May 22 Reading through the Bible

 

2 SAMUEL 1:1-2:11
JOHN 12:20-50
PSALM 118:19-29
PROVERBS 15:27-28

2 SAMUEL 1:1-2:11
After the death of Saul, David returned from his victory over the Amalekites and spent two days in Ziklag. 2 On the third day after David's return, a man arrived from the Israelite battlefront. He had torn his clothes and put dirt on his head to show that he was in mourning. He fell to the ground before David in deep respect. 3 " Where have you come from?" David asked. " I escaped from the Israelite camp," the man replied.4 " What happened?" David demanded. " Tell me how the battle went." The man replied, " Our entire army fled. Many men are dead and wounded on the battlefield, and Saul and his son Jonathan have been killed." 5 " How do you know that Saul and Jonathan are dead?" David demanded. 6 The young man answered, " I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. I saw Saul there leaning on his spear with the enemy chariots closing in on him. 7 When he turned and saw me, he cried out for me to come to him. ` How can I help?' I asked him. 8 And he said to me, ` Who are you?' I replied, ` I am an Amalekite.' 9 Then he begged me, ` Come over here and put me out of my misery, for I am in terrible pain and want to die.' 10 " So I killed him," the Amalekite told David, " for I knew he couldn't live. Then I took his crown and one of his bracelets so I could bring them to you, my lord." 11 David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow when they heard the news. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the LORD's army and the nation of Israel, because so many had died that day. 13 Then David said to the young man who had brought the news, " Where are you from?" And he replied, " I am a foreigner, an Amalekite, who lives in your land." 14 " Were you not afraid to kill the LORD's anointed one?" David asked. 15 Then David said to one of his men, " Kill him!" So the man thrust his sword into the Amalekite and killed him. 16 " You die self-condemned," David said, " for you yourself confessed that you killed the LORD's anointed one." 17 Then David composed a funeral song for Saul and Jonathan. 18 Later he commanded that it be taught to all the people of Judah. It is known as the Song of the Bow, and it is recorded in The Book of Jashar.19 Your pride and joy, O Israel, lies dead on the hills!
How the mighty heroes have fallen!
20 Don't announce the news in Gath,
or the Philistines will rejoice.
Don't proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon,
or the pagans will laugh in triumph.
21 O mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you or your slopes.
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled;
the shield of Saul will no longer be anointed with oil.
22 Both Saul and Jonathan killed their strongest foes;
they did not return from battle empty-handed.
23 How beloved and gracious were Saul and Jonathan!
They were together in life and in death.
They were swifter than eagles;
they were stronger than lions.
24 O women of Israel, weep for Saul,
for he dressed you in fine clothing and gold ornaments.
25 How the mighty heroes have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies dead upon the hills.
26 How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan!
Oh, how much I loved you!
And your love for me was deep,
deeper than the love of women!
27 How the mighty heroes have fallen!
Stripped of their weapons, they lie dead.
2:1 AFTER this, David asked the LORD, " Should I move back to Judah?" And the LORD replied, " Yes." Then David asked, " Which town should I go to?" And the LORD replied, " Hebron." 2 David's wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. So David and his wives 3 and his men and their families all moved to Judah, and they settled near the town of Hebron. 4 Then Judah's leaders came to David and crowned him king over the tribe of Judah. When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul, 5 he sent them this message: " May the LORD bless you for being so loyal to your king and giving him a decent burial. 6 May the LORD be loyal to you in return and reward you with his unfailing love! And I, too, will reward you for what you have done. 7 And now that Saul is dead, I ask you to be my strong and loyal subjects like the people of Judah, who have anointed me as their new king." 8 But Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had already gone to Mahanaim with Saul's son Ishbosheth. 9 There he proclaimed Ishbosheth king over Gilead, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, the land of the Ashurites, and all the rest of Israel. 10 Ishbosheth was forty years old when he became king, and he ruled from Mahanaim for two years. Meanwhile, the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David. 11 David made Hebron his capital, and he ruled as king of Judah for seven and a half years.

JOHN 12:20-50
Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to attend the Passover 21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, " Sir, we want to meet Jesus." 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, " The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. 24 The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone--a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernels--a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And if they follow me, the Father will honor them. 27 Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ` Father, save me from what lies ahead'? But that is the very reason why I came! 28 Father, bring glory to your name." Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, " I have already brought it glory, and I will do it again." 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. 30 Then Jesus told them, " The voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 The time of judgment for the world has come, when the prince of this world will be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up on the cross,* I will draw everyone to myself." 33 He said this to indicate how he was going to die.34 " Die?" asked the crowd. " We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. Why are you saying the Son of Man will die? Who is this Son of Man you are talking about?" 35 Jesus replied, " My light will shine out for you just a little while longer. Walk in it while you can, so you will not stumble when the darkness falls. If you walk in the darkness, you cannot see where you are going. 36 Believe in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light." After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them. 37 But despite all the miraculous signs he had done, most of the people did not believe in him. 38 This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: " Lord, who has believed our message?
To whom will the Lord reveal his saving power?"
39 But the people couldn't believe, for as Isaiah also said, 40 " The Lord has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts--
so their eyes cannot see,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them."
41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he made this prediction, because he was given a vision of the Messiah's glory. 42 Many people, including some of the Jewish leaders, believed in him. But they wouldn't admit it to anyone because of their fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. 44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, " If you trust me, you are really trusting God who sent me. 45 For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the darkness. 47 If anyone hears me and doesn't obey me, I am not his judge--for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. 48 But all who reject me and my message will be judged at the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. 49 I don't speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me gave me his own instructions as to what I should say. 50 And I know his instructions lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say!"

PSALM 118:19-29
Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,
and I will go in and thank the LORD.
20 Those gates lead to the presence of the LORD,
and the godly enter there.
21 I thank you for answering my prayer
and saving me!
22 The stone rejected by the builders
has now become the cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD's doing,
and it is marvelous to see.
24 This is the day the LORD has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Please, LORD, please save us.
Please, LORD, please give us success.
26 Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD.
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, shining upon us.
Bring forward the sacrifice and put it on the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you!
You are my God, and I will exalt you!
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

PROVERBS 15:27-28
Dishonest money brings grief to the whole family, but those who hate bribes will live. The godly think before speaking; the wicked spout evil words.

