Discernment

1 Chronicles 10:1-14

The Philistines attacked Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and many fell on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, sons of Saul. ³ The battle raged around Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. ⁴ Saul said to his arms-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, so that these uncircumcised may not come and make sport of me." But his arms-bearer, out of great awe, refused; whereupon Saul grasped the sword and fell upon it. ⁵ When the arms-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. ⁶ Thus Saul and his three sons and his entire house died together. ⁷ And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled; the Philistines then came and occupied them. ⁸ The next day the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his sons lying on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They stripped him, and carried off his head and his armor, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the news to their idols and among the people. ¹⁰ They placed his armor in the temple of their god, and they impaled his head in the temple of Dagan. ¹¹ When all Jabesh-gilead heard everything that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all their stalwart men set out, removed the bodies of Saul and his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. They buried the bones under the oak tree in Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days. ¹³ Saul died for the trespass that he had committed against the LORD in not having fulfilled the command of the LORD; moreover, he had consulted a ghost to seek advice, ¹⁴ and did not seek advice of the LORD; so He had him slain and the kingdom transferred to David son of Jesse.

^TNK 1 Chronicles 11:1-46

All Israel gathered to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. ² Long before now, even when Saul was king, you were the leader of Israel; and the LORD your God said to you: You shall shepherd My people Israel; you shall be ruler of My people Israel." ³ All the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a pact with them in Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel. ⁴ David and all Israel set out for Jerusalem, that is Jebus, where the Jebusite inhabitants of the land lived. ⁵ David was told by the inhabitants of Jebus, "You will never get in here!" But David captured the stronghold of Zion; it is now the City of David. ⁶ David said, "Whoever attacks the Jebusites first will be the chief officer"; Joab son of Zeruiah attacked first, and became the chief. ⁷ David occupied the stronghold; therefore it was renamed the City of David. ⁸ David also fortified the surrounding area, from the Millo roundabout, and Joab rebuilt the rest of the city. ⁹ David kept growing stronger, for the LORD of Hosts was with him. ¹⁰ And these were David's chief warriors who strongly supported him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. ¹¹ This is the list of David's warriors: Jashobeam son of Hachmoni, the chief officer; he wielded his spear against three hundred and slew them all on one occasion. ¹² Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite; he was one of the three warriors. ¹³ He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley there; the troops had fled from the Philistines, ¹⁴ but they took their stand in the middle of the plot and defended it, and they routed the Philistines. Thus the LORD wrought a great victory. ¹⁵ Three of the thirty chiefs went down to the rock to David, at the cave of Adullam, while a force of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold, and a Philistine garrison was then at Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David felt a craving and said, "If only I could get a drink of water from the cistern which is by the gate of Bethlehem!" ¹⁸ So the three got through the Philistine camp, and drew water from the cistern which is by the gate of Bethlehem, and they carried it back to David. But David would not drink it, and he poured it out as a libation to the LORD. ¹⁹ For he said, "God forbid that I should do this! Can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?" -- for they had brought it at the risk of their lives, and he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors. ²⁰ Abshai, the brother of Joab, was head of another three. He once wielded his spear against three hundred and slew them. He won a name among the three; ²¹ among the three he was more highly regarded than the other two, and so he became their commander. However, he did not attain to the other three. ²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a brave soldier who performed great deeds. He killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. Once, on a snowy day, he went down into a pit and killed a lion. ²³ He also killed an Egyptian, a giant of a man five cubits tall. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, like a weaver's beam, yet Benaiah went down against him with a club, wrenched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; and he won a name among the three warriors. ²⁵ He was highly regarded among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard. ²⁶ The valiant warriors: Asahel brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem, ²⁷ Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, ²⁸ Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth, ²⁹ Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, ³⁰ Mahrai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹ Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites, Benaiah of Pirathon, ³² Hurai of Nahale-gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, ³³ Azmaveth the Bahrumite, Eliahba of Shaalbon, ³⁴ the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shageh the Hararite, ³⁵ Ahiam son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur, ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai, ³⁸ Joel brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri, ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite -- the arms-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah -- ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai. ⁴² Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him; ⁴³ Hanan son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite; ⁴⁴ Uzziah the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham the Aroerite; ⁴⁵ Jedaiael son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite; ⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite; ⁴⁷ Eliel, Obed, and Jaassiel the Mezobaite.

