5), no touching a dead body and being defiled (v. 6). Such outward

5), no touching a dead body and being defiled (v. 6). Such outward

THE BIRTH OF SAMSON

1Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

2Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose

name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. 3And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are

barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat

anything unclean. 5For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines."

13:5 Nazirite. The word is from the Hebrew "to separate." For rigid Nazirite restrictions, such as here in Samson's case, see Numbers 6:1– 8. God gave 3 restrictions: no wine (vv. 3, 4), no razor cutting the hair (v. 5), no touching a dead body and being defiled (v. 6). Such outward actions indicated an inner dedication to God.

6So the woman came and told her husband, saying, "A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me

His name. 7And He said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.' "

8Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, and said, "O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born."

9And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not

with her. 10Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, "Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!"

11So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, "Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?"

And He said, "I am." 12Manoah said, "Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy's rule of life, and his work?"

13So the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Of all that I said to the

woman let her be careful. 14She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe."

15Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, "Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You."

16And the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the LORD." (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the LORD.)

17Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, "What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?"

18And the Angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?"

19So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the LORD. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on— 20it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar— the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. 21When the Angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the LORD.

22And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God!"

23But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as

these at this time."

24So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25And the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dana between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 14

SAMSON'S PHILISTINE WIFE

1Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the

daughters of the Philistines. 2So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, "I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife."

14:1–4 she pleases me well. The Philistines were not among the 7 nations of Canaan which Israel was specifically forbidden to marry. Nonetheless Samson's choice was seriously weak. Samson sins here, but God is sovereign and was able to turn the situation to please Him (14:4). He was not at a loss, but used the opportunity to work against the wicked Philistines and provided gracious help to His people. He achieved destruction of these people, not by an army, but by the miraculous power of one man.

3Then his father and mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?"

And Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she pleases me well." 4But his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

5So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah.

Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. 6And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.

7Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. 9He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.

10So his father went down to the woman. And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so. 11And it happened, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

12Then Samson said to them, "Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. 13But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing."

And they said to him, "Pose your riddle, that we may

hear it." 14So he said to them:

"Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet."

Now for three days they could not explain the riddle. 15But it came to pass on the seventha day that they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?"

16Then Samson's wife wept on him, and said, "You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me."

And he said to her, "Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so

should I explain it to you?" 17Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because

she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people. 18So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down:

"What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?"

And he said to them:

"If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have solved my riddle!"

19Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father's house. 20And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

Next April 24 Reading

Judges 15

April 25

J UDGES 15:1–16:31

SAMSON DEFEATS THE PHILISTINES

1After a while, in the time of wheat harvest, it happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat. And he said, "Let me go in to my wife, into her room." But her father would not permit him to go in.

2Her father said, "I really thought that you thoroughly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead."

3And Samson said to them, "This time I shall be blameless regarding the

Philistines if I harm them!" 4Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails. 5When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.

6Then the Philistines said, "Who has done this?" And they answered, "Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion." So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.

7Samson said to them, "Since you would do a thing like this, I will surely

take revenge on you, and after that I will cease." 8So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

9Now the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and deployed themselves

against Lehi. 10And the men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?"

So they answered, "We have come up to arrest Samson, to do to him as he has done to us."

11Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?"

And he said to them, "As they did to me, so I have done to them."

12But they said to him, "We have come down to arrest you, that we may deliver

you into the hand of the Philistines."

Then Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves." 13So they spoke to him, saying, "No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand; but we will surely not kill you." And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

14When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. 15He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand

and took it, and killed a thousand men with it. 16Then Samson said:

"With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!"

17And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the

jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi.a

18Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the LORD and said, "You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?" 19So God split the hollow

place that is in Lehi,a and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned,

and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore,b which is in Lehi to

this day. 20And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Judges 16

SAMSON AND DELILAH

1Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. 2When the Gazites were told, "Samson has come here!" they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night,

saying, "In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him." 3And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

4Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek,

whose name was Delilah. 5And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

6So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you."

7And Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

8So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings,

not yet dried, and she bound him with them. 9Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room. And she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

10Then Delilah said to Samson, "Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with."

11So he said to her, "If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

12Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And men were lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread.

13Delilah said to Samson, "Until now you have mocked me and told me lies.

Tell me what you may be bound with."

And he said to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom"—

14So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom.

15Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where

your great strength lies." 16And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily

with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, 17that he told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

18When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart." So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. 19Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him,a and his strength left him. 20And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!" But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.

16:20 he did not know that the LORD had departed from him. Here was the tragedy of the wrath of abandonment. His sin had caused him to forfeit the power of God's presence. This principle is seen throughout Scripture (Gen. 6:3; Prov. 1:24–31; Matt. 15:14; Rom. 1:24–32).

21Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. 22However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been

shaven.

SAMSON DIES WITH THE PHILISTINES

23Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said:

"Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!"

24When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said:

16:24 they praised their god. It is tragic when a person's sin contributes to the unsaved community's giving praise to a false god, for God alone is worthy of praise.

"Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead."

25So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may perform for us." So they called for Samson from the prison,

and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars. 26Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars which

support the temple, so that I can lean on them." 27Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there—about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed.

28Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take

vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" 29And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one

on his right and the other on his left. 30Then Samson said, "Let me die

with the Philistines!" And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

31And his brothers and all his father's household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.

Next April 25 Reading

Judges 17

April 26

J UDGES 17:1–19:30

MICAH'S IDOLATRY

1Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 2And he said to his mother, "The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears—here is the silver with me; I took it."

And his mother said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, my son!" 3So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, "I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the LORD for my son, to make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you." 4Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took two

hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.

5The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols;a

and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 6In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

7Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and was staying there. 8The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 9And Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?"

So he said to him, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay."

10Micah said to him, "Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance." So the Levite went in. 11Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 12So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. 13Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!"

Judges 18

THE DANITES ADOPT MICAH'S IDOLATRY

1In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their

inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them. 2So the children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it. They said to them, "Go, search the land." So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and

lodged there. 3While they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They turned aside and said to him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?"

4He said to them, "Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest."

5So they said to him, "Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous."

6And the priest said to them, "Go in peace. The presence of the LORD be with you on your way."

7So the five men departed and went to Laish. They saw the people who were there, how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything. They

were far from the Sidonians, and they had no ties with anyone.a

8Then the spies came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, "What is your report?"

9So they said, "Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land. 10When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land. For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth."

11And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from

Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. 12Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah. (Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dana to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim.) 13And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

14Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, "Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore,

consider what you should do." 15So they turned aside there, and came to the

house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him. 16The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of

Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. 17Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.

18When these went into Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"

19And they said to him, "Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?" 20So the priest's heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people.

21Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock,

and the goods in front of them. 22When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah's house gathered together and overtook the children of Dan. 23And they called out to the children of Dan. So they turned around and said to Micah, "What ails you, that you have gathered such a company?"

24So he said, "You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, 'What ails you?' "

25And the children of Dan said to him, "Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry men fall upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your

household!" 26Then the children of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw

that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

DANITES SETTLE IN LAISH

27So they took the things Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. 28There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rehob. So they rebuilt the city and dwelt there. 29And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However, the name of the city formerly was Laish.

30Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh,a and his sons were

priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. 31So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

Judges 19

THE LEVITE'S CONCUBINE

1And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for

himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in

Judah, and was there four whole months. 3Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father's house; and

when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him. 4Now his father-in-law, the young woman's father, detained him; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there.

5Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the morning, and he stood to depart; but the young woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way."

6So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman's father said to the man, "Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry." 7And when the man stood to depart, his fatherin-law urged him; so he lodged there again. 8Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, but the young woman's father said, "Please refresh your heart." So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate.

9And when the man stood to depart—he and his concubine and his servant—his father-in-law, the young woman's father, said to him, "Look, the day is now drawing toward evening; please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early, so that you may get home."

10However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and departed, and came opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). With him were the two

saddled donkeys; his concubine was also with him. 11They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, "Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it."

12But his master said to him, "We will not turn aside here into a city of

foreigners, who are not of the children of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah." 13So he said to his servant, "Come, let us draw near to one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah." 14And they passed by and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. 15They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would take them into his house to spend the night.

16Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also was from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place were Benjamites. 17And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, "Where are you going, and where do you come from?"

18So he said to him, "We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; now I am going to the house of the LORD. But there is no one who will take me into his house, 19although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything."

20And the old man said, "Peace be with you! However, let all your needs

be my responsibility; only do not spend the night in the open square." 21So he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

GIBEAH'S CRIME

22As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city,

perverted men,a surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally!"

19:22 perverted men. Literally, "sons of Belial," i.e., worthless men, who desired to commit sodomy against the Levite. The phrase elsewhere is used for idolaters ( Deut. 13:13 ), neglecters of the poor ( Deut. 15:9 ), drunks ( 1 Sam. 1:16 ), immoral people ( 1 Sam. 2:12 ), and rebels against the civil authority ( 2 Sam. 20:1 ; Prov. 19:28 ). "Belial" can be traced to the false god Baal and is also a term for yoke (they cast off the yoke of decency) and a term for entangling or injuring. It is used in the New Testament of Satan (2 Cor. 6:15).

23But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage. 24Look, here is my virgin daughter and the man'sa concubine; let me bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile thing!" 25But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.

19:25 the man took his concubine…to them. This is unthinkable weakness and cowardice for any man, especially a priest of God. Apparently he even slept through the night or stayed in bed out of fear, since he didn't see her again until he awakened and prepared to leave (see vv. 27, 28).

26Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, till it was light.

27When her master arose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen at the door of the house with her hands on the threshold. 28And he said to her, "Get up and let us be going." But there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place.

29When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces, limb by limb,a and sent her throughout

all the territory of Israel. 30And so it was that all who saw it said, "No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, confer, and speak up!"

Next April 26 Reading

Judges 20

April 27

J UDGES 20:1–21:25

ISRAEL'S WAR WITH THE BENJAMITES

1So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the LORD at Mizpah. 2And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword. 3(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.)

Then the children of Israel said, "Tell us, how did this wicked deed happen?" 4So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, "My concubine and I went into Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to spend the night. 5And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they ravished my concubine so that she died. 6So I took hold of my concubine, cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of the inheritance of Israel, because they committed lewdness and outrage in Israel. 7Look! All of you are children of Israel; give your advice and counsel here and now!"

8So all the people arose as one man, saying, "None of us will go to his tent, nor

will any turn back to his house; 9but now this is the thing which we will do to

Gibeah: We will go up against it by lot. 10We will take ten men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make provisions for the people, that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may repay all the vileness that they

have done in Israel." 11So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man.

12Then the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? 13Now therefore,

deliver up the men, the perverted men a who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel!" But the children of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel. 14Instead, the children of Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah, to go to battle against the children of Israel. 15And from their cities at that time the children of Benjamin numbered twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword,

besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered seven hundred select men. 16Among all this people were seven hundred select men who were left-

handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair's breadth and not miss. 17Now besides Benjamin, the men of Israel numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.

18Then the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of Goda to inquire of God. They said, "Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?"

20:18 to inquire of God. The Lord gave His counsel from the location of the ark at Shiloh, probably through the Urim and Thummim (vv. 27, 28). The tribe of Judah was responsible to lead in battle since God had chosen a leadership role for that tribe (Gen. 49:8–12; 1 Chr. 5:1, 2).

The LORD said, "Judah first!" 19So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. 20And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of

Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Gibeah. 21Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites. 22And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the

place where they had put themselves in array on the first day. 23Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, "Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?"

20:22–25 The Lord twice allowed great defeat and death to Israel to bring them to their spiritual senses regarding the cost of tolerating apostasy. Also, while they sought counsel, they placed too much reliance on their own prowess and on satisfying their own outrage. Finally, when desperate enough, they fasted and offered sacrifices (v. 26). The Lord then gave victory with strategy similar to that at Ai (Josh. 8).

And the LORD said, "Go up against him." 24So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the

second day. 25And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword.

26Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of Goda and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until

evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 27So the children of Israel inquired of the LORD (the ark of the covenant of God

was there in those days, 28and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?"

And the LORD said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."

29Then Israel set men in ambush all around Gibeah. 30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in

battle array against Gibeah as at the other times. 31So the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the other times, in the highways (one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah) and in the field, about

thirty men of Israel. 32And the children of Benjamin said, "They are defeated before us, as at first."

But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee and draw them away from the city

to the highways." 33So all the men of Israel rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Baal Tamar. Then Israel's men in ambush burst

forth from their position in the plain of Geba. 34And ten thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the

Benjamitesa did not know that disaster was upon them. 35The LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed that day twentyfive thousand one hundred Benjamites; all these drew the sword.

36So the children of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. The men of Israel had given ground to the Benjamites, because they relied on the men in ambush

whom they had set against Gibeah. 37And the men in ambush quickly rushed upon Gibeah; the men in ambush spread out and struck the whole city with the

edge of the sword. 38Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up

from the city, 39whereupon the men of Israel would turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty of the men of Israel. For they said,

"Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle." 40But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind

them, and there was the whole city going up in smoke to heaven. 41And when the men of Israel turned back, the men of Benjamin panicked, for they saw that

disaster had come upon them. 42Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and

whoever came out of the cities they destroyed in their midst. 43They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them, and easily trampled them down as far as the front

of Gibeah toward the east. 44And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all

these were men of valor. 45Then theya turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; and they cut down five thousand of them on the highways. Then they pursued them relentlessly up to Gidom, and killed two thousand of

them. 46So all who fell of Benjamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor.

47But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of

Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon for four months. 48And the men of Israel turned back against the children of Benjamin, and struck them down with the edge of the sword—from every city, men and beasts, all who were

found. They also set fire to all the cities they came to.

Judges 21

WIVES PROVIDED FOR THE BENJAMITES

1Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, "None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife." 2Then the people came to the house of God,a and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly, 3and said, "O LORD God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?"

4So it was, on the next morning, that the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5The children of Israel said, "Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to the LORD?" For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who had not come up to the LORD at Mizpah, saying, "He shall surely be put to death." 6And the children of Israel grieved for

Benjamin their brother, and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel today. 7What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them our daughters as wives?"

8And they said, "What one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Mizpah to the LORD?" And, in fact, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly. 9For when the people were counted, indeed,

not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there. 10So the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and commanded them, saying, "Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children. 11And this is the thing that you shall do: You shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has known a man intimately." 12So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man intimately; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13Then the whole congregation sent word to the children of Benjamin who were

at the rock of Rimmon, and announced peace to them. 14So Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead; and yet they had not found enough for them.

15And the people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in

the tribes of Israel.

16Then the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?" 17And they said, "There must be an inheritance for the

survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel. 18However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, 'Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.' " 19Then they said, "In fact, there is a yearly feast of the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."

20Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, "Go, lie in wait in

the vineyards, 21and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a

wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land of Benjamin. 22Then it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to them, 'Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given the women to them at this time, making yourselves guilty of your oath.' "

23And the children of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them. 24So the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family; they went out from there, every man to his inheritance.

25In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

21:25 Judges 17–21 vividly demonstrates how bizarre and deep sin can become when people throw off the authority of God as mediated through the king (see 17:6). This was the appropriate but tragic conclusion to a bleak period of Israelite history (see Deut. 12:8).

Next April 27 Reading

The Book of Ruth

Ruth 1

April 28

R UTH 1:1–2:23

ELIMELECH'S FAMILY GOES TO MOAB

1Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. 3Then Elimelech, Naomi's

husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

NAOMI RETURNS WITH RUTH

6Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread. 7Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each to her mother's house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband."

So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10And they said to her, "Surely we will return with you to your people."

11But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are

there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have

hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, 13would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!"

14Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

15And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and

to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." 16But Ruth said:

1:16 And your God, my God. This testimony evidenced Ruth's conversion from worshiping Chemosh to Yahweh of Israel (see 1 Thess. 1:9, 10).

"Entreat me not to leave you,

Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me."

18When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

19Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"

20But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi;a call me Mara,b for the

Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"

22So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Ruth 2

RUTH MEETS BOAZ

1There was a relative of Naomi's husband, a man of great wealth, of the

family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz. 2So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor."

And she said to her, "Go, my daughter." 3Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

4Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, "The

LORD be with you!"

And they answered him, "The LORD bless you!" 5Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?"

6So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, "It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7And she said, 'Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.' So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house."

8Then Boaz said to Ruth, "You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young

women. 9Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn."

10So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?"

11And Boaz answered and said to her, "It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have

come to a people whom you did not know before. 12The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge."

2:12 wings…refuge. Scripture pictures God as catching Israel up on His wings in the Exodus (Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11). God is here portrayed as a mother bird sheltering the young and fragile with her wings (see Pss. 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; 91:1, 4). Boaz blessed Ruth in light of her newfound commitment to and dependence on the Lord. Later, he would become God's answer to this prayer (see 3:9).

13Then she said, "Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants."

14Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, "Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar." So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back. 15And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her."

17So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned.

So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied.

19And her mother-in-law said to her, "Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you."

So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, "The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz."

20Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has

not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!" And Naomi said to her, "This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives."

21Ruth the Moabitess said, "He also said to me, 'You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.' "

22And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other

field." 23So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

Next April 28 Reading

Ruth 3

April 29

R UTH 3:1–4:22

RUTH'S REDEMPTION ASSURED

1Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, shall I not seek

security for you, that it may be well with you? 2Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the

threshing floor. 3Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to

the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do."

5And she said to her, "All that you say to me I will do." 6So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. 7And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

8Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself;

and there, a woman was lying at his feet. 9And he said, "Who are you?"

So she answered, "I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your

maidservant under your wing,a for you are a close relative."

10Then he said, "Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go

after young men, whether poor or rich. 11And now, my daughter, do not fear. I

will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you

are a virtuous woman. 12Now it is true that I am a close relative; however,

there is a relative closer than I. 13Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the LORD lives! Lie down until morning."

14So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, "Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor." 15Also he said, "Bring the shawl that is on you and hold it." And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then shea went into the city.

16When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, "Is that you, my daughter?" Then she told her all that the man had done for her. 17And she said, "These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, 'Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.' "

18Then she said, "Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day."

Ruth 4

BOAZ REDEEMS RUTH

1Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, "Come aside, friend,a sit down here." So he came aside and sat down. 2And he took ten

men of the elders of the city, and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down. 3Then he said to the close relative, "Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4And I thought to inform you, saying, 'Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if youa will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.' "

And he said, "I will redeem it." 5Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you

must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuatea

the name of the dead through his inheritance."

6And the close relative said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it."

7Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.

4:7 took off his sandal. The scripture writer explained to his own generation what had been a custom in former generations. This kind of tradition appears in Deuteronomy 25:5–10 and apparently continued at least to the time of Amos (see 2:6; 8:6). The closer relative legally transferred his right to the property as symbolized by the sandal, most likely that of the nearer relative.

8Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself." So he took

off his sandal. 9And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. 10Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate.a You are witnesses this day."

11And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you

prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman."

DESCENDANTS OF BOAZ AND RUTH

13So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the

LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close

relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! 15And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who

loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him." 16Then Naomi

took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. 17Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "There is a son born to Naomi." And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron; 19Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab; 20Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon;a 21Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed; 22Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.

4:22 David. Looking back at Ruth from a New Testament perspective, latent messianic implications become more apparent (see Matt. 1:1). The fruit which is promised later on in the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:1–17) finds its seedbed here. The hope of a messianic king and kingdom (2 Sam. 7:12–14) will be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 19–20) through the lineage of David's grandfather Obed who was born to Boaz and Ruth the Moabitess.

Next April 29 Reading

The First Book of Samuel

1 Samuel 1

April 30

1 S AMUEL 1:1–3:21

THE FAMILY OF ELKANAH

1Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of

Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu,a the

son of Tohu,b the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. 4And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for

he loved Hannah, although the LORD had closed her womb. 6And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb. 7So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.

HANNAH'S VOW

8Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

9So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli

the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernaclea of the LORD. 10And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish. 11Then she made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head."

12And it happened, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli watched

her mouth. 13Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice

was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14So Eli said to her, "How

long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!"

15But Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16"Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman,a

for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now."

17Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him."

18And she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

SAMUEL IS BORN AND DEDICATED

19Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel,a saying, "Because I have asked for him from the LORD."

21Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the

yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD and remain there forever."

23So Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the LORD establish Hisa word." Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

24Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls,a one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh. And the child was young. 25Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli. 26And she said, "O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD. 27For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD." So they worshiped the LORD there.

1 Samuel 2

HANNAH'S PRAYER

1And Hannah prayed and said:

"My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horna is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2"No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.

3"Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.

4"The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength. 5Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble.

6"The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. 7The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. 8He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes

And make them inherit the throne of glory.

"For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, And He has set the world upon them. 9He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail. 10The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth.

"He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed."

11Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest.

THE WICKED SONS OF ELI

12Now the sons of Eli were corrupt;a they did not know the LORD. 13And the priests' custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. 14Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, "Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw."

16And if the man said to him, "They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires," he would then answer him, "No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force."

17Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.

SAMUEL'S CHILDHOOD MINISTRY

18But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. 19Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the LORD." Then they would go to their own home.

21And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

PROPHECY AGAINST ELI'S HOUSEHOLD

22Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel,a and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of

meeting. 23So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. 24No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD's people transgress. 25If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them.

26And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the LORD and men.

27Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in

Pharaoh's house? 28Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of

Israel made by fire? 29Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to

make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?' 30Therefore the LORD God of Israel says: 'I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.' But now the LORD says: 'Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me

shall be lightly esteemed. 31Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in

your house. 32And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be an old man in your house

forever. 33But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house

shall die in the flower of their age. 34Now this shall be a sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die,

both of them. 35Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house,

and he shall walk before My anointed forever. 36And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and say, "Please, put me in one of the priestly positions, that I may eat a piece of bread." ' "

1 Samuel 3

SAMUEL'S FIRST PROPHECY

1Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD

was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. 2And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, 3and before the lamp of God went

out in the tabernaclea of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel

was lying down, 4that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, "Here I am!" 5So he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me."

3:1 the boy Samuel. Samuel was no longer a child (2:21, 26). While Jewish historian Josephus suggested he was 12 years of age, he was probably a teenager at this time. The same Hebrew term translated here "boy" was used of David when he slew Goliath (17:33). the word of the LORD was rare. The time of the judges was a period of extremely limited prophetic activity. The few visions that God did give were not widely known. revelation. Literally, "vision." A divine revelation mediated through an auditory or visual encounter.

And he said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down.

6Then the LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." He answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." 7(Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)

8And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me."

Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy. 9Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"

And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears." 11Then the LORD said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. 14And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

15So Samuel lay down until morning,a and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. 16Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son!"

He answered, "Here I am." 17And he said, "What is the word that the LORD spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you." 18Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him."

19So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to

the ground. 20And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been

established as a prophet of the LORD. 21Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

3:19 the LORD was with him. The Lord's presence was with Samuel, as it would be later with David (16:18; 18:12). The Lord's presence validated His

choice of a man for His service. let none of his words fall to the ground. Everything Samuel said with divine authorization came true. This fulfillment of Samuel's word proved that he was a true prophet of God (see Deut. 18:21, 22).

Next April 30 Reading

1 Samuel 4

May 1

1 S AMUEL 4:1–5:12

1And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.a

THE ARK OF GOD CAPTURED

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside

Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. 2Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the

army in the field. 3And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes

among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies." 4So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

4:4 dwells between the cherubim. A repeated phrase used to describe the Lord (see 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kin. 19:15; 1 Chr. 13:6; Ps. 80:1; 99:1; Is. 37:16). It spoke of His sovereign majesty. Hophni and Phinehas. These were the two wicked sons of Eli (2:12–17, 27–37), of whom it was said that they "did not know the LORD" (2:12). The fact that they were mentioned together recalls the prophecy that they would die together (2:34).

5And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel

shouted so loudly that the earth shook. 6Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had

come into the camp. 7So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp!" And they said, "Woe to us! For such a thing has never

happened before. 8Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the

wilderness. 9Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that

you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!"

10So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

4:11 the ark of God was captured. In spite of their hopes to manipulate God into giving them the victory, Israel was defeated and the ark fell into the hands of the Philistines. The view of having the ark of God being equivalent to having control of God, possessed both by Israel and then the Philistines, is to be contrasted with the power and providence of God in the remaining narrative.

DEATH OF ELI

12Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 13Now when he came, there

was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching,a for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. 14When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the

sound of this tumult mean?" And the man came quickly and told Eli. 15Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see.

16Then the man said to Eli, "I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line."

And he said, "What happened, my son?"

17So the messenger answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured."

18Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

ICHABOD

19Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for

her labor pains came upon her. 20And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Do not fear, for you have borne a son." But she did

not answer, nor did she regard it. 21Then she named the child Ichabod,a saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured

and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22And she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."

4:21 Ichabod…The glory has departed. Due primarily to the loss of the ark, the symbol of God's presence, Phinehas's wife names her child Ichabod, meaning either "Where is the glory?" or "no glory." To the Hebrew, "glory" was often used to refer to God's presence; hence, the text means "Where is God?" The word "departed" carries the idea of having gone into exile. Thus, to the people of Israel, the capturing of the ark was a symbol that God had gone into exile. Although this was the mind-set of Israel, the text narrative will reveal that God was present, even when He disciplined His people.

1 Samuel 5

THE PHILISTINES AND THE ARK

1Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagona and set it by Dagon. 3And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. 4And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon's torsoa was left of it. 5Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

6But the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors,a both Ashdod and its territory. 7And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god." 8Therefore they sent and gathered to themselves all the lords of the Philistines, and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?"

And they answered, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried away to

Gath." So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away. 9So it was, after they had carried it away, that the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction; and He struck the men of the city, both small and great, and tumors broke out on them.

10Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. So it was, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought the

ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!" 11So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people." For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city;

the hand of God was very heavy there. 12And the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

Next May 1 Reading

1 Samuel 6

May 2

1 S AMUEL 6:1–7:17

THE ARK RETURNED TO ISRAEL

1Now the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we should send it to its place."

3So they said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you."

4Then they said, "What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?" They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. 6Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians

and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them,

did they not let the people go, that they might depart? 7Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. 8Then take the ark of the LORD and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. 9And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance."

10Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart,

and shut up their calves at home. 11And they set the ark of the LORD on the cart,

and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors. 12Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

13Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the

valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14Then

the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows

as a burnt offering to the LORD. 15The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings

and made sacrifices the same day to the LORD. 16So when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

17These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; 18and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the LORD, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

19Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the

ark of the LORD. He struck fifty thousand and seventy mena of the people, and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.

6:19 looked into the ark. This action on the part of the men of Beth Shemesh constituted the sin of presumption. This is first addressed in Numbers 4:20 and is mentioned again in 2Samuel 6:6, 7. fifty thousand and seventy men. Some debate whether this figure is too large. However, retaining the larger number is more consistent with the context of "a great slaughter" and the reference to 30,000 in 4:10 (see 11:8). However, a scribal error could have occurred, in which case the number would omit the 50,000 and likely be "seventy," as in the LXX, the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

THE ARK AT KIRJATH JEARIM

20And the men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before this

holy LORD God? And to whom shall it go up from us?" 21So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come down and take it up with you."

1 Samuel 7

1Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.

SAMUEL JUDGES ISRAEL

2So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

3Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the

LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtorethsa

from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." 4So the children of

Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths,a and served the LORD only.

5And Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for

you." 6So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the LORD. And they fasted that day, and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.

7:6 drew water, and poured it out before the LORD. The pouring out of water before the Lord was a sign of repentance. This act is repeated in 2 Samuel 23:16. We have sinned against the LORD. The symbol of Samuel pouring out the water and the acknowledgment of the people reveal a situation where true repentance had taken place. The condition of the heart superseded the importance or righteousness of the ritual. Samuel judged. At this point Samuel is introduced as the judge of Israel. His judgeship encompassed both domestic leadership and the conduct of war. The word links the text back to the last comment about Eli who judged 40 years (4:18). Samuel is shown to be the one taking over Eli's judgeship. He served as the last judge before the first king (see 1 Sam. 8:50).

7Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when

the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8So the children of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God

for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines."

9And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. 10Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. 11And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah

and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car. 12Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer,a saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."

13So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

15And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. 17But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the LORD.

7:16 a circuit. The circuit was an annual trip made by Samuel; he would travel to Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and return once again to Ramah, which allowed him to manage the affairs of the people.

Next May 2 Reading

1 Samuel 8

May 3

1 S AMUEL 8:1–9:27

ISRAEL DEMANDS A KING

1Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over

Israel. 2The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah;

they were judges in Beersheba. 3But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."

6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them."

10So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a

king. 11And he said, "This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves,

and give them to his servants. 15He will take a tenth of your grain and your

vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16And he will take your male

servants, your female servants, your finest young men,a and your donkeys, and

put them to his work. 17He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his

servants. 18And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day."

19Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said,

"No, but we will have a king over us, 20that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."

21And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. 22So the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed their voice, and make them a king."

And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Every man go to his city."

1 Samuel 9

SAUL CHOSEN TO BE KING

1There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. 2And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

3Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, "Please take one of the servants with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys." 4So he passed through the mountains of Ephraim and through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.

5When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come, let us return, lest my father cease caring about the donkeys and become worried about us."

6And he said to him, "Look now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man; all that he says surely comes to pass. So let us go there; perhaps he can show us the way that we should go."

7Then Saul said to his servant, "But look, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread in our vessels is all gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?"

8And the servant answered Saul again and said, "Look, I have here at hand one-fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God, to tell us our way." 9(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: "Come, let us go to the seer"; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)

10Then Saul said to his servant, "Well said; come, let us go." So they went to the city where the man of God was.

11As they went up the hill to the city, they met some young women going out to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?"

12And they answered them and said, "Yes, there he is, just ahead of you. Hurry now; for today he came to this city, because there is a sacrifice of the people today on the high place. 13As soon as you come into the city, you will surely find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now therefore, go up, for about this time you will find him." 14So they went up to the city. As they were coming into the city, there was Samuel, coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.

15Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, 16"Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me."

9:16 anoint him. This represents a setting apart for service to the Lord, which occurs in 10:1. commander. Literally, "one given prominence, one placed in front." The title referred to "one designated to rule" (see 1 Kin. 1:35 ; 2 Chr. 11:22 ). their cry has come to Me. The people had been crying out for deliverance from the Philistines, their longstanding rivals, just as they did for liberation from Egypt (see Ex. 2:25; 3:9).

17So when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, "There he is, the man of whom

I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people." 18Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, "Please tell me, where is the seer's house?"

9:17 This one shall reign over My people. God identified Saul to Samuel, assuring there was no mistaking whom God was choosing to be king.

19Samuel answered Saul and said, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell

you all that is in your heart. 20But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father's house?"

21And Saul answered and said, "Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribea of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?"

22Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited; there were

about thirty persons. 23And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I

gave you, of which I said to you, 'Set it apart.' " 24So the cook took up the thigh with its upper part and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, "Here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat; for until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the people." So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

25When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel

spoke with Saul on the top of the house.a 26They arose early; and it was about the dawning of the day that Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house, saying, "Get up, that I may send you on your way." And Saul arose, and both of them went outside, he and Samuel.

SAUL ANOINTED KING

27As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us." And he went on. "But you stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God."

Next May 3 Reading

1 Samuel 10

May 4

1 S AMUEL 10:1–11:15

1Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: "Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over His inheritance?a 2When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, 'The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?" ' 3Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. 5After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. 6Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will

prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. 8You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do."

10:1 the LORD has anointed you commander. The Lord chose Saul to be the leader of Israel and communicated His choice through the private anointing by Samuel, signifying a setting aside for God's service. His inheritance. The inheritance was God's nation, Israel, in the sense that she uniquely belonged to Him (Deut. 4:20; 9:26).

10:6 the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you. The Holy Spirit would enable Saul to declare the word of the Lord with the prophets. turned into another man. With this empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Saul would emerge another man (see 10:9), equipped in the manner of Gideon and Jephthah for deeds of valor (see v. 9; Judg. 6:34; 11:29).

9So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave

him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. 10When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, "What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" 12Then a man from there answered and said, "But who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" 13And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.

14Then Saul's uncle said to him and his servant, "Where did you go?" So he said, "To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel."

15And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you." 16So Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel

had said.

SAUL PROCLAIMED KING

17Then Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah, 18and said to the children of Israel, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of

all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.' 19But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, 'No, set a king over us!' Now therefore, present

yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans."a

20And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD answered, "There he is, hidden among the equipment." 23So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?"

So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!" 25Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. 26And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. 27But some rebels said, "How can this man save us?" So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

1 Samuel 11

SAUL SAVES JABESH GILEAD

1Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you."

2And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel."

3Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you."

4So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the

hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, "What troubles the people, that they weep?" And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. 7So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen."

And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. 8When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9And they said to the messengers who came, "Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.' " Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. 10Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come

out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you."

11So it was, on the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

12Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is he who said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death."

13But Saul said, "Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has accomplished salvation in Israel."

14Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the

kingdom there." 15So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

11:15 they made Saul king before the LORD. All the people came to crown Saul king that day. The process of entering the kingship was the same for both Saul and David: 1) commissioned by the Lord (9:1–10:16; 16:1–13); 2) confirmed by military victory (10:17–11:11; 16:14; 2 Sam. 1:27); and 3) crowned (11:12–15; 2 Sam. 2:4; 5:3). peace offerings. Sacrifices of thanksgiving (see Lev. 7:13). rejoiced greatly. Along with the victory over the Ammonites, there was a great celebration over the nation being united.

Next May 4 Reading

1 Samuel 12

May 5

1 S AMUEL 12:1–13:23

SAMUEL'S ADDRESS AT SAUL'S CORONATION

1Now Samuel said to all Israel: "Indeed I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. 2And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you."

4And they said, "You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man's hand."

5Then he said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand."

And they answered, "He is witness." 6Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who raised up Moses and

Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD which He did to you and your fathers: 8When Jacob

had gone into Egypt,a and your fathers cried out to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9And when they forgot the LORD their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines,

and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. 10Then they cried out to the LORD, and said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths;a but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.' 11And the LORD sent

Jerubbaal,a Bedan,b Jephthah, and Samuel,c and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. 12And when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us,' when the LORD your God was your king.

12:12 when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you. According to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Josephus, Nahash was campaigning over a large area. It was that Ammonite threat that seemingly provoked Israel to demand a human king (8:1–20). the LORD your God was your king. The clearest indictment of Israel for choosing a mere man to fight for her instead of the Lord God (see 8:20).

13"Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you

have desired. And take note, the LORD has set a king over you. 14If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God. 15However, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

16"Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do

before your eyes: 17Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves."

18So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

19And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your

God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves."

20Then Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty

things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the

LORD to make you His people. 23Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. 24Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all

your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king."

1 Samuel 13

SAUL'S UNLAWFUL SACRIFICE

1Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,a 2Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.

3And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!" 4Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.

5Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirtya

thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. 7And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9So Saul said, "Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me." And he offered the burnt offering. 10Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.

11And Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you

did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12then I said, 'The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.' Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering."

13And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the

LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

15Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.a And Saul numbered the people present with him, about six hundred men.

NO WEAPONS FOR THE ARMY

16Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in Gibeah

of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto

the road to Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18another company turned to the road to Beth Horon, and another company turned to the road of the border that overlooks the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

19Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for

the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears." 20But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man's plowshare, his

mattock, his ax, and his sickle; 21and the charge for a sharpening was a pima for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the

goads. 22So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.

13:19 no blacksmith. The Philistines had superior iron-and metalworking craftsmen until David's time (see 1 Chr. 22:3), accounting for their formidable military force.

23And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

Next May 5 Reading

1 Samuel 14

May 6

1 S AMUEL 14:1–15:35

JONATHAN DEFEATS THE PHILISTINES

1Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the Philistines' garrison that is on

the other side." But he did not tell his father. 2And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people

who were with him were about six hundred men. 3Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

4Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.

6Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few."

7So his armorbearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart."

8Then Jonathan said, "Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9If they say thus to us, 'Wait until we come to

you,' then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. 10But if they say thus, 'Come up to us,' then we will go up. For the LORD has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us."

11So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, "Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden." 12Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, "Come up to us, and we will show you something."

Jonathan said to his armorbearer, "Come up after me, for the LORD has delivered

them into the hand of Israel." 13And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he

came after him, his armorbearer killed them. 14That first slaughter which

Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about

half an acre of land.a

15And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. 16Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there. 17Then Saul said to the people who were with him, "Now call the roll and see who has gone from us." And when they had called the roll, surprisingly, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. 18And Saul said

to Ahijah, "Bring the arka of God here" (for at that time the arkb of God was

with the children of Israel). 19Now it happened, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand." 20Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed every man's sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion. 21Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle. 23So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.

14:15 the earth quaked. The earthquake affirms the fact that divine intervention aided Jonathan and his armorbearer in their raid. The earthquake caused a panic among the Philistines. God would have intervened on Saul's behalf in such a manner had he chosen to be faithfully patient (see 13:9).

SAUL'S RASH OATH

24And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people

under oath, saying, "Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies." So none of the people tasted food. 25Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was honey on the ground. 26And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his countenance brightened. 28Then one of the people said, "Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, 'Cursed is the man who eats food this day.' " And the people were faint.

29But Jonathan said, "My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my

countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?"

31Now they had driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to

Aijalon. So the people were very faint. 32And the people rushed on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood. 33Then they told Saul, saying, "Look, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood!"

So he said, "You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone to me this day." 34Then Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, 'Bring me here every man's ox and every man's sheep, slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against the LORD by eating with the blood.' " So every one of

the people brought his ox with him that night, and slaughtered it there. 35Then Saul built an altar to the LORD. This was the first altar that he built to the LORD.

36Now Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them."

And they said, "Do whatever seems good to you."

Then the priest said, "Let us draw near to God here." 37So Saul asked counsel of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?" But He did not answer him that day. 38And Saul said, "Come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today. 39For as the LORD lives, who saves Israel, though it

be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." But not a man among all the people answered him. 40Then he said to all Israel, "You be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side."

14:37 Saul asked counsel of God. At the request of Ahijah, Saul inquired of the Lord regarding his battle plan. He did not answer him. Because of the sin that Saul had caused in his army, God did not answer his inquiry. This would not be the last time that the Lord would refuse to respond to sinful Saul (see 28:6).

And the people said to Saul, "Do what seems good to you." 41Therefore Saul said to the LORD God of Israel, "Give a perfect lot."a So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. 42And Saul said,

"Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me." So Jonathan was taken. 43Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." And Jonathan told him, and said, "I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!"

44Saul answered, "God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan." 45But the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not! As the LORD lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day." So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

46Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

SAUL'S CONTINUING WARS

47So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he

turned, he harassed them.a 48And he gathered an army and attacked the

Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.