May 21 Reading through the Bible

 

1 SAMUEL 29:1-31:13
JOHN 11:55-12:19
PSALM 118:1-18
PROVERBS 15:24-26

1 SAMUEL 29:1-31:13
The entire Philistine army now mobilized at Aphek, and the Israelites camped at the spring in Jezreel. 2 As the Philistine rulers were leading out their troops in groups of one hundred and one thousand, David and his men marched at the rear with King Achish. 3 But the Philistine commanders demanded, " What are these Hebrews doing here?" And Achish told them, " This is David, the man who ran away from King Saul of Israel. He's been with me for years, and I've never found a single fault in him since he defected to me." 4 But the Philistine commanders were angry. " Send him back!" they demanded. " He can't go into the battle with us. What if he turns against us? Is there any better way for him to reconcile himself with his master than by turning on us in battle? 5 Isn't this the same David about whom the women of Israel sing in their dances, ` Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?" 6 So Achish finally summoned David and his men. " I swear by the LORD," he told them, " you are some of the finest men I've ever met. I think you should go with us, but the other Philistine rulers won't hear of it. 7 Please don't upset them, but go back quietly." 8 " What have I done to deserve this treatment?" David demanded. " Why can't I fight the enemies of my lord, the king?" 9 But Achish insisted, " As far as I'm concerned, you're as perfect as an angel of God. But my commanders are afraid to have you with them in the battle. 10 Now get up early in the morning, and leave with your men as soon as it gets light." 11 So David headed back into the land of the Philistines, while the Philistine army went on to Jezreel.30:1 THREE days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and had burned Ziklag to the ground. 2 They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone. 3 When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, 4 they wept until they could weep no more. 5 David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel, were among those captured. 6 David was now in serious trouble because his men were very bitter about losing their wives and children, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God. 7 Then he said to Abiathar the priest, " Bring me the ephod!" So Abiathar brought it. 8 Then David asked the LORD, " Should I chase them? Will I catch them?" And the LORD told him, " Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!" 9 So David and his six hundred men set out, and they soon came to Besor Brook. 10 But two hundred of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with his four hundred remaining troops. 11 Some of David's troops found an Egyptian man in a field and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and some water to drink. 12 They also gave him part of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins because he hadn't had anything to eat or drink for three days and nights. It wasn't long before his strength returned. 13 " To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" David asked him. " I am an Egyptian--the slave of an Amalekite," he replied. " My master left me behind three days ago because I was sick. 14 We were on our way back from raiding the Kerethites in the Negev, the territory of Judah, and the land of Caleb, and we had just burned Ziklag." 15 " Will you lead me to them?" David asked. The young man replied, " If you swear by God's name that you will not kill me or give me back to my master, then I will guide you to them." 16 So the Egyptian led them to the Amalekite encampment. When David and his men arrived, the Amalekites were spread out across the fields, eating and drinking and dancing with joy because of the vast amount of plunder they had taken from the Philistines and the land of Judah. 17 David and his men rushed in among them and slaughtered them throughout that night and the entire next day until evening. None of the Amalekites escaped except four hundred young men who fled on camels. 18 David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything back. 20 His troops rounded up all the flocks and herds and drove them on ahead. " These all belong to David as his reward!" they said. 21 When they reached Besor Brook and met the two hundred men who had been too tired to go with them, David greeted them joyfully. 22 But some troublemakers among David's men said, " They didn't go with us, so they can't have any of the plunder. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone." 23 But David said, " No, my brothers! Don't be selfish with what the LORD has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the enemy. 24 Do you think anyone will listen to you when you talk like this? We share and share alike--those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment." 25 From then on David made this a law for all of Israel, and it is still followed. 26 When he arrived at Ziklag, David sent part of the plunder to the leaders of Judah, who were his friends. " Here is a present for you, taken from the LORD's enemies," he said. 27 The gifts were sent to the leaders of the following towns where David and his men had been: Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir, 28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29 Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites, the towns of the Kenites, 30 Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, 31 Hebron, and all the other places they had visited.31:1 NOW the Philistines attacked Israel, forcing the Israelites to flee. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons--Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua. 3 The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him severely. 4 Saul groaned to his armor bearer, " Take your sword and kill me before these pagan Philistines run me through and humiliate me." But his armor bearer was afraid and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died beside the king. 6 So Saul, three of his sons, his armor bearer, and his troops all died together that same day. 7 When the Israelites on the other side of the Jezreel Valley and beyond the Jordan saw that their army had been routed and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. So the Philistines moved in and occupied their towns. 8 The next day, when the Philistines went out to strip the dead, they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa. 9 So they cut off Saul's head and stripped off his armor. Then they proclaimed the news of Saul's death in their pagan temple and to the people throughout the land of Philistia. 10 They placed his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of the city of Beth-shan. 11 But when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 their warriors traveled all night to Beth-shan and took the bodies of Saul and his sons down from the wall. They brought them to Jabesh, where they burned the bodies. 13 Then they took their remains and buried them beneath the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.

JOHN 11:55-12:19
It was now almost time for the celebration of Passover, and many people from the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the cleansing ceremony before the Passover began. 56 They wanted to see Jesus, and as they talked in the Temple, they asked each other, " What do you think? Will he come for the Passover?" 57 Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly announced that anyone seeing Jesus must report him immediately so they could arrest him. 12:1 SIX days before the Passover ceremonies began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus--the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha served, and Lazarus sat at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples--the one who would betray him--said, 5 " That perfume was worth a small fortune. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor." 6 Not that he cared for the poor--he was a thief who was in charge of the disciples' funds, and he often took some for his own use. 7 Jesus replied, " Leave her alone. She did it in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but I will not be here with you much longer." 9 When all the people heard of Jesus' arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus. 12 The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A huge crowd of Passover visitors 13 took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, " Praise God!
Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hail to the King of Israel!"
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: 15 " Don't be afraid, people of Israel.
Look, your King is coming,
sitting on a donkey's colt."
16 His disciples didn't realize at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered that these Scriptures had come true before their eyes. 17 Those in the crowd who had seen Jesus call Lazarus back to life were telling others all about it. 18 That was the main reason so many went out to meet him--because they had heard about this mighty miracle. 19 Then the Pharisees said to each other, " We've lost. Look, the whole world has gone after him!"

PSALM 118:1-18
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Let the congregation of Israel repeat:
" His faithful love endures forever."
3 Let Aaron's descendants, the priests, repeat:
" His faithful love endures forever."
4 Let all who fear the LORD repeat:
" His faithful love endures forever."
5 In my distress I prayed to the LORD,
and the LORD answered me and rescued me.
6 The LORD is for me, so I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7 Yes, the LORD is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust the LORD
than to put confidence in people.
9 It is better to trust the LORD
than to put confidence in princes.
10 Though hostile nations surrounded me,
I destroyed them all in the name of the LORD.
11 Yes, they surrounded and attacked me,
but I destroyed them all in the name of the LORD.
12 They swarmed around me like bees;
they blazed against me like a roaring flame.
But I destroyed them all in the name of the LORD.
13 You did your best to kill me, O my enemy,
but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my victory.
15 Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.
The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things!
16 The strong right arm of the LORD is raised in triumph.
The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things!
17 I will not die, but I will live
to tell what the LORD has done.
18 The LORD has punished me severely,
but he has not handed me over to death.