^TNK 1 Chronicles 12:1-41

The following joined David at Ziklag while he was still in hiding from Saul son of Kish; these were the warriors who gave support in battle; ² they were armed with the bow and could use both right hand and left hand to sling stones or shoot arrows with the bow; they were kinsmen of Saul from Benjamin. ³ At the head were Ahiezer and Joash, sons of Shemaah of Gibeah; and Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; and Beracah and Jehu of Anathoth; ⁴ Ishmaiah of Gibeon, a warrior among the thirty, leading the thirty; ⁵ Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad of Gederah; ⁶ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Hariphite; ⁷ Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam the Korahites; ⁸ Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham of Gedor. ⁹ Of the Gadites, there withdrew to follow David to the wilderness stronghold valiant men, fighters fit for battle, armed with shield and spear; they had the appearance of lions, and were as swift as gazelles upon the mountains: ¹⁰ Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, ¹¹ Mashmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, ¹² Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, ¹³ Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, ¹⁴ Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh. ¹⁵ Those were the Gadites, heads of the army. The least was equal to a hundred, the greatest to a thousand. ¹⁶ These were the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was at its crest, and they put to flight all the lowlanders to the east and west. ¹⁷ Some of the Benjaminites and Judahites came to the stronghold to David, ¹⁸ and David went out to meet them, saying to them, "If you come on a peaceful errand, to support me, then I will make common cause with you, but if to betray me to my foes, for no injustice on my part, then let the God of our fathers take notice and give judgment." ¹⁹ Then the spirit seized Amasai, chief of the captains: "We are yours, David, On your side, son of Jesse; At peace, at peace with you, And at peace with him who supports you, For your God supports you." So David accepted them, and placed them at the head of his band. ²⁰ Some Manassites went over to David's side when he came with the Philistines to make war against Saul, but they were of no help to them, because the lords of the Philistines in council dismissed him, saying, "He will go over to the side of his lord, Saul, and it will cost us our heads"; ²¹ when he went to Ziklag, these Manassites went over to his side -- Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of the clans of Manasseh. ²² It was they who gave support to David against the band, for all were valiant men; and they were officers of the force. ²³ Day in day out, people came to David to give him support, until there was an army as vast as the army of God. ²⁴ These are the numbers of the men of the armed bands who joined David at Hebron to transfer Saul's kingdom to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD: ²⁵ Judahites, equipped with shield and spear -- 6800 armed men; ²⁶ Simeonites, valiant men, fighting troops -- 7100; ²⁷ of the Levites -- 4600; ²⁸ Jehoiada, chief officer of the Aaronides; with him, 3700; ²⁹ Zadok, a young valiant man, with his clan -- 22 officers; ³⁰ of the Benjaminites, kinsmen of Saul, 3000 in their great numbers, hitherto protecting the interests of the house of Saul; ³¹ of the Ephraimites, 20800 valiant men, famous in their clans; ³² of the half-tribe of Manasseh, 18000, who were designated by name to come and make David king; ³³ of the Issacharites, men who knew how to interpret the signs of the times, to determine how Israel should act; their chiefs were 200, and all their kinsmen followed them; ³⁴ of Zebulun, those ready for service, able to man a battle line with all kinds of weapons, 50000, giving support wholeheartedly; ³⁵ of Naphtali, 1000 chieftains with their shields and lances -- 37000; ³⁶ Of the Danites, able to man the battle line -- 28600; ³⁷ of Asher, those ready for service to man the battle line -- 40000; ³⁸ from beyond the Jordan, of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, together with all kinds of military weapons -- 120000. ³⁹ All these, fighting men, manning the battle line with whole heart, came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel was of one mind to make David king. ⁴⁰ They were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen had provided for them. ⁴¹ And also, their relatives as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food by ass, camel, mule, and ox -- provisions of flour, cakes of figs, raisin cakes, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep in abundance, for there was joy in Israel.

^NRSV Matthew 16:1-12

The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. ² He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' ³ And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away. ⁵ When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. ⁶ Jesus said to them, "Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." ⁷ They said to one another, "It is because we have brought no bread." ⁸ And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, "You of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹¹ How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" ¹² Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

^NRSV Hebrews 5:11-14

¹¹ About this we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become dull in understanding. ¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; ¹³ for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.