49The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Jishui,a and Malchishua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal. 50The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. 51Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

52Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself.

1 Samuel 15

SAUL SPARES KING AGAG

1Samuel also said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His

people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD. 2Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.' "

4So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.

6Then Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the

way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8He also took Agag king of the Amalekites

alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

SAUL REJECTED AS KING

10Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11"I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night. 12So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal." 13Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD."

14But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"

15And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed."

16Then Samuel said to Saul, "Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night."

And he said to him, "Speak on." 17So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? 18Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' 19Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?"

20And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal."

22So Samuel said:

"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king."

24Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD."

26But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel."

27And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28So Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent."

30Then he said, "I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD

your God." 31So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

32Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me." So Agag came to him cautiously.

And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." 33But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

34Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah

of Saul. 35And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

Next May 6 Reading

1 Samuel 16

May 7

1 S AMUEL 16:1–17:58

DAVID ANOINTED KING

1Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons."

2And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." But the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you."

4So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come peaceably?"

5And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

6So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the

LORD's anointed is before Him!"

7But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical

stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees;a

for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

16:7 his appearance…physical stature. Samuel needed to be reminded that God's anointed was not chosen because of physical attributes. This was initially a difficult concept for Samuel as he was accustomed to a king whose only positive attributes were physical. the LORD looks at the heart. The Hebrew concept of "heart" embodies emotions, will, intellect, and desires. The life of the man will reflect his heart (see Matt. 12:34, 35).

8So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said,

"Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by.

And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 10Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." 11And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep."

And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit downa till he comes here." 12So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!" 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

A DISTRESSING SPIRIT TROUBLES SAUL

14But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from

the LORD troubled him. 15And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a

distressing spirit from God is troubling you. 16Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well."

17So Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me."

18Then one of the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him."

19Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." 20And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread,

a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. 21So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. 22Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." 23And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.

1 Samuel 17

DAVID AND GOLIATH

1Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and

Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array

against the Philistines. 3The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

4And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath,

from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6And he had bronze armor on his legs and a

bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. 8Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." 10And the Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this

day; give me a man, that we may fight together." 11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

17:4 champion. Literally, "the man between two." An appropriate appellation as Goliath stood between the two armies and offered his challenge to a "duel" of hand-to-hand combat, the outcome of which would settle the battle for both sides. six cubits and a span. One cubit measures approximately 18 inches and one span about 9 inches, making Goliath about 9 feet 9 inches in height.

12Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul. 13The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14David was the

youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. 15But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

16And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

17Then Jesse said to his son David, "Take now for your brothers an ephah of

this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. 18And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them." 19Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

20So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. 21For Israel

and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. 22And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. 24And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and

were dreadfully afraid. 25So the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel."

26Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

27And the people answered him in this manner, saying, "So shall it be done for the man who kills him."

28Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's

anger was aroused against David, and he said, "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle."

29And David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?" 30Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.

31Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them

to Saul; and he sent for him. 32Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."

17:32 Let no man's heart fail. Joshua and Caleb exhorted Israel in the same fashion regarding the giant Anakim 400 years prior (Num. 13:30; 14:8, 9). The heathens' hearts fail at the name of the Lord God of Israel (Josh. 2:11).

33And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."

34But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and

when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." 37Moreover David said, "The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."

17:37 The LORD…He will deliver me. Just as Jonathan believed earlier (14:6). David had a wholehearted faith in the God of Israel. the LORD be with you. One of the first explicit indications in the text that Saul knew that the Lord was with David (see 15:28).

And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you!" 38So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his

head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them." So David took them off.

40Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 41So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"

45Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands."

48So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David,

that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on

his face to the earth. 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the

hand of David. 51Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.

And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52Now

the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valleya and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. 53Then the children of Israel returned from chasing

the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. 54And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

55When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this youth?"

And Abner said, "As your soul lives, O king, I do not know."

56So the king said, "Inquire whose son this young man is." 57Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58And Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" So David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

Next May 7 Reading

1 Samuel 18

May 8

1 S AMUEL 18:1–19:24

SAUL RESENTS DAVID

1Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father's house anymore. 3Then

Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 4And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.

18:1 Jonathan loved him. Jonathan loved David with a loyalty and devotion indicative of covenantal love (18:3). Hiram of Tyre had much the same covenantal love for David (see 2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Kin. 5:1; 9:11). David's later reign from Jerusalem is marked by loyalty to his covenant with Jonathan (2 Sam. 9:1).

5So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. 6Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. 7So the women sang as they danced, and said:

"Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands."

8Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?" 9So Saul eyed David from that day forward.

10And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul's hand. 11And Saul cast the spear, for he said, "I will pin David to the wall!" But David escaped his presence twice.

12Now Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, but had departed from Saul. 13Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 14And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him. 15Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

DAVID MARRIES MICHAL

17Then Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight the LORD's battles." For Saul thought, "Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him."

18So David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's

family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?" 19But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.

20Now Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing

pleased him. 21So Saul said, "I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." Therefore Saul said to David a second time, "You shall be my son-in-law today."

22And Saul commanded his servants, "Communicate with David secretly, and say, 'Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king's son-in-law.' "

23So Saul's servants spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, "Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?" 24And the servants of Saul told him, saying, "In this manner David spoke."

25Then Saul said, "Thus you shall say to David: 'The king does not desire any dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king's enemies.' " But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26So when his servants told David these words, it pleased

David well to become the king's son-in-law. Now the days had not expired; 27therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.

28Thus Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal,

Saul's daughter, loved him; 29and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul

became David's enemy continually. 30Then the princes of the Philistines went

out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more

wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.

1 Samuel 19

SAUL PERSECUTES DAVID

1Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should

kill David; but Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted greatly in David. 2So Jonathan told David, saying, "My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide. 3And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell you."

4Thus Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, "Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you. 5For he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?"

6So Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, "As the LORD

lives, he shall not be killed." 7Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past.

8And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines, and struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from him.

9Now the distressing spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand. 10Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul's presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.

11Saul also sent messengers to David's house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, "If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed." 12So Michal let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped. 13And Michal took an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats' hair for his head, and covered it with clothes. 14So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "He is sick."

15Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him." 16And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed, with a cover of goats' hair for his head. 17Then Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that he has escaped?"

And Michal answered Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go! Why should I kill you?' "

18So David fled and escaped, and went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him

all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. 19Now it was told Saul, saying, "Take note, David is at Naioth in Ramah!" 20Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. 22Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked, and said, "Where are Samuel and David?"

And someone said, "Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah." 23So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"a

19:23 the Spirit of God was upon him. This was the last time the Spirit of the Lord would rest on Saul. God turned Saul's heart to prophesy and not to harm David.

19:24 stripped off his clothes. Saul removed his armor and royal garments, prompted by the Spirit of God, thus signifying God's rejection of Saul as king over Israel. lay down naked. Without the royal garments, Saul was figuratively "naked," perhaps so overwhelmed by the Spirit of God as to be in a deep sleep. Other than Saul's utter despair and pitiful state at the home of the medium at En Dor (28:20) and his end at Mt. Gilboa (31:4–6), this episode represents one of the severest humblings in Saul's life. Is Saul also among the prophets? This is a final editorial comment tying together the Spirit of God's presence at Saul's inauguration (10:10, 11), and the final departure of the same at his rejection (19:24).

Next May 8 Reading

1 Samuel 20

May 9

1 S AMUEL 20:1–21:15

JONATHAN'S LOYALTY TO DAVID

1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?"

2So Jonathan said to him, "By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!"

3Then David took an oath again, and said, "Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.' But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death."

4So Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you."

5And David said to Jonathan, "Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until

the third day at evening. 6If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city,

for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.' 7If he says thus: 'It is well,' your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that evil is determined

by him. 8Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?"

9But Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?"

10Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?"

11And Jonathan said to David, "Come, let us go out into the field." So both of

them went out into the field. 12Then Jonathan said to David: "The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and

tell you, 13may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may

go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father. 14And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not

die; 15but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the

earth." 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Let the

LORD require it at the hand of David's enemies."

17Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. 20Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; 21and there I will send a lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I expressly say to the lad, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come'—then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm. 22But if I say thus to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you'—go your way, for the LORD has sent you away. 23And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever."

24Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. 25Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose,a and Abner sat by Saul's side, but David's place was empty. 26Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he

thought, "Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean." 27And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not

come to eat, either yesterday or today?"

28So Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked permission of me

to go to Bethlehem. 29And he said, 'Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.' Therefore he has not come to the king's table."

30Then Saul's anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? 31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die."

32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he

be killed? What has he done?" 33Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David.

34So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

35And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. 36Then he said to his lad, "Now run, find the arrows which I shoot." As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, "Is not the arrow beyond you?" 38And Jonathan cried out after the lad, "Make haste, hurry, do not delay!" So Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. 39But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city."

41As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. 42Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, 'May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.' " So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel 21

DAVID AND THE HOLY BREAD

1Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one is with you?"

22:1 cave of Adullam. A cave near Adullam was David's refuge. Adullam, which may mean "refuge," was located in the western foothills of Judah ( Josh. 15:33 ), about 17 miles southwest of Jerusalem and 10 miles southeast of Gath. See titles of Psalms 57 and 142, which could possibly refer to 1 Samuel 24:3. brothers and all his father's house. David's family members went down from Bethlehem to join David in Adullam, a journey of about 12 miles.

2So David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, 'Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.' And I have directed my

young men to such and such a place. 3Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found."

21:2 The king has ordered me. David, fearing someone might tell Saul where he was, deceived Ahimelech the priest into thinking that he was on official business for the king. He supposed, as many do, that it is excusable to lie for the purpose of saving one's life. But what is essentially sinful can never, because of circumstances, change its immoral character (see Ps. 119:29). David's lying led tragically to the deaths of the priests (22:9–18).

4And the priest answered David and said, "There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women."

5Then David answered the priest, and said to him, "Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day."

21:5, 6 bread…common. Since that bread was no longer on the Lord's table, having been replaced by hot bread, it was to be eaten by the priests and in these exigencies, by David under the law of necessity and mercy. The removal of the old bread and the replacing with new was done on the Sabbath (Lev. 24:8).

6So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.

7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.

8And David said to Ahimelech, "Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste."

9So the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here."

And David said, "There is none like it; give it to me."

DAVID FLEES TO GATH

10Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the

king of Gath. 11And the servants of Achish said to him, "Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying:

'Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands'?"a

12Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. 14Then Achish said to his servants,

"Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? 15Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?"

21:13 changed his behavior. David feared for his life, lacked trust in God to deliver him, and feigned insanity to persuade Achish to send him away. See the titles of Psalms 34 and 56. Drooling in one's beard was considered in the East an intolerable indignity, as was spitting in another's beard.

Next May 9 Reading

1 Samuel 22

May 10

1 S AMUEL 22:1–23:29

DAVID'S FOUR HUNDRED MEN

1David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

3Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me." 4So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

5Now the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah." So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

SAUL MURDERS THE PRIESTS

6When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered—now Saul was staying in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him

— 7then Saul said to his servants who stood about him, "Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of

hundreds? 8All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day."

9Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, "I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10And he inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

11So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. 12And Saul said, "Hear now, son of Ahitub!"

He answered, "Here I am, my lord." 13Then Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?"

14So Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, who goes at your bidding,

and is honorable in your house? 15Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much."

16And the king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's

house!" 17Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me." But the servants of the king would

not lift their hands to strike the priests of the LORD. 18And the king said to Doeg,

"You turn and kill the priests!" So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen

ephod. 19Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword.

20Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed

the LORD's priests. 22So David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father's house. 23Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe."

1 Samuel 23

DAVID SAVES THE CITY OF KEILAH

1Then they told David, saying, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors."

2Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?"

And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah." 3But David's men said to him, "Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much

more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?" 4Then David inquired of the LORD once again.

And the LORD answered him and said, "Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand." 5And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand.

7And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars." 8Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

9When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar

the priest, "Bring the ephod here." 10Then David said, "O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. 11Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant."

And the LORD said, "He will come down."

12Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?"

And the LORD said, "They will deliver you." 13So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition.

DAVID IN WILDERNESS STRONGHOLDS

14And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not

deliver him into his hand. 15So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his

life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest.a 16Then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in

God. 17And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father

Saul knows that." 18So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house.

19Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? 20Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand."

21And Saul said, "Blessed are you of the LORD, for you have compassion on

me. 22Please go and find out for sure, and see the place where his hideout is,

and who has seen him there. For I am told he is very crafty. 23See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides; and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all the clansa of Judah."

24So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men

were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. 25When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. 26Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them.

27But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines

have invaded the land!" 28Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and

went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape.a

29Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi.

Next May 10 Reading

1 Samuel 24

May 11

1 S AMUEL 24:1–25:44

DAVID SPARES SAUL

1Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was

told him, saying, "Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi." 2Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his

men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his

men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) 4Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.' " And David arose and

secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 5Now it happened afterward that David's

heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. 6And he said to his men, "The

LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch

out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD." 7So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.

24:4 the day of which the LORD said to you. David's men perhaps believed that God had providentially placed Saul in the same cave where they were hiding so David could kill the king. However, nothing revelatory had previously been said by the Lord that indicated He wanted David to lift a hand against Saul.

24:5 David's heart troubled him. David was able to cut off a piece of Saul's robe undetected. However, touching Saul's clothing was tantamount to touching his person, and David's conscience troubled him on this account.

24:6 LORD's anointed. David recognized that the Lord Himself had placed Saul into the kingship. Thus the judgment and removal of Saul had to be left to the Lord.

8David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. 9And David said to Saul: "Why do

you listen to the words of men who say, 'Indeed David seeks your harm'? 10Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the

LORD's anointed.' 11Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. 12Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. 13As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Wickedness

proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand shall not be against you. 14After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? 15Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand."

16So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul

said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17Then he said to David: "You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded

me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. 18And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. 19For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20And now I know indeed that you shall surely be

king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 21Therefore swear now to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house."

22So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

1 Samuel 25

DEATH OF SAMUEL

1Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.a

DAVID AND THE WIFE OF NABAL

2Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.

4When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 5David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: 'Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! 7Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. 8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.' "

9So when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and waited.

10Then Nabal answered David's servants, and said, "Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. 11Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?"

12So David's young men turned on their heels and went back; and they

came and told him all these words. 13Then David said to his men, "Every man gird on his sword." So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies.

14Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, "Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. 15But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we

miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. 16They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with

them keeping the sheep. 17Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrela that one cannot speak to him."

18Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19And she said to her servants, "Go on before me; see, I am coming after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

20So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met

them. 21Now David had said, "Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And

he has repaid me evil for good. 22May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light."

23Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell

on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. 24So she fell at his feet and said: "On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. 25Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is

he: Nabala is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see

the young men of my lord whom you sent. 26Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. 27And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the

young men who follow my lord. 28Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. 29Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. 30And it shall come to pass, when the

LORD has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, 31that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant."

32Then David said to Abigail: "Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this

day to meet me! 33And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my

own hand. 34For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning

light no males would have been left to Nabal!" 35So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person."

36Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. 37So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

39So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head."

And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, "David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife."

41Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, "Here is your

maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord." 42So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife. 43David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives. 44But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Paltia the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

Next May 11 Reading

1 Samuel 26

May 12

1 S AMUEL 26:1–27:12

DAVID SPARES SAUL A SECOND TIME

1Now the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is David not hiding in the

hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?" 2Then Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph. 3And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon, by the road. But David stayed in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. 4David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul had indeed come.

5So David arose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Now Saul lay within the camp, with the people encamped all around him. 6Then David answered, and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, "Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?"

And Abishai said, "I will go down with you." 7So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the people lay all around him. 8Then Abishai said to David, "God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!"

9But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his

hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?" 10David said furthermore, "As the LORD lives, the LORD shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. 11The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD's anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go." 12So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul's head, and they got away; and no man saw or knew it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.

13Now David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of a hill afar

off, a great distance being between them. 14And David called out to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, "Do you not answer, Abner?"

Then Abner answered and said, "Who are you, calling out to the king?" 15So David said to Abner, "Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king. 16This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not guarded your master, the LORD's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the jug of water that was by his head."

17Then Saul knew David's voice, and said, "Is that your voice, my son David?"

David said, "It is my voice, my lord, O king." 18And he said, "Why does my lord thus pursue his servant? For what have I done, or what evil is in my hand? 19Now therefore, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the

LORD, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.' 20So now, do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains."

21Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Return, my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly."

26:21 I have sinned. As in 24:17, Saul confessed his sin and wrongdoing.

Although Saul may have been sincere, he could not be trusted and David wisely did not accept his invitation to return with him. I have played the fool. Saul had been foolish in his actions toward David, as had Nabal.

22And David answered and said, "Here is the king's spear. Let one of the young

men come over and get it. 23May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD delivered you into my hand

today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD's anointed. 24And indeed, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the LORD, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation."

25Then Saul said to David, "May you be blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail."

So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

1 Samuel 27

DAVID ALLIED WITH THE PHILISTINES

1And David said in his heart, "Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand." 2Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3So David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's widow. 4And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more.

27:1 by the hand of Saul. In direct contrast to Saul's word that David would prevail (26:25), David thought that Saul would ultimately kill him. This anxious thinking and the fear that fell upon him explain David's actions in this chapter. God had told him to stay in Judah (22:5), but he was afraid and sought protection again among the Philistine enemies of Israel (21:10–15).

5Then David said to Achish, "If I have now found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?" 6So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7Now the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was one full year and four months.

8And David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites,a and the Amalekites. For those nations were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as

you go to Shur, even as far as the land of Egypt. 9Whenever David attacked the land, he left neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen,

the donkeys, the camels, and the apparel, and returned and came to Achish. 10Then Achish would say, "Where have you made a raid today?"

And David would say, "Against the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of the Jerahmeelites, or against the southern area of the Kenites." 11David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, "Lest they should inform on us, saying, 'Thus David did.' " And thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines. 12So Achish believed David, saying, "He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; therefore he will be my servant forever."

Next May 12 Reading

1 Samuel 28

May 13

1 S AMUEL 28:1–25

1Now it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, "You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men."

2So David said to Achish, "Surely you know what your servant can do." And Achish said to David, "Therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever."

SAUL CONSULTS A MEDIUM

3Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.

28:3 mediums and the spiritists. By divine law, they were banned from Israel (Deut. 18:11), and Israel was not to be defiled by them (Lev. 19:31). Turning to them was tantamount to playing the harlot and would result in God setting His face against the person and cutting him off from among His people (Lev. 20:6). Mediums and spiritists were to be put to death by stoning (Lev. 20:27). Even Saul understood this and had previously dealt with the issue (v. 9).

4Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.

7Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her."

And his servants said to him, "In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor."

8So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you."

9Then the woman said to him, "Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?"

10And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, "As the LORD lives, no

punishment shall come upon you for this thing."

11Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me." 12When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!"

28:12 the woman saw Samuel. Though questions have arisen as to the nature of Samuel's appearance, the text clearly indicates that Samuel, not an apparition, was evident to the eyes of the medium. God miraculously permitted the actual spirit of Samuel to speak (vv. 16–19). Because she understood her inability to raise the dead in this manner, she immediately knew 1) that it must have been by the power of God and 2) that her disguised inquirer must be Saul.

13And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What did you see?"

And the woman said to Saul, "I saw a spirita ascending out of the earth." 14So he said to her, "What is his form?" And she said, "An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle." And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.

15Now Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" And Saul answered, "I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do."

16Then Samuel said: "So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from

you and has become your enemy? 17And the LORD has done for Himselfa as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to

your neighbor, David. 18Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute

His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. 19Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand

of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The

LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines."

20Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.

21And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. 22Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way."

23But he refused and said, "I will not eat." So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their

voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. 24Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and

kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. 25So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

Next May 13 Reading

1 Samuel 29

May 14

1 S AMUEL 29:1–31:13

THE PHILISTINES REJECT DAVID

1Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. 2And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. 3Then the princes of the Philistines said, "What are these Hebrews doing here?"

And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, "Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me."

4But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, "Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he

reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? 5Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying:

'Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands'?"a

6Then Achish called David and said to him, "Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your

coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. 7Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines."

8So David said to Achish, "But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"

9Then Achish answered and said to David, "I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, 'He shall not go up with us to the battle.' 10Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master's servants who have come with you.a

And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart."

11So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel 30

DAVID'S CONFLICT WITH THE AMALEKITES

1Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. 3So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire;

and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5And David's two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,

and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

30:6 distressed…grieved. Arriving home to the reality of their great tragedy caused David immense distress and provoked the wickedness of his men to entertain the treasonous idea of stoning him. Having not inquired of the Lord before his departure to support Achish in battle, David was in need of God's getting his attention. strengthened himself in the LORD his God. This was the key to David's being a man after God's heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22).

7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "Please bring the

ephod here to me." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8So David

inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?"

And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all."

9So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and

came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.

11Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and

they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. 12And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. 13Then David said to him, "To whom do you belong, and where are you from?"

And he said, "I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my

master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. 14We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire."

15And David said to him, "Can you take me down to this troop?" So he said, "Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop."

16And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of

them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David

rescued his two wives. 19And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. 20Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, "This is David's spoil."

30:19 nothing…was lacking. In spite of David's previous failures, God showed Himself to be more than gracious and abundant in His stewardship of

the wives, children, livestock, and possessions of David and his men.

21Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. 22Then all the wicked and worthless mena of those who went with David answered and said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man's wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart."

23But David said, "My brethren, you shall not do so with what the LORD has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. 24For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike." 25So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD"— 27to those who were in Bethel, those who were in

Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir, 28those who were in Aroer, those

who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa, 29those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the Kenites, 30those who were in Hormah, those who were in

Chorashan,a those who were in Athach, 31those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.

1 Samuel 31

THE TRAGIC END OF SAUL AND HIS SONS

1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. 3The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.

4Then Saul said to his armorbearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me."

31:4 uncircumcised men. A common term of derision used among Israelites to designate non-Israelites. Circumcision was given as the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 17:10–14. abuse. Having engaged in several battles against the Philistines, Saul had succeeded in provoking their hatred and resentment. As the king, Saul would certainly have received especially cruel treatment from the hands of his enemies, who would have likely made sport of him and tortured him before his death. Saul took a sword and fell on it. Though Saul's suicide is considered by some to be an act of heroism, Saul should have found his strength and courage in God as David did in 23:16 and 30:6 to fight to the end or to surrender. Saul's suicide is the ultimate expression of his faithlessness toward God at this moment in his life.

But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a

sword and fell on it. 5And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him. 6So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.

7And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and

the Philistines came and dwelt in them. 8So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen

on Mount Gilboa. 9And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their

idols and among the people. 10Then they put his armor in the temple of the

Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.a

11Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

Next May 14 Reading

The Second Book of Samuel

2 Samuel 1

May 15

2 S AMUEL 1:1–2:32

THE REPORT OF SAUL'S DEATH

1Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, 2on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

3And David said to him, "Where have you come from?" So he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel." 4Then David said to him, "How did the matter go? Please tell me." And he answered, "The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also."

5So David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?"

6Then the young man who told him said, "As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7Now when he looked behind him, he saw me

and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.' 8And he said to me, 'Who are

you?' So I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.' 9He said to me again, 'Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.' 10So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and

the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord."

11Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did

all the men who were with him. 12And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

13Then David said to the young man who told him, "Where are you from?" And he answered, "I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite." 14So David said to him, "How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?" 15Then David called one of the young

men and said, "Go near, and execute him!" And he struck him so that he died. 16So David said to him, "Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the LORD's anointed.' "

THE SONG OF THE BOW

17Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, 18and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher:

19"The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places!

1:19 The beauty of Israel. Literally, the gazelle or antelope of Israel, the chosen symbol of youthful elegance and symmetry, most likely referring to Jonathan. Thus, the song began and ended with Saul's noble son (vv. 25, 26). high places. These were open-air worship sites generally established at high elevations. In this case, the high place was Mt. Gilboa, where Saul had died. How the mighty have fallen! They were not only Israel's slain "beauty," but Saul and Jonathan were mighty men who had fallen in battle. This phrase is repeated as a refrain in vv. 25 and 27.

How the mighty have fallen! 20Tell it not in Gath, Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon— Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

21"O mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, Nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is cast away there! The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. 22From the blood of the slain, From the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan did not turn back, And the sword of Saul did not return empty.

23"Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.

24"O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury; Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

25"How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan was slain in your high places. 26I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me; Your love to me was wonderful, Surpassing the love of women.

27"How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war perished!"

2 Samuel 2

DAVID ANOINTED KING OF JUDAH

1It happened after this that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?"

And the LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron." 2So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the

Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

4Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, "The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul." 5So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, "You are blessed of the LORD, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. 6And now may the LORD show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing. 7Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."

2:4 anointed David king. David had already been privately anointed king by Samuel (1 Sam. 16:3). This anointing recognized his rule in the southern area of Judah. Later he would be anointed as king over all Israel (2 Sam. 5:3). men of Jabesh Gilead. Jabesh, a city of Israel east of the Jordan, demonstrated its loyalty to Saul by giving him a proper burial (1 Sam. 31:11–13).

ISHBOSHETH MADE KING OF ISRAEL

8But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ishboshetha

the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David. 11And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

ISRAEL AND JUDAH AT WAR

12Now Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. So they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. 14Then Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men now arise and compete before us."

And Joab said, "Let them arise." 15So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of

Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called the Field of

Sharp Swords,a which is in Gibeon. 17So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

18Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And

Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle. 19So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

20Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Are you Asahel?" He answered, "I am." 21And Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22So Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?" 23However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

24Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner. And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the road to the

Wilderness of Gibeon. 25Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind

Abner and became a unit, and took their stand on top of a hill. 26Then Abner

called to Joab and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?"

27And Joab said, "As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then by

morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren." 28So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore. 29Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron; and they came to Mahanaim.

30So Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel. 31But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner's men, three hundred and sixty men who died. 32Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.

Next May 15 Reading

2 Samuel 3

May 16

2 S AMUEL 3:1–4:12

1Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

SONS OF DAVID

2Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; 4the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 5and the sixth, Ithream, by David's wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

ABNER JOINS FORCES WITH DAVID

6Now it was so, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul.

7And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ishbosheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?"

8Then Abner became very angry at the words of Ishbosheth, and said, "Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the

hand of David; and you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? 9May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as the LORD has

sworn to him— 10to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the

throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba." 11And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

12Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, "Whose is the land?" saying also, "Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you."

13And David said, "Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face." 14So David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, saying, "Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines." 15And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiela the son of Laish. 16Then her husband went along with her to Bahurim, weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, "Go, return!" And he returned.

17Now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel, saying, "In time past you were seeking for David to be king over you. 18Now then, do it! For the LORD has spoken of David, saying, 'By the hand of My servant David, Ia

will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.' " 19And Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin. Then Abner also went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel and the whole house of Benjamin.

20So Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David

made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. 21Then Abner said to David, "I will arise and go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires." So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

JOAB MURDERS ABNER

22At that moment the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23When Joab and all the troops that were with him had come, they told Joab, saying, "Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in peace." 24Then Joab came to the king and said, "What have you done? Look, Abner

came to you; why is it that you sent him away, and he has already gone? 25Surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing."

3:25 Abner…came to deceive you. It is ironic that Joab accused Abner of deception in spying on David in v. 25 when in v. 26 he deceived David by not telling him of his request to have Abner returned to Hebron. Joab used this deception to slay Abner out of personal vengeance for the death of his brother Asahel (v. 27; 2:19–23).

26And when Joab had gone from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. 27Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother.

28Afterward, when David heard it, he said, "My kingdom and I are guiltless

before the LORD forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father's house; and let there never fail to be in the house of Joab one who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff or falls

by the sword, or who lacks bread." 30So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

DAVID'S MOURNING FOR ABNER

31Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner." And King David followed the coffin. 32So they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33And the king sang a lament over Abner and said:

"Should Abner die as a fool dies? 34Your hands were not bound Nor your feet put into fetters; As a man falls before wicked men, so you fell."

Then all the people wept over him again. 35And when all the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, "God do so to me, and more also, if I taste

bread or anything else till the sun goes down!" 36Now all the people took note of

it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. 37For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's

intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. 38Then the king said to his servants, "Do you

not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. The LORD shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness."

2 Samuel 4

ISHBOSHETH IS MURDERED

1When Saul's sona heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost heart, and

all Israel was troubled. 2Now Saul's son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For Beeroth also was part of Benjamin, 3because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)

4Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.a

4:4 Mephibosheth. He may be introduced here to demonstrate that his youth and physical handicap disqualified him from being considered for ruling Israel. He would have been only 12 years old at the time of Ishbosheth's death. For the history of this man, see 9:6–13; 16:1–4; 19:24–30; 21:7.

5Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on

his bed at noon. 6And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his

brother escaped. 7For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his

head, and were all night escaping through the plain. 8And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants."

9But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from

all adversity, 10when someone told me, saying, 'Look, Saul is dead,' thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the

one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. 11How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from

the earth?" 12So David commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.

Next May 16 Reading

2 Samuel 5

May 17

2 S AMUEL 5:1–6:23

DAVID REIGNS OVER ALL ISRAEL

1Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, "Indeed

we are your bone and your flesh. 2Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD said to you, 'You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.'

" 3Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David

king over Israel. 4David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he

reigned forty years. 5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

5:1, 2 all the tribes of Israel. The term "all" is used 3 times (vv. 1, 3, 5) to emphasize that the kingdom established under King David was truly a united monarchy. The "elders" of Israel (v. 3), representing the "tribes" (v. 1), came to David at Hebron with the express purpose of submitting to his rule. Three reasons were given by the Israelites for wanting to make David king: 1) he was an Israelite brother (Deut. 17:15); 2) he was Israel's best warrior and commander; and 3) he had been chosen by the Lord to be the king of Israel.

THE CONQUEST OF JERUSALEM

6And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, "You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you," thinking, "David cannot come in here." 7Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).

8Now David said on that day, "Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul), he shall be chief and captain."a Therefore they say, "The blind and the lame shall not come into the house."

9Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Milloa and inward. 10So David went on and became great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.

11Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees,

and carpenters and masons. And they built David a house. 12So David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

13And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David. 14Now these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua,a Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15Ibhar, Elishua,a Nepheg, Japhia, 16Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

THE PHILISTINES DEFEATED

17Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. 18The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 19So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?"

And the LORD said to David, "Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand."

20So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, "The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of

water." Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.a 21And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away.

22Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 23Therefore David inquired of the LORD, and He said, "You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. 24And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines." 25And David did so, as the LORD commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Gebaa as far as Gezer.

2 Samuel 6

THE ARK BROUGHT TO JERUSALEM

1Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring

up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name,a the LORD of

Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. 3So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and

Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.a 4And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of

God; and Ahio went before the ark. 5Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.

6And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. 8And David became angry because of the LORD's outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzaha to this day.

9David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the

LORD come to me?" 10So David would not move the ark of the LORD with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

12Now it was told King David, saying, "The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. 13And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. 14Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. 15So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

16Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul's

daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling

before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. 17So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before

the LORD. 18And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace

offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. 19Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.

20Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!"

21So David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD,

over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the LORD. 22And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor."

23Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

Next May 17 Reading

2 Samuel 7

May 18

2 S AMUEL 7:1–8:18

GOD'S COVENANT WITH DAVID

1Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the

LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains."

3Then Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you."

4But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, 5"Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: "Would you build a house

for Me to dwell in? 6For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a

tent and in a tabernacle. 7Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, 'Why have you not built Me a

house of cedar?' " ' 8Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the

sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. 9And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the

earth. 10Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons

of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 11since the time

that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will

make you a house.a

12"When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.a Your throne shall be established forever." ' "

7:14 his Father…My son. These words are directly related to Jesus the Messiah in Hebrews 1:5. In Semitic thought, since the son had the full character of the father, the future seed of David would have the same essence of God. That Jesus Christ was God incarnate is the central theme of John's Gospel. If he commits iniquity. As a human father disciplines his sons, so the Lord would discipline the seed, if he committed iniquity. This has reference to the intermediary seed until Messiah's arrival (any king of David's line from Solomon on). However, the ultimate Seed of David will not be a sinner like David and his descendants were, as recorded in Samuel and Kings (see 2 Cor. 5:21 ). Significantly, Chronicles, focusing more directly on the Messiah, does not include this statement in its record of Nathan's words (1 Chr. 17:13).

7:16 your house…your kingdom…Your throne. Luke 1:32b, 33 indicates that these 3 terms are fulfilled in Jesus, "…and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." forever. This word conveys the idea

of 1) an indeterminately long time or 2) into eternity future. It does not mean that there cannot be interruptions, but rather that the outcome is guaranteed. Christ's Davidic reign will conclude human history.

17According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

DAVID'S THANKSGIVING TO GOD

18Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: "Who am I,

O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? 20Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord

GOD, know Your servant. 21For Your word's sake, and according to Your own

heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. 22Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD.a For there is none like You, nor is

there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name— and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? 24For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God.

25"Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. 26So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel.' And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.

28"And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have

promised this goodness to Your servant. 29Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever."

2 Samuel 8

DAVID'S FURTHER CONQUESTS

1After this it came to pass that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines.

2Then he defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David's servants, and brought tribute.

3David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his territory at the River Euphrates. 4David took from him one thousand chariots, seven hundreda horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.

5When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. 6Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David's servants, and brought tribute. So the LORD preserved David wherever he went. 7And David took the shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 8Also from Betaha and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.

9When Toia king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of

Hadadezer, 10then Toi sent Jorama his son to King David, to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi); and Joram brought with him articles of silver, articles of

gold, and articles of bronze. 11King David also dedicated these to the LORD, along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had

subdued— 12from Syria,a from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob,

king of Zobah.

13And David made himself a name when he returned from killing eighteen

thousand Syriansa in the Valley of Salt. 14He also put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David's servants. And the LORD preserved David wherever he went.

DAVID'S ADMINISTRATION

15So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. 16Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 17Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Seraiaha was the scribe; 18Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief ministers.

Next May 18 Reading

2 Samuel 9

May 19

2 S AMUEL 9:1–10:19

DAVID'S KINDNESS TO MEPHIBOSHETH

1Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

2And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?"

He said, "At your service!" 3Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?"

And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet."

4So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar."

5Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

6Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, "Mephibosheth?"

And he answered, "Here is your servant!" 7So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your

grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually."

8Then he bowed himself, and said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?"

9:8 dead dog. A "dead dog" was considered contemptible and useless. Mephibosheth saw himself as such in that he knew that he had not merited David's kindness and that there was no way for him to repay it. David's offer was an extraordinary expression of grace and beauty to his covenant with Jonathan (1 Sam. 18:3; 20:15, 42).

9And the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given

to your master's son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master's son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's son shall eat bread at my table always." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

11Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do."

"As for Mephibosheth," said the king, "he shall eat at my tablea like one of the king's sons." 12Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.

2 Samuel 10

THE AMMONITES AND SYRIANS DEFEATED

1It happened after this that the king of the people of Ammon died, and Hanun

his son reigned in his place. 2Then David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me."

So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the people of

Ammon. 3And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?"

4Therefore Hanun took David's servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off

their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away. 5When they told David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, "Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return."

10:4 shaved off half of their beards. Forced shaving was considered an insult and a sign of submission (Is. 7:20). cut off their garments…at their buttocks. To those who wore long garments in that time, exposure of the buttocks was a shameful practice inflicted on prisoners of war (Is. 20:4).

6When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of Maacah one

thousand men, and from Ish-Tob twelve thousand men. 7Now when David heard

of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. 8Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at the entrance of the gate. And the Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Maacah were by themselves

in the field.

9When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he

chose some of Israel's best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. 10And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, that he might set them in battle array against the people of Ammon. 11Then he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight."

13So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against

the Syrians, and they fled before him. 14When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai, and entered the city. So Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went to Jerusalem.

15When the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered

together. 16Then Hadadezera sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond

the River,b and they came to Helam. And Shobach the commander of Hadadezer's

army went before them. 17When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in battle array against David and fought with him. 18Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand horsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the commander of their army, who died there. 19And when all the

kings who were servants to Hadadezera saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore.

Next May 19 Reading

2 Samuel 11

May 20

2 S AMUEL 11:1–12:31

DAVID, BATHSHEBA, AND URIAH

1It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

2Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. 5And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child."

11:3 Bathsheba. Not until 12:24 is her name used again. Rather, to intensify the sin of adultery, it is emphasized that she was the wife of Uriah (vv. 3, 26; 12:10, 15). Even the New Testament says "her of Uriah" (Matt. 1:6). Eliam. The father of Bathsheba was one of David's mighty men (23:34). Since Eliam was the son of Ahithophel, Bathsheba was Ahithophel's granddaughter (15:12; 16:15). This could explain why Ahithophel, one of David's counselors (15:12), later gave his allegiance to Absalom in his revolt against David. Uriah. Also one of David's mighty men (23:39). Although a Hittite (see Gen. 15:20; Ex. 3:8, 17,

23), Uriah bore a Hebrew name meaning "the LORD is my light," indicating he was a worshiper of the one true God.

6Then David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered. 8And David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah departed from the king's house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. 9But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10So when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?"

11And Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing."

12Then David said to Uriah, "Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let

you depart." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

14In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die." 16So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned

Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. 17Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

11:15 he may…die. Failing twice to cover up his sin with Bathsheba, the

frustrated and panicked David plotted the murder of Uriah by taking advantage

of Uriah's unswerving loyalty to him as king, even having Uriah deliver his own death warrant. Thus David engaged in another crime deserving of capital punishment (Lev. 24:17). This is graphic proof of the extremes people go to in pursuit of sin and in the absence of restraining grace.

18Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war, 19and charged the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling the matters of the war to the king, 20if it happens that the king's wrath rises, and he says to you: 'Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21Who struck Abimelech the

son of Jerubbesheth?a Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?'—then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.' "

22So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by

him. 23And the messenger said to David, "Surely the men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field; then we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate. 24The archers shot from the wall at your servants; and some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."

25Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say to Joab: 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.' So encourage him."

26When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she

mourned for her husband. 27And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

2 Samuel 12

NATHAN'S PARABLE AND DAVID'S CONFESSION

1Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him:

"There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2The rich man had

exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and

lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."

5So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 6And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity."

7Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of

Saul. 8I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been

too little, I also would have given you much more! 9Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have

killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and

have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 11Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall

lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.' "

13So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die." 15Then Nathan departed to his house.

THE DEATH OF DAVID'S SON

And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill. 16David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in

and lay all night on the ground. 17So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with

them. 18Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, "Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!"

19When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?"

And they said, "He is dead." 20So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. 21Then his servants said to him, "What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food."