PROVERBS 15:24-26
The path of the wise leads to life above; they leave the grave behind. The LORD destroys the house of the proud, but he protects the property of widows. The LORD despises the thoughts of the wicked, but he delights in pure words.

May 19 Reading through the Bible

 

1 SAMUEL 24:1-25:44
JOHN 10:22-42
PSALM 116:1-19
PROVERBS 15:20-21

1 SAMUEL 24:1-25:44
After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of En-gedi. 2 So Saul chose three thousand special troops from throughout Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats. 3 At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding in that very cave! 4 " Now's your opportunity!" David's men whispered to him. " Today is the day the LORD was talking about when he said, ` I will certainly put Saul into your power, to do with as you wish.' " Then David crept forward and cut off a piece of Saul's robe.5 But then David's conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul's robe. 6 " The LORD knows I shouldn't have done it," he said to his men. " It is a serious thing to attack the LORD's anointed one, for the LORD himself has chosen him." 7 So David sharply rebuked his men and did not let them kill Saul. After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way, 8 David came out and shouted after him, " My lord the king!" And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him. 9 Then he shouted to Saul, " Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? 10 This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn't true. For the LORD placed you at my mercy back there in the cave, and some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ` I will never harm him--he is the LORD's anointed one.' 11 Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn't kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me. 12 The LORD will decide between us. Perhaps the LORD will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you. 13 As that old proverb says, ` From evil people come evil deeds.' So you can be sure I will never harm you. 14 Who is the king of Israel trying to catch anyway? Should he spend his time chasing one who is as worthless as a dead dog or a flea? 15 May the LORD judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!" 16 Saul called back, " Is that really you, my son David?" Then he began to cry. 17 And he said to David, " You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil. 18 Yes, you have been wonderfully kind to me today, for when the LORD put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn't do it. 19 Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the LORD reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today. 20 And now I realize that you are surely going to be king, and Israel will flourish under your rule. 21 Now, swear to me by the LORD that when that happens you will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants!" 22 So David promised, and Saul went home. But David and his men went back to their stronghold.25:1 NOW Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral. They buried him near his home at Ramah. Then David moved down to the wilderness of Maon. 2 There was a wealthy man from Maon who owned property near the village of Carmel. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and it was sheep-shearing time. 3 This man's name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was mean and dishonest in all his dealings. 4 When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 5 he sent ten of his young men to Carmel. He told them to deliver this message: 6 " Peace and prosperity to you, your family, and everything you own! 7 I am told that you are shearing your sheep and goats. While your shepherds stayed among us near Carmel, we never harmed them, and nothing was ever stolen from them. 8 Ask your own servants, and they will tell you this is true. So would you please be kind to us, since we have come at a time of celebration? Please give us any provisions you might have on hand." 9 David's young men gave this message to Nabal and waited for his reply. 10 " Who is this fellow David?" Nabal sneered. " Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters. 11 Should I take my bread and water and the meat I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?" 12 So David's messengers returned and told him what Nabal had said. 13 " Get your swords!" was David's reply as he strapped on his own. Four hundred men started off with David, and two hundred remained behind to guard their equipment. 14 Meanwhile, one of Nabal's servants went to Abigail and told her, " David sent men from the wilderness to talk to our master, and he insulted them. 15 But David's men were very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us. 16 In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep. 17 You'd better think fast, for there is going to be trouble for our master and his whole family. He's so ill- tempered that no one can even talk to him!" 18 Abigail lost no time. She quickly gathered two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, one hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes. She packed them on donkeys and said to her servants, 19 " Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly." But she didn't tell her husband what she was doing. 20 As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her. 21 David had just been saying, " A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. 22 May God deal with me severely if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!" 23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. 24 She fell at his feet and said, " I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say. 25 I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don't pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the messengers you sent. 26 " Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, since the LORD has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies be as cursed as Nabal is. 27 And here is a present I have brought to you and your young men. 28 Please forgive me if I have offended in any way. The LORD will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty, for you are fighting the LORD's battles. And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life. 29 " Even when you are chased by those who seek your life, you are safe in the care of the LORD your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling! 30 When the LORD has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel, 31 don't let this be a blemish on your record. Then you won't have to carry on your conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the LORD has done these great things for you, please remember me!" 32 David replied to Abigail, " Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today! 33 Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murdering the man and carrying out vengeance with my own hands. 34 For I swear by the LORD, the God of Israel, who has kept me from hurting you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal's men would be alive tomorrow morning." 35 Then David accepted her gifts and told her, " Return home in peace. We will not kill your husband." 36 When Abigail arrived home, she found that Nabal had thrown a big party and was celebrating like a king. He was very drunk, so she didn't tell him anything about her meeting with David until the next morning. 37 The next morning when he was sober, she told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and he lay on his bed paralyzed. 38 About ten days later, the LORD struck him and he died. 39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, " Praise the LORD, who has paid back Nabal and kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin." Then David wasted no time in sending messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife. 40 When the messengers arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail, " David has sent us to ask if you will marry him." 41 She bowed low to the ground and responded, " Yes, I am even willing to become a slave to David's servants!" 42 Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her servant girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and went with David's messengers. And so she became his wife. 43 David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel, making both of them his wives. 44 Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti son of Laish.

JOHN 10:22-42
It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah. 23 He was at the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jewish leaders surrounded him and asked, " How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus replied, " I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is what I do in the name of my Father. 26 But you don't believe me because you are not part of my flock. 27 My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me. 30 The Father and I are one." 31 Once again the Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill him. 32 Jesus said, " At my Father's direction I have done many things to help the people. For which one of these good deeds are you killing me?" 33 They replied, " Not for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, have made yourself God." 34 Jesus replied, " It is written in your own law that God said to certain leaders of the people, ` I say, you are gods!' 35 And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people, who received God's message, were called ` gods,' 36 why do you call it blasphemy when the Holy One who was sent into the world by the Father says, ` I am the Son of God'? 37 Don't believe me unless I carry out my Father's work. 38 But if I do his work, believe in what I have done, even if you don't believe me. Then you will realize that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father."39 Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. 40 He went beyond the Jordan River to stay near the place where John was first baptizing. 41 And many followed him. " John didn't do miracles," they remarked to one another, " but all his predictions about this man have come true." 42 And many believed in him there.

