a burden unto me: ³⁴ but if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant in time past, so will I now be thy servant; then wilt thou defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel. ³⁵ And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king’s house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ³⁶ Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them ye shall send unto me everything that ye shall hear. ³⁷ So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city; and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

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16 And when David was a little past the top of the ascent, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and a hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. ² And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king’s household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as are faint in the wilderness may drink. ³ And the king said, And where is thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said, To-day will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father. ⁴ Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine is all that pertaineth unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I do obeisance; let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, O king.

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⁵ And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out, and cursed still as he came. ⁶ And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. ⁷ And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Begone, begone, thou man of blood, and base fellow: ⁸ Jehovah hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and Jehovah hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son; and, behold, thou art taken in thine own mischief, because thou art a man of blood.

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⁹ Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. ¹⁰ And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Because he curseth, and because Jehovah hath said unto him, Curse David; who then shall say, Wherefore hast thou done so? ¹¹ And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, who came forth from my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more may this Benjamite now do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for Jehovah hath bidden him. ¹² It may be that Jehovah will look on the wrong done unto me, and that Jehovah will requite me good for his cursing of me this day. ¹³ So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust. ¹⁴ And the king, and all the people that were with him, came ^‍weary; and he refreshed himself there.

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¹⁵ And Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁶ And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, Long live the king, Long live the king. ¹⁷ And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend? ¹⁸ And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom Jehovah, and this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his will I be, and with him will I abide. ¹⁹ And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father’s presence, so will I be in thy presence.

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²⁰ Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give your counsel what we shall do. ²¹ And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, that he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then will the hands of all that are with thee be strong. ²² So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. ²³ And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the ^‍oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore unto him, Art thou also one of his disciples? He denied, and said, I am not. ²⁶ One of the ^‍servants of the high priest, being a kinsman of him whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? ²⁷ Peter therefore denied again: and straightway the cock crew.

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²⁸ They lead Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the ^‍Praetorium: and it was early; and they themselves entered not into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. ²⁹ Pilate therefore went out unto them, and saith, What accusation bring ye against this man? ³⁰ They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evil-doer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee. ³¹ Pilate therefore said unto them, Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law. The Jews said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: ³² that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying by what manner of death he should die.

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³³ Pilate therefore entered again into the ^‍Praetorium, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? ³⁴ Jesus answered, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee concerning me? ³⁵ Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? ³⁶ Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. ³⁷ Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. ³⁸ Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?

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And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find no crime in him. ³⁹ But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? ⁴⁰ They cried out therefore again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.

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19 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. ² And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple garment; ³ and they came unto him, and said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they struck him with their hands. ⁴ And Pilate went out again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him out to you, that ye may know that I find no crime in him. ⁵ Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold, the man! ⁶ When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Take him yourselves, and crucify him: for I find no crime in him. ⁷ The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. ⁸ When Pilate therefore heard this saying, he was the more afraid; ⁹ and he entered into the Praetorium again, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ Pilate therefore saith unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to release thee, and have power to crucify thee? ¹¹ Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest have no ^‍power against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath greater sin. ¹² Upon this Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar’s friend: every one that maketh himself a king ^[l]speaketh against Caesar. ¹³ When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment-seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was the Preparation of the passover: it was about the sixth hour. And he saith unto the Jews, Behold, your King! ¹⁵ They therefore cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. ¹⁶ Then therefore he delivered him unto them to be crucified.

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¹⁷ They took Jesus therefore: and he went out, bearing the cross for himself, unto the place called The place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha: ¹⁸ where they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. ¹⁹ And Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. And there was written, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. ²⁰ This title therefore read many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but, that he said, I am King of the Jews. ²² Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

ס Samekh.

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¹¹³ I hate them that are of a double mind;
But thy law do I love.
¹¹⁴ Thou art my hiding-place and my shield:
I hope in thy word.
¹¹⁵ Depart from me, ye evil-doers,
That I may keep the commandments of my God.
¹¹⁶ Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live;
And let me not be ashamed of my hope.
¹¹⁷ Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe,
And shall have respect unto thy statutes continually.
¹¹⁸ Thou hast set at nought all them that err from thy statutes;
For their deceit is falsehood.
¹¹⁹ Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross:
Therefore I love thy testimonies.
¹²⁰ My flesh trembleth for fear of thee;
And I am afraid of thy judgments.

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ע Ayin.

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¹²¹ I have done justice and righteousness:
Leave me not to mine oppressors.
¹²² Be surety for thy servant for good:
Let not the proud oppress me.
¹²³ Mine eyes fail for thy salvation,
And for thy righteous word.
¹²⁴ Deal with thy servant according unto thy lovingkindness,
And teach me thy statutes.
¹²⁵ I am thy servant; give me understanding,
That I may know thy testimonies.
¹²⁶ It is time for Jehovah to work;
For they have made void thy law.
¹²⁷ Therefore I love thy commandments
Above gold, yea, above fine gold.
¹²⁸ Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right;
And I hate every false way.

¹⁰ A divine sentence is in the lips of the king;
His mouth shall not transgress in judgment.
¹¹ A just balance and scales are Jehovah’s;
All the weights of the bag are his work.