22And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the LORDa will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' 23But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

SOLOMON IS BORN

24Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and hea called his name Solomon. Now the

LORD loved him, 25and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So hea called his name Jedidiah,b because of the LORD.

RABBAH IS CAPTURED

26Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the

royal city. 27And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, "I have fought

against Rabbah, and I have taken the city's water supply. 28Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name." 29So David gathered all

the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it. 30Then he took their king's crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David's head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance. 31And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So he did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

Next May 20 Reading

2 Samuel 13

May 21

2 S AMUEL 13:1–14:33

AMNON AND TAMAR

1After this Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. 2Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her. 3But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4And he said to him, "Why are you, the king's son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?"

Amnon said to him, "I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."

5So Jonadab said to him, "Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her

hand.' " 6Then Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let Tamar my sister come and make a couple of cakes for me in my sight, that I may eat from her hand."

7And David sent home to Tamar, saying, "Now go to your brother Amnon's

house, and prepare food for him." 8So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house; and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. 9And she took the pan and placed them out before him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said, "Have everyone go out from me." And they all went out from him. 10Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand." And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them to Amnon her brother in the bedroom. 11Now when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister."

12But she answered him, "No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! 13And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you." 14However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her.

15Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Arise, be gone!"

13:15 hated her. Amnon's "love" (v. 1) was nothing but sensual desire that, once gratified, turned to hatred. His sudden revulsion was the result of Tamar's unwilling resistance, the atrocity of what he had done, feelings of remorse, and dread of exposure and punishment. All of these rendered her intolerably undesirable to him.

16So she said to him, "No, indeed! This evil of sending me away is worse than the other that you did to me."

But he would not listen to her. 17Then he called his servant who attended him, and said, "Here! Put this woman out, away from me, and bolt the door behind

her." 18Now she had on a robe of many colors, for the king's virgin daughters wore such apparel. And his servant put her out and bolted the door behind her.

19Then Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore her robe of many colors that

was on her, and laid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly. 20And Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this thing to heart." So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house.

21But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. 22And Absalom spoke to his brother Amnon neither good nor bad. For Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.

ABSALOM MURDERS AMNON

23And it came to pass, after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers

in Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim; so Absalom invited all the king's sons. 24Then Absalom came to the king and said, "Kindly note, your servant has sheepshearers; please, let the king and his servants go with your servant."

25But the king said to Absalom, "No, my son, let us not all go now, lest we be a burden to you." Then he urged him, but he would not go; and he blessed him.

26Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king said to him, "Why should he go with you?" 27But Absalom urged him; so he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.

28Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, "Watch now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike Amnon!' then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous

and valiant." 29So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and each one got on his mule and fled.

30And it came to pass, while they were on the way, that news came to David, saying, "Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and not one of them is left!" 31So the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn. 32Then Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered and said, "Let not my lord suppose they have killed all the young men, the king's sons, for only Amnon is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. 33Now therefore, let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead. For only Amnon is dead."

ABSALOM FLEES TO GESHUR

34Then Absalom fled. And the young man who was keeping watch lifted his eyes and looked, and there, many people were coming from the road on the hillside behind him.a 35And Jonadab said to the king, "Look, the king's sons

are coming; as your servant said, so it is." 36So it was, as soon as he had finished speaking, that the king's sons indeed came, and they lifted up their voice and wept. Also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly.

37But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur.

And David mourned for his son every day. 38So Absalom fled and went to

Geshur, and was there three years. 39And King Davida longed to go tob

Absalom. For he had been comforted concerning Amnon, because he was dead.

2 Samuel 14

ABSALOM RETURNS TO JERUSALEM

1So Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was concerned

about Absalom. 2And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead. 3Go to the king and speak to him in this manner." So Joab put the words in her mouth.

4And when the woman of Tekoa spokea to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, "Help, O king!"

5Then the king said to her, "What troubles you?"

And she answered, "Indeed I am a widow, my husband is dead. 6Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him. 7And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, 'Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.' So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth."

8Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you."

9And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord, O king, let the iniquity be on me and on my father's house, and the king and his throne be guiltless."

10So the king said, "Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore."

11Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, and do not permit the avenger of blood to destroy anymore, lest they destroy my son."

And he said, "As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground."

12Therefore the woman said, "Please, let your maidservant speak another word to my lord the king."

And he said, "Say on."

13So the woman said: "Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the

king does not bring his banished one home again. 14For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones

are not expelled from Him. 15Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your maidservant said, 'I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform

the request of his maidservant. 16For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son

together from the inheritance of God.' 17Your maidservant said, 'The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.' "

14:13 against the people of God. The woman asserted that by allowing Absalom to remain in exile, David had jeopardized the future welfare of Israel. If he would be so generous to a son he did not know in a family he did not know, would he not forgive his own son?

18Then the king answered and said to the woman, "Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you."

And the woman said, "Please, let my lord the king speak." 19So the king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" And the woman answered and said, "As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant. 20To bring about this change of affairs your servant Joab has done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the earth."

21And the king said to Joab, "All right, I have granted this thing. Go therefore,

bring back the young man Absalom."

22Then Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and thanked the king. And Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant." 23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24And the king said, "Let him return to his own house, but do not let him see my face." So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king's face.

DAVID FORGIVES ABSALOM

25Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26And when he cut the hair of his head—at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him—when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king's standard. 27To Absalom were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance.

28And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, but did not see the king's face. 29Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would

not come to him. And when he sent again the second time, he would not come. 30So he said to his servants, "See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

31Then Joab arose and came to Absalom's house, and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"

32And Absalom answered Joab, "Look, I sent to you, saying, 'Come here, so that I may send you to the king, to say, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still." ' Now therefore, let me see the king's face; but if there is iniquity in me, let him execute me."

33So Joab went to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom.

Next May 21 Reading

2 Samuel 15

May 22

2 S AMUEL 15:1–16:23

ABSALOM'S TREASON

1After this it happened that Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses,

and fifty men to run before him. 2Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him and say, "What city are you from?" And he would say, "Your servant is from such and such a tribe of

Israel." 3Then Absalom would say to him, "Look, your case is good and right; but

there is no deputy of the king to hear you." 4Moreover Absalom would say, "Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause

would come to me; then I would give him justice." 5And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take

him and kiss him. 6In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

15:1–6 stole the hearts. Public hearings were always conducted early in the morning in a court held outside by the city gates. Absalom positioned himself there to win favor. Because King David was busy with other matters or with wars, and was also aging, many matters were left unresolved, building a deep feeling of resentment among the people. Absalom used that situation to undermine his father, by gratifying all he could with a favorable settlement and showing them all warm cordiality. Thus, he won the people to himself, without

them knowing his wicked ambition.

7Now it came to pass after fortya years that Absalom said to the king, "Please, let me go to Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the LORD. 8For your servant took a vow while I dwelt at Geshur in Syria, saying, 'If the LORD indeed brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.' "

9And the king said to him, "Go in peace." So he arose and went to Hebron. 10Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, 'Absalom reigns in Hebron!' " 11And with Absalom went two hundred men invited from Jerusalem, and they went along innocently and did not know anything. 12Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city—from Giloh —while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom continually increased in number.

15:10–12 Absalom formed a conspiracy, which included taking some of the leading men to create the impression that the king supported this action and was in his old age sharing the kingdom. All of this was a subtle disguise so Absalom could have freedom to plan his revolution. Absalom was able to do this against his father not merely because of his cleverness, but also because of the laxness of his father (1 Kin. 1:6).

DAVID ESCAPES FROM JERUSALEM

13Now a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom."

14So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword."

15And the king's servants said to the king, "We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands." 16Then the king went out with all his household after him. But the king left ten women, concubines, to keep the house. 17And the king went out with all the people after him, and

stopped at the outskirts. 18Then all his servants passed before him; and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed before the king.

19Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place. 20In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and down with us today, since I go I know not where? Return, and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you."

21But Ittai answered the king and said, "As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be."

22So David said to Ittai, "Go, and cross over." Then Ittai the Gittite and all

his men and all the little ones who were with him crossed over. 23And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness.

24There was Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar went up until

all the people had finished crossing over from the city. 25Then the king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the

LORD, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling place. 26But

if He says thus: 'I have no delight in you,' here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him." 27The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28See, I will wait in the plains of the

wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." 29Therefore Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem. And they remained there.

30So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went up. 31Then someone told David, saying, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O LORD, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!"

32Now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain, where he worshiped God—there was Hushai the Archite coming to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head. 33David said to him, "If you go on with me,

then you will become a burden to me. 34But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father's servant previously, so I will now also be your servant,' then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me. 35And do you not have Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? Therefore it will be that whatever you hear from the king's house, you shall tell to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36Indeed they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son; and by them you shall send me everything you hear."

37So Hushai, David's friend, went into the city. And Absalom came into Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 16

MEPHIBOSHETH'S SERVANT

1When David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2And the king said to Ziba, "What do you mean to do with these?"

So Ziba said, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness to drink."

3Then the king said, "And where is your master's son?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.' "

4So the king said to Ziba, "Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours." And Ziba said, "I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!"

SHIMEI CURSES DAVID

5Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He

came out, cursing continuously as he came. 6And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were

on his right hand and on his left. 7Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: "Come

out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! 8The LORD has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!"

9Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!"

10But the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the LORD has said to him, 'Curse David.' Who then shall say, 'Why have you done so?' "

11And David said to Abishai and all his servants, "See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him. 12It may be that

the LORD will look on my affliction,a and that the LORD will repay me with good for

his cursing this day." 13And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up dust. 14Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.

THE ADVICE OF AHITHOPHEL

15Meanwhile Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to

Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with him. 16And so it was, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"

17So Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?"

18And Hushai said to Absalom, "No, but whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, so will I be in your presence."

20Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give advice as to what we should do." 21And Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong." 22So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

23Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

Next May 22 Reading

2 Samuel 17

May 23

2 S AMUEL 17:1–18:33

1Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Now let me choose twelve thousand

men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king. 3Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace." 4And the saying pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

THE ADVICE OF HUSHAI

5Then Absalom said, "Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear

what he says too." 6And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, "Ahithophel has spoken in this manner. Shall we do as he says? If not, speak up."

7So Hushai said to Absalom: "The advice that Ahithophel has given is not good

at this time. 8For," said Hushai, "you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are enraged in their minds, like a bear robbed of her cubs

in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not camp with the people. 9Surely by now he is hidden in some pit, or in some other place. And it will be, when some of them are overthrown at the first, that whoever hears it will say,

'There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.' 10And even he who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt completely. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are

valiant men. 11Therefore I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, like the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go

to battle in person. 12So we will come upon him in some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground. And of him and all

the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one. 13Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there."

17:7–13 Providentially, the Lord took control of the situation through the counsel of Hushai (15:32) who advised Absalom in such a way as to give David time to prepare for war with Absalom. Hushai's plan seemed best to the elders. It had two features: 1) the need for an army larger than 12,000 (v. 1), so that Absalom would not lose, and 2) the king leading the army into battle (an appeal to Absalom's arrogance).

14So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom.

17:14 the LORD had purposed. The text notes that Ahithophel's advice was rejected by Absalom because the Lord had determined to defeat the rebellion of Absalom, as prayed for by David (15:31). God's providence was controlling all the intrigues among the usurper's counselors.

HUSHAI WARNS DAVID TO ESCAPE

15Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, "Thus and so Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so I have advised. 16Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, 'Do not spend this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.' " 17Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed at En Rogel, for they dared not be seen coming into the city; so a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and tell King David. 18Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man's house in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down into it. 19Then the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground grain on it; and the thing was not known. 20And when Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house, they said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?"

So the woman said to them, "They have gone over the water brook." And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to

Jerusalem. 21Now it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told King David, and said to David, "Arise and cross

over the water quickly. For thus has Ahithophel advised against you." 22So David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By morning light not one of them was left who had not gone over the Jordan.

23Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to his house, to his city. Then he put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died; and he was buried in his father's tomb.

24Then David went to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and

all the men of Israel with him. 25And Absalom made Amasa captain of the army

instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Jithra,a an

Israelite,b who had gone in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah,

Joab's mother. 26So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

27Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from

Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds, 29honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, "The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness."

2 Samuel 18

ABSALOM'S DEFEAT AND DEATH

1And David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of

thousands and captains of hundreds over them. 2Then David sent out one third of the people under the hand of Joab, one third under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, "I also will surely go out with you myself."

3But the people answered, "You shall not go out! For if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us now. For you are now more help to us in the city."

4Then the king said to them, "Whatever seems best to you I will do." So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by

thousands. 5Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains orders concerning Absalom.

6So the people went out into the field of battle against Israel. And the battle was

in the woods of Ephraim. 7The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day. 8For the battle there was scattered over the face of the whole countryside, and the woods devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

9Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on. 10Now a certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, "I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!"

11So Joab said to the man who told him, "You just saw him! And why did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt."

12But the man said to Joab, "Though I were to receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king's son. For in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, 'Beware lest anyone touch the young man Absalom!'a 13Otherwise I would have dealt falsely against my own life. For there is nothing hidden from the king, and you yourself would have set yourself against me."

14Then Joab said, "I cannot linger with you." And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through Absalom's heart, while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth tree. 15And ten young men who bore Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, and struck and killed him.

16So Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel.

For Joab held back the people. 17And they took Absalom and cast him into a large pit in the woods, and laid a very large heap of stones over him. Then all Israel fled, everyone to his tent.

18Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up a pillar for himself, which is in the King's Valley. For he said, "I have no son to keep my name in remembrance." He called the pillar after his own name. And to this day it is called Absalom's Monument.

DAVID HEARS OF ABSALOM'S DEATH

19Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the LORD has avenged him of his enemies."

20And Joab said to him, "You shall not take the news this day, for you shall take the news another day. But today you shall take no news, because the king's son is dead." 21Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran.

22And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, "But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite."

So Joab said, "Why will you run, my son, since you have no news

ready?" 23"But whatever happens," he said, "let me run." So he said to him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

24Now David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate, to the wall, lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a man, running alone. 25Then the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there is news in his mouth." And he came rapidly and drew near.

26Then the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, "There is another man, running alone!"

And the king said, "He also brings news." 27So the watchman said, "I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok."

And the king said, "He is a good man, and comes with good news." 28So Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, "All is well!" Then he bowed down with his face to the earth before the king, and said, "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king!"

29The king said, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent the king's servant and me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was about."

30And the king said, "Turn aside and stand here." So he turned aside and stood still.

31Just then the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, "There is good news, my lord the king! For the LORD has avenged you this day of all those who rose against you."

32And the king said to the Cushite, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" So the Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against you to do harm, be like that young man!"

DAVID'S MOURNING FOR ABSALOM

33Then the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, he said thus: "O my son Absalom—my son, my son Absalom—if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!"

18:33 my son. Repeated 5 times in this verse, David lamented the death of Absalom, his son (19:5). In spite of all the harm that Absalom had caused, David was preoccupied with his personal loss in a melancholy way that seems to be consistent with his weakness as a father. It was an unwarranted zeal for such a worthless son and a warning about the pitiful results of sin.

Next May 23 Reading

2 Samuel 19

May 24

2 S AMUEL 19:1–20:26

1And Joab was told, "Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom." 2So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people. For the

people heard it said that day, "The king is grieved for his son." 3And the people stole back into the city that day, as people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. 4But the king covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!"

5Then Joab came into the house to the king, and said, "Today you have disgraced all your servants who today have saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines, 6in that you love your enemies and hate your friends. For you have declared today that you regard neither princes nor servants; for today I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you well. 7Now therefore, arise, go out and speak comfort to your servants. For I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, not one will stay with you this night. And that will be worse for you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth until now." 8Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, "There is the king, sitting in the gate." So all the people came before the king.

19:7 not one will stay with you. Joab, who was the esteemed general of the army, was a dangerous person because of that power. He was also dangerous to David because he had disobeyed his command to spare Absalom and killed him

with no remorse. When he warned David that he would be in deep trouble if he did not immediately express appreciation to his men for their victory, David knew he could be in serious danger.

For everyone of Israel had fled to his tent.

DAVID RETURNS TO JERUSALEM

9Now all the people were in a dispute throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "The king saved us from the hand of our enemies, he delivered us from the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled from the land because of Absalom. 10But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now therefore, why do you say nothing about bringing back the king?"

11So King David sent to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, "Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, 'Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the words of all Israel have come to the king, to his very house? 12You are my brethren, you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?' 13And say to Amasa, 'Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if you are not commander of the army before me continually in place of Joab.' " 14So he swayed the hearts of all the men of Judah, just as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word to the king: "Return, you and all your servants!"

19:13 Amasa…commander of the army…in place of Joab. David appointed Amasa commander of his army, hoping to secure the allegiance of those who had followed Amasa when he led Absalom's forces, especially those of Judah. This appointment did persuade the tribe of Judah to support David's return to the kingship (v. 14) and secured the animosity of Joab against Amasa for taking his position (20:8–10).

15Then the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to

go to meet the king, to escort the king across the Jordan. 16And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, who was from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his

twenty servants with him; and they went over the Jordan before the king. 18Then a ferryboat went across to carry over the king's household, and to do what he thought good.

DAVID'S MERCY TO SHIMEI

Now Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he had crossed the Jordan. 19Then he said to the king, "Do not let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember what wrong your servant did on the day that my lord the king left Jerusalem, that the king should take it to heart. 20For I, your servant, know that I have sinned. Therefore here I am, the first to come today of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king."

21But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, "Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD's anointed?"

22And David said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?" 23Therefore the king said to Shimei, "You shall not die." And the king swore to him.

DAVID AND MEPHIBOSHETH MEET

24Now Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. And he had not cared for his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he returned in peace. 25So it was, when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, "Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?"

26And he answered, "My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, 'I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go to the

king,' because your servant is lame. 27And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is like the angel of God. Therefore do what is

good in your eyes. 28For all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king. Yet you set your servant among those who eat at your own table. Therefore what right have I still to cry out anymore to the king?"

29So the king said to him, "Why do you speak anymore of your matters? I have said, 'You and Ziba divide the land.' "

30Then Mephibosheth said to the king, "Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house."

DAVID'S KINDNESS TO BARZILLAI

31And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim and went across the

Jordan with the king, to escort him across the Jordan. 32Now Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. And he had provided the king with supplies while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very rich man. 33And the king said to Barzillai, "Come across with me, and I will provide for you while you are with me in Jerusalem."

34But Barzillai said to the king, "How long have I to live, that I should go up with

the king to Jerusalem? 35I am today eighty years old. Can I discern between the good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any longer the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your

servant be a further burden to my lord the king? 36Your servant will go a little

way across the Jordan with the king. And why should the king repay me

with such a reward? 37Please let your servant turn back again, that I may die in my own city, near the grave of my father and mother. But here is your servant Chimham; let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what seems good to you."

38And the king answered, "Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good to you. Now whatever you request of me, I will do for you." 39Then all the people went over the Jordan. And when the king had crossed over, the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own place.

THE QUARREL ABOUT THE KING

40Now the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimhama went on with him. And all

the people of Judah escorted the king, and also half the people of Israel. 41Just then all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, "Why have our brethren, the men of Judah, stolen you away and brought the king, his household, and all David's men with him across the Jordan?"

42So all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, "Because the king is a close relative of ours. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we ever eaten at the king's expense? Or has he given us any gift?"

43And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, "We have ten shares in the king; therefore we also have more right to David than you. Why then do you despise us—were we not the first to advise bringing back our king?"

Yet the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

2 Samuel 20

THE REBELLION OF SHEBA

1And there happened to be there a rebel,a whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said: "We have no share in David,

Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; Every man to his tents, O Israel!"

2So every man of Israel deserted David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah, from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem, remained loyal to their king.

3Now David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

4And the king said to Amasa, "Assemble the men of Judah for me within three

days, and be present here yourself." 5So Amasa went to assemble the men of

Judah. But he delayed longer than the set time which David had appointed him. 6And David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities, and escape us." 7So Joab's men, with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, went out after him. And they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came before them. Now Joab was dressed in battle armor; on it was a belt with a sword fastened in its sheath at his hips; and as he was going forward, it fell out. 9Then Joab said to Amasa, "Are you in health, my brother?" And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab's hand. And he struck him with it in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground; and he did not strike him again. Thus he died.

Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11Meanwhile one of Joab's men stood near Amasa, and said, "Whoever favors

Joab and whoever is for David—follow Joab!" 12But Amasa wallowed in his

blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw a garment over him, when he saw that everyone who came upon him halted. 13When he was removed from the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

20:11 one of Joab's men. Joab was reinstated as commander of David's army by his troops. It is a striking illustration of Joab's influence over the army that he could murder the commander whom David had chosen, a killing right before their eyes, and they would follow him unanimously as their leader in pursuit of Sheba.

14And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel and Beth Maachah and all the Berites. So they were gathered together and also went after Sheba.a

15Then they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maachah; and they cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood by the rampart. And all the people who were with Joab battered the wall to throw it down.

16Then a wise woman cried out from the city, "Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, 'Come nearby, that I may speak with you.' " 17When he had come near to her, the woman said, "Are you Joab?"

He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Hear the words of your maidservant." And he answered, "I am listening." 18So she spoke, saying, "They used to talk in former times, saying, 'They

shall surely seek guidance at Abel,' and so they would end disputes. 19I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?"

20And Joab answered and said, "Far be it, far be it from me, that I should

swallow up or destroy! 21That is not so. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city."

So the woman said to Joab, "Watch, his head will be thrown to you over

the wall." 22Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

DAVID'S GOVERNMENT OFFICERS

23And Joab was over all the army of Israel; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was

over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; 24Adoram was in charge of revenue;

Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 25Sheva was scribe; Zadok and

Abiathar were the priests; 26and Ira the Jairite was a chief minister under David.

Next May 24 Reading

2 Samuel 21

May 25

2 S AMUEL 21:1–22:51

DAVID AVENGES THE GIBEONITES

1Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites." 2So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.

21:1, 2 Saul and his bloodthirsty house. By divine revelation David learned that the famine was a result of sin committed by Saul; namely, that he had slain the Gibeonites. There is no further reference to this event. Saul was probably trying to do as God commanded and rid the land of the remnant of heathen in order that Israel might prosper (v. 2). But in his zeal he had committed a serious sin. He had broken a covenant that had been made 400 years before between Joshua and the Gibeonites, who were in the land when Israel took possession of it. They deceived Joshua into making the covenant, but it was, nevertheless, a covenant ( Josh. 9:3–27 ). Covenant keeping was no small matter to God ( Josh. 9:20 ).

3Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?"

4And the Gibeonites said to him, "We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us."

So he said, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." 5Then they answered the king, "As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories

of Israel, 6let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD chose."

And the king said, "I will give them." 7But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the LORD's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of Michala the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel

the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

10Now Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.

11And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul,

had done. 12Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the

street of Beth Shan,a where the Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines

had struck down Saul in Gilboa. 13So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who

had been hanged. 14They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land.

PHILISTINE GIANTS DESTROYED

15When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with

him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. 16Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he

could kill David. 17But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel."

18Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph,a who was one of the sons of the giant. 19Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregima the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

20Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant. 21So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea,a David's brother, killed him.

22These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

2 Samuel 22

PRAISE FOR GOD'S DELIVERANCE

1Then David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day when the

LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2And he said:a

22:1–51 David's song of praise here is almost identical to Psalm 18. This song also has many verbal links to Hannah's prayer (1 Sam. 2:1–10) and together with it forms the framework for the books of Samuel. This song focuses on the Lord's deliverance of David from all his enemies, in response to which David praised the Lord, his deliverer (vv. 2–4). The major part of the song (vv. 5–46) states the reason for this praise of the Lord. David first describes how the Lord had delivered him from his enemies (vv. 5–20), then declares why the Lord had delivered him from his enemies (vv. 21–28), then states the extent of the Lord's deliverance from his enemies (vv. 29–46). The song concludes with David's resolve to praise his delivering Lord, even among the Gentiles (vv. 47–51).

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; 3The God of my

strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. 4I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

5"When the waves of death surrounded me, The floods of ungodliness made

me afraid. 6The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 7In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears.

8"Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heavena quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. 9Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. 10He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. 11He rode upon a cherub, and flew; And He was seena upon the wings of the wind. 12He made darkness canopies around Him, Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. 13From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled.

14"The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice. 15He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. 16Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered, At the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

17"He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. 18He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me; For they were too strong for me. 19They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. 20He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

21"The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands

He has recompensed me. 22For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. 23For all His judgments were before me; And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. 24I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. 25Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His eyes.a

26"With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; 27With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. 28You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.

29"For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness. 30For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. 31As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

32"For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 33God is my strength and power,a

And He makes myb way perfect. 34He makes mya feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. 35He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36"You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great. 37You enlarged my path under me; So my feet did not slip.

38"I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. 39And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise;

They have fallen under my feet. 40For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me. 41You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. 42They looked, but there was none to save; Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them. 43Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trod them like dirt in the streets, And I spread them out.

44"You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. A people I have not known shall serve me. 45The foreigners submit to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me. 46The foreigners fade away, And come frighteneda from their hideouts.

47"The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation! 48It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; 49He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. 50Therefore I will give thanks to You, O sing praises to Your name.

LORD, among the Gentiles, And

51"He is the tower of salvation to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore."

Next May 25 Reading

2 Samuel 23

May 26

2 S AMUEL 23:1–24:25

DAVID'S LAST WORDS

1Now these are the last words of David.

Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel:

2"The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue. 3The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: 'He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God. 4And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, By clear shining after rain.'

5"Although my house is not so with God, Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; Will He not make it increase? 6But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with hands. 7But the man who touches them Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a

spear, And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place."

DAVID'S MIGHTY MEN

8These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebetha

the Tachmonite, chief among the captains.b He was called Adino the Eznite,

because he had killed eight hundred men at one time. 9And after him was Eleazar

the son of Dodo,a the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had

retreated. 10He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the

people returned after him only to plunder. 11And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there

was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines. 12But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.

13Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15And David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" 16So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. 17And he said, "Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it.

These things were done by the three mighty men. 18Now Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of another

three.a He lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a

name among these three. 19Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three.

20Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who

had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 21And he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear. 22These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. 23He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

24Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, 27Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the

Hushathite, 28Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, 29Heleb the son of Baanah (the Netophathite), Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, 30Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash, 31AbiAlbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, 32Eliahba the Shaalbonite (of the

sons of Jashen), Jonathan, 33Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, 34Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam

the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35Hezraia the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37Zelek the Ammonite,

Naharai the Beerothite (armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), 38Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39and Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

2 Samuel 24

DAVID'S CENSUS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH

1Again the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah."

24:1 Again. A second outbreak of the divine wrath occurred after the 3-year famine recorded in 21:1. against Israel. The inciting of David to conduct a census was a punishment on Israel from the Lord for some unspecified sins. Perhaps sins of pride and ambition had led him to increase the size of his army unnecessarily and place heavy burdens of support on the people. Whatever the sin, it is clear God was dissatisfied with David's motives, goals, and actions and brought judgment. He moved David. Satan incited David to take this census, and the Lord sovereignly and permissively used Satan to accomplish His will ( 1 Chr. 21:1 ). number Israel and Judah. A census was usually for military purposes, which seems to be the case here (v. 9). Numbering the potential army of Israel had been done in the past (Num. 1:1, 2; 26:1–4). However, this census of Israel's potential army did not have the sanction of the Lord and proceeded from wrong motives. David either wanted to glory in the size of his fighting force or take more territory than what the Lord had granted him. He shifted his trust from God to military power (this is a constant theme in the Psalms; see 20:7; 25:2; 44:6).

2So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people."

3And Joab said to the king, "Now may the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?" 4Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.

5And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side

of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jazer. 6Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon; 7and they came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba. 8So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

THE JUDGMENT ON DAVID'S SIN

10And David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly."

11Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the

prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12"Go and tell David, 'Thus says the LORD: "I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you." ' " 13So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, "Shall sevena years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me."

14And David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man."

15So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed

time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. 16And when the angela stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunahb the Jebusite.

17Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, "Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father's house."

THE ALTAR ON THE THRESHING FLOOR

18And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." 19So David,

according to the word of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded. 20Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

21Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people."

22Now Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. 23All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king."

And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you." 24Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for

fifty shekels of silver. 25And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.

Next May 26 Reading

The First Book of the Kings

1 Kings 1

May 27

1 K INGS 1:1–2:46

ADONIJAH PRESUMES TO BE KING

1Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him,

but he could not get warm. 2Therefore his servants said to him, "Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm." 3So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.

5Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king"; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6(And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, "Why have you done so?" He was also very good-looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.) 7Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with

Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.

1:5 Adonijah. Adonijah was the fourth son of David (2 Sam. 3:4) and probably the oldest living son, since Amnon ( 2 Sam. 13:28 , 29 ) and Absalom ( 2 Sam. 18:14 , 15 ) had been killed, and Chileab apparently died in his youth, since there is no mention of him beyond his birth. As David's oldest surviving heir, Adonijah attempted to claim the kingship. chariots and horsemen. Like Absalom (2 Sam. 15:1), Adonijah sought to confirm and support his claim to kingship by raising a small army.

9And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of

Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel; he also invited all his brothers, the king's

sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants. 10But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.

11So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12Come, please, let me now give you

advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13Go immediately to King David and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, "Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?' 14Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words."

1:13 Did you not…swear…? This oath was given privately (unrecorded in Scripture) by David, perhaps to both Nathan and Bathsheba. Solomon's choice by the Lord was implicit in his name Jedidiah, meaning "loved by the Lord" ( 2 Sam. 12:24 , 25 ) and explicit in David's declaration to Solomon ( 1 Chr. 22:6– 13 ).

15So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very

old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) 16And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, "What is your wish?"

17Then she said to him, "My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to your maidservant, saying, 'Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he

shall sit on my throne.' 18So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my

lord the king, you do not know about it. 19He has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he

has not invited. 20And as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after

him. 21Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king rests with his fathers,

that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders."

22And just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet

also came in. 23So they told the king, saying, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 24And Nathan said, "My lord, O king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall

reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne'? 25For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say, 'Long live King Adonijah!' 26But he has not invited me—me your servant—nor Zadok

the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. 27Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

DAVID PROCLAIMS SOLOMON KING

28Then King David answered and said, "Call Bathsheba to me." So she came into the king's presence and stood before the king. 29And the king took an oath and said, "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, 30just as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, 'Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,' so I certainly will do this day."

31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said, "Let my lord King David live forever!"

32And King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet,

and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." So they came before the king. 33The king also said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, 'Long live King Solomon!' 35Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah."

36Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, "Amen! May

the LORD God of my lord the king say so too. 37As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David."

38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule, and took him to Gihon. 39Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!" 40And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their sound.

41Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the horn, he said, "Why is the city in

such a noisy uproar?" 42While he was still speaking, there came Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest. And Adonijah said to him, "Come in, for you are a

prominent man, and bring good news."

43Then Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, "No! Our lord King David

has made Solomon king. 44The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king's mule. 45So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. 46Also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47And moreover the king's servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying, 'May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.' Then the king bowed himself on the bed. 48Also the king said thus, 'Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!' "

49So all the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and each one went his way.

50Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took

hold of the horns of the altar. 51And it was told Solomon, saying, "Indeed Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.' "

52Then Solomon said, "If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him

shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die." 53So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."

1 Kings 2

DAVID'S INSTRUCTIONS TO SOLOMON

1Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged

Solomon his son, saying: 2"I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore,

and prove yourself a man. 3And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,' He said, 'you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'

2:4 His word. The unconditional Davidic covenant was made by God with David in 2Samuel 7:4–17 and confirmed to Solomon in 1 Kings 9:5, promising the perpetuation of the Davidic dynasty over Israel. If your sons take heed to their way. David declared that the king's obedience to the Law of Moses was a necessary condition for the fulfillment of divine promise. The Book of Kings demonstrates that none of the descendants of David remained faithful to God's law; none of them met the conditions for the fulfillment of the divine promise. Rather, David's words provided a basis for explaining the Exile. Thus, the ultimate and final King of Israel would appear at a later, undesignated time.

5"Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in

peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist,

and on his sandals that were on his feet. 6Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.

7"But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

8"And see, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him

by the LORD, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.' 9Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood."

DEATH OF DAVID

10So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. 11The period that David reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in

Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 12Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established.

SOLOMON EXECUTES ADONIJAH

13Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, "Do you come peaceably?"

And he said, "Peaceably." 14Moreover he said, "I have something to say to you."

And she said, "Say it." 15Then he said, "You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel had set their expectations on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom has been turned over, and has become my brother's; for it was his from the

LORD. 16Now I ask one petition of you; do not deny me."

And she said to him, "Say it." 17Then he said, "Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife."

18So Bathsheba said, "Very well, I will speak for you to the king." 19Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and bowed down to her, and sat down on his throne and had a throne set for the king's mother; so she sat at his right hand. 20Then she said, "I desire one small petition of you; do not refuse me." And the king said to her, "Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you." 21So she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife."

22And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, "Now why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also— for he is my older brother—for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah." 23Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, "May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life! 24Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has confirmed me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has established a housea for me, as He promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!"

25So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died.

ABIATHAR EXILED, JOAB EXECUTED

26And to Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go to Anathoth, to your own fields, for you are deserving of death; but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and

because you were afflicted every time my father was afflicted." 27So Solomon removed Abiathar from being priest to the LORD, that he might fulfill the word of the LORD which He spoke concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh.

28Then news came to Joab, for Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the LORD, and took

hold of the horns of the altar. 29And King Solomon was told, "Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the LORD; there he is, by the altar." Then Solomon sent Benaiah the

son of Jehoiada, saying, "Go, strike him down." 30So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said to him, "Thus says the king, 'Come out!' "

And he said, "No, but I will die here." And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, "Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me."

31Then the king said to him, "Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed. 32So the LORD will return his blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword—Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah— though my father David did not know it. 33Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants forever. But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the LORD."

34So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him; and

he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.

SHIMEI EXECUTED

36Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, "Build yourself a

house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. 37For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head."

38And Shimei said to the king, "The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do." So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.

39Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to Achish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, "Look, your slaves are in Gath!" 40So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from

Jerusalem to Gath and had come back. 42Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by the LORD, and warn you, saying, 'Know for certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die'? And you said to me, 'The word I have heard is good.' 43Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I gave you?" 44The king said moreover to Shimei, "You know, as your heart acknowledges, all the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore the

LORD will return your wickedness on your own head. 45But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever."

46So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

Next May 27 Reading

1 Kings 3

May 28

1 K INGS 3:1–4:34

SOLOMON REQUESTS WISDOM

1Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh's daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem. 2Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places,

because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days. 3And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

4Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great

high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?"

6And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him,

and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7Now, O

LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David,

but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people,

too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"

3:7 little child. Since Solomon was probably only about 20 years of age, he readily admitted his lack of qualification and experience to be king (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1).

3:8 a great people. Based on the census, which recorded 800,000 men of fighting age in Israel and 500,000 in Judah (2 Sam. 24:9), the total population was over 4 million, approximately double what it had been at the time of the conquest (Num. 26:1–65).

3:9 an understanding heart. Humbly admitting his need, Solomon sought "a listening heart" to govern God's people with wisdom.

10The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11Then God said to him: "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days."

3:10 pleased the Lord. The Lord was delighted that Solomon had not asked for personal benefits long life, wealth, or the death of his enemies.

15Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

SOLOMON'S WISE JUDGMENT

16Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. 17And one woman said, "O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house;

and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 19And this

woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne."

22Then the other woman said, "No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son."

And the first woman said, "No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son."

Thus they spoke before the king. 23And the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.' " 24Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king. 25And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other."

26Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, "O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!"

But the other said, "Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him." 27So the king answered and said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother."

28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they

feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

1 Kings 4

SOLOMON'S ADMINISTRATION

1So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; 3Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; 4Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and Abiathar, the priests; 5Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king's friend; 6Ahishar, over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.

7And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the

king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year. 8These are their names: Ben-Hur,a in the mountains of Ephraim; 9Ben-Deker,a

in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; 10Ben-Hesed,a in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; 11Ben-Abinadab,a

in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 12Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; 13Ben-Geber,a in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 16Baanah the son of Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; 17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; 19Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.

PROSPERITY AND WISDOM OF SOLOMON'S REIGN

20Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. 21So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the Rivera to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22Now Solomon's provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, 23ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

24For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the Rivera from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every side all around him. 25And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

26Solomon had fortya thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve

thousand horsemen. 27And these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon's table. There was no lack in their supply. 28They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.

29And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30Thus Solomon's wisdom

excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol,

and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

Next May 28 Reading

1 Kings 5

May 29

1 K INGS 5:1–6:38

SOLOMON PREPARES TO BUILD THE TEMPLE

1Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always loved David. 2Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

3You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the LORD put his foesa under the soles of his feet. 4But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence. 5And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to my father David, saying, "Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name." 6Now therefore, command that they cut down cedars for me from Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants, and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber like the Sidonians.

5:6 cedars…from Lebanon. The cedars of Lebanon symbolized majesty and might (Ps. 92:12; Ezek. 31:3). Because cedar was durable, resistant to rot and worms, closely grained, and could be polished to a fine shine, its wood was

regarded as the best timber for building. The logs were tied together and floated down the Mediterranean to Joppa (v. 9; 2 Chr. 2:16), from where they could be transported to Jerusalem, 35 miles inland.

7So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said,

Blessed be the LORD this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people! 8Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: I have considered the message which you sent me, and I will do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs. 9My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you indicate to me, and will have them broken apart there; then you can take them away. And you shall fulfill my desire by giving food for my household. 10Then Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire. 11And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and twentya kors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year.

12So the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.

13Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force

was thirty thousand men. 14And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. 15Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens,

and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains, 16besides three

thousand three hundreda from the chiefs of Solomon's deputies, who supervised the

people who labored in the work. 17And the king commanded them to quarry large

stones, costly stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple.a 18So Solomon's builders, Hiram's builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones to build the temple.

1 Kings 6

SOLOMON BUILDS THE TEMPLE

1And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightietha year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. 2Now the house which King Solomon built for the LORD, its length was sixty cubits, its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits. 3The vestibule in front of the sanctuarya of the house was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the width of the vestibuleb extended ten cubits from the front of the house. 4And he made for the house windows with beveled frames.

5Against the wall of the temple he built chambers all around, against the

walls of the temple, all around the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary.a Thus

he made side chambers all around it. 6The lowest chamber was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for he made narrow ledges around the outside of the temple, so that the support beams would not be fastened into the walls of the temple. 7And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. 8The doorway for the middle storya was on the right side of the temple. They went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third.