PSALM 116:1-19
I love the LORD because he hears
and answers my prayers.
2 Because he bends down and listens,
I will pray as long as I have breath!
3 Death had its hands around my throat;
the terrors of the grave overtook me.
I saw only trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD:
" Please, LORD, save me!"
5 How kind the LORD is! How good he is!
So merciful, this God of ours!
6 The LORD protects those of childlike faith;
I was facing death, and then he saved me.
7 Now I can rest again,
for the LORD has been so good to me.
8 He has saved me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
9 And so I walk in the LORD's presence
as I live here on earth!
10 I believed in you, so I prayed,
" I am deeply troubled, LORD."
11 In my anxiety I cried out to you,
" These people are all liars!"
12 What can I offer the LORD
for all he has done for me?
13 I will lift up a cup symbolizing his salvation;
I will praise the LORD's name for saving me.
14 I will keep my promises to the LORD
in the presence of all his people.
15 The LORD's loved ones are precious to him;
it grieves him when they die.
16 O LORD, I am your servant;
yes, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid,
and you have freed me from my bonds!
17 I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will keep my promises to the LORD
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the house of the LORD,
in the heart of Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 15:20-21
Sensible children bring joy to their father; foolish children despise their mother. Foolishness brings joy to those who have no sense; a sensible person stays on the right path.

May 18 Reading through the Bible

 

1 SAMUEL 22:1-23:29
JOHN 10:1-21
PSALM 115:1-18
PROVERBS 15:18-19

1 SAMUEL 22:1-23:29
So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and other relatives joined him there. 2 Then others began coming--men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented--until David was the leader of about four hundred men. 3 Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab, where he asked the king, " Would you let my father and mother live here under royal protection until I know what God is going to do for me?" 4 The king agreed, and David's parents stayed in Moab while David was living in his stronghold. 5 One day the prophet Gad told David, " Leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah." So David went to the forest of Hereth. 6 The news of his arrival in Judah soon reached Saul. At the time, the king was sitting beneath a tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, holding his spear and surrounded by his officers. 7 " Listen here, you men of Benjamin!" Saul shouted when he heard the news. " Has David promised you fields and vineyards? Has he promised to make you commanders in his army? 8 Is that why you have conspired against me? For not one of you has ever told me that my own son is on David's side. You're not even sorry for me. Think of it! My own son--encouraging David to try and kill me!" 9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing there with Saul's men, spoke up. " When I was at Nob," he said, " I saw David talking to Ahimelech the priest. 10 Ahimelech consulted the LORD to find out what David should do. Then he gave David food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine." 11 King Saul immediately sent for Ahimelech and all his family, who served as priests at Nob. 12 When they arrived, Saul shouted at him, " Listen to me, you son of Ahitub!" " What is it, my king?" Ahimelech asked. 13 " Why have you and David conspired against me?" Saul demanded. " Why did you give him food and a sword? Why have you inquired of God for him? Why did you encourage him to revolt against me and to come here and attack me?" 14 " But sir," Ahimelech replied, " is there anyone among all your servants who is as faithful as David, your son-in-law? Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard and a highly honored member of your household! 15 This was certainly not the first time I had consulted God for him! Please don't accuse me and my family in this matter, for I knew nothing of any plot against you." 16 " You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!" the king shouted. 17 And he ordered his bodyguards, " Kill these priests of the LORD, for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn't tell me!" But Saul's men refused to kill the LORD's priests. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, " You do it." So Doeg turned on them and killed them, eighty-five priests in all, all still wearing their priestly tunics. 19 Then he went to Nob, the city of the priests, and killed the priests' families--men and women, children and babies, and all the cattle, donkeys, and sheep. 20 Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David. 21 When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD, 22 David exclaimed, " I knew it! When I saw Doeg there that day, I knew he would tell Saul. Now I have caused the death of all your father's family. 23 Stay here with me, and I will protect you with my own life, for the same person wants to kill us both."23:1 ONE day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors. 2 David asked the LORD, " Should I go and attack them?" " Yes, go and save Keilah," the LORD told him. 3 But David's men said, " We're afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don't want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!" 4 So David asked the LORD again, and again the LORD replied, " Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines." 5 So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah. 6 Abiathar the priest went to Keilah with David, taking the ephod with him to get answers for David from the LORD. 7 Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. " Good!" he exclaimed. " We've got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled city!" 8 So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and attack David and his men. 9 But David learned of Saul's plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the LORD what he should do. 10 And David prayed, " O LORD, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me to him? And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell me." And the LORD said, " He will come." 12 Again David asked, " Will these men of Keilah really betray me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD replied, " Yes, they will betray you." 13 So David and his men--about six hundred of them now--left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn't go to Keilah after all. 14 David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn't let him be found. 15 One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. 16 Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. 17 " Don't be afraid," Jonathan reassured him. " My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father is well aware." 18 So the two of them renewed their covenant of friendship before the LORD. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh. 19 But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. " We know where David is hiding," they said. " He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon. 20 Come down whenever you're ready, O king, and we will catch him and hand him over to you!" 21 " The LORD bless you," Saul said. " At last someone is concerned about me! 22 Go and check again to be sure of where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty. 23 Discover his hiding places, and come back with a more definite report. Then I'll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I'll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!" 24 So the men of Ziph returned home ahead of Saul. Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah Valley south of Jeshimon. 25 When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him, he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock, and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon. But Saul kept after him. 26 He and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men, 27 an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again. 28 So Saul quit the chase and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape. 29 David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.

