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The Death of Saul and His Sons

31Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell^* on Mount Gilboa. ²The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ³The battle pressed hard upon Saul; the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by them. ⁴Then Saul said to his armour-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised may not come and thrust me through, and make sport of me.’ But his armour-bearer was unwilling; for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. ⁵When his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. ⁶So Saul and his three sons and his armour-bearer and all his men died together on the same day. ⁷When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their towns and fled; and the Philistines came and occupied them.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹They cut off his head, stripped off his armour, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the houses of their idols and to the people. ¹⁰They put his armour in the temple of Astarte;^* and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. ¹¹But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹²all the valiant men set out, travelled all night long, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. They came to Jabesh and burned them there. ¹³Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.

¹⁹ Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and said:
   ‘I have set the crown^* on one who is mighty,
   I have exalted one chosen from the people.
²⁰ I have found my servant David;
   with my holy oil I have anointed him;
²¹ my hand shall always remain with him;
   my arm also shall strengthen him.
²² The enemy shall not outwit him,
   the wicked shall not humble him.
²³ I will crush his foes before him
   and strike down those who hate him.
²⁴ My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him;
   and in my name his horn shall be exalted.
²⁵ I will set his hand on the sea
   and his right hand on the rivers.
²⁶ He shall cry to me, “You are my Father,
   my God, and the Rock of my salvation!”
²⁷ I will make him the firstborn,
   the highest of the kings of the earth.
²⁸ For-ever I will keep my steadfast love for him,
   and my covenant with him will stand firm.
²⁹ I will establish his line for ever,
   and his throne as long as the heavens endure.
³⁰ If his children forsake my law
   and do not walk according to my ordinances,
³¹ if they violate my statutes
   and do not keep my commandments,
³² then I will punish their transgression with the rod
   and their iniquity with scourges;
³³ but I will not remove from him my steadfast love,
   or be false to my faithfulness.
³⁴ I will not violate my covenant,
   or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
³⁵ Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness;
   I will not lie to David.
³⁶ His line shall continue for ever,
   and his throne endure before me like the sun.
³⁷ It shall be established for ever like the moon,
   an enduring witness in the skies.’
          Selah

³⁸ But now you have spurned and rejected him;
   you are full of wrath against your anointed.
³⁹ You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
   you have defiled his crown in the dust.
⁴⁰ You have broken through all his walls;
   you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
⁴¹ All who pass by plunder him;
   he has become the scorn of his neighbours.
⁴² You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
   you have made all his enemies rejoice.
⁴³ Moreover, you have turned back the edge of his sword,
   and you have not supported him in battle.
⁴⁴ You have removed the sceptre from his hand,^*
   and hurled his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵ You have cut short the days of his youth;
   you have covered him with shame.
          Selah

⁴⁶ How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself for ever?
   How long will your wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷ Remember how short my time is—^*
   for what vanity you have created all mortals!
⁴⁸ Who can live and never see death?
   Who can escape the power of Sheol?
          Selah

⁴⁹ Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
   which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
⁵⁰ Remember, O Lord, how your servant is taunted;
   how I bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples,^*
51 with which your enemies taunt, O Lord,
   with which they taunted the footsteps of your anointed.

⁵² Blessed be the Lord for ever.Amen and Amen.

Peter and John before the Council

4While Peter and John^* were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, ²much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. ³So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand.

5 The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, ⁶with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John,^* and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. ⁷When they had made the prisoners^* stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ ⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, ¹⁰let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,^* whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. ¹¹This Jesus^* is
“the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
   it has become the cornerstone.”^*
12There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. ¹⁴When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. ¹⁵So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. ¹⁶They said, ‘What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. ¹⁷But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.’ ¹⁸So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; ²⁰for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.’ ²¹After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened. ²²For the man on whom this sign of healing had been performed was more than forty years old.

The Believers Pray for Boldness

23 After they were released, they went to their friends^* and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, ‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, ²⁵it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant:^*
“Why did the Gentiles rage,
   and the peoples imagine vain things?
²⁶ The kings of the earth took their stand,
   and the rulers have gathered together
     against the Lord and against his Messiah.”^*
27For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant^* Jesus, whom you anointed, ²⁸to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. ²⁹And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants^* to speak your word with all boldness, ³⁰while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant^* Jesus.’ ³¹When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

The Believers Share Their Possessions

32 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. ³³With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. ³⁵They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. ³⁶There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’). ³⁷He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.