9So he built the temple and finished it, and he paneled the temple with beams

and boards of cedar. 10And he built side chambers against the entire temple, each five cubits high; they were attached to the temple with cedar beams.

11Then the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying: 12"Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David. 13And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel."

14So Solomon built the temple and finished it. 15And he built the inside walls of the temple with cedar boards; from the floor of the temple to the ceiling he paneled the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the temple with planks

of cypress. 16Then he built the twenty-cubit room at the rear of the temple, from floor to ceiling, with cedar boards; he built it inside as the inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. 17And in front of it the temple sanctuary was forty cubits long. 18The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was cedar; there was no stone to be seen.

6:16 the Most Holy Place. This inner sanctuary, partitioned off from the main hall by cedar planks, was a perfect cube about 30 feet on a side (v. 20) and was the most sacred area of the temple. The Most Holy Place is further described in 19–28. The tabernacle also had a Most Holy Place (Ex. 26:33, 34).

19And he prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple, to set the ark of

the covenant of the LORD there. 20The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold, and overlaid the altar of cedar. 21So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold. He stretched gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. 22The whole temple he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the temple; also he overlaid with gold the entire altar that was by the inner sanctuary.

23Inside the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten

cubits high. 24One wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the

cherub five cubits: ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. 25And the other cherub was ten cubits; both cherubim were of the same size and

shape. 26The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. 27Then he set the cherubim inside the inner room;a and they stretched out the wings of the cherubim so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28Also he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 30And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold, both the inner and outer

sanctuaries.

31For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the

lintel and doorposts were one-fifth of the wall. 32The two doors were of olive wood; and he carved on them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. 33So for the door of the sanctuary he also made doorposts

of olive wood, one-fourth of the wall. 34And the two doors were of cypress wood; two panels comprised one folding door, and two panels comprised the other folding door. 35Then he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them, and overlaid them with gold applied evenly on the carved work.

36And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams.

37In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in

the month of Ziv. 38And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

Next May 29 Reading

1 Kings 7

May 30

1 K INGS 7:1–8:66

SOLOMON'S OTHER BUILDINGS

1But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.

2He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars. 3And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five pillars, fifteen to a row. 4There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers. 5And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames; and window was opposite window in three tiers.

6He also made the Hall of Pillars: its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits; and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them.

7Then he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he

might judge; and it was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.a

8And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken as wife.

9All these were of costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from

the foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court. 10The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight

cubits. 11And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood. 12The great court was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams. So were the inner court of the house of the LORD and the vestibule of the temple.

HIRAM THE CRAFTSMAN

13Now King Solomon sent and brought Hurama from Tyre. 14He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.

THE BRONZE PILLARS FOR THE TEMPLE

15And he cast two pillars of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of

twelve cubits measured the circumference of each. 16Then he made two capitals of cast bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of one capital was five

cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17He made a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the

pillars: seven chains for one capital and seven for the other capital. 18So he made the pillars, and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals that were on top; and thus he did for the other capital.

19The capitals which were on top of the pillars in the hall were in the shape

of lilies, four cubits. 20The capitals on the two pillars also had pomegranates above, by the convex surface which was next to the network; and there were two hundred such pomegranates in rows on each of the capitals all around.

21Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz. 22The tops of the pillars were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished.

THE SEA AND THE OXEN

23And he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.

24Below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when

it was cast. 25It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed

inward. 26It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of

a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained two thousanda baths.

THE CARTS AND THE LAVERS

27He also made ten carts of bronze; four cubits was the length of each cart, four

cubits its width, and three cubits its height. 28And this was the design of the

carts: They had panels, and the panels were between frames; 29on the panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. And on the frames was a pedestal on top. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of plaited work. 30Every cart had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and its four feet

had supports. Under the laver were supports of cast bronze beside each wreath. 31Its opening inside the crown at the top was one cubit in diameter; and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, one and a half cubits in outside diameter; and also on the opening were engravings, but the panels were square, not round. 32Under the panels were the four wheels, and the axles of the wheels

were joined to the cart. The height of a wheel was one and a half cubits. 33The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel; their axle pins, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast bronze. 34And there were four supports at the four corners of each cart; its supports were part of the cart itself. 35On the top of the cart, at the height of half a cubit, it was perfectly round. And on the top of the cart, its flanges and its panels were of the same casting. 36On the plates of its flanges and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37Thus he made the ten carts. All of them were of the same mold, one measure, and one shape.

38Then he made ten lavers of bronze; each laver contained forty baths, and

each laver was four cubits. On each of the ten carts was a laver. 39And he put five carts on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. He set the Sea on the right side of the house, toward the southeast.

FURNISHINGS OF THE TEMPLE

40Hurama made the lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished

doing all the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of the LORD: 41the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; 42four hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars); 43the ten carts, and ten lavers on the carts; 44one Sea, and

twelve oxen under the Sea; 45the pots, the shovels, and the bowls.

All these articles which Hurama made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of burnished bronze. 46In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and Zaretan. 47And Solomon did not weigh all the articles, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.

48Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold on which was the showbread; 49the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold; 50the basins, the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

1 Kings 8

THE ARK BROUGHT INTO THE TEMPLE

1Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the City of David, which is

Zion. 2Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast

in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3So all the elders of Israel

came, and the priests took up the ark. 4Then they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the

tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 5Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or

numbered for multitude. 6Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy

Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its

poles. 8The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from

outside. And they are there to this day. 9Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

10And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the

cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

8:10 the cloud. The cloud was "the glory of the LORD," the visible symbol of God's presence. It signaled the Lord's approval of this new temple. A similar manifestation took place when the tabernacle was dedicated (Ex. 40:34, 35).

12Then Solomon spoke:

"The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. 13I have surely built You an exalted house, And a place for You to dwell in forever."

SOLOMON'S SPEECH AT COMPLETION OF THE WORK

14Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while

all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15And he said: "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilled it, saying, 16'Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house,

that My name might be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel.' 17Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a templea for the name of

the LORD God of Israel. 18But the LORD said to my father David, 'Whereas it was

in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from

your body, he shall build the temple for My name.' 20So the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 21And there I have made a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt."

SOLOMON'S PRAYER OF DEDICATION

22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the

assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; 23and he said: "LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 24You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 25Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.' 26And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father.

8:22–53 Solomon moved to the altar of burnt offering to offer a lengthy prayer of consecration to the Lord. First, he affirmed that no god could compare to Israel's God, the Lord (vv. 23, 24). Second, he asked the Lord for His continued presence and protection (vv. 25–30). Third, he listed 7 typical Israelite prayers that would require the Lord's response (vv. 31–54). These supplications recalled the detailed list of curses that Deuteronomy 28:15–68 ascribed for the breaking of the law. Specifically, Solomon prayed that the Lord would judge between the wicked and the righteous (vv. 31, 32); the Lord would forgive the sins that had caused defeat in battle (vv. 33, 34); the Lord would forgive the sins that had brought on drought (vv. 35, 36); the Lord would forgive the sins that had resulted in national calamities (vv. 37–40); the Lord would show mercy to God-fearing foreigners (vv. 41–43); the Lord would give victory in battle (vv. 44, 45); and the Lord would bring restoration after captivity (vv. 46–54).

27"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of

heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! 28Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: 29that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, 'My name shall be there,' that You may hear the

prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. 30And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.

31"When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath,

and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, 32then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

33"When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, 34then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

35"When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, 36then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

37"When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; 38whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: 39then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men), 40that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

41"Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but

has come from a far country for Your name's sake 42(for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he

comes and prays toward this temple, 43hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

44"When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, 45then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

46"When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to the land of the enemy, far or near; 47yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive, saying, 'We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness'; 48and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name: 49then hear in heaven Your dwelling place

their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause, 50and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You; and grant them compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(for they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, out of the iron furnace), 52that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your inheritance, as You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD."

SOLOMON BLESSES THE ASSEMBLY

54And so it was, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, that he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his

knees with his hands spread up to heaven. 55Then he stood and blessed all the

assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: 56"Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one

word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. 57May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor

forsake us, 58that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He

commanded our fathers. 59And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day

may require, 60that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD therefore be loyal to the LORD our commandments, as at this day."

is God; there is no other. 61Let your heart God, to walk in His statutes and keep His

SOLOMON DEDICATES THE TEMPLE

62Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. 63And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the

LORD. 64On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too small to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.

65At that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the

LORD our God, seven days and seven more days—fourteen days. 66On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.

Next May 30 Reading

1 Kings 9

May 31

1 K INGS 9:1–10:29

GOD'S SECOND APPEARANCE TO SOLOMON

1And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the

LORD and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he wanted to do, 2that the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to

him at Gibeon. 3And the LORD said to him: "I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 5then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.' 6But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?' 9Then they will answer, 'Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the LORD has brought all this calamity on them.' "

9:3 consecrated. The Lord made the temple holy by being present in the cloud (8:10). As proof of the temple's consecration, the Lord told Solomon that He had put His name there (3:2). forever. God was not saying He will dwell in that building forever, since in less than 400 years it was destroyed by the Babylonians (vv. 7–9). He was saying that Jerusalem and the temple mount are to be His earthly throne as long as the earth remains, through the millennial kingdom (Is. 2:1–4; Zech. 14:16). Even during the new heaven and new earth, the eternal state, there will be the heavenly Jerusalem, where God will eternally dwell (Rev. 21:1, 2). eyes…heart. These symbolized, respectively, the Lord's constant attention toward and deep affection for Israel. By implication, He promised them access to His presence and answers to their prayers.

SOLOMON AND HIRAM EXCHANGE GIFTS

10Now it happened at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two

houses, the house of the LORD and the king's house 11(Hiram the king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress and gold, as much as he desired), that King Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12Then Hiram went from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, but they did not please him. 13So he said, "What kind of cities are these which you have

given me, my brother?" And he called them the land of Cabul,a as they are to this

day. 14Then Hiram sent the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold.

SOLOMON'S ADDITIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

15And this is the reason for the labor force which King Solomon raised: to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo,a the wall of Jerusalem,

Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16(Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer and burned it with fire, had killed the Canaanites who dwelt in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife.) 17And

Solomon built Gezer, Lower Beth Horon, 18Baalath, and Tadmor in the

wilderness, in the land of Judah, 19all the storage cities that Solomon had, cities for his chariots and cities for his cavalry, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

20All the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites,

and Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel— 21that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel had not been able to destroy completely—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day. 22But of the children of Israel Solomon made no forced laborers, because they were men of war and his servants: his officers, his captains, commanders of his chariots, and his cavalry.

23Others were chiefs of the officials who were over Solomon's work: five hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people who did the work.

24But Pharaoh's daughter came up from the City of David to her house which

Solomona had built for her. Then he built the Millo.

25Now three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he had built for the LORD, and he burned incense with them on the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the temple.

26King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elatha on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27Then Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, seamen who knew the sea, to work with the servants of Solomon. 28And they went to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

1 Kings 10

THE QUEEN OF SHEBA'S PRAISE OF SOLOMON

1Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. 2She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 3So Solomon answered all her questions;

there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. 4And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. 6Then she said to the king: "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. 8Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! 9Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness."

10:1 Sheba. Sheba was located in southwestern Arabia, about 1,200 miles from Jerusalem. concerning the name of the LORD. The primary motive for the queen's visit was to verify Solomon's reputation for wisdom and devotion to the Lord. hard questions. Riddles designed to stump the hearer (Judg. 14:12).

10Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of almuga wood and precious stones from Ophir. 12And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the LORD and for the king's house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.

13Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

SOLOMON'S GREAT WEALTH

14The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six

talents of gold, 15besides that from the traveling merchants, from the income of traders, from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country.

16And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold;

six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. 17He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

18Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure

gold. 19The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. 20Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.

21All King Solomon's drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 22For the king had merchant shipsa at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.b 23So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

24Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which

God had put in his heart. 25Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.

10:25 silver and gold…horses. The wisdom God had given to Solomon (v. 24) caused many rulers, like the queen of Sheba (vv. 1–13), to bring presents to Solomon as they sought to buy his wisdom to be applied in their own nations. These gifts led Solomon to multiply for himself horses, as well as silver and gold, precisely that which God's king was warned against in Deuteronomy 17:16 , 17 . Solomon became ensnared by the blessings of his own wisdom and disobeyed God's commands.

26And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationeda

in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.

28Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king's merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price. 29Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; and thus, through their agents,a they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

Next May 31 Reading

1 Kings 11

June 1

1 K INGS 11:1–12:33

SOLOMON'S HEART TURNS FROM THE LORD

1But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites — 2from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. 3And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully

follow the LORD, as did his father David. 7Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

9So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from

the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not

keep what the LORD had commanded. 11Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and

give it to your servant. 12Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake

of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."

ADVERSARIES OF SOLOMON

14Now the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite;

he was a descendant of the king in Edom. 15For it happened, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, after he had killed every male in Edom 16(because for six months Joab

remained there with all Israel, until he had cut down every male in Edom), 17that Hadad fled to go to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father's

servants with him. Hadad was still a little child. 18Then they arose from Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, apportioned food for him, and gave him land. 19And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, that is, the sister of Queen Tahpenes. 20Then the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh.

21So when Hadad heard in Egypt that David rested with his fathers, and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me depart, that I may go to my own country."

22Then Pharaoh said to him, "But what have you lacked with me, that suddenly you seek to go to your own country?"

So he answered, "Nothing, but do let me go anyway." 23And God raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24So he gathered men to him and became captain over a band of raiders, when David killed those of Zobah. And they went to Damascus and dwelt there, and reigned in Damascus. 25He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon (besides the trouble that Hadad caused); and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

JEROBOAM'S REBELLION

26Then Solomon's servant, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from

Zereda, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king.

11:26 Jeroboam the son of Nebat. In contrast to Hadad and Rezon, who were external adversaries of Solomon, God raised up Jeroboam from a town in Ephraim as an internal adversary. Jeroboam was from Ephraim, the leading tribe of Israel's northern 10 tribes. He was a young man of talent and energy who, having been appointed by Solomon as leader over the building works around Jerusalem, rose to public notice.

27And this is what caused him to rebel against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and repaired the damages to the City of David his father. 28The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, made him the officer over all the labor force of the house of Joseph.

29Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. 30Then Ahijah took hold of

the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. 31And he said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you 32(but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33because they havea forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David. 34However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes. 35But I will take the

kingdom out of his son's hand and give it to you—ten tribes. 36And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a

lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there. 37So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your

heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. 39And I will afflict the descendants of David because of this, but not forever.' "

11:38 if you heed all that I command you. The Lord gave to Jeroboam the same promise that He had made to David an enduring royal dynasty over Israel, the 10 northern tribes, if he obeyed God's law. The Lord imposed on Jeroboam the same conditions for his kingship that He had imposed on David (2:3, 4; 3:14).

11:39 but not forever. This statement implied that the kingdom's division was not to be permanent and that David's house would ultimately rule all the tribes of Israel again (Ezek. 37:15–28).

40Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

DEATH OF SOLOMON

41Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42And the period that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43Then Solomon rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

1 Kings 12

THE REVOLT AGAINST REHOBOAM

1And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make

him king. 2So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt ), 3that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the

whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4"Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you."

5So he said to them, "Depart for three days, then come back to me." And the people departed.

6Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, "How do you advise me to answer these people?"

7And they spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever."

8But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the

young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9And he said to them, "What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?"

10Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us'—thus you shall say

to them: 'My little finger shall be thicker than my father's waist! 11And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father

chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!' "a

12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king

had directed, saying, "Come back to me the third day." 13Then the king answered

the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; 14and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My

father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father

chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!"a 15So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the LORD, that He might fulfill His word, which the LORD had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:

"What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!"

So Israel departed to their tents. 17But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.

18Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of the revenue; but all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. 19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

20Now it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. There was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

21And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22But the word of God

came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23"Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 24'Thus says the LORD: "You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me." ' " Therefore they obeyed the word of the LORD, and turned back, according to the word of the LORD.

JEROBOAM'S GOLD CALVES

25Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt

there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. 26And Jeroboam said

in his heart, "Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: 27If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah."

12:26 return to the house of David. The Lord had ordained a political, not a religious, division of Solomon's kingdom. The Lord had promised Jeroboam political control of the 10 northern tribes (11:31, 35, 37). However, Jeroboam was to religiously follow the Mosaic Law, which demanded that he follow the Lord's sacrificial system at the temple in Jerusalem (11:38). Having received the kingdom from God, he should have relied on divine protection, but he did not. Seeking to keep his subjects from being influenced by Rehoboam when they went to Jerusalem to worship, he set up worship in the north (vv. 27, 28).

28Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!" 29And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31He made shrinesa on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

32Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests

of the high places which he had made. 33So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.

Next June 1 Reading

1 Kings 13

June 2

1 K INGS 13:1–14:31

THE MESSAGE OF THE MAN OF GOD

1And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the

LORD, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, "O altar, altar! Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn

incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you.' " 3And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out."

4So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Arrest him!" Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. 5The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6Then the king answered and said to the man of God, "Please entreat the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me."

So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored

to him, and became as before. 7Then the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward."

8But the man of God said to the king, "If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place.

9For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'You shall not

eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.' " 10So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel.

DEATH OF THE MAN OF GOD

11Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. 12And their father said to

them, "Which way did he go?" For his sons had seena which way the man of

God went who came from Judah. 13Then he said to his sons, "Saddle the

donkey for me." So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, 14and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?"

And he said, "I am."

15Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat bread." 16And he said, "I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. 17For I have been told by the word of the LORD, 'You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.' "

18He said to him, "I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.' " (He was lying to him.)

13:18 He was lying to him. Why the old prophet deceived the man of God the text does not state. It may be that his own sons were worshipers at Bethel or perhaps priests, and this man wanted to gain favor with the king by showing up the man of God as an imposter who acted contrary to his own claim to have heard from God. Accustomed to receiving direct revelations, the Judean prophet should have regarded the supposed angelic message with suspicion and sought divine verification of this revised order.

19So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. 20Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came

to the prophet who had brought him back; 21and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, 22but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the LORD said to you, "Eat no bread and drink no water," your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.' "

23So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the

donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. 24When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and

the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. 25And there, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

26Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, "It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to him." 27And he

spoke to his sons, saying, "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled it. 28Then he went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey. 29And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. So the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him. 30Then he laid the corpse in his own tomb; and they mourned over him, saying, "Alas, my brother!" 31So it was, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, "When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32For the saying which he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the shrinesa on the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely come to pass."

33After this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of people for the high places; whoever wished, he

consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. 34And this

thing was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, so as to exterminate and destroy it from the face of the earth.

1 Kings 14

JUDGMENT ON THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM

1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2And Jeroboam said to his wife, "Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people. 3Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child." 4And Jeroboam's wife did so; she arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were glazed by reason of his age.

5Now the LORD had said to Ahijah, "Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman."

6And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I Jeroboam, 'Thus says the

have been sent to you with bad news. 7Go, tell LORD God of Israel: "Because I exalted you from

among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, 8and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me

with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; 9but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your

back— 10therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all

gone. 11The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the LORD

has spoken!" ' 12Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the

city, the child shall die. 13And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

14"Moreover the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam; this is the day. What? Even now! 15For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River,a because they have made their wooden images,b

provoking the LORD to anger. 16And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin."

14:15 Ahijah announced God's stern judgment on Israel for joining Jeroboam's apostasy. Struck by the Lord, Israel would sway like a reed in a rushing river, a biblical metaphor for political instability (Matt. 11:7; Luke 7:24). One day, the Lord would uproot Israel from Palestinian soil and scatter it in exile east of the Euphrates. The fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded in 2Kings 17:23.

17Then Jeroboam's wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. When

she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

DEATH OF JEROBOAM

19Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 20The period that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. So he rested with his fathers. Then Nadab his son reigned in his place.

REHOBOAM REIGNS IN JUDAH

21And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was fortyone years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name

there. His mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 22Now Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which

they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill

and under every green tree. 24And there were also perverted personsa in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

25It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made. 27Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king's house. 28And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom.

29Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written

in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30And there was war

between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. His mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. Then Abijama his son reigned in his place.

Next June 2 Reading

1 Kings 15

June 3

1 K INGS 15:1–16:34

ABIJAM REIGNS IN JUDAH

1In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. 2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name

was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. 3And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. 4Nevertheless for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; 5because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6And there was war between Rehoboama and Jeroboam

all the days of his life. 7Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8So Abijam rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place.

ASA REIGNS IN JUDAH

9In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah. 10And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother's name was

Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. 11Asa did what was right in the eyes

of the LORD, as did his father David. 12And he banished the perverted personsa

from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13Also he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah.a And Asa cut down her obscene image and

burned it by the Brook Kidron. 14But the high places were not removed.

Nevertheless Asa's heart was loyal to the LORD all his days. 15He also brought into the house of the LORD the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils.

15:11–15 Asa did 4 good things: 1) he removed the sacred prostitutes (v. 12); he rid the land of all the idols made by his predecessors (v. 12); 3) he removed the corrupt queen mother and burned the idol she had made; and 4) he placed holy things, items that he and his father had dedicated to the Lord, back in the temple (v. 15). Though he never engaged in idolatry, Asa's failure was his toleration of the high places (v. 14).

15:13 obscene image. This term is derived from the verb "to shudder" ( Job 9:6 ). It suggests a shocking, perhaps even a sexually explicit, idol. Asa removed his grandmother, Maacah, the official queen mother, because of her association with this idol.

16Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17And Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he

might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the treasuries of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the

son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, 19"Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a present of silver and gold. Come and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me."

20So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maachah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah, and remained in Tirzah.

22Then King Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted. And they took away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

23The rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24So Asa rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

NADAB REIGNS IN ISRAEL

25Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second

year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.

27Then Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha killed him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. 28Baasha

killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. 29And it was so, when he became king, that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he had sinned and by which he had made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he had provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.

15:29 he killed all the house of Jeroboam. Baasha, the northern king, in a vicious practice too common in the ancient Near East, annihilated all of Jeroboam's family. This act fulfilled Ahijah's prophecy against Jeroboam ( 14:9– 11 ). However, Baasha went beyond the words of the prophecy, since 14:10 specified judgment only on every male, while Baasha killed all men, women, and children.

31Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 32And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

BAASHA REIGNS IN ISRAEL

33In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became

king over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. 34He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.

1 Kings 16

1Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani, against

Baasha, saying: 2"Inasmuch as I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made My people Israel sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins, 3surely I will take away the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the fields."

5Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, what he did, and his might, are they not

written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 6So Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. Then Elah his son reigned in his place.

7And also the word of the LORD came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed them.

ELAH REIGNS IN ISRAEL

8In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reigned two years in Tirzah. 9Now his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, steward of his house in Tirzah. 10And Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

11Then it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends. 12Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 13for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, by which they had sinned and by which they had made Israel sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols.

14Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

ZIMRI REIGNS IN ISRAEL

15In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri had reigned in Tirzah seven days. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16Now the people who were encamped heard it said, "Zimri has conspired and also has killed the king." So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah. 18And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house down upon himself with fire, and died, 19because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin.

20Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the treason he committed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

OMRI REIGNS IN ISRAEL

21Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people

followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. 22But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri reigned. 23In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and reigned twelve years. Six years he reigned in Tirzah. 24And he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; then he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill. 25Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all who were before him. 26For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols.

27Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

28So Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. Then Ahab his son reigned in his place.

AHAB REIGNS IN ISRAEL

29In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the

LORD, more than all who were before him. 31And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32Then he set

up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33And Ahab made a wooden image.a Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God

of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.a

16:30 evil…more than all who were before him. With Ahab, Israel's spiritual decay reached its lowest point. He was even worse than his father, Omri, who was more wicked than all before him (v. 25). Ahab's evil consisted of perpetuating all the sins of Jeroboam and promoting the worship of Baal in Israel (vv. 31, 32). Of all Israel's kings, Ahab outraged the Lord most (v. 33).

Next June 3 Reading

1 Kings 17

June 4

1 K INGS 17:1–18:46

ELIJAH PROCLAIMS A DROUGHT

1And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the

LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word."

17:1 Elijah. His name means "the LORD is God." The prophet Elijah's ministry corresponded to his name: He was sent by God to confront Baalism and to declare to Israel that the Lord was God and there was no other. Tishbite. Elijah lived in a town called Tishbe, east of the Jordan River in the vicinity of the Jabbok River. not be dew nor rain. The autumn and spring rains and summer dew were necessities for the crops of Israel. The Lord had threatened to withhold these from the Land if His people turned from Him to serve other gods (Lev. 26:18, 19; Deut. 11:16, 17; 28:23, 24). Elijah had prayed for the drought (James 5:17) and God answered. It lasted 3 years and 6 months. The drought proved that Baal, the god of the rains and fertility, was impotent before the Lord.

2Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3"Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."

5So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. 7And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW

8Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9"Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." 10So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink." 11And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."

12So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."

13And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14For thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.' "

15So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and

he and her household ate for many days. 16The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.

ELIJAH REVIVES THE WIDOW'S SON

17Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath

left in him. 18So she said to Elijah, "What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?"

19And he said to her, "Give me your son." So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own

bed. 20Then he cried out to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, have You also

brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?" 21And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him." 22Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.

23And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives!"

24Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth."

1 Kings 18

ELIJAH'S MESSAGE TO AHAB

1And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth."

2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria. 3And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of

his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly. 4For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) 5And Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock." 6So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

18:3 Obadiah. His name means "servant of the LORD." He was the manager of Ahab's royal palace and a devout worshiper of the Lord, who had demonstrated his devotion to the Lord by protecting 100 of the Lord's prophets from death by Jezebel (vv. 4, 13), which had put him on tenuous ground with Ahab.

7Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, "Is that you, my lord Elijah?"

8And he answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your master, 'Elijah is here.' "

9So he said, "How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the

hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. 11And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is

here" '! 12And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth. 13Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the

LORD's prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here." ' He will kill me!"

18:12 the Spirit of the LORD will carry you. The servant had been asked to tell Ahab Elijah was present to speak with him (vv. 7, 18), but he was afraid because Ahab was seeking Elijah so intensely. Since Elijah had disappeared from sight earlier (17:5), Obadiah was afraid that the Holy Spirit would carry Elijah away again (2 Kin. 2:16) and the irrational Ahab would kill him for the false report of Elijah's presence.

15Then Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today."

16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?"

18And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. 19Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah,a who eat at Jezebel's table."

ELIJAH'S MOUNT CARMEL VICTORY

20So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together

on Mount Carmel. 21And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. 22Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it;

and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God."

18:21 falter between two opinions. Literally, limp along on or between two twigs. Israel had not totally rejected the Lord, but was seeking to combine worship of Him with the worship of Baal. The issue posed by Elijah was that Israel had to choose who was God, the Lord or Baal, and then serve God wholeheartedly. Rather than decide by his message, Elijah sought a visible sign from heaven.

18:24 the God who answers by fire. Since Baal's followers believed that he controlled the thunder, lightning, and storms, and the Lord's followers declared the same (Ps. 18:14; 29:3–9; 104:3), this would prove to be a fair test to show who was God.

So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken."

25Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."

26So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.

27And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." 28So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.

30Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came

near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel shall be your

name."a 32Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he

made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the

wood." 34Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time; and

he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. 35So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.

36And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."

38Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!"

40And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.

THE DROUGHT ENDS

41Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of

abundance of rain." 42So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between

his knees, 43and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea."

So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again."

44Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.' "

45Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Next June 4 Reading

1 Kings 19

June 5

1 K INGS 19:1–20:43

ELIJAH ESCAPES FROM JEZEBEL

1And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed

all the prophets with the sword. 2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." 3And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

19:3 he saw. His hope shattered, Elijah fled as a prophet, broken by Jezebel's threats (v. 2), her unrepentant Baalism, and her continuing power over Israel. Elijah expected Jezebel to surrender. When she did not capitulate, he became a discouraged man (vv. 4, 10, 14).

4But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!"

19:4 broom tree. A desert bush that grew to a height of 10 feet. It had slender branches featuring small leaves and fragrant blossoms. take my life. Since Israelites believed that suicide was an affront to the Lord, it was not an option, whatever the distress. So Elijah asked the Lord for death (Jon. 4:3, 8) because he viewed the situation as hopeless. Job (Job 6:8, 9), Moses (Num. 11:10–15), and Jeremiah (Jer. 20:14–18) had also reacted in similar fashion during their ministries.

5Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angela touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." 6Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7And the angela of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." 8So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

9And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

10So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."

GOD'S REVELATION TO ELIJAH

11Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in

the earthquake; 12and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

19:11 the LORD passed by. The 3 phenomena, wind, earthquake, and fire, announced the imminent arrival of the Lord ( Ex. 19:16–19 ; Ps. 18:7–15 ; Hab. 3:3–6 ). The Lord's self-revelation to Elijah came in a faint, whispering voice (v. 12). The lesson for Elijah was that Almighty God was quietly, sometimes imperceptibly, doing His work in Israel (v. 18).

13So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

14And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."

15Then the LORD said to him: "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."

ELISHA FOLLOWS ELIJAH

19So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. 20And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you."

19:19 Elisha. This name means "my God is salvation" and belonged to Elisha, the successor to Elijah (2 Kin. 2:9–15). It was a common practice for several teams of oxen, each with his own plow and driver, to work together in a row. After letting the others pass, Elijah threw his mantle around the last man, Elisha, thus designating him as his successor.

And he said to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?"

21So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen's equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

1 Kings 20

AHAB DEFEATS THE SYRIANS

1Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it. 2Then he sent messengers into the city to

Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, "Thus says Ben-Hadad: 3'Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.' "

4And the king of Israel answered and said, "My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours."

5Then the messengers came back and said, "Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, 'Indeed I have sent to you, saying, "You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children"; 6but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.' "

7So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, "Notice, please, and see how this man seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I did not deny him."

8And all the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent." 9Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, "Tell my lord the king, 'All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.' "

And the messengers departed and brought back word to him. 10Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, "The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me."

11So the king of Israel answered and said, "Tell him, 'Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.' "

12And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the command post, that he said to his servants, "Get ready." And they got ready to attack the city.

13Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 'Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.' "

14So Ahab said, "By whom?" And he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'By the young leaders of the provinces.' " Then he said, "Who will set the battle in order?" And he answered, "You." 15Then he mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—seven thousand.

16So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings

helping him were getting drunk at the command post. 17The young leaders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him, saying, "Men are coming out of Samaria!" 18So he said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive."

19Then these young leaders of the provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them. 20And each one killed his man; so the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry. 21Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

22And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, "Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you."

THE SYRIANS AGAIN DEFEATED

23Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. 24So do this thing:

Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places; 25and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they."

And he listened to their voice and did so. 26So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the

Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside.

28Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys," therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into

your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.' " 29And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of

the Syrians in one day. 30But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left.

And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber.

AHAB'S TREATY WITH BEN-HADAD

31Then his servants said to him, "Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life." 32So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says, 'Please let me live.' "

And he said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother." 33Now the men were watching closely to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they quickly grasped at this word and said, "Your brother Ben-Hadad."

So he said, "Go, bring him." Then Ben-Hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into the chariot.

34So Ben-Hadad said to him, "The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria."

Then Ahab said, "I will send you away with this treaty." So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

AHAB CONDEMNED

35Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the

word of the LORD, "Strike me, please." And the man refused to strike him. 36Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you." And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.

37And he found another man, and said, "Strike me, please." So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. 38Then the prophet departed and waited for

the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, 'Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.' 40While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone." Then the king of Israel said to him, "So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it."

41And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king

of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42Then he said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.' "

43So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.

Next June 5 Reading

1 Kings 21

June 6

1 K INGS 21:1–22:53

NABOTH IS MURDERED FOR HIS VINEYARD

1And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a

vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money."

3But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!"

21:3 The LORD forbid. Naboth's words implied that trading or selling his property would be a disregard of the law and thus displeasing in God's eyes ( 1 Sam. 24:6 ; 26:11 ; 2 Sam. 23:17 ). The reason was that the vineyard was his ancestral property. The Lord, the owner of all of the land of Israel, had forbidden Israelite families to surrender ownership of family lands permanently ( Lev. 25:23–28 ; Num. 36:7–9 ). Out of loyalty to God, Naboth declined Ahab's offer.

4So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which

Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed, and turned

away his face, and would eat no food. 5But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, "Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food?"

6He said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.' And he answered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.' "

7Then Jezebel his wife said to him, "You now exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

8And she wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth. 9She wrote in the letters, saying,

Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people; 10and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, "You have blasphemed God and the king." Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die. 11So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had

sent to them. 12They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth with high honor

among the people. 13And two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth has blasphemed God and the king!" Then they took him

outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died. 14Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned and is dead."

15And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead." 16So it was, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

THE LORD CONDEMNS AHAB

17Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18"Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. 19You shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "Have you murdered and also taken possession?" ' And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours." ' "

20So Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD: 21'Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away

your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free. 22I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.' 23And concerning Jezebel

the LORD also spoke, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the walla of Jezreel.' 24The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field."

25But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the

sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up. 26And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

27So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning.

28And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29"See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house."

1 Kings 22

MICAIAH WARNS AHAB

1Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel. 2Then it came to pass, in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel.

3And the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth in

Gilead is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?" 4So he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses." 5Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of the LORD today."

6Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?"

22:6 prophets. These 400 prophets of Ahab were not true prophets of the Lord. They worshiped at Bethel in the golden-calf center set up by Jeroboam (12:28, 29) and were supported by Ahab, whose religious policy also permitted Baal worship. Their words were designed to please Ahab (v. 8), so they refused to begin with the authoritative "thus says the

LORD"and did not use the covenant name for Israel's God, "LORD."

So they said, "Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king." 7And Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that

we may inquire of Him?"a

8So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he

does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil."

And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say such things!" 9Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, "Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!"

10The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. 11Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.' " 12And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the king's hand."

13Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement."

14And Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, that I will speak."

15Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?"

And he answered him, "Go and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king!"

16So the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"

17Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.' "

18And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

19Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. 20And the LORD said, 'Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?' So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 21Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said,

'I will persuade him.' 22The LORD said to him, 'In what way?' So he said, 'I will go

out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And the LORD said, 'You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.' 23Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you."

24Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the spirit from the LORD go from me to speak to you?"

25And Micaiah said, "Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!"

26So the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the

governor of the city and to Joash the king's son; 27and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace." ' "

28But Micaiah said, "If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Take heed, all you people!"

AHAB DIES IN BATTLE

29So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to

Ramoth Gilead. 30And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

31Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots,

saying, "Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel." 32So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel!" Therefore they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33And it happened, when the captains of the chariots

saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 34Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded."

35The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot. 36Then, as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the army, saying, "Every man to his city, and every man to his own country!"

37So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. 38Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed,a according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken.

39Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 40So Ahab rested with his fathers. Then Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

JEHOSHAPHAT REIGNS IN JUDAH

41Jehoshaphat the son of Asa had become king over Judah in the fourth

year of Ahab king of Israel. 42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43And he walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was right in the eyes of the LORD. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 44Also Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

45Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the might that he showed, and how he made war, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 46And the rest of the perverted persons,a who remained in the days of his father Asa, he banished from the land. 47There was then no king in Edom, only a deputy of the king.

48Jehoshaphat made merchant shipsa to go to Ophir for gold; but they

never sailed, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber. 49Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat would not.

50And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

AHAZIAH REIGNS IN ISRAEL

51Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over

Israel. 52He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who

had made Israel sin; 53for he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the

LORD God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.

Next June 6 Reading

The Second Book of the Kings

2 Kings 1

June 7

2 K INGS 1:1–2:25

GOD JUDGES AHAZIAH

1Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, "Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub,

the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury." 3But the angela of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel

that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?' 4Now therefore, thus says the LORD: 'You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.' " So Elijah departed.

5And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, "Why have you come back?"

6So they said to him, "A man came up to meet us, and said to us, 'Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of BaalZebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.' " ' "

7Then he said to them, "What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?"

8So they answered him, "A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite." 9Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him; and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: "Man of God, the king has said, 'Come down!' "

10So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men." And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 11Then he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men.

And he answered and said to him: "Man of God, thus has the king said, 'Come down quickly!' "

12So Elijah answered and said to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men." And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

13Again, he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, and said to him: "Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. 14Look, fire has come down from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your sight."

15And the angela of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be

afraid of him." So he arose and went down with him to the king. 16Then he said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.' "

17So Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. Because he had no son, Jehorama became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.

18Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

2 Kings 2

ELIJAH ASCENDS TO HEAVEN

1And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven

by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel."

2:1 by a whirlwind. Literally, "in the whirlwind." This was a reference to the specific storm with lightning and thunder in which Elijah was taken to heaven (v. 11). The Lord's presence was connected with a whirlwind in Job 38:1; 40:6; Jer. 23:19; 25:32; 30:23; Zech. 9:14. Elisha. The record of this prophet, who was the successor to Elijah, begins in 1 Kings 19:16 and extends to his death in 2 Kings 13:20.

But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So they went down to Bethel.

3Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?"

2:3 the sons of the prophets. See 1 Kings 20:35. take away. The same term was used of Enoch's translation to heaven in Genesis 5:24. The question from the sons of the prophets implied that the Lord had revealed Elijah's imminent departure to them. Elisha's response that he didn't need to hear about it (keep silent) explicitly stated that Elijah's departure had been revealed by the Lord to him also (v. 5). from over you. I.e., from supervising you, an allusion to the habit of students sitting beneath the feet of their master, elevated on a platform.

Elisha would soon change from being Elijah's assistant to serving as the leader among the prophets.

And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent!" 4Then Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho."

But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So they came to Jericho.

5Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?"

So he answered, "Yes, I know; keep silent!" 6Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan."

But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So the two of them went on. 7And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and

stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

9And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?"

Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." 10So he said, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so." 11Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

2:11 chariot of fire…with horses of fire. The horse-drawn chariot was the

fastest means of transport and the mightiest means of warfare in that day. Thus,

the chariot and horses symbolized God's powerful protection, which was the true safety of Israel (v. 12). As earthly kingdoms are dependent for their defense on such military force as represented by horses and chariots, one single prophet had done more by God's power to preserve his nation than all their military preparations.

12And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. 13He also took up the mantle of Elijah

that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.

15Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him. 16Then they said to him, "Look now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley."

And he said, "You shall not send anyone." 17But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, "Send them!" Therefore they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him. 18And when they came back to him, for he had stayed in Jericho, he said to them, "Did I not say to you, 'Do not go'?"