JOHN 10:1-21
" I [Jesus] assure you, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 For a shepherd enters through the gate. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice. 5 They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't recognize his voice." 6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them. " I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep," he said. 8 " All others who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. 10 The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. 11 " I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will leave the sheep because they aren't his and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he is merely hired and has no real concern for the sheep. 14 " I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock with one shepherd. 17 " The Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may have it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right to lay it down when I want to and also the power to take it again. For my Father has given me this command." 19 When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. 20 Some of them said, " He has a demon, or he's crazy. Why listen to a man like that?" 21 Others said, " This doesn't sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

PSALM 115:1-18
Not to us, O LORD, but to you goes all the glory
for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
2 Why let the nations say,
" Where is their God?"
3 For our God is in the heavens,
and he does as he wishes.
4 Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,
shaped by human hands.
5 They cannot talk, though they have mouths,
or see, though they have eyes!
6 They cannot hear with their ears,
or smell with their noses,
7 or feel with their hands,
or walk with their feet,
or utter sounds with their throats!
8 And those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
9 O Israel, trust the LORD!
He is your helper; he is your shield.
10 O priests of Aaron, trust the LORD!
He is your helper; he is your shield.
11 All you who fear the LORD, trust the LORD!
He is your helper; he is your shield.
12 The LORD remembers us,
and he will surely bless us.
He will bless the people of Israel
and the family of Aaron, the priests.
13 He will bless those who fear the LORD,
both great and small.
14 May the LORD richly bless
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
16 The heavens belong to the LORD,
but he has given the earth to all humanity.
17 The dead cannot sing praises to the LORD,
for they have gone into the silence of the grave.
18 But we can praise the LORD
both now and forever!
Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 15:18-19
A hothead starts fights; a cool-tempered person tries to stop them. A lazy person has trouble all through life; the path of the upright is easy!

May 17 Reading through the Bible

1 SAMUEL 20:1-21:15
JOHN 9:1-41
PSALM 113:1-114:8
PROVERBS 15:15-17

1 SAMUEL 20:1-21:15
David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. " What have I done?" he exclaimed. " What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?" 2 " That's not true!" Jonathan protested. " I'm sure he's not planning any such thing, for he always tells me everything he's going to do, even the little things. I know he wouldn't hide something like this from me. It just isn't so!" 3 Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, " Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, ` I won't tell Jonathan--why should I hurt him?' But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the LORD and by your own soul!" 4 " Tell me what I can do!" Jonathan exclaimed. 5 David replied, " Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. I've always eaten with your father on this occasion, but tomorrow I'll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day. 6 If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice. 7 If he says, ` Fine!' then you will know all is well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, then you will know he was planning to kill me. 8 Show me this kindness as my sworn friend--for we made a covenant together before the LORD--or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don't betray me to him!" 9 " Never!" Jonathan exclaimed. " You know that if I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you, I would tell you at once." 10 Then David asked, " How will I know whether or not your father is angry?" 11 " Come out to the field with me," Jonathan replied. And they went out there together. 12 Then Jonathan told David, " I promise by the LORD, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know. 13 But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the LORD kill me if I don't warn you so you can escape and live. May the LORD be with you as he used to be with my father. 14 And may you treat me with the faithful love of the LORD as long as I live. But if I die, 15 treat my family with this faithful love, even when the LORD destroys all your enemies." 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with David, saying, " May the LORD destroy all your enemies!" 17 And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself. 18 Then Jonathan said, " Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty. 19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile. 20 I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, ` They're on this side,' then you will know, as surely as the LORD lives, that all is well, and there is no trouble. 22 But if I tell him, ` Go farther--the arrows are still ahead of you,' then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the LORD is sending you away. 23 And may the LORD make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them." 24 So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David's place was empty. 26 Saul didn't say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, " Something must have made David ceremonially unclean. Yes, that must be why he's not here." 27 But when David's place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, " Why hasn't the son of Jesse been here for dinner either yesterday or today?" 28 Jonathan replied, " David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem. 29 He wanted to take part in a family sacrifice. His brother demanded that he be there, so I told him he could go. That's why he isn't here." 30 Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. " You stupid son of a whore!" he swore at him. " Do you think I don't know that you want David to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother? 31 As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you'll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!" 32 " But what has he done?" Jonathan demanded. " Why should he be put to death?" 33 Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David. 34 Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat all that day, for he was crushed by his father's shameful behavior toward David. 35 The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows. 36 " Start running," he told the boy, " so you can find the arrows as I shoot them." So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, " The arrow is still ahead of you. 38 Hurry, hurry, don't wait." So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master. 39 He, of course, didn't understand what Jonathan meant; only Jonathan and David knew. 40 Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to the city. 41 As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. Then David bowed to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David. 42 At last Jonathan said to David, " Go in peace, for we have made a pact in the LORD's name. We have entrusted each other and each other's children into the LORD's hands forever." Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the city.21:1 DAVID went to the city of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. " Why are you alone?" he asked. " Why is no one with you?" 2 " The king has sent me on a private matter," David said. " He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later. 3 Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have." 4 " We don't have any regular bread," the priest replied. " But there is the holy bread, which I guess you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently." 5 " Don't worry," David replied. " I never allow my men to be with women when they are on a campaign. And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one!" 6 So, since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread--the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the LORD in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread. 7 Now Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief herdsman, was there that day for ceremonial purification. 8 David asked Ahimelech, " Do you have a spear or sword? The king's business was so urgent that I didn't even have time to grab a weapon!" 9 " I only have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah," the priest replied. " It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here." " There is nothing like it!" David replied. " Give it to me!" 10 So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath. 11 But Achish's officers weren't happy about his being there. " Isn't this David, the king of the land?" they asked. " Isn't he the one the people honor with dances, singing, ` Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?" 12 David heard these comments and was afraid of what King Achish might do to him. 13 So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard. 14 Finally, King Achish said to his men, " Must you bring me a madman? 15 We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?"

JOHN 9:1-41
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 " Teacher," his disciples asked him, " why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?" 3 " It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins," Jesus answered. " He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end. 5 But while I am still here in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and smoothed the mud over the blind man's eyes. 7 He told him, " Go and wash in the pool of Siloam" (Siloam means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing! 8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, " Is this the same man--that beggar?" 9 Some said he was, and others said, " No, but he surely looks like him!" And the beggar kept saying, " I am the same man!" 10 They asked, " Who healed you? What happened?" 11 He told them, " The man they call Jesus made mud and smoothed it over my eyes and told me, ` Go to the pool of Siloam and wash off the mud.' I went and washed, and now I can see!" 12 " Where is he now?" they asked. " I don't know," he replied. 13 Then they took the man to the Pharisees. 14 Now as it happened, Jesus had healed the man on a Sabbath. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, " He smoothed the mud over my eyes, and when it was washed away, I could see!" 16 Some of the Pharisees said, " This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath." Others said, " But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?" So there was a deep division of opinion among them. 17 Then the Pharisees once again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, " This man who opened your eyes--who do you say he is?" The man replied, " I think he must be a prophet." 18 The Jewish leaders wouldn't believe he had been blind, so they called in his parents. 19 They asked them, " Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he see?" 20 His parents replied, " We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don't know how he can see or who healed him. He is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him." 22 They said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 That's why they said, " He is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him." 24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, " Give glory to God by telling the truth, because we know Jesus is a sinner." 25 " I don't know whether he is a sinner," the man replied. " But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!" 26 " But what did he do?" they asked. " How did he heal you?" 27 " Look!" the man exclaimed. " I told you once. Didn't you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" 28 Then they cursed him and said, " You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don't know anything about him." 30 " Why, that's very strange!" the man replied. " He healed my eyes, and yet you don't know anything about him! 31 Well, God doesn't listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Never since the world began has anyone been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn't do it." 34 " You were born in sin!" they answered. " Are you trying to teach us?" And they threw him out of the synagogue. 35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and said, " Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 The man answered, " Who is he, sir, because I would like to." 37 " You have seen him," Jesus said, " and he is speaking to you!" 38 " Yes, Lord," the man said, " I believe!" And he worshiped Jesus. 39 Then Jesus told him, " I have come to judge the world. I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind." 40 The Pharisees who were standing there heard him and asked, " Are you saying we are blind?" 41 " If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty," Jesus replied. " But you remain guilty because you claim you can see."

