Tuesday

2 Samuel 18:9-18

[9]

And Ab'salom chanced to meet the servants of David. Ab'salom was riding
upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak,
and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between
heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.

[10] And a certain man saw it, and told Jo'ab, "Behold, I saw Ab'salom
hanging in an oak."
[11] Jo'ab said to the man who told him, "What, you saw him! Why then did
you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you
ten pieces of silver and a girdle."
[12] But the man said to Jo'ab, "Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a
thousand pieces of silver, I would not put forth my hand against the
king's son; for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abi'shai and
It'tai, `For my sake protect the young man Ab'salom.'
[13] On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and
there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood
aloof."
[14] Jo'ab said, "I will not waste time like this with you." And he took
three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Ab'salom, while
he was still alive in the oak.
[15] And ten young men, Jo'ab's armor-bearers, surrounded Ab'salom and
struck him, and killed him.
[16]

Then Jo'ab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing
Israel; for Jo'ab restrained them.

[17] And they took Ab'salom, and threw him into a great pit in the forest,
and raised over him a very great heap of stones; and all Israel fled every
one to his own home.
[18] Now Ab'salom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the
pillar which is in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no son to keep
my name in remembrance"; he called the pillar after his own name, and it
is called Ab'salom's monument to this day.

Acts 23:12-24

[12]

When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath
neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

[13] There were more than forty who made this conspiracy.
[14] And they went to the chief priests and elders, and said, "We have
strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed
Paul.
[15] You therefore, along with the council, give notice now to the tribune
to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case
more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near."
[16]

Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush; so he went and entered
the barracks and told Paul.

[17] And Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man
to the tribune; for he has something to tell him."
[18] So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, "Paul the
prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has
something to say to you."
[19] The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him
privately, "What is it that you have to tell me?"
[20] And he said, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to
the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more
closely about him.
[21] But do not yield to them; for more than forty of their men lie in
ambush for him, having bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor
drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the
promise from you."
[22] So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, "Tell no one
that you have informed me of this."
[23]

Then he called two of the centurions and said, "At the third hour of the
night get ready two hundred soldiers with seventy horsemen and two hundred
spearmen to go as far as Caesare'a.

[24] Also provide mounts for Paul to ride, and bring him safely to Felix
the governor."

Mark 11:27-12:12

[27]

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the
chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him,

[28] and they said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things,
or who gave you this authority to do them?"
[29] Jesus said to them, "I will ask you a question; answer me, and I will
tell you by what authority I do these things.
[30] Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer me."
[31] And they argued with one another, "If we say, `From heaven,' he will
say, `Why then did you not believe him?'
[32] But shall we say, `From men'?" -- they were afraid of the people, for
all held that John was a real prophet.
[33] So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them,
"Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."
Mark.12
[1]

And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, and
set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a
tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country.

[2] When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them
some of the fruit of the vineyard.
[3] And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
[4] Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the
head, and treated him shamefully.
[5] And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others,
some they beat and some they killed.
[6] He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them,
saying, `They will respect my son.'
[7] But those tenants said to one another, `This is the heir; come, let us
kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
[8] And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
[9] What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the
tenants, and give the vineyard to others.
[10] Have you not read this scripture: `The very stone which the builders
rejected
has become the head of the corner;
[11] this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"
[12]

And they tried to arrest him, but feared the multitude, for they perceived
that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away.