ELISHA PERFORMS MIRACLES

19Then the men of the city said to Elisha, "Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren."

20And he said, "Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it." So they brought it to him. 21Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, "Thus says the LORD: 'I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.' " 22So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

23Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!"

24So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

2:24 pronounced a curse. Because these young people of about 20 years of age or older (the same term is used of Solomon in 1Kin. 3:7) so despised the prophet of the Lord, Elisha called upon the Lord to deal with the rebels as He saw fit. The Lord's punishment was the mauling of 42 youths by two female bears. The penalty was clearly justified, for to ridicule Elisha was to ridicule the Lord Himself. The gravity of the penalty mirrored the gravity of the crime. The appalling judgment was God's warning to any and all who attempted to interfere with the newly invested prophet's ministry.

25Then he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

Next June 7 Reading

2 Kings 3

June 8

2 K INGS 3:1–4:44

MOAB REBELS AGAINST ISRAEL

1Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.

4Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 5But it happened, when Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

6So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?"

And he said, "I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people,

my horses as your horses." 8Then he said, "Which way shall we go up?"

And he answered, "By way of the Wilderness of Edom." 9So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them. 10And the king of Israel said, "Alas! For the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab."

11But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?"

So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah."

12And Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the LORD is with him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

13Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother."

But the king of Israel said to him, "No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab."

14And Elisha said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. 15But now bring me a musician."

3:15 a musician. The music was used to accompany praise and prayer, which calmed the mind of the prophet that he might clearly hear the word of the Lord. Music often accompanied prophecies in the Old Testament (1 Chr. 25:1).

Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. 16And he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'Make this valley full of ditches.' 17For thus says the LORD: 'You shall not see wind, nor shall you

see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and

your animals may drink.' 18And this is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD;

He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. 19Also you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones."

20Now it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was offered, that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.

21And when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to bear arms and older were gathered; and they stood at the border. 22Then they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood. 23And they said, "This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!"

24So when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and attacked the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they entered their land, killing the

Moabites. 25Then they destroyed the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good piece of land and filled it; and they stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees. But they left the stones of Kir Haraseth intact.

However the slingers surrounded and attacked it.

26And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. 27Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall; and there was great indignation against Israel. So they departed from him and returned to their own land.

2 Kings 4

ELISHA AND THE WIDOW'S OIL

1A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves."

2So Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil."

3Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your

neighbors —empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones."

4:4 shut the door behind you. Since the widow's need was private, the provision was to be private also. Further, the absence of Elisha demonstrated that the miracle happened only by God's power. God's power multiplied little into much, filling all the vessels to meet the widow's need (1 Kin. 17:7–16).

5So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought

the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel."

And he said to her, "There is not another vessel." So the oil ceased. 7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt;

and you and your sons live on the rest."

ELISHA RAISES THE SHUNAMMITE'S SON

8Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. 9And she said to her husband, "Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. 10Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there."

11And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the

upper room and lay down there. 12Then he said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunammite woman." When he had called her, she stood before him. 13And he said to him, "Say now to her, 'Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?' "

She answered, "I dwell among my own people."

14So he said, "What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered, "Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old." 15So he said, "Call her." When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16Then he said, "About this time next year you shall embrace a son." And she said, "No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!" 17But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.

18And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his

father, to the reapers. 19And he said to his father, "My head, my head!"

So he said to a servant, "Carry him to his mother." 20When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of

God, shut the door upon him, and went out. 22Then she called to her husband, and said, "Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back."

23So he said, "Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath."

And she said, "It is well." 24Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, "Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you." 25And so she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, "Look, the Shunammite woman! 26Please run now to meet her, and say to her, 'Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?' "

And she answered, "It is well." 27Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, "Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me."

28So she said, "Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?"

29Then he said to Gehazi, "Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child."

30And the mother of the child said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul

lives, I will not leave you." So he arose and followed her. 31Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, "The child has not awakened."

32When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. 33He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the

LORD. 34And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. 35He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36And he called Gehazi and said, "Call this Shunammite woman." So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, "Pick up your son." 37So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.

ELISHA PURIFIES THE POT OF STEW

38And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, "Put

on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets." 39So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though

they did not know what they were. 40Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, "Man of God, there is death in the pot!" And they could not eat it.

41So he said, "Then bring some flour." And he put it into the pot, and said, "Serve it to the people, that they may eat." And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

ELISHA FEEDS ONE HUNDRED MEN

42Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, "Give it to the people, that they may eat."

43But his servant said, "What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?" He said again, "Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the

LORD: 'They shall eat and have some left over.' " 44So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

Next June 8 Reading

2 Kings 5

June 9

2 K INGS 5:1–6:33

NAAMAN'S LEPROSY HEALED

1Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife. 3Then she said to her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy." 4And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel."

5Then the king of Syria said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel."

So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said,

Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. 7And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me."

8So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes?

Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel."

9Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of

Elisha's house. 10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you

shall be clean." 11But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed, I said to myself, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the

leprosy.' 12Are not the Abanaha and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?"

So he turned and went away in a rage. 13And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to

you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" 14So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

15And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, "Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant."

16But he said, "As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing." And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

17So Naaman said, "Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD. 18Yet in this thing may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD please pardon your servant in this thing."

5:17 two mule-loads of earth. In the ancient Near East, it was thought that a god could be worshiped only on the soil of the nation to which he was bound. Therefore, Naaman wanted a load of Israelite soil on which to make burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord when he returned to Damascus. This request confirmed how Naaman had changed whereas he had previously disparaged Israel's river, now he wanted to take a pile of Israel's soil to Damascus.

19Then he said to him, "Go in peace." So he departed from him a short distance.

GEHAZI'S GREED

20But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him." 21So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, "Is all well?"

22And he said, "All is well. My master has sent me, saying, 'Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.' "

23So Naaman said, "Please, take two talents." And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him. 24When he came to the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed. 25Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, "Where did you go, Gehazi?"

And he said, "Your servant did not go anywhere."

26Then he said to him, "Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing,

olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? 27Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever." And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.

5:27 leprosy…shall cling to you. Gehazi's greed had cast a shadow over the integrity of Elisha's prophetic office. This made him no better in the people's thinking than Israel's false prophets, who prophesied for material gain, the very

thing he wanted to avoid (vv. 15, 16). Gehazi's act betrayed a lack of faith in the Lord's ability to provide. As a result, Elisha condemned Gehazi and his descendants to suffer Naaman's skin disease forever. The punishment was a twist for Gehazi, who had gone to take something from Naaman (v. 20), but what he received was Naaman's disease.

2 Kings 6

THE FLOATING AX HEAD

1And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "See now, the place where we dwell

with you is too small for us. 2Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell."

So he answered, "Go."

3Then one said, "Please consent to go with your servants." And he answered, "I will go." 4So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, master! For it was borrowed."

6:5 iron…borrowed. Iron was expensive and relatively rare in Israel at that time, and the student-prophet was very poor. The ax head was loaned to the prophet since he could not have afforded it on his own and would have had no means to reimburse the owner for it.

6So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And he showed him the place. So

he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7Therefore he said, "Pick it up for yourself." So he reached out his hand and took it.

THE BLINDED SYRIANS CAPTURED

8Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with

his servants, saying, "My camp will be in such and such a place." 9And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there." 10Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.

11Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?"

12And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."

13So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan." 14Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by

night and surrounded the city. 15And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"

16So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than

those who are with them." 17And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire

all around Elisha. 18So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, "Strike this people, I pray, with blindness." And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

19Now Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." But he led them to Samaria.

20So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, "LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria!

21Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"

22But he answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master." 23Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel.

SYRIA BESIEGES SAMARIA IN FAMINE

24And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army,

and went up and besieged Samaria. 25And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.

26Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, "Help, my lord, O king!"

27And he said, "If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?" 28Then the king said to her, "What is troubling you?"

And she answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.' 29So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, 'Give your son, that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son."

30Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there

underneath he had sackcloth on his body. 31Then he said, "God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!"

32But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, "Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?" 33And while he was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, "Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?"

Next June 9 Reading

2 Kings 7

June 10

2 K INGS 7:1–8:29

1Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.' "

2So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?"

And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it."

THE SYRIANS FLEE

3Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to

one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? 4If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they

keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die." 5And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the

outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 6For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians

to attack us!" 7Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact

—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. 8And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.

7:6 the Hittites and…Egyptians. Sometime before the arrival of the lepers, the Lord had made the Syrians hear the terrifying sound of a huge army approaching. They thought the Israelite king had hired two massive foreign armies to attack them. The Hittites were descendants of the once-great Hittite Empire who lived in small groups across northern Syria (1 Kin. 10:29). Egypt was in decline at this time, but its army would still have represented a great danger to the Syrians.

9Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the

king's household." 10So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, "We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact." 11And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king's household inside. 12So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, "Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, 'When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.' "

13And one of his servants answered and said, "Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or indeed, I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send

them and see." 14Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent

them in the direction of the Syrian army, saying, "Go and see." 15And they went after them to the Jordan; and indeed all the road was full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers

returned and told the king. 16Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.

17Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, "Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria."

19Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, "Now look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?"

And he had said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it." 20And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.

2 Kings 8

THE KING RESTORES THE SHUNAMMITE'S LAND

1Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, "Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the LORD has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years." 2So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.

3It came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to make an appeal to the king for her house and for her land. 4Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done." 5Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, "My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life." 6And when the king asked the woman, she told him.

So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, "Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now."

DEATH OF BEN-HADAD

7Then Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Syria was sick; and

it was told him, saying, "The man of God has come here." 8And the king said to Hazael, "Take a present in your hand, and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, 'Shall I recover from this disease?' " 9So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of

Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, 'Shall I recover from this disease?' "

10And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover.' However the LORD has shown me that he will really die." 11Then he set his

countenance in a stare until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept. 12And Hazael said, "Why is my lord weeping?"

8:10 recover…die. Ben-Hadad wanted to know whether or not he would recover from his present illness. In response, Elisha affirmed two interrelated things: 1) Ben-Hadad would be restored to health; his present sickness would not be the means of his death. 2) Ben-Hadad would surely die by some other means.

8:11 he was ashamed. With a fixed gaze, Elisha stared at Hazael because it had been revealed to him what Hazael would do, including the murder of Ben-Hadad (v. 15). Hazael was embarrassed, knowing that Elisha knew of his plan to assassinate the Syrian king.

He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child."

13So Hazael said, "But what is your servant—a dog, that he should do this gross thing?"

And Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you will become king over Syria."

14Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he answered, "He told me you would surely recover." 15But it happened on the next day that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his place.

JEHORAM REIGNS IN JUDAH

16Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat having been king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king of Judah. 17He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 19Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

20In his days Edom revolted against Judah's authority, and made a king over

themselves. 21So Jorama went to Zair, and all his chariots with him. Then he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the

chariots; and the troops fled to their tents. 22Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah's authority to this day. And Libnah revolted at that time.

23Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not

written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 24So Joram rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

AHAZIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

25In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son

of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. 26Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel. 27And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

28Now he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of

Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29Then King Joram went back to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Next June 10 Reading

2 Kings 9

June 11

2 K INGS 9:1–10:36

JEHU ANOINTED KING OF ISRAEL

1And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, "Get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. 2Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates, and take him to an inner room. 3Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, 'Thus says the LORD: "I have anointed you king over Israel." ' Then open the door and flee, and do not delay."

9:2 Jehu. The Lord had previously told Elijah that Jehu would become king over Israel and kill those involved in the worship of Baal (1 Kin. 19:16, 17). The fulfillment of the prophecy is recorded from 9:1–10:31. inner room. A private room that could be closed off to the public. Elisha commissioned one of the younger prophets to anoint Jehu alone behind closed doors. The rite was to be a secret affair without Elisha present so that Jehoram would not suspect that a coup was coming.

9:3 anointed you king over Israel. The anointing with olive oil by a prophet of the Lord confirmed that God Himself had earlier chosen that man to be king (1 Sam. 10:1; 16:13). This action of anointing by a commissioned prophet indicated divine investiture with God's sovereign power to Jehu. flee, and do not delay. The need for haste by the young prophet underscored the danger of the assignment. A prophet in the midst of Israel's army camp would alert the pro-Jehoram elements to the possibility of the coup.

4So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. 5And when he arrived, there were the captains of the army sitting; and he said, "I have a message for you, Commander."

Jehu said, "For which one of us?"

And he said, "For you, Commander." 6Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, "Thus says the LORD God of

Israel: 'I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel. 7You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the

hand of Jezebel. 8For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off

from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free. 9So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of

Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.' " And he opened the door and fled.

11Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, "Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?"

And he said to them, "You know the man and his

babble." 12And they said, "A lie! Tell us now." So he said, "Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, 'Thus says the

LORD: "I have anointed you king over Israel." ' "

13Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, "Jehu is king!"

JORAM OF ISRAEL KILLED

14So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria. 15But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, "If you are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel." 16So Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there; and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

17Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, "I see a company of men."

And Joram said, "Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, 'Is it peace?' "

18So the horseman went to meet him, and said, "Thus says the king: 'Is it peace?' "

And Jehu said, "What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me."

So the watchman reported, saying, "The messenger went to them, but is not coming back."

19Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, "Thus says the king: 'Is it peace?' "

And Jehu answered, "What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me."

20So the watchman reported, saying, "He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!"

21Then Joram said, "Make ready." And his chariot was made ready. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot; and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.

22Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?" So he answered, "What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?"

23Then Joram turned around and fled, and said to Ahaziah, "Treachery,

Ahaziah!" 24Now Jehu drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot. 25Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, "Pick him up, and throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I were

riding together behind Ahab his father, that the LORD laid this burden upon him: 26'Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,' says the LORD, 'and I will repay you in this plot,' says the LORD. Now therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground, according to the word of the LORD."

AHAZIAH OF JUDAH KILLED

27But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to Beth

Haggan.a So Jehu pursued him, and said, "Shoot him also in the chariot." And they shot him at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 28And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem, and

buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David. 29In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.

JEZEBEL'S VIOLENT DEATH

30Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on

her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. 31Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, "Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?"

9:30 paint on her eyes. The painting of the eyelids with a black powder mixed with oil and applied with a brush, darkened them to give an enlarged effect. Jezebel's appearance at the window gave the air of a royal audience to awe Jehu.

32And he looked up at the window, and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" So two or

three eunuchs looked out at him. 33Then he said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he

trampled her underfoot. 34And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, "Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king's

daughter." 35So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull

and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, "This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs

shall eat the flesh of Jezebel;a 37and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, "Here lies Jezebel." ' "

2 Kings 10

AHAB'S SEVENTY SONS KILLED

1Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel,a to the elders, and to those who reared Ahab's sons, saying:

2Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master's sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons, 3choose the best qualified of your master's sons, set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house. 4But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, "Look, two kings could not

stand up to him; how then can we stand?" 5And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, "We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight." 6Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying:

If you are for me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master's sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow. Now the king's sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. 7So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons and slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.

8Then a messenger came and told him, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons."

And he said, "Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning."

9So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, "You are righteous. Indeed I conspired against my master and killed him;

but who killed all these? 10Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of

the word of the LORD which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for

the LORD has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah." 11So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

AHAZIAH'S FORTY-TWO BROTHERS KILLED

12And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at Beth Ekeda of the Shepherds, 13Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, "Who are you?"

So they answered, "We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother."

14And he said, "Take them alive!" So they took them alive, and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

THE REST OF AHAB'S FAMILY KILLED

15Now when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, "Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?"

And Jehonadab answered, "It is." Jehu said, "If it is, give me your hand." So he gave him his hand, and he took

him up to him into the chariot. 16Then he said, "Come with me, and see my

zeal for the LORD." So they had him ride in his chariot. 17And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.

WORSHIPERS OF BAAL KILLED

18Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, "Ahab served

Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. 19Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live." But Jehu acted

deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal. 20And Jehu

said, "Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal." So they proclaimed it. 21Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was

not a man left who did not come. So they came into the templea of Baal, and the

temple of Baal was full from one end to the other. 22And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, "Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal." So

he brought out vestments for them. 23Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, "Search and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the worshipers of

Baal." 24So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, "If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be his life for the life of the other."

25Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, "Go in and kill them; let no one come out!" And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal. 26And they brought the sacred pillars out

of the temple of Baal and burned them. 27Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump to this day. 28Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.

29However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and

Dan. 30And the LORD said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart,

your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." 31But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.

DEATH OF JEHU

32In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel; and Hazael

conquered them in all the territory of Israel 33from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.

34Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 35So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. 36And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Next June 11 Reading

2 Kings 11

June 12

2 K INGS 11:1–13:25

ATHALIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose

and destroyed all the royal heirs. 2But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse

in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. 3So he was hidden with her in the house of the LORD for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

JOASH CROWNED KING OF JUDAH

4In the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds—of the bodyguards and the escorts—and brought them into the house of the LORD to him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the LORD, and showed them the king's son. 5Then he commanded them, saying, "This is what you shall do: one-third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king's house, 6one-third shall be at the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the escorts. You shall keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down. 7The two contingents of you who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of the

LORD for the king. 8But you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in."

9So the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each of them took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10And the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and shields which had belonged to King David, that were in the temple of the LORD. 11Then the escorts stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, by the altar and the house. 12And he brought out the king's son,

put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony;a they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, "Long live the king!"

DEATH OF ATHALIAH

13Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the escorts and the people, she came to

the people in the temple of the LORD. 14When she looked, there was the king standing by a pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, "Treason! Treason!"

15And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them, "Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her." For the priest had said, "Do not let her be killed in the house of the LORD." 16So they seized her; and she went by way of the horses' entrance into the king's house, and there she was killed.

17Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people,

that they should be the LORD's people, and also between the king and the people. 18And all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house

of the LORD. 19Then he took the captains of hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD, and went by way of the gate of the escorts to the king's

house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. 20So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the

king's house. 21Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.

11:17 a covenant. The renewal of the agreement between the people and the Lord and between the house of David and the people was appropriate because of the disruption under Athaliah. A similar ceremony was held later, during the reign of Josiah (23:1–3).

2 Kings 12

JEHOASH REPAIRS THE TEMPLE

1In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoasha became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

4And Jehoash said to the priests, "All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the LORD—each man's census money, each man's

assessment moneya —and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the constituency; and let dilapidation is found."

LORD, 5let the priests take it themselves, each from his them repair the damages of the temple, wherever any

6Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests

had not repaired the damages of the temple. 7So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, "Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not take more money from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple." 8And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the temple.

9Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD; and the priests who

kept the door put there all the money brought into the house of the LORD. 10So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up and put it in bags, and counted the money that

was found in the house of the LORD. 11Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on

the house of the LORD, 12and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to repair the damage of the house of the LORD, and for all that was paid

out to repair the temple. 13However there were not made for the house of the LORD basins of silver, trimmers,

sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the house of the LORD. 14But they gave that to the

workmen, and they repaired the house of the LORD with it. 15Moreover they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully. 16The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD. It belonged to the priests.

HAZAEL THREATENS JERUSALEM

17Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; then

Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18And Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and in the king's house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

DEATH OF JOASH

19Now the rest of the acts of Joash,a and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

20And his servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of the Millo,a which goes down to Silla. 21For Jozachara the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer,b his servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

2 Kings 13

JEHOAHAZ REIGNS IN ISRAEL

1In the twenty-third year of Joasha the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the

son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. 2And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.

3Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of

Hazael, all their days. 4So Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD, and the LORD listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria

oppressed them. 5Then the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents

as before. 6Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of

Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the wooden imagea

also remained in Samaria. 7For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

8Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, are

they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 9So Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Joash his son reigned in his place.

JEHOASH REIGNS IN ISRAEL

10In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoasha the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. 11And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them.

12Now the rest of the acts of Joash, all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 13So Joash rested with his fathers. Then Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

DEATH OF ELISHA

14Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, "O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!"

15And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and some arrows." So he took himself a

bow and some arrows. 16Then he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on

the bow." So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. 17And he said, "Open the east window"; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. And he said, "The arrow of the LORD's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them." 18Then he said, "Take the arrows"; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground"; so he struck three times, and stopped. 19And the man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times."

20Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from

Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. 21So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

13:21 he revived. A dead man returned to life after touching Elisha's bones. This miracle was a sign that God's power continued to work in relationship to Elisha even after his death. What God had promised to Jehoash through Elisha when he was alive would surely come to pass after the prophet's death (vv. 19, 25) in the defeat of the enemy, the recovery of the cities that had been taken, and their restoration to the kingdom of Israel (vv. 22–25).

ISRAEL RECAPTURES CITIES FROM SYRIA

22And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23But the LORD was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.

24Now Hazael king of Syria died. Then Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place. 25And Jehoasha the son of Jehoahaz recaptured from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times Joash defeated him and recaptured the cities of Israel.

Next June 12 Reading

2 Kings 14

June 13

2 K INGS 14:1–29

AMAZIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the

son of Joash, king of Judah, became king. 2He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 3And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done. 4However the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

14:1–15:38 This section quickly surveys the kings and selected events of the northern and southern kingdoms from 796 to 735 B.C. In contrast to the previous 19 chapters (1 Kin. 17:1-2Kin. 13:25), which narrated 90 years of history (885– 796 B.C.) with a concentration on the ministries of Elijah and Elisha during the final 65 years of that period (860–796 B.C.), 62 years are covered in these two chapters. The previous section concluded with a shadow of hope: officially sanctioned Baal worship had been eradicated in both Israel (10:18–28) and Judah ( 11:17 , 18 ); the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem had been repaired ( 12:9– 15 ); and the Syrian threat to Israel had been overcome ( 13:25 ). However, this section emphasizes that the fundamental problems still remained: the false religion established by Jeroboam I continued in Israel even with the change of royal families (14:24– 15:9, 18, 24, 28), and the high places were not removed in Judah even though there were only good kings there during those years (14:4; 15:4, 35).

5Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he

executed his servants who had murdered his father the king. 6But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the LORD commanded, saying, "Fathers shall not be put

to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their

fathers; but a person shall be put to death for his own sin."a

7He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel to this day.

8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoasha the son of Jehoahaz, the son

of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us face one another in battle." 9And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as wife'; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by

and trampled the thistle. 10You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in that, and stay at home; for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?"

11But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to

his tent. 13Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and he went to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate —four hundred cubits. 14And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

15Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did—his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 16So Jehoash rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

17Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 19And they formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 20Then they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.

21And all the people of Judah took Azariah,a who was sixteen years old, and

made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 22He built Elath and restored it to

Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.

JEROBOAM II REIGNS IN ISRAEL

23In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned fortyone years. 24And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all

the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 25He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher. 26For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter; and

whether bond or free, there was no helper for Israel. 27And the LORD did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

14:25 restored the territory of Israel. Jeroboam II's greatest accomplishment was the restoration of Israel's boundaries to approximately their extent in Solomon's time, excluding the territory belonging to Judah. The northern boundary was the entrance of Hamath, the same as Solomon's (1 Kin. 8:65) and the southern boundary was the Sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea (Josh. 3:16; 12:3). Jeroboam II took Hamath, a major city located on the Orontes River, about 160 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. He also controlled Damascus, indicating that the Transjordan territory south to Moab was also under his authority. These victories of Jeroboam II were accomplished because the Syrians had been weakened by attacks from the Assyrians, while Assyria herself was weak at this time, suffering from threats on her northern border, internal dissension, and a series of weak kings. Jonah. The territorial extension of Jeroboam II was in accordance with the will of theLord as revealed through the prophet Jonah. This was the same Jonah who traveled to Nineveh with God's message of repentance for the Assyrians.

28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did—his might, how he made war, and how he recaptured for Israel, from Damascus and Hamath, what had belonged to Judah—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 29So Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. Then Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Next June 13 Reading

2 Kings 15

June 14

2 K INGS 15:1–16:20

AZARIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of

Amaziah, king of Judah, became king. 2He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 3And he did what was right in the sight of the

LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done, 4except that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 5Then the LORD struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death; so he dwelt in an isolated house. And Jotham the king's son was over the royal house, judging the people of the land.

6Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not

written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 7So Azariah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.

ZECHARIAH REIGNS IN ISRAEL

8In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of

Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months. 9And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 10Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and struck and killed him in front of the people; and he reigned in his place.

11Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

12This was the word of the LORD which He spoke to Jehu, saying, "Your sons

shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation."a And so it was.

SHALLUM REIGNS IN ISRAEL

13Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziaha

king of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria. 14For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, came to Samaria, and struck Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him; and he reigned in his place.

15Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and the conspiracy which he led,

indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 16Then from Tirzah, Menahem attacked Tiphsah, all who were there, and its territory. Because they did not surrender, therefore he attacked it. All the women there who were with child he ripped open.

MENAHEM REIGNS IN ISRAEL

17In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi

became king over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria. 18And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 19Pula king of Assyria came against the land; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver,

that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his control. 20And Menahem exacted the money from Israel, from all the very wealthy, from each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and did not stay there in the land.

21Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 22So Menahem rested with his fathers. Then Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

PEKAHIAH REIGNS IN ISRAEL

23In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of

Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. 24And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 25Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, an officer of his, conspired against him and killed him in Samaria, in the citadel of the king's house, along with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of Gilead. He killed him and reigned in his place.

26Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

PEKAH REIGNS IN ISRAEL

27In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah

became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. 28And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of

Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 29In the days of Pekah king of Israel, TiglathPileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive

to Assyria. 30Then Hoshea the son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck and killed him; so he reigned in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.

31Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

JOTHAM REIGNS IN JUDAH

32In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of

Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign. 33He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was

Jerushaa the daughter of Zadok. 34And he did what was right in the sight of the

LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. 35However the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD.

36Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written

in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 37In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. 38So Jotham rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. Then Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

2 Kings 16

AHAZ REIGNS IN JUDAH

1In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. 2Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do

what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done. 3But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel. 4And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

16:3 walked in the way of the kings of Israel. This does not necessarily mean that Ahaz participated in the calf worship introduced by Jeroboam I at Bethel and Dan, but that he increasingly brought pagan, idolatrous practices into the worship of the Lord in Jerusalem. These are specified in vv. 10–16 and parallel those of Jeroboam I in the northern kingdom. This included idols to Baal ( 2 Chr. 28:2 ). made his son pass through the fire. As a part of the ritual worship of Molech, the god of the Moabites, children were sacrificed by fire (3:27). This horrific practice was continually condemned in the Old Testament (Lev. 18:21; 20:2–5; Deut. 18:10; Jer. 7:31; 19:5; 32:35).

5Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war; and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him. 6At that time Rezin king of Syria captured Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath. Then the Edomitesa went to Elath, and dwell there to this day.

7So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of

Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me." 8And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the

treasuries of the king's house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria. 9So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.

10Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the

priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship. 11Then Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus. 12And when the king came back from Damascus, the king

saw the altar; and the king approached the altar and made offerings on it. 13So he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering; and he poured his

drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14He also brought the bronze altar which was before the LORD, from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the house of the LORD—and put it on the north side of the new altar. 15Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, "On the great new altar burn the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king's burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the

blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by." 16Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz commanded.

16:10 the altar. When Ahaz traveled to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser III, he saw a large altar (v. 15) which was most likely Assyrian. Ahaz sent a sketch of this altar to Urijah the high priest in Jerusalem, and Urijah built an altar just like it. The serious iniquity in this was meddling with and changing, according to personal taste, the furnishings of the temple, the design for which had been given by God (Ex. 25:40; 26:30; 27:1–8; 1 Chr. 28:19). This was like building an idol in the temple, done to please the pagan Assyrian king, whom Ahaz served instead of God.

17And King Ahaz cut off the panels of the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and he took down the Sea from the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it on a pavement of stones. 18Also he removed the Sabbath pavilion which they had built in the temple, and he removed the king's outer entrance from the house of the LORD, on account of the king of Assyria.

19Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the

book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Next June 14 Reading

2 Kings 17

June 15

2 K INGS 17:1–18:37

HOSHEA REIGNS IN ISRAEL

1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2And he did evil in the

sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became his

vassal, and paid him tribute money. 4And the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

ISRAEL CARRIED CAPTIVE TO ASSYRIA

5Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria

and besieged it for three years. 6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared other gods, 8and had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 9Also the children of Israel secretly did against the LORD their God things that were not right, and they

built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city. 10They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden imagesa on every high

hill and under every green tree. 11There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the LORD had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger, 12for they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this thing."

13Yet the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which

I sent to you by My servants the prophets." 14Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the

LORD their God. 15And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them that they should not

do like them. 16So they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and

worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and

sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. 18Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.

19Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but

walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His sight. 21For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD, and made them commit a great sin. 22For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which

he did; they did not depart from them, 23until the LORD removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day.

ASSYRIA RESETTLES SAMARIA

24Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities. 25And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations whom you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the rituals of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and indeed, they are killing them because they do not know the rituals of the God of the land." 27Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the rituals of the God of the land." 28Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

29However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and put them in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they dwelt. 30The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32So they feared the LORD, and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 33They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.

34To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the

LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the LORD had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He

named Israel, 35with whom the LORD had made a covenant and charged them, saying: "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor

sacrifice to them; 36but the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship,

and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. 37And the statutes, the ordinances,

the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods. 38And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39But the LORD your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you

from the hand of all your enemies." 40However they did not obey, but they

followed their former rituals. 41So these nations feared the LORD, yet served

their carved images; also their children and their children's children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.

2 Kings 18

HEZEKIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twentynine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abia the daughter of Zechariah. 3And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

4He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden imagea and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.b 5He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him

was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. 6For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses. 7The LORD was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8He subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

18:5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel. The most noble quality of Hezekiah (in dramatic contrast to his father, Ahaz) was that he relied on the Lord as his exclusive hope in every situation. What distinguished him from all other kings of Judah (after the division of the kingdom) was his firm trust in the Lord during a severe national crisis (18:17–19:34). Despite troublesome events, Hezekiah clung tightly to the Lord, faithfully following Him and obeying His commands (v. 6). As a result, the Lord was with him and gave him success (v. 7).

9Now it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of

Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10And at the end of three years they took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, the ninth year of Hoshea

king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and put them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan,

and in the cities of the Medes, 12because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded; and they would neither hear nor do them.

13And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of

Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 14Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, "I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay." And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house. 16At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

SENNACHERIB BOASTS AGAINST THE LORD

17Then the king of Assyria sent the Tartan,a the Rabsaris,b and the Rabshakehc

from Lachish, with a great army against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they went and stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, which was on the highway to the Fuller's

Field. 18And when they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the

recorder, came out to them. 19Then the Rabshakeh said to them, "Say now to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: "What confidence is this

in which you trust? 20You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are

mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 21Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in

him. 22But if you say to me, 'We trust in the LORD our God,' is it not

He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem'?" ' 23Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the

king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on

your part to put riders on them! 24How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25Have I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, 'Go up against this land, and destroy it.' "

26Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not

speak to us in Hebrewa in the hearing of the people who are on the wall."

27But the Rabshakeh said to them, "Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?"

28Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and

spoke, saying, "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you

from his hand; 30nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, "The LORD will surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of

Assyria." ' 31Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the

waters of his own cistern; 32until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive groves and honey, that you may live and not die. But do not listen to

Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, "The LORD will deliver us." 33Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of

Assyria? 34Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my

hand? 35Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?' "

36But the people held their peace and answered him not a word; for the

king's commandment was, "Do not answer him." 37Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

Next June 15 Reading

2 Kings 19

June 16

2 K INGS 19:1–21:26

ISAIAH ASSURES DELIVERANCE

1And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered

himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of

the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah: 'This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.' "

5So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6And Isaiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD: "Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land." ' "

SENNACHERIB'S THREAT AND HEZEKIAH'S PRAYER

8Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against

Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, "Look, he has come out to make war with

you." So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10"Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, "Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of

Assyria." 11Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all

lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran

and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and

Ivah?' "

14And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: "O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17Truly,

LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone."

THE WORD OF THE LORD CONCERNING SENNACHERIB 20THEN ISAIAH THE

SON OF AMOZ SENT TO HEZEKIAH, SAYING, "THUS SAYS THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL: 'BECAUSE YOU HAVE PRAYED TO ME AGAINST SENNACHERIB KING

OF ASSYRIA, I HAVE HEARD.' 21THIS IS THE WORD WHICH THE LORD HAS

SPOKEN CONCERNING HIM: 'THE VIRGIN, THE DAUGHTER OF ZION,

Has despised you, laughed you to scorn;

The daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head behind your back!

22'Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, And lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. 23By your messengers you have reproached the Lord, And said: "By the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, To the limits of Lebanon; I will cut down its tall cedars And its choice cypress trees; I will enter the extremity of its borders, To its fruitful forest. 24I have dug and drunk strange water, And with the soles of my feet I have dried up All the brooks of defense."

25'Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass,

That you should be For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins. 26Therefore their inhabitants had little power; They were dismayed and confounded; They were as the grass of the field And the green herb, As the grass on the housetops And grain blighted before it is grown.

27'But I know your dwelling place, Your going out and your coming in, And your rage against Me. 28Because your rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back By the way which you came.

29'This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, And in the second year what springs from the same; Also in the third year sow and reap, Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. 30And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward. 31For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of hostsa will do this.'

32"Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come into this city,

Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it. 33By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,' Says the LORD. 34'For I will defend this city, to save it

For My own sake and for My servant David's sake.' "

SENNACHERIB'S DEFEAT AND DEATH

35And it came to pass on a certain night that the angela of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 36So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned

home, and remained at Nineveh. 37Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

2 Kings 20

HEZEKIAH'S LIFE EXTENDED

1In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.' "

2Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3"Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the

word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5"Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. 6And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David." ' "

7Then Isaiah said, "Take a lump of figs." So they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

8And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "What is the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD the third day?"

9Then Isaiah said, "This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?"

10And Hezekiah answered, "It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees."

11So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.

THE BABYLONIAN ENVOYS

12At that time Berodach-Baladana the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent

letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13And Hezekiah was attentive to them, and showed them all the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and alla his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

14Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, "What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?"

So Hezekiah said, "They came from a far country, from

Babylon." 15And he said, "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them."

16Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: 17'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the LORD. 18'And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.' "

20:16, 17 word of the LORD…carried to Babylon. Isaiah predicted the Babylonian captivity that would come over a century later (586 B.C.), another prophecy historically fulfilled in all of its expected detail.

20:17 nothing shall be left. Hezekiah's sin of parading his wealth before the

visitors backfired, though this sin was only symptomatic of the ultimate reason for the captivity. The major cause was the corrupt leadership of Manasseh, Hezekiah's son (21:11–15).

19So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!" For he said, "Will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?"

DEATH OF HEZEKIAH

20Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah—all his might, and how he made a pool and a tunnel and brought water into the city—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 21So Hezekiah rested with his fathers. Then Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

2 Kings 21

MANASSEH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five

years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. 2And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD

had cast out before the children of Israel. 3For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up altars for Baal, and made a

wooden image,a as Ahab king of Israel had done; and he worshiped all the host

of heavenb and served them. 4He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of

which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will put My name." 5And he built altars

for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to

provoke Him to anger. 7He even set a carved image of Asheraha that he had made, in the house of which the LORD had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of

Israel, I will put My name forever; 8and I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers—only if they are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that

My servant Moses commanded them." 9But they paid no attention, and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

10And the LORD spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, 11"Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah

sin with his idols), 12therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both

his ears will tingle. 13And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one

wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall

become victims of plunder to all their enemies, 15because they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers

came out of Egypt, even to this day.' "

21:13 the plummet. These were weighted lines dropped from walls to see whether they were structurally straight (Is. 28:17; Amos 7:7, 8). Walls out of line were torn down. The Lord had measured Jerusalem by the standard of His word and had determined that the fate of Samaria (Israel) was also to befall Jerusalem. wipe Jerusalem. As one would wipe food off a dish, the Lord would wipe Jerusalem clean off the earth, i.e., obliterate her, and leave her turned upside down, empty, and useless.

16Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.

17Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh—all that he did, and the sin that he committed—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of

Judah? 18So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza. Then his son Amon reigned in his place.

AMON'S REIGN AND DEATH

19Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had

done. 21So he walked in all the ways that his father had walked; and he served

the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them. 22He forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.

23Then the servants of Amon conspired against him, and killed the king in

his own house. 24But the people of the land executed all those who had conspired against King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

25Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 26And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. Then Josiah his son reigned in his place.

Next June 16 Reading

2 Kings 22

June 17

2 K INGS 22:1–24:20

JOSIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of

Bozkath. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

HILKIAH FINDS THE BOOK OF THE LAW

3Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of

the LORD, saying: 4"Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have

gathered from the people. 5And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the LORD; let them give it to those who are in the house of the LORD doing the work, to repair the damages of the

house— 6to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn

stone to repair the house. 7However there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully."

8Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Book of the Law in the house of the

Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the

LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to

Shaphan, and he read it. 9So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, "Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the LORD." 10Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it before the king.

22:8 the Book of the Law. A scroll containing the Torah (the Pentateuch), the

revelation of God through Moses to Israel (23:2; Deut. 28:61). Manasseh may

have destroyed all the copies of God's Law that were not hidden. This could have been the official copy laid beside the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place (Deut. 31:25, 26). It may have been removed from its place under Ahaz, Manasseh, or Amon (2 Chr. 35:3), but was found during repair work.

11Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the

Law, that he tore his clothes. 12Then the king commanded Hilkiah the

priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbora the son of Michaiah, Shaphan

the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 13"Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us."

14So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her. 15Then she said to them, "Thus says the

LORD God of Israel, 'Tell the man who sent you to Me, 16"Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read— 17because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.' " ' 18But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, in this manner you shall speak to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Concerning the words which you have heard— 19because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore

your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says the LORD. 20"Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place." ' " So they brought back word to the king.

2 Kings 23

JOSIAH RESTORES TRUE WORSHIP

1Now the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. 2The king went up to the house of the LORD with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD.

3Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant. 4And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah,a and for all the host of heaven;b and he burned them

outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven. 6And he brought out

the wooden imagea from the house of the LORD, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people. 7Then he tore down the ritual

booths of the perverted personsa that were in the house of the LORD, where the

women wove hangings for the wooden image. 8And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate. 9Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.

10And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Sona of Hinnom, that no

man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech. 11Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the

entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer

who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12The altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their

dust into the Brook Kidron. 13Then the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of

the people of Ammon. 14And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.

15Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image. 16As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. 17Then he said, "What gravestone is this that I see?"

So the men of the city told him, "It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel."

18And he said, "Let him alone; let no one move his bones." So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.

19Now Josiah also took away all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORDa

to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel. 20He executed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned men's bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.