PSALM 113:1-114:8
Praise the LORD!
Yes, give praise, O servants of the LORD.
Praise the name of the LORD!
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD
forever and ever.
3 Everywhere--from east to west--
praise the name of the LORD.
4 For the LORD is high above the nations;
his glory is far greater than the heavens.
5 Who can be compared with the LORD our God,
who is enthroned on high?
6 Far below him are the heavens and the earth.
He stoops to look,
7 and he lifts the poor from the dirt
and the needy from the garbage dump.
8 He sets them among princes,
even the princes of his own people!
9 He gives the barren woman a home,
so that she becomes a happy mother.
Praise the LORD!
114:1 WHEN the Israelites escaped from Egypt--
when the family of Jacob left that foreign land--
2 the land of Judah became God's sanctuary,
and Israel became his kingdom.
3 The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way!
The water of the Jordan River turned away.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the little hills like lambs!
5 What's wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way?
What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?
6 Why, mountains, did you skip like rams?
Why, little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Israel.
8 He turned the rock into pools of water;
yes, springs of water came from solid rock.

PROVERBS 15:15-17

For the poor, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. It is better to have little with fear for the LORD than to have great treasure with turmoil. A bowl of soup with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate. 

May 16 Reading through the Bible

 

1 SAMUEL 18:5-19:24
JOHN 8:31-59
PSALM 112:1-10
PROVERBS 15:12-14

1 SAMUEL 18:5-19:24
Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander in his army, an appointment that was applauded by the fighting men and officers alike. 6 But something happened when the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed Goliath. Women came out from all the towns along the way to celebrate and to cheer for King Saul, and they sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals. 7 This was their song: " Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands!"
8 This made Saul very angry. " What's this?" he said. " They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they'll be making him their king!" 9 So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. 10 The very next day, in fact, a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave like a madman. David began to play the harp, as he did whenever this happened. But Saul, who had a spear in his hand, 11 suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David jumped aside and escaped. This happened another time, too, 12 for Saul was afraid of him, and he was jealous because the LORD had left him and was now with David. 13 Finally, Saul banned him from his presence and appointed him commander over only a thousand men, but David faithfully led his troops into battle. 14 David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the LORD was with him. 15 When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle. 17 One day Saul said to David, " I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the LORD's battles." For Saul thought to himself, " I'll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself." 18 " Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?" David exclaimed. " My father's family is nothing!" 19 So when the time came for the wedding, Saul gave Merab in marriage to Adriel, a man from Meholah. 20 In the meantime, Saul's daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it. 21 " Here's another chance to see him killed by the Philistines!" Saul said to himself. But to David he said, " I have a way for you to become my son-in-law after all!" 22 Then Saul told his men to say confidentially to David, " The king really likes you, and so do we. Why don't you accept the king's offer and become his son-in-law?" 23 When Saul's men said these things to David, he replied, " How can a poor man from a humble family afford the bride price for the daughter of a king?" 24 When Saul's men reported this back to the king, 25 he told them, " Tell David that all I want for the bride price is one hundred Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want." But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight. 26 David was delighted to accept the offer. So before the time limit expired, 27 he and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines and presented all their foreskins to the king. So Saul gave Michal to David to be his wife. 28 When the king realized how much the LORD was with David and how much Michal loved him, 29 he became even more afraid of him, and he remained David's enemy for the rest of his life. 30 Whenever the Philistine army attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul's officers. So David's name became very famous throughout the land.19:1 SAUL now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his close friendship with David, 2 told him what his father was planning. " Tomorrow morning," he warned him, " you must find a hiding place out in the fields. 3 I'll ask my father to go out there with me, and I'll talk to him about you. Then I'll tell you everything I can find out." 4 The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. " Please don't sin against David," Jonathan pleaded. " He's never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. 5 Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the LORD brought a great victory to Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!" 6 So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, " As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be killed." 7 Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he took David to see Saul, and everything was as it had been before. 8 War broke out shortly after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked them with such fury that they all ran away. 9 But one day as Saul was sitting at home, the tormenting spirit from the LORD suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp for the king, 10 Saul hurled his spear at David in an attempt to kill him. But David dodged out of the way and escaped into the night, leaving the spear stuck in the wall. 11 Then Saul sent troops to watch David's house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, " If you don't get away tonight, you will be dead by morning." 12 So she helped him climb out through a window, and he escaped. 13 Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat's hair at its head. 14 When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn't get out of bed. 15 " Then bring him to me in his bed," Saul ordered, " so I can kill him as he lies there!" And he sent them back to David's house. 16 But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat's hair at its head. 17 " Why have you tricked me and let my enemy escape?" Saul demanded of Michal. " I had to," Michal replied. " He threatened to kill me if I didn't help him." 18 So David got away and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth. 19 When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, 20 he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel and the other prophets prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men, and they also began to prophesy. 21 When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! The same thing happened a third time! 22 Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu. " Where are Samuel and David?" he demanded. " They are at Naioth in Ramah," someone told him. 23 But on the way to Naioth the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy! 24 He tore off his clothes and lay on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, " What? Is Saul a prophet, too?"

