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Psalm 34

1  I will bless the Lord at all times; ♦︎
   his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
2  My soul shall glory in the Lord; ♦︎
   let the humble hear and be glad.
3  O magnify the Lord with me; ♦︎
   let us exalt his name together.
4  I sought the Lord and he answered me ♦︎
   and delivered me from all my fears.
5  Look upon him and be radiant ♦︎
   and your faces shall not be ashamed.
6  This poor soul cried, and the Lord heard me ♦︎
   and saved me from all my troubles.
7  The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him ♦︎
   and delivers them.
8  O taste and see that the Lord is gracious; ♦︎
   blessed is the one who trusts in him.
9  Fear the Lord, all you his holy ones, ♦︎
   for those who fear him lack nothing.
10  Lions may lack and suffer hunger, ♦︎
   but those who seek the Lord
      lack nothing that is good.
11  Come, my children, and listen to me; ♦︎
   I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12  Who is there who delights in life ♦︎
   and longs for days to enjoy good things?
13  Keep your tongue from evil ♦︎
   and your lips from lying words.
14  Turn from evil and do good; ♦︎
   seek peace and pursue it.
15  The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous ♦︎
   and his ears are open to their cry.
16  The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, ♦︎
   to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.
17  The righteous cry and the Lord hears them ♦︎
   and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted ♦︎
   and will save those who are crushed in spirit.
19  Many are the troubles of the righteous; ♦︎
   from them all will the Lord deliver them.
20  He keeps all their bones, ♦︎
   so that not one of them is broken.
21  But evil shall slay the wicked ♦︎
   and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22  The Lord ransoms the life of his servants ♦︎
   and will condemn none who seek refuge in him.

David Hears of Absalom’s Death

19 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, ‘Let me run, and carry tidings to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the power of his enemies.’ ²⁰Joab said to him, ‘You are not to carry tidings today; you may carry tidings another day, but today you shall not do so, because the king’s son is dead.’ ²¹Then Joab said to a Cushite, ‘Go, tell the king what you have seen.’ The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. ²²Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said again to Joab, ‘Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.’ And Joab said, ‘Why will you run, my son, seeing that you have no reward^* for the tidings?’ ²³‘Come what may,’ he said, ‘I will run.’ So he said to him, ‘Run.’ Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David was sitting between the two gates. The sentinel went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he looked up, he saw a man running alone. ²⁵The sentinel shouted and told the king. The king said, ‘If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth.’ He kept coming, and drew near. ²⁶Then the sentinel saw another man running; and the sentinel called to the gatekeeper and said, ‘See, another man running alone!’ The king said, ‘He also is bringing tidings.’ ²⁷The sentinel said, ‘I think the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok.’ The king said, ‘He is a good man, and comes with good tidings.’

28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, ‘All is well!’ He prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground, and said, ‘Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.’ ²⁹The king said, ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ Ahimaaz answered, ‘When Joab sent your servant,^* I saw a great tumult, but I do not know what it was.’ ³⁰The king said, ‘Turn aside, and stand here.’ So he turned aside, and stood still.

31 Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, ‘Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.’ ³²The king said to the Cushite, ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ The Cushite answered, ‘May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.’

David Mourns for Absalom

33 ^*The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!’

The Question about Paying Taxes

13 Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. ¹⁴And they came and said to him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? ¹⁵Should we pay them, or should we not?’ But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, ‘Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.’ ¹⁶And they brought one. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ ¹⁷Jesus said to them, ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.

The Question about the Resurrection

18 Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying, ¹⁹‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man^* shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. ²⁰There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children; ²¹and the second married her and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; ²²none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. ²³In the resurrection^* whose wife will she be? For the seven had married her.’

24 Jesus said to them, ‘Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? ²⁵For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ²⁶And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? ²⁷He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.’