21Then the king commanded all the people, saying, "Keep the Passover to the

LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant." 22Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23But in the eighteenth

year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the LORD in Jerusalem. 24Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of

Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.

23:25 no king like him. Of all the kings in David's line, including David himself, no king more closely approximated the royal ideal of Deuteronomy 17:14–20 than Josiah ( Matt. 22:37 ). Yet, even Josiah fell short of complete obedience because he had multiple wives (vv. 31, 36). However, even this righteous king could not turn away the Lord's wrath because of Manasseh's sin (vv. 26, 27).

IMPENDING JUDGMENT ON JUDAH

26Nevertheless the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 27And the LORD said, "I will also remove Judah from My sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, 'My name shall be there.' "a

JOSIAH DIES IN BATTLE

28Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written

in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 29In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him. 30Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.

THE REIGN AND CAPTIVITY OF JEHOAHAZ

31Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32And he did evil in the sight of the LORD,

according to all that his fathers had done. 33Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and hea died there.

JEHOIAKIM REIGNS IN JUDAH

35So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho. 36Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

2 Kings 24

JUDAH OVERRUN BY ENEMIES

1In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2And the LORD sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 3Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon.

24:1 Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar II was the son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon from 626 to 605 B.C. As crown prince, Nebuchadnezzar had led his father's army against Pharaoh Necho and the Egyptians at Carchemish on the Euphrates River in northern Syria (605 B.C.). By defeating the Egyptians, Babylon was established as the strongest nation in the ancient Near East. Egypt and its vassals, including Judah, became vassals of Babylon with this victory. Nebuchadnezzar followed up his victory at Carchemish by invading the land of Judah. Later, in 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar took some captives to Babylon, including Daniel and his friends (Dan. 1:1–3). Toward the end of 605 B.C., Nabopolassar died and Nebuchadnezzar succeeded him as king of Babylon, 3 years after Jehoiakim had taken the throne in Judah (Jer. 25:1). Nebuchadnezzar reigned from 605 to 562 B.C. three years. Nebuchadnezzar returned to the west in 604 B.C. and took tribute from all of the kings of the west, including Jehoiakim of Judah. Jehoiakim submitted to Babylonian rule from 604 to 602 B.C. In 602 B.C., Jehoiakim rebelled against Babylon, disregarding the advice of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 27:9–11).

5Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 6So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

7And the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

THE REIGN AND CAPTIVITY OF JEHOIACHIN

8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11And Nebuchadnezzar

king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. 12Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

THE CAPTIVITY OF JERUSALEM

13And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 14Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land. 15And he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

24:14–16 In 597 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar took an additional 10,000 Judeans as captives to Babylon, in particular the leaders of the nation. This included the leaders of the military and those whose skills would support the military. Included in this deportation was the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:1–3). Only the lower classes remained behind in Jerusalem. The Babylonian policy of captivity was different from that of the Assyrians, who took most of the people into exile and resettled the land of Israel with foreigners (17:24). The Babylonians took only the leaders and the strong, while leaving the weak and poor, elevating those left to leadership and thereby earning their loyalty. Those taken to Babylon were allowed to work and live in the mainstream of society. This kept the captive Jews together, so it would be possible for them to return, as recorded in Ezra.

ZEDEKIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

17Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin'sa uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19He also did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Next June 17 Reading

2 Kings 25

June 18

2 K INGS 25:1–30

THE FALL AND CAPTIVITY OF JUDAH

1Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. 2So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King

Zedekiah. 3By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

4Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the kinga went by way of the plain.b 5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. 6So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. 7Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

8And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the

captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9He burned the house of the LORD and the king's house; all the houses of Jerusalem,

that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 10And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of

Jerusalem all around.

11Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. 12But the captain of the

guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. 13The bronze pillars that were in the house of the LORD, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried their bronze to Babylon. 14They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. 15The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid

silver, the captain of the guard took away. 16The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 17The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.

18And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the

second priest, and the three doorkeepers. 19He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, five men of the king's close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took

these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

GEDALIAH MADE GOVERNOR OF JUDAH

22Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left. 23Now when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniaha the son of a

Maachathite, they and their men. 24And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, "Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you."

25But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

JEHOIACHIN RELEASED FROM PRISON

27Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodacha king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released

Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. 30And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

Next June 18 Reading

The First Book of the Chronicles

1 Chronicles 1

June 19

1 C HRONICLES 1:1–2:55

THE FAMILY OF ADAM—SETH TO ABRAHAM

1Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2Cainan,a Mahalalel, Jared, 3Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4Noah,a Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 5The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath,a and Togarmah. 7The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshishah,a Kittim, and Rodanim.b

8The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 9The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta,a Raama,b and Sabtecha. The sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan. 10Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 11Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 12Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and the Caphtorim). 13Canaan begot Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth; 14the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 15the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 16the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.

17The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.a 18Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. 19To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg,a for in his days the earth

was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. 20Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22Ebal,a Abimael,

Sheba, 23Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

24Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27and

Abram, who is Abraham. 28The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael.

THE FAMILY OF ISHMAEL

29These are their genealogies: The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebajoth; then

Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad,a Tema, 31Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.

THE FAMILY OF KETURAH

32Now the sons born to Keturah, Abraham's concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. 33The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

THE FAMILY OF ISAAC

34And Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. 35The

sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. 36And the sons of

Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zephi,a Gatam, and Kenaz; and by Timna,b Amalek. 37The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

THE FAMILY OF SEIR

38The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. 39And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; Lotan's sister was Timna. 40The sons of Shobal were Alian,a Manahath, Ebal, Shephi,b and Onam. The sons of

Zibeon were Ajah and Anah. 41The son of Anah was Dishon. The sons of Dishon were Hamran,a Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 42The sons of Ezer were

Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan.a The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.

THE KINGS OF EDOM

43Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 44And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. 45When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 46And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith. 47When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 48And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place. 49When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. 50And when Baal-Hanan died, Hadada reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pai.b His wife's name was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. 51Hadad died also. And the chiefs of Edom were Chief Timnah, Chief Aliah,a Chief Jetheth, 52Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, 53Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, 54Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

1 Chronicles 2

THE FAMILY OF ISRAEL

1These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

FROM JUDAH TO DAVID

3The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so He killed him. 4And Tamar, his daughter-inlaw, bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.

5The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 6The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara—five of them in all.

7The son of Carmi was Achar,a the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the accursed thing.

8The son of Ethan was Azariah. 9Also the sons of Hezron who were born to him were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai.a 10Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, leader of the children of Judah; 11Nahshon begot Salma,a and Salma begot Boaz; 12Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse; 13Jesse begot Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimeaa the third, 14Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh.

16Now their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel—three. 17Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.a

THE FAMILY OF HEZRON

18Caleb the son of Hezron had children by Azubah, his wife, and by Jerioth. Now these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19When Azubah died, Caleb took Ephratha as his wife, who bore him Hur. 20And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezalel.

21Now afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead,

whom he married when he was sixty years old; and she bore him Segub. 22Segub

begot Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23(Geshur and Syria took from them the towns of Jair, with Kenath and its towns—sixty towns.) All these

belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. 24After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Hezron's wife Abijah bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.

THE FAMILY OF JERAHMEEL

25The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram, the firstborn, and Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 27The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur.

29And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim; Seled died without children. 31The son of Appaim was Ishi, the son of Ishi was Sheshan, and Sheshan's son was Ahlai. 32The sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai, were Jether and Jonathan; Jether died without children. 33The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel.

34Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. And Sheshan had an Egyptian servant whose name was Jarha. 35Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as wife, and she bore him Attai. 36Attai begot Nathan, and Nathan begot Zabad; 37Zabad begot Ephlal, and Ephlal begot Obed; 38Obed begot Jehu, and Jehu begot Azariah; 39Azariah begot Helez, and Helez begot Eleasah; 40Eleasah begot Sismai, and Sismai begot Shallum; 41Shallum begot Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begot Elishama.

THE FAMILY OF CALEB

42The descendants of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha, his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. 43The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 44Shema begot Raham the father of Jorkoam, and Rekem begot Shammai. 45And the son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur. 46Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran begot Gazez. 47And the sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.

48Maachah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea. And the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.

50These were the descendants of Caleb: The sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, were Shobal the father of Kirjath Jearim, 51Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.

52And Shobal the father of Kirjath Jearim had descendants: Haroeh, and

half of the families of Manuhoth.a 53The families of Kirjath Jearim were the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.

54The sons of Salma were Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half of the Manahethites, and the Zorites.

55And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites. These were the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.

Next June 19 Reading

1 Chronicles 3

June 20

1 C HRONICLES 3:1–4:43

THE FAMILY OF DAVID

1Now these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel,a by Abigail the Carmelitess; 2the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; 3the fifth, Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.

3:1 David. The chief reason for such detailed genealogies is that they affirm the line of Christ from Adam ( Luke 3:38 ) through Abraham and David ( Matt. 1:1 ), thus emphasizing the kingdom intentions of God in Christ.

4These six were born to him in Hebron. There he reigned seven years and six

months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 5And these were born to

him in Jerusalem: Shimea,a Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon—four by Bathshuab the

daughter of Ammiel.c 6Also there were Ibhar, Elishama,a Eliphelet,b 7Nogah,

Nepheg, Japhia, 8Elishama, Eliada,a and Eliphelet—nine in all. 9These were all the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.

THE FAMILY OF SOLOMON

10Solomon's son was Rehoboam; Abijaha was his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat

his son, 11Jorama his son, Ahaziah his son, Joashb his son, 12Amaziah his son,

Azariaha his son, Jotham his son, 13Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his

son, 14Amon his son, and Josiah his son. 15The sons of Josiah were Johanan the

firstborn, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, and the fourth Shallum.a 16The

sons of Jehoiakim were Jeconiah his son and Zedekiaha his son.

THE FAMILY OF JECONIAH

17And the sons of Jeconiaha were Assir,b Shealtiel his son, 18and Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. 19The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam, Hananiah, Shelomith their sister, 20and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed—five in all.

21The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the

sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, and the sons of Shechaniah. 22The son of Shechaniah was Shemaiah. The sons of Shemaiah were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat—six in all. 23The sons of Neariah were Elioenai,

Hezekiah, and Azrikam—three in all. 24The sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani—seven in all.

1 Chronicles 4

THE FAMILY OF JUDAH

1The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. 3These were the sons of the father of Etam:

Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi; 4and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah.

These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah the father of Bethlehem.

5And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of

Naarah. 7The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan; 8and Koz begot Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.

9Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his

name Jabez,a saying, "Because I bore him in pain." 10And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested.

11Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Rechah.

13The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel were Hathath,a 14and Meonothai who begot Ophrah. Seraiah begot Joab the father of

Ge Harashim,a for they were craftsmen. 15The sons of Caleb the son of

Jephunneh were Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah was Kenaz. 16The sons

of Jehallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 17The sons of Ezrah were

Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Mered's wifea bore Miriam, Shammai, and

Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18(His wife Jehudijaha bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) And these were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took.

19The sons of Hodiah's wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the

Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maachathite. 20And the sons of Shimon were

Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.

21The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers of the house of Ashbea; 22also Jokim, the men of Chozeba, and Joash; Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-Lehem. Now the records are ancient. 23These were the potters and those who dwell at Netaima and Gederah;b there they dwelt with the king for his work.

THE FAMILY OF SIMEON

24The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib,a Zerah,b and Shaul, 25Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son. 26And the sons of

Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, and Shimei his son. 27Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did any of their families multiply as much as the children of Judah.

28They dwelt at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, 29Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David. 32And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities— 33and all the villages that were around these cities as far as Baal.a These were their dwelling places, and they maintained their genealogy: 34Meshobab, Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah; 35Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel; 36Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, and Benaiah; 37Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah— 38these mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and their father's house increased greatly.

39So they went to the entrance of Gedor, as far as the east side of the valley, to

seek pasture for their flocks. 40And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and peaceful; for some Hamites formerly lived there.

41These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and they attacked their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and utterly destroyed them, as it is to this day. So they dwelt in their place, because there

was pasture for their flocks there. 42Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah,

Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. 43And they defeated the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day.

Next June 20 Reading

1 Chronicles 5

June 21

1 C HRONICLES 5:1–6:81

THE FAMILY OF REUBEN

1Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; 2yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph's— 3the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

4The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, 5Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, 6and Beerah his son, whom TiglathPilesera king of Assyria carried into captivity. He was leader of the Reubenites. 7And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was registered: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, 8and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of

Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal Meon. 9Eastward they settled as far as the entrance of the wilderness this side of the River Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead.

10Now in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents throughout the entire area east of Gilead.

THE FAMILY OF GAD

11And the children of Gad dwelt next to them in the land of Bashan as far as

Salcah: 12Joel was the chief, Shapham the next, then Jaanai and Shaphat in

Bashan, 13and their brethren of their father's house: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba,

Jorai, Jachan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all. 14These were the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz; 15Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of

Guni, was chief of their father's house. 16And the Gadites dwelt in Gilead, in Bashan and in its villages, and in all the common-lands of Sharon within their borders. 17All these were registered by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.

18The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh had forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty valiant men, men able to bear shield and sword, to shoot with the bow, and skillful in war, who went to war. 19They made war with the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him. 21Then they took away their livestock—fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred and fifty thousand of their sheep, and two thousand of their donkeys—also one hundred thousand of their men; 22for many fell dead, because the war was God's. And they dwelt in their place until the captivity.

THE FAMILY OF MANASSEH (EAST)

23So the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land. Their numbers increased from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir, or Mount Hermon. 24These were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their fathers' houses.

25And they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

26So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is,

Tiglath-Pilesera king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day.

1 Chronicles 6

THE FAMILY OF LEVI

1The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 2The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses,

and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 4Eleazar begot Phinehas, and Phinehas begot Abishua; 5Abishua begot Bukki, and Bukki begot Uzzi; 6Uzzi begot Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begot Meraioth; 7Meraioth begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub; 8Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Ahimaaz; 9Ahimaaz begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Johanan; 10Johanan begot Azariah (it was he who ministered as priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem); 11Azariah begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub; 12Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Shallum; 13Shallum begot Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begot Azariah; 14Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak. 15Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD carried Judah and Jerusalem into captivity by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

6:8 Zadok. By the time of David's reign, the high priestly line had wrongly been shifted to the sons of Ithamar as represented by Abiathar. When Abiathar sided with Adonijah rather than Solomon, Zadok became the ruling high priest (1 Kin. 2:26, 27) and restored the high priesthood to the Levitical line through Phinehas (Num. 25:10–13).

16The sons of Levi were Gershon,a Kohath, and Merari. 17These are the names of

the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei. 18The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar,

Hebron, and Uzziel. 19The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Now these are the

families of the Levites according to their fathers: 20Of Gershon were Libni his son,

Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21Joah his son, Iddo his son,

Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son. 22The sons of Kohath were Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, 24Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. 25The sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth. 26As for Elkanah,a the sons of Elkanah were Zophaib his son, Nahathc his son, 27Eliaba his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. 28The sons of Samuel were Joela the firstborn, and Abijah the second.b 29The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, 30Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

6:27, 28 Samuel's name in this Levitical lineage validates his acceptance into the priesthood (1 Sam. 1:24–28; 2:24–3:1). The fact that Elkanah was from Ephraim ( 1 Sam. 1:1 ) indicates where he lived, not his family history ( Num. 35:6–8 ).

MUSICIANS IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

31Now these are the men whom David appointed over the service of song

in the house of the LORD, after the ark came to rest. 32They were ministering with music before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they served in their office according to their order.

33And these are the ones who ministered with their sons: Of the sons of the Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel,a the son of Toah,b 35the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. 39And his brother Asaph, who stood at his right hand, was Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of

Shimea, 40the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, 41the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, 42the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, 43the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi.

44Their brethren, the sons of Merari, on the left hand, were Ethan the son of

Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, 45the son of Hashabiah, the son of

Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, 46the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of

Shamer, 47the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

48And their brethren, the Levites, were appointed to every kind of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

THE FAMILY OF AARON

49But Aaron and his sons offered sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the Most Holy Place, and to make atonement for

Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. 50Now

these are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, 51Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, 52Meraioth his son, Amariah his

son, Ahitub his son, 53Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.

DWELLING PLACES OF THE LEVITES

54Now these are their dwelling places throughout their settlements in their territory, for they were given by lot to the sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites: 55They gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, with its surrounding common-lands. 56But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 57And to the sons of Aaron they gave one of the cities of refuge, Hebron; also Libnah with its common-lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its common-lands, 58Hilena with its common-lands, Debir with its common-lands, 59Ashana with its common-lands, and Beth Shemesh with its common-lands. 60And from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its commonlands, Alemetha with its common-lands, and Anathoth with its common-lands. All their cities among their families were thirteen.

61To the rest of the family of the tribe of the Kohathites they gave by lot ten cities from half the tribe of Manasseh. 62And to the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, they gave thirteen cities from the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 63To the sons of Merari, throughout their families, they gave twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun. 64So the children of Israel gave these cities with their common-lands to the Levites. 65And they gave by lot from the tribe of the children of Judah, from the tribe of the children of Simeon, and from the tribe of the children of Benjamin these cities which are called by their names.

66Now some of the families of the sons of Kohath were given cities as their territory from the tribe of Ephraim. 67And they gave them one of the cities of refuge, Shechem with its common-lands, in the mountains of Ephraim, also Gezer with its common-lands, 68Jokmeam with its commonlands, Beth Horon with its common-lands, 69Aijalon with its common-lands, and Gath Rimmon with its common-lands. 70And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its common-lands and Bileam with its common-lands, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.

71From the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh the sons of Gershon were given Golan in Bashan with its common-lands and Ashtaroth with its common-lands.

72And from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its common-lands, Daberath with its common-lands, 73Ramoth with its common-lands, and Anem with its common-lands. 74And from the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its commonlands, Abdon with its common-lands, 75Hukok with its common-lands, and Rehob with its common-lands. 76And from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its common-lands, Hammon with its common-lands, and Kirjathaim with its common-lands.

77From the tribe of Zebulun the rest of the children of Merari were given

Rimmona with its common-lands and Tabor with its common-lands. 78And on the other side of the Jordan, across from Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, they were given from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its common-lands, Jahzah with its common-lands, 79Kedemoth with its

common-lands, and Mephaath with its common-lands. 80And from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its common-lands, Mahanaim with its commonlands, 81Heshbon with its common-lands, and Jazer with its common-lands.

Next June 21 Reading

1 Chronicles 7

June 22

1 C HRONICLES 7:1–8:40

THE FAMILY OF ISSACHAR

1The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah,a Jashub, and Shimron—four in all. 2The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's house. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generations; their number in the days of David was twenty-two thousand six

hundred. 3The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah, and the sons of Izrahiah were Michael,

Obadiah, Joel, and Ishiah. All five of them were chief men. 4And with them, by their generations, according to their fathers' houses, were thirty-six thousand troops ready for war; for they had many wives and sons.

5Now their brethren among all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, listed by their genealogies, eighty-seven thousand in all.

THE FAMILY OF BENJAMIN

6The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, and Jediael—three in all. 7The sons of Bela were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri—five in all. They were heads of their fathers' houses, and they were listed by their genealogies, twenty-two thousand and thirty-four mighty men of valor.

8The sons of Becher were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri,

Jerimoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these are the sons of Becher. 9And they were recorded by genealogy according to their generations, heads of their fathers' houses, twenty thousand two hundred mighty men of valor. 10The son of Jediael was Bilhan, and the sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tharshish, and Ahishahar.

11All these sons of Jediael were heads of their fathers' houses; there were seventeen thousand two hundred mighty men of valor fit to go out for war and battle. 12Shuppim and Huppima were the sons of Ir, and Hushim was the son of Aher.

THE FAMILY OF NAPHTALI

13The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel,a Guni, Jezer, and Shallum,b the sons of Bilhah.

THE FAMILY OF MANASSEH (WEST)

14The descendants of Manasseh: his Syrian concubine bore him Machir the father of Gilead, the father of Asriel.a 15Machir took as his wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim,a whose name was Maachah. The name of Gilead's grandsonb was Zelophehad,c but Zelophehad begot only daughters. 16(Maachah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh. The name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. 17The son of Ulam was Bedan.) These were the descendants of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.

18His sister Hammoleketh bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. 19And the sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

THE FAMILY OF EPHRAIM

20The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eladah his son, Tahath his son, 21Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them because they came down to take away their cattle. 22Then Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.

23And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name Beriah,a because tragedy had come upon his house. 24Now his daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah; 25and Rephah was his son, as well as Resheph, and Telah his son, Tahan his son, 26Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27Nuna his son, and Joshua his son.

28Now their possessions and dwelling places were Bethel and its towns: to the east Naaran, to the west Gezer and its towns, and Shechem and its towns, as far

as Ayyaha and its towns; 29and by the borders of the children of Manasseh were Beth Shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph, the son of Israel.

THE FAMILY OF ASHER

30The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. 31The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith.a

32And Heber begot Japhlet, Shomer,a Hotham,b and their sister Shua. 33The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were the children of Japhlet. 34The sons of Shemer were Ahi, Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. 35And the sons of his brother Helem were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. 36The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Jithran,a and Beera. 38The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara. 39The sons of Ulla were Arah, Haniel, and Rizia.

40All these were the children of Asher, heads of their fathers' houses, choice men, mighty men of valor, chief leaders. And they were recorded by genealogies among the army fit for battle; their number was twenty-six thousand.

1 Chronicles 8

THE FAMILY TREE OF KING SAUL OF BENJAMIN

1Now Benjamin begot Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, Aharaha the third, 2Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. 3The sons of Bela were Addar,a Gera,

Abihud, 4Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

6These are the sons of Ehud, who were the heads of the fathers' houses of the

inhabitants of Geba, and who forced them to move to Manahath: 7Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera who forced them to move. He begot Uzza and Ahihud.

8Also Shaharaim had children in the country of Moab, after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives. 9By Hodesh his wife he begot Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, 10Jeuz, Sachiah, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of their fathers' houses.

11And by Hushim he begot Abitub and Elpaal. 12The sons of Elpaal were Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod with its towns; 13and Beriah and Shema, who were heads of their fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove out the inhabitants of Gath. 14Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, 15Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16Michael, Ispah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah. 17Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18Ishmerai, Jizliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal. 19Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 20Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei. 22Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, 24Hananiah, Elam, Antothijah, 25Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak. 26Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham. 28These were heads of the fathers' houses by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem.

29Now the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maacah, dwelt at Gibeon. 30And his firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31Gedor, Ahio,

Zecher, 32and Mikloth, who begot Shimeah.a They also dwelt alongside their relatives in Jerusalem, with their brethren. 33Nera begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab,b and Esh-Baal.c 34The son of

Jonathan was Merib-Baal,a and Merib-Baal begot Micah. 35The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. 36And Ahaz begot Jehoaddah;a

Jehoaddah begot Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza. 37Moza begot Binea, Raphaha his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.

38Azel had six sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. 39And the sons of Eshek his brother were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third.

40The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor—archers. They had many sons and grandsons, one hundred and fifty in all. These were all sons of Benjamin.

Next June 22 Reading

1 Chronicles 9

June 23

1 C HRONICLES 9:1–10:14

1So all Israel was recorded by genealogies, and indeed, they were inscribed in the book of the kings of Israel. But Judah was carried away captive to Babylon

because of their unfaithfulness. 2And the first inhabitants who dwelt in their possessions in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and the Nethinim.

DWELLERS IN JERUSALEM

3Now in Jerusalem the children of Judah dwelt, and some of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh: 4Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the descendants of Perez, the son of Judah. 5Of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons. 6Of the sons of Zerah: Jeuel, and their brethren—six hundred and ninety. 7Of the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah; 8Ibneiah the son of Jeroham; Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of

Michri; Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah; 9and their brethren, according to their generations—nine hundred and fifty-six. All these men were heads of a father's house in their fathers' houses.

THE PRIESTS AT JERUSALEM

10Of the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin; 11Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the officer over the house of God; 12Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchijah; Maasai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer; 13and their brethren, heads of their fathers' houses—one thousand seven hundred and sixty. They were very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.

THE LEVITES AT JERUSALEM

14Of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of

Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari; 15Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah

the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph; 16Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

THE LEVITE GATEKEEPERS

17And the gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brethren. Shallum was the chief. 18Until then they had been gatekeepers for the camps of the children of Levi at the King's Gate on the east.

19Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, from his father's house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, gatekeepers of the tabernacle. Their fathers had been keepers of the entrance to the camp of the LORD. 20And Phinehas the son of Eleazar had

been the officer over them in time past; the LORD was with him. 21Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was keeper of the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

22All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted office. 23So they and their children were in charge of

the gates of the house of the LORD, the house of the tabernacle, by assignment. 24The gatekeepers were assigned to the four directions: the east, west, north, and

south. 25And their brethren in their villages had to come with them from time to time

for seven days. 26For in this trusted office were four chief gatekeepers; they were Levites. And they had charge over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. 27And they lodged all around the house of God because they had the responsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning.

OTHER LEVITE RESPONSIBILITIES

28Now some of them were in charge of the serving vessels, for they brought

them in and took them out by count. 29Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the incense and the spices. 30And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices.

31Mattithiah of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the

trusted office over the things that were baked in the pans. 32And some of their brethren of the sons of the Kohathites were in charge of preparing the showbread for every Sabbath.

33These are the singers, heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they were employed in that work day and night. 34These heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites were heads throughout their generations. They dwelt at Jerusalem.

THE FAMILY OF KING SAUL

35Jeiel the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maacah, dwelt at Gibeon. 36His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah,a and Mikloth. 38And Mikloth begot Shimeam.a They also dwelt alongside their relatives in Jerusalem, with their brethren. 39Ner begot Kish, Kish

begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. 40The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot Micah. 41The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea,a and Ahaz.b 42And Ahaz begot Jarah;a Jarah begot Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza; 43Moza begot Binea, Rephaiaha his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son. 44And Azel had six sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel.

1 Chronicles 10

TRAGIC END OF SAUL AND HIS SONS

1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before

the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. 3The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit

him, and he was wounded by the archers. 4Then Saul said to his armorbearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and abuse me." But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. 5And when his armorbearer saw that

Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. 6So Saul and his three sons

died, and all his house died together. 7And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; then the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

8So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain,

that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among the people. 10Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

11And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men arose and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons; and they brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

13So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a

medium for guidance. 14But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

Next June 23 Reading

1 Chronicles 11

June 24

1 C HRONICLES 11:1–12:40

DAVID MADE KING OVER ALL ISRAEL

1Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, "Indeed we are

your bone and your flesh. 2Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD your God said to you, 'You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.' " 3Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.

THE CITY OF DAVID

4And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5But the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You shall not come in here!" Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). 6Now David said, "Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain." And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. 7Then David dwelt in the stronghold;

therefore they called it the City of David. 8And he built the city around it, from

the Milloa to the surrounding area. Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9So David went on and became great, and the LORD of hosts was with him.

THE MIGHTY MEN OF DAVID

10Now these were the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.

11And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam the son of a Hachmonite, chief of the captains;a he had lifted up his spear against three hundred, killed by him at one time.

12After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the

three mighty men. 13He was with David at Pasdammim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines. 14But they stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.

15Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 17And David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" 18So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. 19And he said, "Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it." Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.

20Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another three.a He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these

three. 21Of the three he was more honored than the other two men. Therefore he became their captain. However he did not attain to the first three.

22Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone

down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 23And he killed

an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian's hand there was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own

spear. 24These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name

among three mighty men. 25Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

26Also the mighty warriors were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27Shammoth the Harorite,a Helez the Pelonite,b 28Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29Sibbechai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30Maharai the Netophathite, Heleda the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31Ithaia the son of Ribai of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32Huraia of the brooks of Gaash, Abielb the Arbathite, 33Azmaveth the Baharumite,a Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, 35Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothitea

(the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), 40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and thirty with him, 43Hanan the son of Maachah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 46Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, 47Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

1 Chronicles 12

THE GROWTH OF DAVID'S ARMY

1Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, 2armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul's brethren.

3The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite; 4Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; 5Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; 7and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

8Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces

were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains: 9Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, 10Mishmannah the fourth,

Jeremiah the fifth, 11Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12Johanan the eighth,

Elzabad the ninth, 13Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh. 14These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand. 15These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

16Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. 17And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, "If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the

God of our fathers look and bring judgment." 18Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said:

12:18 the Spirit. A temporary empowerment by the Holy Spirit to assure David that the Benjamites and Judahites were loyal to him and that the cause was blessed by God.

"We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you."

So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.

19And some from Manasseh defected to David when he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement, saying, "He may defect to his master

Saul and endanger our heads." 20When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and

Zillethai, captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh. 21And they helped David against the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor,

and they were captains in the army. 22For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God.

DAVID'S ARMY AT HEBRON

23Now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD: 24of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, six

thousand eight hundred armed for war; 25of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of

valor fit for war, seven thousand one hundred; 26of the sons of Levi four

thousand six hundred; 27Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him three

thousand seven hundred; 28Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his

father's house twenty-two captains; 29of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, three thousand (until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul); 30of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of

valor, famous men throughout their father's house; 31of the half-tribe of Manasseh

eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king; 32of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command; 33of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in

war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks; 34of Naphtali

one thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear; 35of the Danites who could keep battle formation, twenty-eight thousand six

hundred; 36of Asher, those who could go out to war, able to keep battle formation,

forty thousand; 37of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, from the other side of the Jordan, one hundred and twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war.

38All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king. 39And they were there with David three

days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them. 40Moreover those who were near to them, from as far away as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys and camels, on mules and oxen—provisions of flour and cakes of figs and cakes of raisins, wine and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.

Next June 24 Reading

1 Chronicles 13

June 25

1 C HRONICLES 13:1–14:17

THE ARK BROUGHT FROM KIRJATH JEARIM

1Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with

every leader. 2And David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is of the LORD our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us; 3and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we

have not inquired at it since the days of Saul." 4Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

13:3 the ark of our God. Not only had the ark been stolen and profaned by the Philistines (1 Sam. 5–6), but when it was returned, Saul neglected to seek God's instruction for it. Scripture records only one occasion when Saul sought God's ark after its return (1 Sam. 14:18).

5So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor in Egypt to as far as the

entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim. 6And David and

all Israel went up to Baalah,a to Kirjath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to

bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who dwells between the cherubim,

where His name is proclaimed. 7So they carried the ark of God on a new cart

from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 8Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets.

9And when they came to Chidon'sa threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to

hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. 11And David became angry because of the LORD's outbreak

against Uzza; therefore that place is called Perez Uzzaa to this day. 12David was afraid of God that day, saying, "How can I bring the ark of God to me?"

13So David would not move the ark with him into the City of David, but

took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

1 Chronicles 14

DAVID ESTABLISHED AT JERUSALEM

1Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, with

masons and carpenters, to build him a house. 2So David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, for his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel.

3Then David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David begot more sons and daughters. 4And these are the names of his children whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammua,a Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5Ibhar, Elishua,a

Elpelet,b 6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7Elishama, Beeliada,a and Eliphelet.

THE PHILISTINES DEFEATED

8Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went out against them. 9Then the Philistines went and made a raid on the Valley of Rephaim. 10And David inquired of God, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?"

14:8–17 The Philistines desired to ruin David before the throne was consolidated. Their plan was to kill David, but God gave him victory over the Philistines (unlike Saul) and thus declared both to the Philistines and Israel His support of Israel's new king.

The LORD said to him, "Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand." 11So they went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. Then David said, "God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water." Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim.a 12And when they left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire.

13Then the Philistines once again made a raid on the valley. 14Therefore David inquired again of God, and God said to him, "You shall not go up after them; circle around them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. 15And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines." 16So David did as God commanded him, and they drove back the army of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer. 17Then the fame of David went out into all lands, and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations.

Next June 25 Reading

1 Chronicles 15

June 26

1 C HRONICLES 15:1–16:43

THE ARK BROUGHT TO JERUSALEM

1David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it. 2Then David said, "No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever." 3And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it. 4Then David assembled the children of Aaron and the Levites: 5of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and one hundred and twenty of his brethren; 6of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and two hundred and twenty of his brethren; 7of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and one hundred and thirty of his brethren; 8of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his brethren; 9of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his brethren; 10of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and one hundred and twelve of his brethren.

15:1 David built houses for himself. He was able by the alliance and help of Hiram (18:1) to build a palace for himself and separate houses for his wives and their children. While the ark remained near Jerusalem at the home of Obed-Edom for 3 months (13:13, 14), David constructed a new tabernacle in Jerusalem to fulfill God's word in Deuteronomy 12:5–7 of a permanent residency.

11And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for

Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12He said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the

place I have prepared for it. 13For because you did not do it the first time, the

LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order."

15:11 Zadok…Abiathar. These two high priests, heads of the two priestly houses of Eleazar and Ithamar, were colleagues in the high priesthood ( 2 Sam. 20:25 ). They served the Lord simultaneously in David's reign. Zadok attended the tabernacle in Gibeon (1 Chr. 16:39), while Abiathar served the temporary place of the ark in Jerusalem. Ultimately, Zadok prevailed (1 Kin. 2:26, 27).

14So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark

of the LORD God of Israel. 15And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.

16Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy. 17So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of their brethren, the sons of Merari, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; 18and with them their brethren of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben,a Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah,

Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers; 19the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound the cymbals of bronze; 20Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with strings according to Alamoth; 21Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah,

Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to direct with harps on the Sheminith; 22Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful; 23Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark; 24Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah, doorkeepers for the ark.

25So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring

up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-Edom with joy. 26And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the

covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams. 27David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. 28Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the

LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps.

29And it happened, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David whirling and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.

1 Chronicles 16

THE ARK PLACED IN THE TABERNACLE

1So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the

LORD. 3Then he distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.

4And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the LORD God of Israel: 5Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; 6Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.

DAVID'S SONG OF THANKSGIVING

7On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD:

8Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 9Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 10Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! 11Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

12Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, 13O seed of Israel His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

14He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. 15Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, 16The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, 17And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant, 18Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance," 19When you were few in number, Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

20When they went from one nation to another, And from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no man to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, 22Saying, "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm."a

23Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. 24Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.

25For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods. 26For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. 27Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and gladness are in His place.

28Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength.

29Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! 30Tremble before Him, all the earth. The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved.

31Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; And let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." 32Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it. 33Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the

LORD, For He is coming to judge the earth.a

34Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.a 35And say, "Save us, O God of our salvation; Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles, To give thanks to Your holy name, To triumph in Your praise."

36Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting!a

And all the people said, "Amen!" and praised the LORD.

REGULAR WORSHIP MAINTAINED

37So he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the

LORD to minister before the ark regularly, as every day's work required; 38and Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren, including Obed-Edom the son of

Jeduthun, and Hosah, to be gatekeepers; 39and Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place that was

at Gibeon, 40to offer burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering regularly morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the

Law of the LORD which He commanded Israel; 41and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give

thanks to the LORD, because His mercy endures forever; 42and with them Heman and Jeduthun, to sound aloud with trumpets and cymbals and the musical instruments of God. Now the sons of Jeduthun were gatekeepers.

43Then all the people departed, every man to his house; and David returned to bless his house.

Next June 26 Reading

1 Chronicles 17

June 27

1 C HRONICLES 17:1–18:17

GOD'S COVENANT WITH DAVID

1Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under tent curtains."

2Then Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you." 3But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4"Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: "You shall not build Me a house to dwell in. 5For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. 6Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedar–' " ' 7Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. 8And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 9Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 10since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. Also I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the LORD will build you a house.a 11And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be

with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. 14And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever." ' "

15According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

16Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: "Who am I, O

LORD God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 17And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to

the rank of a man of high degree, O LORD God. 18What more can David say to

You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant. 19O LORD, for Your servant's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this

greatness, in making known all these great things. 20O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with

our ears. 21And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people—to make for Yourself a name by great and awesome deeds, by driving out nations from before Your people whom

You redeemed from Egypt? 22For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God.

23"And now, O LORD, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant

and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have said. 24So let it be established, that Your name may be magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel's God.' And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 25For You, O my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build him a house. Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray before You. 26And now, LORD, You are God, and

have promised this goodness to Your servant. 27Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You have blessed it, O LORD, and it shall be blessed forever."

17:27 The Davidic Covenant in Chronicles

1 Chr. 17:7–27 God to Nathan to David 1 Chr. 22:6–16 David to Solomon 1 Chr. 28:6, 7 David to Solomon 2 Chr. 6:8, 9, 16, 17 Solomon to the nation

2 Chr. 7:17, 18 God to Solomon 2 Chr. 13:4, 5 Abijah to Jeroboam 2 Chr. 21:7 Chronicler's commentary

1 Chronicles 18

DAVID'S FURTHER CONQUESTS

1After this it came to pass that David attacked the Philistines, subdued them, and

took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines. 2Then he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became David's servants, and brought tribute.

3And David defeated Hadadezera king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his power by the River Euphrates. 4David took from him one thousand chariots, seven thousanda horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.

5When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah,

David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. 6Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David's servants, and brought tribute. So the LORD preserved David wherever he went. 7And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 8Also from Tibhatha and from Chun, cities of Hadadezer, David brought a large amount of bronze, with which Solomon made the bronze Sea, the pillars, and the articles of bronze.

9Now when Toua king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army

of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10he sent Hadorama his son to King David, to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou); and Hadoram

brought with him all kinds of articles of gold, silver, and bronze. 11King David also dedicated these to the LORD, along with the silver and gold that he had brought from all these nations—from Edom, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the Philistines, and from Amalek.

12Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand Edomitesa in the

Valley of Salt. 13He also put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became

David's servants. And the LORD preserved David wherever he went.

DAVID'S ADMINISTRATION

14So David reigned over all Israel, and administered judgment and justice to all his people. 15Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 16Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Shavshaa was the scribe; 17Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief ministers at the king's side.

Next June 27 Reading

1 Chronicles 19

June 28

1 C HRONICLES 19:1–20:8

THE AMMONITES AND SYRIANS DEFEATED

1It happened after this that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon died, and

his son reigned in his place. 2Then David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me." So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David's servants came to Hanun in the land of the people of Ammon to comfort him.

3And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun, "Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Did his servants not come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?"

4Therefore Hanun took David's servants, shaved them, and cut off their

garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away. 5Then some went and told David about the men; and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, "Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return."

6When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the people of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia,a from Syrian Maacah, and from Zobah.b 7So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, with the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. Also the people of Ammon gathered together from their cities, and came to battle.

8Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. 9Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array before the gate of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

10When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he

chose some of Israel's best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. 11And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother,

and they set themselves in battle array against the people of Ammon. 12Then he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you. 13Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And

may the LORD do what is good in His sight."