JOHN 8:31-59
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, " You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 33 " But we are descendants of Abraham," they said. " We have never been slaves to anyone on earth. What do you mean, ` set free'?" 34 Jesus replied, " I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free. 37 Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because my message does not find a place in your hearts. 38 I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father." 39 " Our father is Abraham," they declared. " No," Jesus replied, " for if you were children of Abraham, you would follow his good example. 40 I told you the truth I heard from God, but you are trying to kill me. Abraham wouldn't do a thing like that. 41 No, you are obeying your real father when you act that way." They replied, " We were not born out of wedlock! Our true Father is God himself." 42 Jesus told them, " If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why can't you understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to do so! 44 For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don't believe me! 46 Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don't you believe me? 47 Anyone whose Father is God listens gladly to the words of God. Since you don't, it proves you aren't God's children." 48 The people retorted, " You Samaritan devil! Didn't we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?" 49 " No," Jesus said, " I have no demon in me. For I honor my Father--and you dishonor me. 50 And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God wants to glorify me. Let him be the judge. 51 I assure you, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!" 52 The people said, " Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say that those who obey your teaching will never die! 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Are you greater than the prophets, who died? Who do you think you are?" 54 Jesus answered, " If I am merely boasting about myself, it doesn't count. But it is my Father who says these glorious things about me. You say, ` He is our God,' 55 but you do not even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But it is true--I know him and obey him. 56 Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad." 57 The people said, " You aren't even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus answered, " The truth is, I existed before Abraham was even born!" 59 At that point they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus hid himself from them and left the Temple.

PSALM 112:1-10
Praise the LORD!
Happy are those who fear the LORD.
Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what he commands.
2 Their children will be successful everywhere;
an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
3 They themselves will be wealthy,
and their good deeds will never be forgotten.
4 When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in.
They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
5 All goes well for those who are generous,
who lend freely and conduct their business fairly.
6 Such people will not be overcome by evil circumstances.
Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
7 They do not fear bad news;
they confidently trust the LORD to care for them.
8 They are confident and fearless
and can face their foes triumphantly.
9 They give generously to those in need.
Their good deeds will never be forgotten.
They will have influence and honor.
10 The wicked will be infuriated when they see this.
They will grind their teeth in anger;
they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

PROVERBS 15:12-14
Mockers don't love those who rebuke them, so they stay away from the wise. A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit. A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash.

May 15 Reading through the Bible

 

1 SAMUEL 17:1-18:4
JOHN 8:21-30
PSALM 111:1-10
PROVERBS 15:11

1 SAMUEL 17:1-18:4
The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul countered by gathering his troops near the valley of Elah. 3 So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them. 4 Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet tall! 5 He wore a bronze helmet and a coat of mail that weighed 125 pounds. 6 He also wore bronze leggings, and he slung a bronze javelin over his back. 7 The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver's beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed fifteen pounds. An armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a huge shield. 8 Goliath stood and shouted across to the Israelites, " Do you need a whole army to settle this? Choose someone to fight for you, and I will represent the Philistines. We will settle this dispute in single combat! 9 If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! 10 I defy the armies of Israel! Send me a man who will fight with me!" 11 When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. 12 Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons in all. 13 Jesse's three oldest sons--Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah--had already joined Saul's army to fight the Philistines. 14 David was the youngest of Jesse's sons. Since David's three oldest brothers were in the army, they stayed with Saul's forces all the time. 15 But David went back and forth between working for Saul and helping his father with the sheep in Bethlehem. 16 For forty days, twice a day, morning and evening, the Philistine giant strutted in front of the Israelite army. 17 One day Jesse said to David, " Take this half-bushel of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers. 18 And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring me back a letter from them." 19 David's brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines. 20 So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts. He arrived at the outskirts of the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. 21 Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, he saw Goliath, the champion from Gath, come out from the Philistine ranks, shouting his challenge to the army of Israel. 24 As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 25 " Have you seen the giant?" the men were asking. " He comes out each day to challenge Israel. And have you heard about the huge reward the king has offered to anyone who kills him? The king will give him one of his daughters for a wife, and his whole family will be exempted from paying taxes!" 26 David talked to some others standing there to verify the report. " What will a man get for killing this Philistine and putting an end to his abuse of Israel?" he asked them. " Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?" 27 And David received the same reply as before: " What you have been hearing is true. That is the reward for killing the giant." 28 But when David's oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. " What are you doing around here anyway?" he demanded. " What about those few sheep you're supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and dishonesty. You just want to see the battle!" 29 " What have I done now?" David replied. " I was only asking a question!" 30 He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. 31 Then David's question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. 32 " Don't worry about a thing," David told Saul. " I'll go fight this Philistine!" 33 " Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. " There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!" 34 But David persisted. " I have been taking care of my father's sheep," he said. " When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" Saul finally consented. " All right, go ahead," he said. " And may the LORD be with you!" 38 Then Saul gave David his own armor--a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. 39 David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. " I can't go in these," he protested. " I'm not used to them." So he took them off again. 40 He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across to fight Goliath. 41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 " Am I a dog," he roared at David, " that you come at me with a stick?" And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 " Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!" Goliath yelled. 45 David shouted in reply, " You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty--the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!" 48 As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49 Reaching into his shepherd's bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it from his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face downward to the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine giant with only a stone and sling. And since he had no sword, 51 he ran over and pulled Goliath's sword from its sheath. David used it to kill the giant and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the Israelites gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the Philistines, chasing them as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were strewn all along the road from Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 Then the Israelite army returned and plundered the deserted Philistine camp. 54 (David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem, but he stored the Philistine's armor in his own tent.) 55 As Saul watched David go out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the general of his army, " Abner, whose son is he?" " I really don't know," Abner said. 56 " Well, find out!" the king told him.57 After David had killed Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine's head still in his hand. 58 " Tell me about your father, my boy," Saul said. And David replied, " His name is Jesse, and we live in Bethlehem."18:1 AFTER David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king's son. There was an immediate bond of love between them, and they became the best of friends. 2 From that day on Saul kept David with him at the palace and wouldn't let him return home. 3 And Jonathan made a special vow to be David's friend, 4 and he sealed the pact by giving him his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt.

JOHN 8:21-30
Later Jesus said to them [the Jewish leaders] again, " I am going away. You will search for me and die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going." 22 The Jewish leaders asked, " Is he planning to commit suicide? What does he mean, ` You cannot come where I am going'?" 23 Then he said to them, " You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not. 24 That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins." 25 " Tell us who you are," they demanded. Jesus replied, " I am the one I have always claimed to be. 26 I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won't. For I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is true." 27 But they still didn't understand that he was talking to them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, " When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will realize that I am he and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak what the Father taught me. 29 And the one who sent me is with me--he has not deserted me. For I always do those things that are pleasing to him." 30 Then many who heard him say these things believed in him.

PSALM 111:1-10
Praise the LORD!
I will thank the LORD with all my heart
as I meet with his godly people.
2 How amazing are the deeds of the LORD!
All who delight in him should ponder them.
3 Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.
4 Who can forget the wonders he performs?
How gracious and merciful is our LORD!
5 He gives food to those who trust him;
he always remembers his covenant.
6 He has shown his great power to his people
by giving them the lands of other nations.
7 All he does is just and good,
and all his commandments are trustworthy.
8 They are forever true,
to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.
9 He has paid a full ransom for his people.
He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.
What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!
10 Reverence for the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom.
The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him.
Praise his name forever!

PROVERBS 15:11
Even the depths of Death and Destruction> are known by the LORD. How much more does he know the human heart!

May 14 Reading through the Bible

 

1 SAMUEL 15:1-16:23
JOHN 8:1-20
PSALM 110:1-7
PROVERBS 15:8-10

1 SAMUEL 15:1-16:23
One day Samuel said to Saul, " I anointed you king of Israel because the LORD told me to. Now listen to this message from the LORD! 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: ` I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. 3 Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation--men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.' " 4 So Saul mobilized his army at Telaim. There were 200,000 troops in addition to 10,000 men from Judah. 5 Then Saul went to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Saul sent this message to the Kenites: " Move away from where the Amalekites live or else you will die with them. For you were kind to the people of Israel when they came up from Egypt." So the Kenites packed up and left. 7 Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. 8 He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. 9 Saul and his men spared Agag's life and kept the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs--everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality. 10 Then the LORD said to Samuel, 11 " I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has again refused to obey me." Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the LORD all night. 12 Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, " Saul went to Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal." 13 When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. " May the LORD bless you," he said. " I have carried out the LORD's command!" 14 " Then what is all the bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle I hear?" Samuel demanded. 15 " It's true that the army spared the best of the sheep and cattle," Saul admitted. " But they are going to sacrifice them to the LORD your God. We have destroyed everything else." 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, " Stop! Listen to what the LORD told me last night!" " What was it?" Saul asked. 17 And Samuel told him, " Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD has anointed you king of Israel. 18 And the LORD sent you on a mission and told you, ` Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.' 19 Why haven't you obeyed the LORD? Why did you rush for the plunder and do exactly what the LORD said not to do?" 20 " But I did obey the LORD," Saul insisted. " I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. 21 Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep and cattle and plunder to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." 22 But Samuel replied, " What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you from being king." 24 Then Saul finally admitted, " Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the LORD's command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. 25 Oh, please, forgive my sin now and go with me to worship the LORD." 26 But Samuel replied, " I will not return with you! Since you have rejected the LORD's command, he has rejected you from being the king of Israel." 27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed at him to try to hold him back and tore his robe. 28 And Samuel said to him, " See? The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else--one who is better than you. 29 And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!" 30 Then Saul pleaded again, " I know I have sinned. But please, at least honor me before the leaders and before my people by going with me to worship the LORD your God." 31 So Samuel finally agreed and went with him, and Saul worshiped the LORD. 32 Then Samuel said, " Bring King Agag to me." Agag arrived full of smiles, for he thought, " Surely the worst is over, and I have been spared!" 33 But Samuel said, " As your sword has killed the sons of many mothers, now your mother will be childless." And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal. 34 Then Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned to his house at Gibeah. 35 Samuel never went to meet with Saul again, but he mourned constantly for him. And the LORD was sorry he had ever made Saul king of Israel.16:1 FINALLY, the LORD said to Samuel, " You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel. Now fill your horn with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my new king." 2 But Samuel asked, " How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me." " Take a heifer with you," the LORD replied, " and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the LORD. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me." 4 So Samuel did as the LORD instructed him. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the leaders of the town became afraid. " What's wrong?" they asked. " Do you come in peace?" 5 " Yes," Samuel replied. " I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them, too. 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, " Surely this is the LORD's anointed!" 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, " Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person's thoughts and intentions." 8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, " This is not the one the LORD has chosen." 9 Next Jesse summoned Shammah, but Samuel said, " Neither is this the one the LORD has chosen." 10 In the same way all seven of Jesse's sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, " The LORD has not chosen any of these." 11 Then Samuel asked, " Are these all the sons you have?" " There is still the youngest," Jesse replied. " But he's out in the fields watching the sheep." " Send for him at once," Samuel said. " We will not sit down to eat until he arrives." 12 So Jesse sent for him. He was ruddy and handsome, with pleasant eyes. And the LORD said, " This is the one; anoint him." 13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the olive oil he had brought and poured it on David's head. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah. 14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. 15 Some of Saul's servants suggested a remedy. " It is clear that a spirit from God is tormenting you," they said. 16 " Let us find a good musician to play the harp for you whenever the tormenting spirit is bothering you. The harp music will quiet you, and you will soon be well again." 17 " All right," Saul said. " Find me someone who plays well and bring him here." 18 One of the servants said to Saul, " The son of Jesse is a talented harp player. Not only that; he is brave and strong and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the LORD is with him." 19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, " Send me your son David, the shepherd." 20 Jesse responded by sending David to Saul, along with a young goat and a donkey loaded down with food and wine. 21 So David went to Saul and served him. Saul liked David very much, and David became one of Saul's armor bearers. 22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse asking, " Please let David join my staff, for I am very pleased with him." 23 And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away.

JOHN 8:1-20
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4 " Teacher," they said to Jesus, " this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?" 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, " All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!" 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to her, " Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" 11 " No, Lord," she said. And Jesus said, " Neither do I. Go and sin no more."*12 Jesus said to the people, " I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." 13 The Pharisees replied, " You are making false claims about yourself!" 14 Jesus told them, " These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don't know this about me. 15 You judge me with all your human limitations, but I am not judging anyone. 16 And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone--I have with me the Father who sent me. 17 Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. 18 I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other." 19 " Where is your father?" they asked.Jesus answered, " Since you don't know who I am, you don't know who my Father is. If you knew me, then you would know my Father, too." 20 Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because his time had not yet come.

PSALM 110:1-7
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD said to my Lord,
" Sit in honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet."
2 The LORD will extend your powerful dominion from Jerusalem;
you will rule over your enemies.
3 In that day of battle,
your people will serve you willingly.
Arrayed in holy garments,
your vigor will be renewed each day like the morning dew.
4 The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow:
" You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek."
5 The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you.
He will strike down many kings in the day of his anger.
6 He will punish the nations
and fill them with their dead;
he will shatter heads
over the whole earth.
7 But he himself will be refreshed from brooks along the way.
He will be victorious.

PROVERBS 15:8-10
The LORD hates the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright. The LORD despises the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue godliness. Whoever abandons the right path will be severely punished; whoever hates correction will die.