14So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle

against the Syrians, and they fled before him. 15When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai his brother, and entered the city. So Joab went to Jerusalem.

16Now when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought the Syrians who were beyond the River,a and

Shophachb the commander of Hadadezer's army went before them. 17When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan and came upon them, and set up in battle array against them. So when David had set up in battle array against the Syrians, they fought with him. 18Then the Syrians

fled before Israel; and David killed seven thousanda charioteers and forty

thousand foot soldiersb of the Syrians, and killed Shophach the commander of

the army. 19And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became his servants. So the Syrians were not willing to help the people of Ammon anymore.

1 Chronicles 20

RABBAH IS CONQUERED

1It happened in the spring of the year, at the time kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the armed forces and ravaged the country of the people of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And Joab defeated

Rabbah and overthrew it. 2Then David took their king's crown from his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it. And it was

set on David's head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance. 3And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to worka with saws, with iron picks, and with axes. So David did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

20:1–3 The chronicler was not inspired by God to mention David's sin with Bathsheba and subsequent sins recorded in 2 Samuel 11:2–12:23. The adultery and murder occurred at this time, while David stayed in Jerusalem instead of going to battle. The story was likely omitted because the book was written to focus on God's permanent interest in His people, Israel, and the perpetuity of David's kingdom.

PHILISTINE GIANTS DESTROYED

4Now it happened afterward that war broke out at Gezer with the Philistines, at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai,a who was one of the sons of the giant. And they were subdued.

20:4–8 See 2 Samuel 21:15–22. The chronicler chose not to write of some of the darker days in David's reign, especially the revolt of David's son Absalom, for the same reason the iniquity of the king with Bathsheba was left out. This section describes the defeat of 4 Philistine giants at the hands of David and his men. Though these events cannot be located chronologically with any certainty, the narratives of victory provide a fitting preface to David's song of praise, which magnifies God's deliverance (2 Sam. 22:1–51).

20:4 the giant. The Hebrew term is rapha. This was not the name of an individual, but a term used collectively for the Rephaim who inhabited the land of Canaan and were noted for their inordinate size (Gen. 15:19–21; Num. 13:33; Deut. 2:11; 3:11, 13). The term "Rephaim" was used of the people called the "Anakim" (Deut. 2:10, 11, 20, 21), distinguished for their size and strength. According to Joshua 11:21, 22, the "Anakim" were driven from the hill country of Israel and Judah, but remained in the Philistine cities of Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. Though the Philistines had succumbed to the power of Israel's army, the appearance of some great champion revived their courage and invited their hope for victory against the Israelite invaders.

5Again there was war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jaira

killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

6Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, with twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and six on each foot; and he also was born to the giant. 7So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea,a David's brother, killed him.

8These were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Next June 28 Reading

1 Chronicles 21

June 29

1 C HRONICLES 21:1–22:19

THE CENSUS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH

1Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. 2So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, "Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it."

21:1 Satan…moved. Second Samuel 24:1 reports that it was God who moved David. This apparent discrepancy is resolved by understanding that God sovereignly and permissively uses Satan to achieve His purposes. God uses Satan to judge sinners (Mark 4:15; 2 Cor. 4:4), to refine saints (Job 1:8– 2:10; Luke 22:31, 32), to discipline those in the church (1 Cor. 5:1–5; 1 Tim. 1:20), and to further purify obedient believers (2 Cor. 12:7–10). Neither God nor Satan forced David to sin (James 1:13–15), but God allowed Satan to tempt David and he chose to sin. The sin surfaced his proud heart and God dealt with him for it. number Israel. David's census brought tragedy because, unlike the census in Moses' time (Num. 1; 2) which God had commanded, this census by David was to gratify his pride in the great strength of his army and consequent military power. He was also putting more trust in his forces than in his God. He was taking credit for his victories by the building of his great army. This angered God, who moved Satan to bring the sin to a head.

3And Joab answered, "May the LORD make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?"

4Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab

departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem. 5Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword. 6But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king's word was abominable to Joab.

7And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. 8So David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly."

9Then the LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, 10"Go and tell David, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you." ' "

11So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Choose

for yourself, 12either threea years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the LORD—the plague in the land, with the angelb of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.' Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me."

13And David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man."

14So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. 15And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As hea was destroying, the LORD looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, "It is enough; now restrain yourb hand." And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornanc the Jebusite.

16Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17And David said to God, "Was it not I who commanded the people to be

numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O LORD my God, be against me and my father's house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued."

18Therefore, the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19So David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in

the name of the LORD. 20Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat. 21So David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and bowed before David with his face to the ground. 22Then David said to Ornan, "Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the LORD. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people."

23But Ornan said to David, "Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering; I give it all."

24Then King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing." 25So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place. 26And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.

27So the LORD commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath. 28At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the

threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29For the tabernacle of the LORD and the altar of the burnt offering, which Moses had made in the wilderness, were at that time at the high place in Gibeon. 30But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

1 Chronicles 22

DAVID PREPARES TO BUILD THE TEMPLE

1Then David said, "This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel." 2So David commanded to gather the aliens who were in the land of Israel; and he appointed masons to cut hewn stones to build the house of God. 3And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints, and bronze in abundance beyond measure, 4and cedar trees in abundance; for the Sidonians and those from Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

5Now David said, "Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it." So David made abundant preparations before his death.

22:5 young. Solomon was born early in David's reign (ca. 1000–990

B.C.) and was at this time 20 to 30 years of age. The magnificent and complex challenge of building such a monumental edifice with all its elements required an experienced leader for preparation. magnificent. David understood that the temple needed to reflect on earth something of God's heavenly majesty, so he devoted himself to the collection of the plans and materials, tapping the vast amount of spoils from people he had conquered and cities he had sacked (vv. 14–16).

6Then he called for his son Solomon, and charged him to build a house for the

LORD God of Israel. 7And David said to Solomon: "My son, as for me, it was in

my mind to build a house to the name of the LORD my God; 8but the word of the

LORD came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much

blood on the earth in My sight. 9Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name

shall be Solomon,a for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. 10He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father;

and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.' 11Now, my son, may the LORD be with you; and may you prosper, and build the house of the LORD

your God, as He has said to you. 12Only may the LORD give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law

of the LORD your God. 13Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the LORD charged Moses concerning Israel.

Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed. 14Indeed I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the LORD one hundred thousand talents of gold and one million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond measure, for it is so abundant. I have prepared timber and stone also, and you

may add to them. 15Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance:

woodsmen and stonecutters, and all types of skillful men for every kind of work. 16Of gold and silver and bronze and iron there is no limit. Arise and begin working, and the LORD be with you."

22:11–13 David's spiritual charge to Solomon resembles the Lord's exhortation to Joshua (Josh. 1:6–9). Solomon asked God for and received the very wisdom and understanding his father, David, desired for him ( 2 Chr. 1:7–12 ; 1 Kin. 3:3– 14 ). He learned the value of such spiritual counsel and passed it on in Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13.

22:14 one hundred thousand…gold. Assuming a talent weighed about 75 pounds, this would be approximately 3,750 tons, a staggering amount of gold. one million. This would be approximately 37,500 tons of silver.

17David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son,

saying, 18"Is not the LORD your God with you? And has He not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the LORD and before His people. 19Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the LORD."

Next June 29 Reading

1 Chronicles 23

June 30

1 C HRONICLES 23:1–25:31

THE DIVISIONS OF THE LEVITES

1So when David was old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

2And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. 3Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years

and above; and the number of individual males was thirty-eight thousand. 4Of these, twenty-four thousand were to look after the work of the house of the LORD, six thousand were officers and judges, 5four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand praised the LORD with musical instruments, "which I made," said David, "for giving praise."

6Also David separated them into divisions among the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7Of the Gershonites: Laadana and Shimei. 8The sons of Laadan: the first Jehiel, then Zetham and Joel—three in all. 9The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the fathers' houses of Laadan. 10And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina,a

Jeush, and Beriah. These were the four sons of Shimei. 11Jahath was the first and Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; therefore they were assigned as one father's house.

12The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all. 13The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was set apart, he and his sons forever, that he should sanctify the most holy things, to burn incense before the

LORD, to minister to Him, and to give the blessing in His name forever. 14Now the

sons of Moses the man of God were reckoned to the tribe of Levi. 15The sons of

Moses were Gershona and Eliezer. 16Of the sons of Gershon, Shebuela was the

first. 17Of the descendants of Eliezer, Rehabiah was the first. And Eliezer had no

other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18Of the sons of Izhar,

Shelomith was the first. 19Of the sons of Hebron, Jeriah was the first, Amariah

the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20Of the sons of Uzziel, Michah was the first and Jesshiah the second.

21The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish. 22And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but only daughters; and their brethren, the sons of Kish, took them as wives. 23The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three in all.

24These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses—the heads of the fathers' houses as they were counted individually by the number of their names, who did the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and above.

25For David said, "The LORD God of Israel has given rest to His people, that they

may dwell in Jerusalem forever"; 26and also to the Levites, "They shall no longer

carry the tabernacle, or any of the articles for its service." 27For by the last words

of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above; 28because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the LORD, in the courts and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service of the house of God, 29both with the showbread and the fine flour for the grain offering, with the unleavened cakes and what is baked in the pan, with what is mixed and with all kinds of measures and sizes; 30to stand

every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening; 31and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the LORD on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons and on the set feasts, by number according to the ordinance governing them, regularly before the LORD; 32and that they should attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, the needs of the holy place, and the needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the work of the house of the

LORD.

1 Chronicles 24

THE DIVISIONS OF THE PRIESTS

1Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children; therefore Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests. 3Then David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to the schedule of their service.

4There were more leaders found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and thus they were divided. Among the sons of Eleazar were sixteen heads of their fathers' houses, and eight heads of their fathers' houses among the sons of Ithamar. 5Thus they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of the house of God, from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar. 6And the scribe, Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, one of the Levites, wrote them down before the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the priests and Levites, one father's house taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar.

7Now the first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, 8the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, 9the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, 10the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, 11the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, 12the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, 13the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, 14the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, 15the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,a 16the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezekel,a 17the twenty-first to Jachin, the twentysecond to Gamul, 18the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

19This was the schedule of their service for coming into the house of the

LORD according to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

OTHER LEVITES

20And the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael;a of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. 21Concerning Rehabiah, of the sons of Rehabiah, the first was Isshiah. 22Of the Izharites, Shelomoth;a of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath. 23Of the sons of Hebron,a Jeriah was the first, b Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 24Of the sons of Uzziel, Michah; of the sons of Michah, Shamir. 25The brother of Michah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. 26The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi; the son of Jaaziah, Beno. 27The sons of Merari by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. 28Of Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. 29Of Kish: the son of Kish, Jerahmeel. 30Also the sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers' houses.

31These also cast lots just as their brothers the sons of Aaron did, in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the priests and Levites. The chief fathers did just as their younger brethren.

1 Chronicles 25

THE MUSICIANS

1Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men performing their service was: 2Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and

Asharelah;a the sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who

prophesied according to the order of the king. 3Of Jeduthun, the sons of

Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri,a Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six,b

under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the LORD. 4Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah,

Mattaniah, Uzziel,a Shebuel,b Jerimoth,c Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti,

Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. 5All these were

the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to exalt his horn.a For God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

25:1 the captains of the army. David relied on his mighty men for help (11:10). Asaph… Heman…Jeduthun. David's 3 chief ministers of music (6:31–48). prophesy. This is not necessarily to be taken in a revelatory sense, but rather in the sense of proclamation and exhortation through the lyrics of their music (25:2, 3). Prophesying is not necessarily predicting the future or even speaking direct revelation. It is proclaiming truth (v. 5) to people (1 Cor. 14:3), and music is a vehicle for such proclamation in praise (v. 3). David and the leaders selected those most capable (v. 7) of leading the people to worship God through their music.

6All these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of the

house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the authority of the king. 7So the number of them, with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the LORD, all who were skillful, was two hundred and eighty-eight.

8And they cast lots for their duty, the small as well as the great, the teacher with the student.

9Now the first lot for Asaph came out for Joseph; the second for Gedaliah, him with his brethren and sons, twelve; 10the third for Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 11the fourth for Jizri,a his sons and his brethren, twelve; 12the fifth for Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 13the sixth for Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 14the seventh for Jesharelah,a his sons and his brethren, twelve; 15the eighth for Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 16the ninth for Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 17the tenth for Shimei, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 18the eleventh for Azarel,a his sons and his brethren, twelve; 19the twelfth for Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 20the thirteenth for Shubael,a his sons and his brethren, twelve; 21the fourteenth for Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 22the fifteenth for Jeremoth,a his sons and his brethren, twelve; 23the sixteenth for Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 24the seventeenth for Joshbekashah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 25the eighteenth for Hanani, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 26the nineteenth for Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 27the twentieth for Eliathah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 28the twenty-first for Hothir, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 29the twenty-second for Giddalti, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 30the twenty-third for Mahazioth, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 31the twenty-fourth for Romamti-Ezer, his sons and his brethren, twelve.

Next June 30 Reading

1 Chronicles 26

July 1

1 C HRONICLES 26:1–27:34

THE GATEKEEPERS

1Concerning the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah

the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph. 2And the sons of Meshelemiah were Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, 3Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh.

26:1–19 The temple gatekeepers or guards had other duties, such as checking out equipment and utensils; storing, ordering, and maintaining food for the priests and sacrifices; caring for the temple furniture; mixing the incense daily burned; and accounting for gifts brought. Their "duties" (v. 12) are given in 1Chronicles 9:17–27.

4Moreover the sons of Obed-Edom were Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad

the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, 5Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peulthai the eighth; for God blessed him.

6Also to Shemaiah his son were sons born who governed their fathers'

houses, because they were men of great ability. 7The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad, whose brothers Elihu and Semachiah were able men.

8All these were of the sons of Obed-Edom, they and their sons and their brethren, able men with strength for the work: sixty-two of Obed-Edom.

9And Meshelemiah had sons and brethren, eighteen able men. 10Also Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons: Shimri the first (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him the first), 11Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth; all the sons and brethren of Hosah were thirteen.

12Among these were the divisions of the gatekeepers, among the chief men, having duties just like their brethren, to serve in the house of the LORD. 13And they cast lots for each gate, the small as well as the great, according to their father's house. 14The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then they cast lots

for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and his lot came out for the North Gate; 15to Obed-Edom the South Gate, and to his sons the storehouse.a 16To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came out for the West Gate, with the Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway—watchman opposite watchman. 17On the east were six Levites, on the north four each day, on the south four each day, and for the storehousea two by two. 18As for the Parbara on the west, there were four on

the highway and two at the Parbar. 19These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among the sons of Korah and among the sons of Merari.

THE TREASURIES AND OTHER DUTIES

20Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasuries of the house of God and over the

treasuries of the dedicated things. 21The sons of Laadan, the descendants of the Gershonites of Laadan, heads of their fathers' houses, of Laadan the Gershonite: Jehieli. 22The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and Joel his brother, were over the treasuries

of the house of the LORD. 23Of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the

Uzzielites: 24Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was overseer of the

treasuries. 25And his brethren by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son.

26:20 treasuries. The Levites watched over the store of valuables given to the Lord. This is a general reference to all the precious things committed to their trust, including contributions from David and the people, as well as war spoils given by triumphant soldiers (vv. 26, 27).

26This Shelomith and his brethren were over all the treasuries of the dedicated things which King David and the heads of fathers' houses, the captains over thousands and hundreds, and the captains of the army, had dedicated. 27Some of the spoils won in battles they dedicated to maintain the house of the LORD. 28And all that Samuel the seer, Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated, every dedicated thing, was under the hand of Shelomith and his brethren.

29Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons performed duties as officials and judges over Israel outside Jerusalem.

26:29–32 officials and judges. There were 6,000 magistrates exercising

judicial functions throughout the land.

30Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brethren, one thousand seven hundred able men, had the oversight of Israel on the west side of the Jordan for all the

business of the LORD, and in the service of the king. 31Among the Hebronites, Jerijah was head of the Hebronites according to his genealogy of the fathers. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought, and there were found

among them capable men at Jazer of Gilead. 32And his brethren were two thousand seven hundred able men, heads of fathers' houses, whom King David made officials over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God and the affairs of the king.

1 Chronicles 27

THE MILITARY DIVISIONS

1And the children of Israel, according to their number, the heads of fathers' houses, the captains of thousands and hundreds and their officers, served the king in every matter of the military divisions. These divisions came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each division having twenty-four thousand.

2Over the first division for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel, and in his division were twenty-four thousand; 3he was of the children of Perez,

and the chief of all the captains of the army for the first month. 4Over the division of the second month was Dodaia an Ahohite, and of his division Mikloth also was

the leader; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 5The third captain of the army for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, who was chief; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 6This was the Benaiah who was mighty among the thirty, and was over the thirty; in his division was Ammizabad his son. 7The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 8The

fifth captain for the fifth month was Shamhutha the Izrahite; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 9The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of

Ikkesh the Tekoite; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 10The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 11The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbechai the Hushathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were twentyfour thousand. 12The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite, of the Benjamites; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 13The tenth captain for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 14The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 15The twelfth captain for the twelfth month

was Heldaia the Netophathite, of Othniel; in his division were twenty-four thousand.

27:1–15 This section enumerates the standing army of Israel (288,000 men), which had responsibility to guard the nation and temple. They were divided into 12 divisions, each of which served for one month during the year. When full war occurred, a larger force could be called into action.

LEADERS OF TRIBES

16Furthermore, over the tribes of Israel: the officer over the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; over the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maachah; 17over the Levites, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; over the Aaronites, Zadok; 18over Judah, Elihu, one of David's brothers; over Issachar, Omri the son of Michael; 19over Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; over Naphtali, Jerimoth the son of Azriel; 20over the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; over the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah; 21over the half–tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; over Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner; 22over Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

23But David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under, because the LORD had said He would multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens. 24Joab the son of Zeruiah began a census, but he did not finish, for wrath came upon Israel because of this census; nor was the number recorded in the account of the chronicles of King David.

OTHER STATE OFFICIALS

25And Azmaveth the son of Adiel was over the king's treasuries; and Jehonathan the son of Uzziah was over the storehouses in the field, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses. 26Ezri the son of Chelub was over those who did the work of the field for tilling the ground. 27And Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards, and Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the produce of the vineyards for the supply of wine. 28Baal-Hanan the Gederite was over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the lowlands, and Joash was over the store of oil. 29And Shitrai the Sharonite was over the herds that fed in Sharon, and Shaphat the son of Adlai was over the herds that were in the valleys. 30Obil the Ishmaelite was over the camels, Jehdeiah the Meronothite was over the donkeys, 31and Jaziz the Hagrite was over the flocks. All these were the officials over King David's property.

32Also Jehonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor, a wise man, and a scribe; and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons. 33Ahithophel was the king's counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's companion. 34After Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, then Abiathar. And the general of the king's army was Joab.

Next July 1 Reading

1 Chronicles 28

July 2

1 C HRONICLES 28:1–29:30

SOLOMON INSTRUCTED TO BUILD THE TEMPLE

1Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel: the officers of the tribes and the captains of the divisions who served the king, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officials, the valiant men, and all the mighty men of valor.

2Then King David rose to his feet and said, "Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of

the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it. 3But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house for My name, because you

have been a man of war and have shed blood.' 4However the LORD God of Israel chose me above all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for He has chosen Judah to be the ruler. And of the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father, He was pleased with me to make me

king over all Israel. 5And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD

over Israel. 6Now He said to me, 'It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his

Father. 7Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is steadfast to

observe My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.' 8Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your

children after you forever.

28:2–8 For the assembly's sake, David testified to the Davidic Covenant originally given by God to him in 2 Samuel 7 (17:7–27; 22:6–16). David makes it clear that Solomon was God's choice (v. 5 ) as had been frequently intimated ( 2 Sam. 12:24 , 25 ; 1 Kin. 1:13 ), just as the coming Christ will be God's chosen Son to ultimately fulfill the kingdom promise.

9"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by

you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. 10Consider now, for the

LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it."

11Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat; 12and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things; 13also for the division of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD. 14He gave gold by weight for things of gold, for all articles used in every kind of service; also silver

for all articles of silver by weight, for all articles used in every kind of service; 15the weight for the lampstands of gold, and their lamps of gold, by weight for each lampstand and its lamps; for the lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand. 16And by weight he gave gold for the tables of the showbread, for each table, and silver for the tables of silver; 17also pure gold for the forks, the basins, the pitchers of pure gold, and the golden bowls—he gave gold by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls, silver by weight for every bowl; 18and refined gold by weight for the altar of incense, and for the construction of the chariot, that is, the gold cherubim

that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 19"All this," said David, "the LORD made me understand in writing, by

His hand upon me, all the works of these plans."

28:19 in writing. David wrote down the plans under the Holy Spirit's divine inspiration (non-canonical, written revelation). This divine privilege was much like that of Moses for the tabernacle (Ex. 25:9, 40; 27:8; Heb. 8:5).

20And David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the

service of the house of the LORD. 21Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and every willing craftsman will be with you for all manner of workmanship, for every kind of service; also the leaders and all the people will be completely at your command."

28:20, 21 Solomon's associates in the building project were God, the owner and general contractor (28:20), plus the human workforce (28:21).

1 Chronicles 29

OFFERINGS FOR BUILDING THE TEMPLE

1Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: "My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the templea is not for man but for the LORD God. 2Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones

of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. 3Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: 4three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; 5the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the LORD?"

6Then the leaders of the fathers' houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king's work, offered willingly. 7They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. 8And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the

house of the LORD, into the hand of Jehiela the Gershonite. 9Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly.

DAVID'S PRAISE TO GOD

10Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said:

"Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever

and ever. 11Yours, O LORD, is the greatness,

The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. 12Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all.

13"Now therefore, our God,

We thank You And praise Your glorious name. 14But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. 15For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope.

16"O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. 17I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. 18O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You. 19And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the templea for which I have made provision."

20Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the LORD your God." So all the assembly blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the LORD and the king.

SOLOMON ANOINTED KING

21And they made sacrifices to the LORD and offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the next day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22So they ate and drank before the LORD with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before the

LORD to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest. 23Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. 24All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the

sons of King David, submitted themselves to King Solomon. 25So the LORD exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

THE CLOSE OF DAVID'S REIGN

26Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27And the period that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. 28So he died in a good old age,

full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place. 29Now the acts of King David, first and last, indeed they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, 30with all his reign and his might, and the events that happened to him, to Israel, and to all the kingdoms of the lands.

Next July 2 Reading

The Second Book of the Chronicles

2 Chronicles 1

July 3

2 C HRONICLES 1:1–2:18

SOLOMON REQUESTS WISDOM

1Now Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the

LORD his God was with him and exalted him exceedingly.

2And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers' houses. 3Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for the tabernacle of meeting with God was there, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. 4But David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. 5Now the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he puta

before the tabernacle of the LORD; Solomon and the assembly sought Him there. 6And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

7On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask! What shall I give you?"

8And Solomon said to God: "You have shown great mercy to David my

father, and have made me king in his place. 9Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 10Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?"

11Then God said to Solomon: "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— 12wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like."

SOLOMON'S MILITARY AND ECONOMIC POWER

13So Solomon came to Jerusalem from the high place that was at Gibeon, from

before the tabernacle of meeting, and reigned over Israel. 14And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with

the king in Jerusalem. 15Also the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as the sycamores which

are in the lowland. 16And Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh;

the king's merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price. 17They also acquired and imported from Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and

a horse for one hundred and fifty; thus, through their agents,a they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

1:17 six hundred shekels. Assuming a shekel weighs.4 ounces, this represents 15 pounds of silver for one chariot. one hundred and fifty. Assuming the weight is in shekels, this would be about 3.75 pounds of silver. Deuteronomy 17:16 warned against the king's amassing horses.

2 Chronicles 2

SOLOMON PREPARES TO BUILD THE TEMPLE

1Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the LORD, and

a royal house for himself. 2Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.

2:1 temple for the name of the LORD. God's covenant name, Yahweh or Jehovah (Ex. 3:14), is in mind. David wanted to do this, but was not allowed to do any more than plan and prepare (1 Chr. 23–26; 28:11–13), purchase the land (2 Sam. 24:18–25; 1 Chr. 22), and gather the materials (1 Chr. 22:14–16).

3Then Solomon sent to Hirama king of Tyre, saying: As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build

himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. 4Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel. 5And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than

all gods. 6But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him? 7Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in

bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. 8Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants, 9to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful. 10And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil. 11Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them. 12Hirama also said: Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal house for himself! 13And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, Hurama

my masterb craftsman14(the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my lord David your father. 15Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which my

lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants.16And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem. 17Then Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census in which David his father had numbered them; and there were found

to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred. 18And he made seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

Next July 3 Reading

2 Chronicles 3

July 4

2 C HRONICLES 3:1–4:22

SOLOMON BUILDS THE TEMPLE

1Now Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah,

where the LORDa had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had

prepared on the threshing floor of Ornanb the Jebusite. 2And he began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

3This is the foundation which Solomon laid for building the house of God: The length was sixty cubits (by cubits according to the former measure) and the width twenty cubits. 4And the vestibule that was in front of the sanctuarya was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the height was one hundred andb twenty. He overlaid the inside with pure gold. 5The larger rooma he paneled with cypress which he overlaid with fine gold, and he carved palm trees and chainwork on it. 6And he decorated the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold from Parvaim. 7He also overlaid the house—the beams and doorposts, its walls and doors—with gold; and he carved cherubim on the walls.

8And he made the Most Holy Place. Its length was according to the width of the house, twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits. He overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold. 9The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold; and he

overlaid the upper area with gold. 10In the Most Holy Place he made two

cherubim, fashioned by carving, and overlaid them with gold. 11The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits in overall length: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub; 12one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing also was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub. 13The wings of these cherubim spanned

twenty cubits overall. They stood on their feet, and they faced inward. 14And he made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and wove cherubim into it.

3:10–13 two cherubim. This free-standing set of cherubim was in addition to

the more diminutive set on the ark itself.

3:14 veil. The veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies), which was entered once annually by the high priest on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16). This highly limited access to the presence of God was eliminated by the death of Christ, when the veil in Herod's temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51). It signified that believers had immediate, full access to God's presence through their Mediator and High Priest Jesus Christ, who was the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice (Heb. 3:14–16; 9:19–22).

15Also he made in front of the templea two pillars thirty-fiveb cubits high,

and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. 16He made wreaths of chainwork, as in the inner sanctuary, and put them on top of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the wreaths of chainwork. 17Then he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called the name of the one on the right hand Jachin, and the name of the one on the left Boaz.

2 Chronicles 4

FURNISHINGS OF THE TEMPLE

1Moreover he made a bronze altar: twenty cubits was its length, twenty cubits its width, and ten cubits its height.

4:1 bronze altar. This is the main altar on which sacrifices were offered (the millennial temple altar, Ezek. 43:13–17). For comparison to the tabernacle's altar, see Exodus 27:1–8; 38:1–7. If the cubit of 18 inches was used rather than the royal cubit of 21 inches, it would make the altar 30 feet by 30 feet by 15 feet high.

2Then he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits

measured its circumference. 3And under it was the likeness of oxen encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The oxen were cast in two

rows, when it was cast. 4It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed

inward. 5It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a

cup, like a lily blossom. It contained three thousanda baths.

4:2 the Sea. This large laver was used for ritual cleansing. In Ezekiel's millennial temple, the laver will apparently be replaced by the waters that flow through the temple (Ezek. 47:1–12).

6He also made ten lavers, and put five on the right side and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as they offered for the burnt offering they would wash in them, but the Sea was for the priests to wash in. 7And he made ten lampstands of gold according to their design, and set them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. 8He also made ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made one hundred bowls of gold.

9Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court and doors for the court; and he overlaid these doors with bronze. 10He set the Sea on the right side, toward the southeast.

11Then Huram made the pots and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of God: 12the two pillars and the bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; 13four hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the pillars); 14he also made carts and the lavers on the carts; 15one Sea and twelve oxen under it; 16also the pots, the shovels, the forks—and all their articles Huram his mastera craftsman made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the LORD.

17In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and Zeredah.a 18And Solomon had all these articles made in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not determined.

19Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of God: the altar

of gold and the tables on which was the showbread; 20the lampstands with their lamps of pure gold, to burn in the prescribed manner in front of the inner sanctuary, 21with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold, of

purest gold; 22the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold. As for the entry of the sanctuary, its inner doors to the Most Holy Place, and the doors of the main hall of the temple, were gold.

Next July 4 Reading

2 Chronicles 5

July 5

2 C HRONICLES 5:1–6:42

1So all the work that Solomon had done for the house of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings. And he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

5:1 The temple took 7 years, 6 months to build and was completed in Solomon's 11th year (959 B.C.) in the eighth month (1 Kin. 6:38). Since it was dedicated in the seventh month (5:3), its dedication occurred 11 months later to coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles. Why is there so much emphasis in the Old Testament on the temple? 1) It was the center of worship that called people to correct belief through the generations. 2) It was the symbol of God's presence with His people. 3) It was the symbol of forgiveness and grace, reminding the people of the seriousness of sin and the availability of mercy. 4) It prepared the people for the true Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who would take away sin. 5) It was a place of prayer.

THE ARK BROUGHT INTO THE TEMPLE

2Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the

chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD up from the City of David, which is Zion. 3Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month. 4So all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. 5Then they brought up the ark, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy

furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 6Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or

numbered for multitude. 7Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the

LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple,a to the Most Holy Place,

under the wings of the cherubim. 8For the cherubim spread their wings over the

place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 9The poles extended so that the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are

there to this day. 10Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt.

11And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions), 12and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets— 13indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying:

5:13, 14 the glory of the LORD. The Lord's presence indwelt the temple and the first service of worship was held. In the same manner He descended on the tabernacle ( Ex. 40:34–38 ). He will do likewise on the millennial temple ( Ezek. 43:1–5 ). His glory is representative of His Person ( Ex. 33 ), and entering the temple signified His presence.

"For He is good,

For His mercy endures forever,"a

that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

2 Chronicles 6

1Then Solomon spoke:

"The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. 2I have surely built You an exalted house, And a place for You to dwell in forever."

SOLOMON'S SPEECH UPON COMPLETION OF THE WORK

3Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all

the assembly of Israel was standing. 4And he said: "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His hands what He spoke with His mouth to my

father David, saying, 5'Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My

people Israel. 6Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and I

have chosen David to be over My people Israel.' 7Now it was in the heart of my

father David to build a templea for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 8But the

LORD said to my father David, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for

My name, you did well in that it was in your heart. 9Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the

temple for My name.' 10So the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke, and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised; and I have built the temple for the name of the LORD God of

Israel. 11And there I have put the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with the children of Israel."

SOLOMON'S PRAYER OF DEDICATION

12Then Solomona stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the

assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands 13(for Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt down on his knees before all the

assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven); 14and he said: "LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven or on earth like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their

hearts. 15You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You

have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 16Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk in My law

as you have walked before Me.' 17And now, O LORD God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David.

18"But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the

heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this templea which I

have built! 19Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before

You: 20that Your eyes may be open toward this temple day and night, toward the place where You said You would put Your name, that You may hear the prayer

which Your servant makes toward this place. 21And may You hear the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive.

22"If anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and

comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, 23then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

24"Or if Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and return and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this temple, 25then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and their fathers.

26"When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn

from their sin because You afflict them, 27then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

28"When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; 29whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple: 30then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men), 31that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

32"Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray in this temple; 33then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

34"When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, 35then hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

36"When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to a land far or near; 37yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness'; 38and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which

You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name: 39then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications,

and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You. 40Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your

ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.

41"Now therefore, Arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, And let Your saints rejoice in goodness.

42"O LORD God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed;

Remember the mercies of Your servant David."a

Next July 5 Reading

2 Chronicles 7

July 6

2 C HRONICLES 7:1–8:18

SOLOMON DEDICATES THE TEMPLE

1When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.a 2And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD,

because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD's house. 3When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying:

"For He is good,

For His mercy endures forever."a

4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. 5King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6And the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of the LORD, which King David had made to praise the LORD, saying, "For His mercy endures forever,"a whenever David offered praise by their ministry. The priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood.

7Furthermore Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.

8At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very

great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt.a 9And on the eighth day they held a sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the

altar seven days, and the feast seven days. 10On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people

Israel. 11Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king's house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the

house of the LORD and in his own house.

GOD'S SECOND APPEARANCE TO SOLOMON

12Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 16For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 17As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 18then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.'

7:17, 18 if…then. If there was obedience on the part of the nation, the kingdom would be established and they would have "a man as ruler." Their disobedience was legendary and so was the destruction of their kingdom and their dispersion. When Israel is saved (Rom. 11:25–27; Zech. 12:14), then their King Messiah will set up this glorious kingdom (Rev. 20:1ff.).

19"But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, 20then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

21"And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and this house?' 22Then they will answer, 'Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.' "

2 Chronicles 8

SOLOMON'S ADDITIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

1It came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house, 2that the cities which Hirama had given

to Solomon, Solomon built them; and he settled the children of Israel there. 3And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. 4He also built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storage cities which he built in Hamath. 5He built Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, 6also Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities and the cities of the cavalry, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

7All the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and

Jebusites, who were not of Israel— 8that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel did not destroy—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day. 9But Solomon did not make the children of Israel servants for his work. Some were men of war, captains of his officers, captains of his chariots, and his cavalry. 10And others were chiefs of the officials of King Solomon: two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people.

11Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, "My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy."

8:11 the daughter of Pharaoh. First Kings 3:1 mentions the marriage and the fact that Solomon brought her to Jerusalem until he could build a house for her. Until that palace was built, Solomon lived in David's palace, but did not allow

her to do so, because she was a heathen and because the ark of God had once been in David's house. He surely knew his marriage to this pagan did not please God ( Deut. 7:3 , 4 ). Eventually his pagan wives caused tragic consequences ( 1 Kin. 11:1–11 ).

12Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the

LORD which he had built before the vestibule, 13according to the daily rate, offering according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the three appointed yearly feasts—the Feast of

Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. 14And, according to the order of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, the Levites for their duties (to praise and serve before the priests) as the duty of each day required, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate; for so David the man of God had commanded. 15They did not depart from the command of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasuries.

16Now all the work of Solomon was well-ordered froma the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.

17Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elatha on the seacoast, in the

land of Edom. 18And Hiram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, and servants who knew the sea. They went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

Next July 6 Reading

2 Chronicles 9

July 7

2 C HRONICLES 9:1–10:19

THE QUEEN OF SHEBA'S PRAISE OF SOLOMON

1Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, having a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when

she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 2So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for

Solomon that he could not explain it to her. 3And when the queen of Sheba

had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 4the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.

5Then she said to the king: "It was a true report which I heard in my own land

about your words and your wisdom. 6However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness

of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard. 7Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand

continually before you and hear your wisdom! 8Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."

9And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there never were any spices such as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought alguma wood and precious stones. 11And the

king made walkways of the alguma wood for the house of the LORD and for the king's house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none such as these seen before in the land of Judah.

12Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

SOLOMON'S GREAT WEALTH

13The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six

talents of gold, 14besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered

gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield. 16He also

made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekelsa of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

17Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 18The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. 19Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.

20All King Solomon's drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 21For the king's ships

went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram.a Once every three years the

merchant shipsb came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.c

22So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 23And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 24Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.

25Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.

26So he reigned over all the kings from the Rivera to the land of the Philistines, as

far as the border of Egypt. 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the

lowland. 28And they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

DEATH OF SOLOMON

29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31Then Solomon rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

9:29 In later years, Solomon turned away from God; and, due to the influence of his wives, he led the nation into idolatry. This split the kingdom and sowed the seeds that led to its defeat and dispersion. The Chronicles do not record this sad end to Solomon's life because the focus is on encouraging the returning Jews from Babylon with God's pledge to them for a glorious future in the Davidic Covenant.

2 Chronicles 10

THE REVOLT AGAINST REHOBOAM

1And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to

make him king. 2So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3Then they sent for him and called him. And

Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4"Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you."

5So he said to them, "Come back to me after three days." And the people departed.

6Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, "How do you advise me to answer these people?"

7And they spoke to him, saying, "If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever."

8But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the

young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9And he said to them, "What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?"

10Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us'—thus you shall say

to them: 'My little finger shall be thicker than my father's waist! 11And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father

chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!' "a

12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king

had directed, saying, "Come back to me the third day." 13Then the king answered

them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders, 14and he spoke to

them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My fathera made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips,

but I will chastise you with scourges!"b 15So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from God, that the LORD might fulfill His word, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:

"What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, O David!"

So all Israel departed to their tents. 17But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.

18Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of revenue; but the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. 19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

Next July 7 Reading

2 Chronicles 11

July 8

2 C HRONICLES 11:1–12:16

1Now when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled from the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.

2But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3"Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, 4'Thus says the LORD: "You shall not go up or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me." ' " Therefore they obeyed the words of the LORD, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.

REHOBOAM FORTIFIES THE CITIES

5So Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah. 6And he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7Beth Zur, Sochoh, Adullam, 8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and Benjamin, fortified cities. 11And he fortified

the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine. 12Also in every city he put shields and spears, and made them very strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.

PRIESTS AND LEVITES MOVE TO JUDAH

13And from all their territories the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel

took their stand with him. 14For the Levites left their common-lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had

rejected them from serving as priests to the LORD. 15Then he appointed for himself priests for the high places, for the demons, and the calf idols which he

had made. 16And after the Levites left,a those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the LORD God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice

to the LORD God of their fathers. 17So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

THE FAMILY OF REHOBOAM

18Then Rehoboam took for himself as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the

son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliah the son of Jesse. 19And she bore

him children: Jeush, Shamariah, and Zaham. 20After her he took Maachah the

granddaughtera of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21Now Rehoboam loved Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom more than all his wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and

begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. 22And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maachah as chief, to be leader among his brothers; for he intended to

make him king. 23He dealt wisely, and dispersed some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. He also sought many wives for them.

2 Chronicles 12

EGYPT ATTACKS JUDAH

1Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel along with him. 2And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD, 3with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and people without number who came with him out of Egypt—the Lubim and the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. 4And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came to Jerusalem.

12:2–5 Shishak. He ruled over Egypt ca. 945–924 B.C. An Egyptian record of this invasion written on stone has been found, recording that Shishak's army penetrated all the way north to the Sea of Galilee. He wanted to restore Egypt's once-great power, but was unable to conquer both Israel and Judah. However, he was able to destroy cities in Judah and gain some control of trade routes. Judah came under Egyptian control.

5Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the LORD: 'You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.' "

6So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, "The LORD is righteous."

12:6, 7 humbled themselves. In the face of the Egyptian conqueror, the

leaders responded to the word of God through the prophet (v. 5) and repented, so that God would end His wrath worked through Shishak.

7Now when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the

LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, "They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 8Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may distinguish My service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations."

12:8 Nevertheless. A fitting punishment arose to remind the Jews of their heritage in relationship to Egypt. This was the first major military encounter with Egypt since the Exodus had ended hundreds of years of slavery there. A taste of being enslaved again to a people from whom God had given liberation was bitter. The message was crystal clear if the Jews would forsake the true worship of God, they would also lose His protective hand of blessing. It was much better to serve God than to have to serve "kingdoms of the nations.".

9So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had made. 10Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king's house. 11And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guard would

go and bring them out; then they would take them back into the guardroom. 12When he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah.

THE END OF REHOBOAM'S REIGN

13Thus King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king; and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother's name was Naamah, an

Ammonitess. 14And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.

15The acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 16So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. Then Abijaha his son reigned in his place.

Next July 8 Reading

2 Chronicles 13

July 9

2 C HRONICLES 13:1–14:15

ABIJAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Michaiaha

the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.

4Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim,

and said, "Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: 5Should you not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons,

by a covenant of salt? 6Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon

the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord. 7Then worthless rogues gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and inexperienced and could not

withstand them. 8And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you

are the gold calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9Have you not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things

that are not gods? 10But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the LORD are the sons of Aaron,

and the Levites attend to their duties. 11And they burn to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the showbread in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every evening; for we keep the command of the LORD our God, but

you have forsaken Him. 12Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!"

13But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they cried out to the LORD, and the priests sounded the trumpets. 15Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. 17Then Abijah and his people struck them with a

great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain. 18Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD God of their fathers.

13:15 God struck Jeroboam and all Israel. At the time of certain defeat, with 400,000 troops behind and the same number in front, Judah was saved by divine intervention. What God did is unknown, but the army of Israel began to flee (v. 16), and the soldiers of Judah massacred 500,000 of them in an unimaginable blood bath (v. 17).

13:17 Before the battle, Jeroboam outnumbered Abijah two to one (13:3). After the fray, in which the Lord intervened on behalf of Judah, Abijah outnumbered Jeroboam 4 to 3.

19And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its

villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephraina with its villages. 20So Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the LORD struck him, and he died.

21But Abijah grew mighty, married fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayings are written in the annals of the prophet Iddo.

2 Chronicles 14

1So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.

ASA REIGNS IN JUDAH

2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God, 3for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the

sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. 4He commanded Judah to seek

the LORD God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. 5He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of

Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him. 6And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the LORD had

given him rest. 7Therefore he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him, and He has

given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered. 8And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor.

9Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men

and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. 10So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at

Mareshah. 11And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, "LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!"

12So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians

fled. 13And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were

broken before the LORD and His army. And they carried away very much spoil. 14Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much spoil in them. 15They also attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

Next July 9 Reading

2 Chronicles 15

July 10

2 C HRONICLES 15:1–16:14

THE REFORMS OF ASA

1Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. 2And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 3For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; 4but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. 5And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. 6So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. 7But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!"

15:1 Spirit of God. An act of the Holy Spirit, common in the Old Testament, enabling servants of God to speak or act uniquely for Him. Azariah. This man was a prophet mentioned only here, who met Asa as he returned from the victory and spoke to him before all his army.

15:2 The spiritual truth here is basic, namely that God is present and powerful in defense of His obedient people. While good Asa ruled for 41 years, 8 wicked kings ruled in Israel, including Jeroboam, who, along with the others, was a negative illustration of this truth.

8And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Odeda the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the LORD that was before the vestibule of the LORD. 9Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11And they offered to the LORD at that time seven

hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the spoil they had brought. 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; 13and whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. 14Then they took an oath before the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams' horns. 15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.

16Also he removed Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah;a and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron. 17But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days.

18He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils. 19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

2 Chronicles 16

ASA'S TREATY WITH SYRIA

1In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, 3"Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me."

4So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 5Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. 6Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

HANANI'S MESSAGE TO ASA

7And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: "Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD

your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 8Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. 9For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars." 10Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him

because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

16:7 Hanani. God used this prophet to rebuke Asa 1) for his wicked appropriation of temple treasures devoted to God to purchase power, and 2) for his faithless dependence on a pagan king instead of the Lord, in contrast to before when opposed by Egypt (2 Chr. 14:9–15). army of the king of Syria has escaped. Asa forfeited by this sin the opportunity of gaining victory not only over Israel, but also Syria. This could have been a greater victory than over the Ethiopians, which would have deprived Syria of any future successful attacks on Judah. Though God had delivered them when they were outnumbered (13:3ff.; 14:9ff.), the king showed his own spiritual decline both in lack of trust and in his treatment of the prophet of God who spoke truth (v. 10).

ILLNESS AND DEATH OF ASA

11Note that the acts of Asa, first and last, are indeed written in the book of

the kings of Judah and Israel. 12And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians.

13So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14They buried him in his own tomb, which he had made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him in the bed which was filled with spices and various ingredients prepared in a mixture of ointments. They made a very great burning for him.

Next July 10 Reading

2 Chronicles 17

July 11

2 C HRONICLES 17:1–18:34

JEHOSHAPHAT REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel. 2And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken. 3Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, 4but sought the Goda of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. 5Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance. 6And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.

17:3–9 Jehoshaphat made three strategic moves, spiritually speaking: 1) he obeyed the Lord (17:3–6); 2) he removed false worship from the land (17:6); and 3) he sent out teachers who taught the people the Law of the Lord (17:7–9).

7Also in the third year of his reign he sent his leaders, Ben-Hail, Obadiah,

Zechariah, Nethanel, and Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. 8And with them he sent Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah—the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. 9So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the LORD with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.

10And the fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around

Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. 11Also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver as tribute; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven

thousand seven hundred male goats.

12So Jehoshaphat became increasingly powerful, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. 13He had much property in the cities of Judah; and the men of war, mighty men of valor, were in Jerusalem.

17:12, 13 These verses indicate the massive wealth that developed under divine blessing (18:1), as well as formidable military power (vv. 14–19).

14These are their numbers, according to their fathers' houses. Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him three hundred thousand mighty men of valor; 15and next to him was Jehohanan the captain,

and with him two hundred and eighty thousand; 16and next to him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself to the LORD, and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor. 17Of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield; 18and next to him was Jehozabad, and with him one hundred and

eighty thousand prepared for war. 19These served the king, besides those the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

2 Chronicles 18

MICAIAH WARNS AHAB

1Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he

allied himself with Ahab. 2After some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead. 3So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?"

And he answered him, "I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war."

4Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of the LORD today."

5Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?"

So they said, "Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's hand." 6But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that

we may inquire of Him?"a

7So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla."

And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say such things!" 8Then the king of Israel called one of his officers and said, "Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly!"

9The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in their robes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of

Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. 10Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.' "

11And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the king's hand."

12Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement."

13And Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak."

14Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?"

And he said, "Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!" 15So the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"

16Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.' "

17And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

18Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left. 19And the LORD said, 'Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?' So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 20Then a spirit came forward and stood before

the LORD, and said, 'I will persuade him.' The LORD said to him, 'In what way?' 21So he said, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And the LORD said, 'You shall persuade him and also prevail; go out and do so.' 22Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you."

23Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the spirit from the LORD go from me to speak to you?"

24And Micaiah said, "Indeed you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!"

25Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the

governor of the city and to Joash the king's son; 26and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of

affliction, until I return in peace." ' "

27But Micaiah said, "If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Take heed, all you people!"

AHAB DIES IN BATTLE

28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to

Ramoth Gilead. 29And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.

30Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots who were with him, saying, "Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel."

31So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "It is the king of Israel!" Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them from him. 32For so it was, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 33Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded." 34The battle increased that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening; and about the time of sunset he died.

Next July 11 Reading

2 Chronicles 19

July 12

2 C HRONICLES 19:1–20:37

1Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house in Jerusalem. 2And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you. 3Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God."

19:1–3 Having faced possible death that was diverted by God (18:31), Jehoshaphat was rebuked because of his alliances. The prophet condemned the king's alliance with God's enemy, Ahab (1 Kin. 22:2), yet there was mercy mingled with wrath because of the king's concern personally and nationally for the true worship of God.

THE REFORMS OF JEHOSHAPHAT

4So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD God of their fathers. 5Then he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, 6and said to the judges, "Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. 7Now therefore, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes."

8Moreover in Jerusalem, for the judgment of the LORD and for controversies, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the chief fathers of Israel, when they returned to Jerusalem.a 9And he commanded them, saying, "Thus you shall act in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and with a loyal heart: 10Whatever case comes to you from your brethren who dwell in their cities, whether of bloodshed or offenses against law or commandment, against statutes or ordinances, you shall warn them, lest they trespass against the LORD and wrath come upon you and your brethren. Do this, and you will not be guilty. 11And take notice: Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king's matters; also the Levites will be officials before you. Behave courageously, and the LORD will be with the good."

2 Chronicles 20

AMMON, MOAB, AND MOUNT SEIR DEFEATED

1It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites,a came to battle against Jehoshaphat. 2Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming

against you from beyond the sea, from Syria;a and they are in Hazazon Tamar" (which is En Gedi). 3And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD,

and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

5Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the

house of the LORD, before the new court, 6and said: "O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? 7Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 8And they dwell in it, and have

built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, 9'If disaster comes upon us —sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.' 10And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir— whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them— 11here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of

Your possession which You have given us to inherit. 12O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."

13Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.

14Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. 16Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you."

18And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah

and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. 19Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high.

20So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper." 21And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

"Praise the LORD,

For His mercy endures forever."a

22Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and

they were defeated. 23For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

24So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.

25When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found

among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies,a and precious

jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. 26And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for

there they blessed the LORD; therefore the name of that place was called The

Valley of Berachaha until this day. 27Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the

LORD. 29And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when

they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

THE END OF JEHOSHAPHAT'S REIGN

31So Jehoshaphat was king over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. 33Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.

34Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, indeed they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.

35After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel,

who acted very wickedly. 36And he allied himself with him to make ships to go to

Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber. 37But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works." Then the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Next July 12 Reading

2 Chronicles 21

July 13

2 C HRONICLES 21:1–22:12

JEHORAM REIGNS IN JUDAH

1And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the

City of David. Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 2He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael, and

Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3Their father gave them great gifts of silver and gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.

4Now when Jehoram was established over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also others of the princes of Israel.

5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned

eight years in Jerusalem. 6And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter of Ahab as a wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 7Yet the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

8In his days Edom revolted against Judah's authority, and made a king over themselves. 9So Jehoram went out with his officers, and all his chariots with him. And he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots. 10Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah's authority to this day. At that time Libnah revolted against his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers. 11Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry, and led Judah astray.

21:11 led Judah astray. Undoubtedly he was influenced by his marriage to Ahab's daughter (v. 6 ) and was influenced in the alliance just like his father ( 2 Chr. 18:1 ). They had not learned from Solomon's sinful example ( 1 Kin. 11:3 , 4). His wicked wife, Athaliah, later became ruler over Judah and tried to wipe

out David's royal line (2 Chr. 22:10).

12And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying,

21:12–15 Elijah, best known for his confrontations with Israel's Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kin. 17—2 Kin. 2:11), confronted prophetically Jehoram's sins of idolatry and murder (21:13). The consequences from God's judgment extended beyond himself to his family and the nation (21:14, 15). This event undoubtedly occurred in the early years of Jehoram's coregency with his father Jehoshaphat and shortly before Elijah's departure to heaven, ca. 848 B.C. (2 Kin. 2:11, 12).

Thus says the LORD God of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father's household, who were better than yourself, 14behold, the LORD will strike your people with

a serious affliction—your children, your wives, and all your possessions; 15and you will become very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day. 16Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines

and the Arabians who were near the Ethiopians. 17And they came up into Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions that were found in the king's house, and also his sons and his wives, so that there was not a son

left to him except Jehoahaz,a the youngest of his sons.

18After all this the LORD struck him in his intestines with an incurable disease. 19Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain. And his

people made no burning for him, like the burning for his fathers.

20He was thirty-two years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one's sorrow, departed. However they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

2 Chronicles 22

AHAZIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the raiders who came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned. 2Ahaziah was forty-twoa years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri. 3He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother

advised him to do wickedly. 4Therefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. 5He also followed their advice, and went with Jehorama the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 6Then he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariaha the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

7His going to Joram was God's occasion for Ahaziah's downfall; for when he arrived, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the

LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. 8And it happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah

and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them. 9Then he searched for Ahaziah; and they caught him (he was hiding in Samaria), and brought him to Jehu. When they had killed him, they buried him, "because," they said, "he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart."

So the house of Ahaziah had no one to assume power over the kingdom.

ATHALIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

10Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she

arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. 11But

Jehoshabeath,a the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she did not kill him. 12And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Next July 13 Reading

2 Chronicles 23

July 14

2 C HRONICLES 23:1–24:27

JOASH CROWNED KING OF JUDAH

1In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and made a covenant with the captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri. 2And they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the chief fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

3Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, "Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD has said of the sons of David. 4This is what you shall do: One-third of you entering on the Sabbath, of the priests and the Levites, shall be keeping watch over the doors; 5one-third shall be at the king's house; and one-third at the Gate of the Foundation. All the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD. 6But let no one come into the house of the LORD except the priests and those of the Levites who serve. They may go in, for they are holy; but all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD. 7And the Levites shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes into the house, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out."

23:3 as the LORD…said. This is one of the most dramatic moments in messianic history. The human offspring of David have been reduced to one Joash. If he had died, there would have been no human heir to the Davidic throne, and it would have meant the destruction of the line of the Messiah. However, God remedied the situation by providentially protecting Joash ( 2 Chr. 22:10–12 ) and eliminating Athaliah ( 1 Chr. 23:12–21 ).

8So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each man took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed the divisions. 9And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields which had belonged to King David, that were in the temple of God. 10Then he set all the people, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and by the temple, all around the king. 11And they brought out the king's son, put

the crown on him, gave him the Testimony,a and made him king. Then Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, "Long live the king!"

DEATH OF ATHALIAH

12Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the

king, she came to the people in the temple of the LORD. 13When she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, also the singers with musical instruments, and those who led in praise. So Athaliah tore her clothes and said, "Treason! Treason!"

14And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were set over the army, and said to them, "Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her." For the priest had said, "Do not kill her in the house of the LORD."

15So they seized her; and she went by way of the entrance of the Horse Gate into the king's house, and they killed her there.

16Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the people, and the king,

that they should be the LORD's people. 17And all the people went to the templea

of Baal, and tore it down. They broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed

Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18Also Jehoiada appointed the oversight of the house of the LORD to the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David had assigned in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it

was established by David. 19And he set the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD, so that no one who was in any way unclean should enter.

20Then he took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the LORD; and they went through the Upper Gate to the king's house,

and set the king on the throne of the kingdom. 21So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword.

2 Chronicles 24

JOASH REPAIRS THE TEMPLE

1Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2Joash did

what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters. 4Now it happened after this that Joash set his heart on repairing the house of

the LORD. 5Then he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you do it quickly."

However the Levites did not do it quickly. 6So the king called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD and of the assembly of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?" 7For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD to the Baals.

8Then at the king's command they made a chest, and set it outside at the

gate of the house of the LORD. 9And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God had imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 10Then all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them into the chest until all had given. 11So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king's official by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, that the king's scribe and the high priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

12The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also those who worked in iron and bronze to restore the house of

the LORD. 13So the workmen labored, and the work was completed by them; they

restored the house of God to its original condition and reinforced it. 14When they

had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; they made from it articles for the house of the LORD, articles for serving and offering, spoons and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

APOSTASY OF JOASH

15But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one

hundred and thirty years old when he died. 16And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house.

24:15, 16 Jehoiada. This man was the high priest of Athaliah's and Joash's reigns (2 Chr. 23:1–24:16), who championed God's cause of righteousness during days of evil by: 1) leading the fight against idols; 2) permitting the coup against Athaliah; and 3) granting the throne to Joash to bring about the subsequent revival.

17Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed

down to the king. And the king listened to them. 18Therefore they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. 19Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the LORD; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.

20Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God: 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He also has forsaken you.' " 21So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD. 22Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, "The LORD look on it, and repay!"

DEATH OF JOASH

23So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the

people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but the LORD delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. 25And when they had withdrawn from him (for they left him severely wounded), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sonsa of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

26These are the ones who conspired against him: Zabada the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrithb the Moabitess. 27Now concerning his sons, and the many oracles about him, and the repairing of the house of God, indeed they are written in the annals of the book of the kings. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Next July 14 Reading

2 Chronicles 25

July 15

2 C HRONICLES 25:1–27:9

AMAZIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-

nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a loyal heart.

3Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established for him, that

he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king. 4However he did not execute their children, but did as it is written in the Law in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, "The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall die for his own sin."a

THE WAR AGAINST EDOM

5Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, according to their fathers' houses, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. 6He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valor from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 7But a man of God came to him, saying, "O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. 8But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow."

25:7 man of God. This is a technical term used about 70 times in the Old Testament, always referring to one who spoke for God. He warned Amaziah not to make idolatrous Israel his ally because the Lord was not with Ephraim, i.e., Israel, the capital of idolatry.

25:8 God has power. The man of God reminded the king sarcastically that he would need to be strong, since God wouldn't help.

9Then Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?"

And the man of God answered, "The LORD is able to give you much more than

this." 10So Amaziah discharged the troops that had come to him from Ephraim, to go back home. Therefore their anger was greatly aroused against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

11Then Amaziah strengthened himself, and leading his people, he went to

the Valley of Salt and killed ten thousand of the people of Seir. 12Also the children of Judah took captive ten thousand alive, brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they all were dashed in pieces.

13But as for the soldiers of the army which Amaziah had discharged, so that they would not go with him to battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon, killed three thousand in them, and took much spoil.

14Now it was so, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them. 15Therefore the anger of the LORD was aroused against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, "Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?"

25:14–16 Amaziah did the unthinkable from both a biblical and political perspective he embraced the false gods of the people whom he had just defeated. Perhaps he did this because he was seduced by the wicked pleasures of idolatry and because he thought it would help him in assuring no future threat from Edom. However, it only brought destruction to the king, who just wanted to silence the voice of God.

16So it was, as he talked with him, that the king said to him, "Have we made you the king's counselor? Cease! Why should you be killed?"

Then the prophet ceased, and said, "I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice."

ISRAEL DEFEATS JUDAH

17Now Amaziah king of Judah asked advice and sent to Joasha the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us face one another in battle."

18And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as wife'; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and

trampled the thistle. 19Indeed you say that you have defeated the Edomites, and your heart is lifted up to boast. Stay at home now; why should you meddle with trouble, that you should fall—you and Judah with you?"

20But Amaziah would not heed, for it came from God, that He might give them into

the hand of their enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom. 21So Joash king of Israel went out; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth

Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 22And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every

man fled to his tent. 23Then Joash the king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth Shemesh; and he brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim

to the Corner Gate—four hundred cubits. 24And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, the treasures of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

DEATH OF AMAZIAH

25Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of

Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 26Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, indeed are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27After the time that Amaziah turned away from following the LORD, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.

2 Chronicles 26

UZZIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah,a who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 2He built Elatha and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.

3Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two

years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 4And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 5He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in

the visionsa of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.

6Now he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites. 8Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.

9And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley

Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; then he fortified them. 10Also he built towers in the desert. He dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains; he also had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved the soil.

11Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies, according to the number on their roll as prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains. 12The total number of chief officersa of the mighty men of valor was

two thousand six hundred. 13And under their authority was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. 14Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire

army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones. 15And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.

THE PENALTY FOR UZZIAH'S PRIDE

16But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17So Azariah the priest went in after

him, and with him were eighty priests of the LORD—valiant men. 18And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the LORD God."

19Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar. 20And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck him.

21King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD. Then Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.

22Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet Isaiah

the son of Amoz wrote. 23So Uzziah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, for they said, "He is a leper." Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles 27

JOTHAM REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushaha the daughter of Zadok. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the LORD). But still the people acted corruptly.

3He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel. 4Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers. 5He also fought with the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. And the people of Ammon gave him in that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand kors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The people of Ammon paid this to him in the second and third years also. 6So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

7Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 8He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9So Jotham rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Next July 15 Reading

2 Chronicles 28

July 16

2 C HRONICLES 28:1–29:36

AHAZ REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the

LORD, as his father David had done. 2For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals. 3He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 4And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

SYRIA AND ISRAEL DEFEAT JUDAH

5Therefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter. 6For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. 7Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam the officer over the house, and Elkanah who was second to the king. 8And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters; and they also took away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

ISRAEL RETURNS THE CAPTIVES

9But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out before the army that came to Samaria, and said to them: "Look, because the LORD God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand; but you have killed them in a rage that reaches up to heaven. 10And now you propose to force the children of Judah and Jerusalem to be your male and female slaves; but are you not also guilty before the LORD your God? 11Now hear me, therefore, and return the captives, whom you have taken captive from your brethren, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you."

28:9 Oded. An otherwise unknown prophet, with the same name as an earlier Oded (15:1, 8). The prophet said that Israel had won the victory because God was judging Judah. But he protested the viciousness of the killing and the effort to enslave them (v. 10) and warned them of God's wrath for such action (v. 11). Amazingly the apostate and hostile Israelites complied with the prophet's warning (vv. 12–15).

12Then some of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and

Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war, 13and said to them, "You shall not bring the captives here, for we already have offended the LORD. You intend to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and

there is fierce wrath against Israel." 14So the armed men left the captives and

the spoil before the leaders and all the assembly. 15Then the men who were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and from the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them and gave them sandals, gave them food and drink, and anointed them; and they let all the feeble ones ride on donkeys. So they brought them to their brethren at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

ASSYRIA REFUSES TO HELP JUDAH

16At the same time King Ahaz sent to the kingsa of Assyria to help him. 17For

again the Edomites had come, attacked Judah, and carried away captives. 18The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they dwelt there. 19For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD. 20Also Tiglath-Pilesera king of Assyria came to him and

distressed him, and did not assist him. 21For Ahaz took part of the treasures from the house of the LORD, from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria; but he did not help him.

APOSTASY AND DEATH OF AHAZ

22Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to

the LORD. This is that King Ahaz. 23For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25And in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.

26Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, indeed they are

written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles 29

HEZEKIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijaha the daughter of Zechariah. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

HEZEKIAH CLEANSES THE TEMPLE

3In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house

of the LORD and repaired them. 4Then he brought in the priests and the Levites,

and gathered them in the East Square, 5and said to them: "Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and

carry out the rubbish from the holy place. 6For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the LORD our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on

Him. 7They have also shut up the doors of the vestibule, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of

Israel. 8Therefore the wrath of the LORD fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has given them up to trouble, to desolation, and to jeering, as you see with your

eyes. 9For indeed, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity.

29:3 first year…first month. Hezekiah addressed the spiritual problems first, which reflected his life priorities. Hezekiah correctly diagnosed Judah's ills she had abandoned the true worship of God. So the king stepped in to reverse the policy of his father (28:22–25) and to repair the temple and return proper temple worship as God had prescribed in His Word (vv. 3–7). He knew such a revival of devotion to God would turn God's wrath away from Judah (v. 10).

10"Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel,

that His fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense."

12Then these Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of

Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; of the Gershonites, Joah the son of

Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel;

of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15And they gathered their brethren, sanctified themselves, and went according to the commandment of the king, at the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. 16Then the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and brought out all the debris that they found in the temple of the LORD to the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it out and carried it to the Brook Kidron.

17Now they began to sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the LORD. So they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

18Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, "We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offerings with all its articles, and the table of the showbread with all its articles. 19Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in his reign had cast aside in his transgression we have prepared and sanctified; and there they are, before the altar of the LORD."

HEZEKIAH RESTORES TEMPLE WORSHIP

20Then King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up

to the house of the LORD. 21And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron,

to offer them on the altar of the LORD. 22So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Likewise they killed the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They also killed the lambs and

sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23Then they brought out the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on

them. 24And the priests killed them; and they presented their blood on the altar as a sin offering to make an atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel.

25And he stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the

commandment of the LORD by His prophets. 26The Levites stood with the

instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD also began, with the trumpets and with

the instruments of David king of Israel. 28So all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt

offering was finished. 29And when they had finished offering, the king and all

who were present with him bowed and worshiped. 30Moreover King Hezekiah and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praise to the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.

31Then Hezekiah answered and said, "Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come near, and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD." So the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank

offerings, and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32And the number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to

the LORD. 33The consecrated things were six hundred bulls and three

thousand sheep. 34But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings; therefore their brethren the Levites helped them until the work was ended and until the other priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more diligent in sanctifying themselves than the priests. 35Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for every burnt offering.

So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order. 36Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people, since the events took place so suddenly.

Next July 16 Reading

2 Chronicles 30

July 17

2 C HRONICLES 30:1–31:21

HEZEKIAH KEEPS THE PASSOVER

1And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel. 2For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. 3For they could not keep it at the regular time,a because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem. 4And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly. 5So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner.

30:1–27 Hezekiah reached back to restore the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover (Ex. 12:1–20; Lev. 23:1–8), which apparently had not been properly and regularly observed in some time, perhaps since the division of the kingdom 215 years earlier (v. 5). The Passover would later be revived again by Josiah (2 Chr. 35:1–9) and Zerubbabel (Ezra 6:19–22). It celebrated God's forgiveness and redemption of His believing people.

6Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: "Children of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return

to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the

LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. 8Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you.

9For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him."

30:6 return. The nation was required by law to annually celebrate 3 feasts in Jerusalem: 1) Passover; 2) Pentecost; and 3) Tabernacles ( Ex. 23 ; Lev. 23 ; Num. 28 ; 29 ; Deut. 16 ). God would have returned to bless the people of the northern apostate and idolatrous kingdom of Israel if they had returned to Him.

10So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them. 11Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the LORD.

13Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the

Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast

them into the Brook Kidron. 15Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and

sanctified themselves, and brought the burnt offerings to the house of the LORD. 16They stood in their place according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the

Levites. 17For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for

everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the LORD. 18For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone 19who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the

sanctuary." 20And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

21So the children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing to the LORD, accompanied by loud

instruments. 22And Hezekiah gave encouragement to all the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the LORD; and they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers.

23Then the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast another seven days, and

they kept it another seven days with gladness. 24For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the leaders gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. 25The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, also the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the

sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah. 26So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of

David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

30:26 nothing like this. A telling statement about the spiritual degeneracy of the divided kingdom since the time of Solomon over 215 years earlier.

2 Chronicles 31

THE REFORMS OF HEZEKIAH

1Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces, cut down the wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars—from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh—until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, every man to his possession.

2And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to serve, to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the campa of the LORD. 3The king also appointed a portion of his possessions for the burnt offerings: for the morning and evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and the New Moons and the set feasts, as it is written in the Law of the LORD.

4Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD.

5As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. 6And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the LORD their God they laid in heaps.

31:6 tithe. Since the priests and Levites served the nation, they were to be supported by the people through the taxation of the tithe. According to Leviticus 27:30–33 and Numbers 18:21 , 24 , the people were to give the tenth (tithe) to supply all the needs of the Levites. Malachi 3:8 says they were robbing God when they did not give the tithe. Deuteronomy 12:6, 7 called for a second tithe that was to support the nation's devotion to the temple by being used for the

national festivals at the temple in Jerusalem. This was called the festival tithe. Deuteronomy 14:28, 29 called for a third tithe every 3 years for the poor. The sum of this tax plan totaled about 23 percent annually.

7In the third month they began laying them in heaps, and they finished in

the seventh month. 8And when Hezekiah and the leaders came and saw

the heaps, they blessed the LORD and His people Israel. 9Then Hezekiah

questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. 10And Azariah the chief priest, from the house of Zadok, answered him and said, "Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left, for the LORD has blessed His people; and what is left is this great abundance."

11Now Hezekiah commanded them to prepare rooms in the house of the

LORD, and they prepared them. 12Then they faithfully brought in the offerings, the tithes, and the dedicated things; Cononiah the Levite had charge of them,

and Shimei his brother was the next. 13Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of

Hezekiah the king and Azariah the ruler of the house of God. 14Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the East Gate, was over the freewill offerings to God, to distribute the offerings of the LORD and the most holy

things. 15And under him were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, his faithful assistants in the cities of the priests, to distribute allotments to their brethren by divisions, to the great as well as the small.

16Besides those males from three years old and up who were written in the genealogy, they distributed to everyone who entered the house of the LORD his daily portion for the work of his service, by his division, 17and to the priests who were written in the genealogy according to their father's house, and to the Levites from twenty years old and up according to their work, by their divisions, 18and to all who were written in the genealogy—their little ones and their wives, their sons and daughters, the whole company of them—for in their faithfulness they sanctified themselves in holiness.

19Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the fields of the common-

lands of their cities, in every single city, there were men who were designated by name to distribute portions to all the males among the priests and to all who were listed by genealogies among the Levites.

20Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and

right and true before the LORD his God. 21And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.

Next July 17 Reading

2 Chronicles 32

July 18

2 C HRONICLES 32:1–33:25

SENNACHERIB BOASTS AGAINST THE LORD

1After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself. 2And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that his

purpose was to make war against Jerusalem, 3he consulted with his leaders and

commandersa to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city; and

they helped him. 4Thus many people gathered together who stopped all the

springs and the brook that ran through the land, saying, "Why should the kingsa

of Assyria come and find much water?" 5And he strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired the Milloa in the City of David, and made weapons and shields

in abundance. 6Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, and gave them encouragement, saying, 7"Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. 8With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

9After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king of Judah,

and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10"Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: 'In what do you trust, that you remain under siege

in Jerusalem? 11Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, "The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria"? 12Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, "You shall worship before one altar and burn incense on it"? 13Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand? 14Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my

fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people from my hand, that your

God should be able to deliver you from my hand? 15Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?' "

16Furthermore, his servants spoke against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah.

17He also wrote letters to revile the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people

from my hand." 18Then they called out with a loud voice in Hebrewa to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them,

that they might take the city. 19And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth—the work of men's hands.

SENNACHERIB'S DEFEAT AND DEATH

20Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of

Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven. 21Then the LORD sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there.

22Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and

guided thema on every side. 23And many brought gifts to the LORD at Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all

nations thereafter.

HEZEKIAH HUMBLES HIMSELF

24In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death, and he prayed to the LORD;

and He spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was

looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. 26Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

HEZEKIAH'S WEALTH AND HONOR

27Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. And he made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items; 28storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and folds for flocks.a 29Moreover he provided cities for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much property. 30This same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of Upper Gihon, and brought the water by tunnela to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

32:30 A 1,700-foot-long tunnel cut through solid rock (below Jerusalem) redirected water from the spring Gihon outside of Jerusalem (to the east) toward the south of Jerusalem into the pool of Siloam within the city to provide water in time of siege. The tunnel was a remarkable feat of engineering and boring skill, often 60 feet below the ground and large enough to walk through. It was discovered in 1838, but not until 1909 was it cleared of the debris left by the destruction of Jerusalem back in 586 B.C. This may not have been the first water shaft, since David may have entered Jerusalem 300 years earlier through a water shaft (2 Sam. 5:6–8).

31However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

DEATH OF HEZEKIAH

32Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, indeed they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of

Judah and Israel. 33So Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. Then Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles 33

MANASSEH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five

years in Jerusalem. 2But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of

Israel. 3For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he

worshiped all the host of heavena and served them. 4He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem shall My name be

forever." 5And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the

house of the LORD. 6Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of

the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. 7He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all

the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers—only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law

and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses." 9So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

MANASSEH RESTORED AFTER REPENTANCE

10And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. 11Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks,a bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. 12Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

33:12, 13 Manasseh. This king was very wicked and idolatrous, a murderer of his children, and a desecrater of the temple. God graciously forgave this "chief of sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15) when he repented. He did what he could to reverse the effect of his life (vv. 15–17). Although the people worshiped God and not idols, they were doing it in the wrong place and wrong way. God had commanded them to offer sacrifices only in certain places (Deut. 12:13, 14) to keep them from corrupting the prescribed forms and to protect them from pagan religious influence. Disobedience to God's requirements in this matter surely contributed to the decline under the next king, Amon (vv. 21–23), whose corruption his successor, Josiah, had to eliminate (34:3–7).

14After this he built a wall outside the City of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate; and it enclosed Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height. Then he put military captains in all the fortified

cities of Judah. 15He took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD

and in Jerusalem; and he cast them out of the city. 16He also repaired the altar of the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded

Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. 17Nevertheless the people

still sacrificed on the high places, but only to the LORD their God.

DEATH OF MANASSEH

18Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, indeed they are written in the booka of the kings of Israel. 19Also his prayer and how God received his entreaty, and all his sin and trespass, and the sites where he built high places and set up wooden images and carved images, before he was humbled, indeed they are written among the sayings of Hozai.a 20So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. Then his son Amon reigned in his place.

AMON'S REIGN AND DEATH

21Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned

two years in Jerusalem. 22But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done; for Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and served them. 23And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.

24Then his servants conspired against him, and killed him in his own house. 25But the people of the land executed all those who had conspired against King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

Next July 18 Reading

2 Chronicles 34

July 19

2 C HRONICLES 34:1–36:23

JOSIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-

one years in Jerusalem. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

3For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the

molded images. 4They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them

and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5He also burned

the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all

around, with axes.a 7When he had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

HILKIAH FINDS THE BOOK OF THE LAW

8In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the

temple,a he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city,

and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. 9When they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel,

from all Judah and Benjamin, and which they had brought back to Jerusalem. 10Then they put it in the hand of the foremen who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they gave it to the workmen who worked in the house of the

LORD, to repair and restore the house. 11They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone and timber for beams, and to floor the

houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 12And the men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to supervise. Others of the Levites, all of whom were skillful with instruments of music, 13were over the burden bearers and were overseers of all who did work in any kind of service. And some of the Levites were scribes, officers, and gatekeepers.

14Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses. 15Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16So Shaphan carried the book to the king, bringing the king word, saying, "All that was committed to your servants they are doing. 17And they have gathered the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen." 18Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it before the king.

19Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his

clothes. 20Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan,

Abdona the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king,

saying, 21"Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in this book."

22So Hilkiah and those the king had appointed went to Huldah the

prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath,a the son of Hasrah,b

keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke to her to that effect.

23Then she answered them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Tell the man

who sent you to Me, 24"Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which they

have read before the king of Judah, 25because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place, and

not be quenched.' " ' 26But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of

the LORD, in this manner you shall speak to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of

Israel: "Concerning the words which you have heard— 27because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says

the LORD. 28"Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to

your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants." ' " So they brought back word to the king.

JOSIAH RESTORES TRUE WORSHIP

29Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30The king went up to the house of the LORD, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the

Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. 31Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were

written in this book. 32And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the

covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not depart from following the LORD God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles 35

JOSIAH KEEPS THE PASSOVER

1Now Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the

Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2And he set the priests in their duties and encouraged them for the service of the house of the LORD. 3Then he said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to the LORD: "Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall no longer be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel. 4Prepare yourselves according to your fathers' houses, according to your divisions, following the written instruction of David king of Israel and the written instruction of Solomon his son. 5And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers' houses of your brethren the lay people, and according to the division of the father's house of the Levites. 6So slaughter the Passover offerings, consecrate yourselves, and prepare them for your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses."

35:3 the holy ark. The ark of the covenant which was to remain in the Most Holy Place had been removed, probably by Manasseh who set a carved image in its place (33:7). The law for the carrying of the ark during the tabernacle days, when it was portable, called for poles to be place through rings on the sides and Levites (Kohathites) to carry it by the poles without touching it (Ex. 25:14, 15). Now that the temple was built and the ark had a permanent place, it no longer needed to be transported in the old way.

7Then Josiah gave the lay people lambs and young goats from the flock, all for Passover offerings for all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, as

well as three thousand cattle; these were from the king's possessions. 8And his leaders gave willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah,

Zechariah, and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six hundred from the flock, and three

hundred cattle. 9Also Conaniah, his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave to the Levites for Passover offerings five thousand from the flock and five hundred cattle.

10So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their places, and the

Levites in their divisions, according to the king's command. 11And they slaughtered the Passover offerings; and the priests sprinkled the blood with their

hands, while the Levites skinned the animals. 12Then they removed the burnt offerings that they might give them to the divisions of the fathers' houses of the lay people, to offer to the LORD, as it is written in the Book of Moses. And so they

did with the cattle. 13Also they roasted the Passover offerings with fire according to the ordinance; but the other holy offerings they boiled in pots, in caldrons, and

in pans, and divided them quickly among all the lay people. 14Then afterward they prepared portions for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were busy in offering burnt offerings and fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared portions for themselves and for the priests, the

sons of Aaron. 15And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their places, according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer. Also the gatekeepers were at each gate; they did not have to leave their position, because their brethren the Levites prepared portions for them.

16So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah. 17And the children of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.

JOSIAH DIES IN BATTLE

20After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out against him. 21But he sent messengers to him, saying, "What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I have not come against you this day, but against the house with which I have war; for God commanded me to make haste. Refrain from meddling with God, who is with me, lest He destroy you." 22Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself so that he might fight with him, and did not heed the words of Necho from the mouth of God. So he came to fight in the Valley of Megiddo.

35:21 God commanded me. Necho is referring to the true God whether he had a true revelation or not is unknown. Josiah had no way to know either, and it is apparent he did not believe that Necho spoke the word of God. There is no reason to assume his death was punishment for refusing to believe. He probably thought Necho was lying and, once victorious with Assyria over Babylon, they would together be back to assault Israel.

23And the archers shot King Josiah; and the king said to his servants,

"Take me away, for I am severely wounded." 24His servants therefore took him out of that chariot and put him in the second chariot that he had, and they brought him to Jerusalem. So he died, and was buried in one of the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

25Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah. And to this day all the singing men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations. They made it a custom in Israel; and indeed they are written in the Laments.

26Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness, according to what was

written in the Law of the LORD, 27and his deeds from first to last, indeed they are

written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

2 Chronicles 36

THE REIGN AND CAPTIVITY OF JEHOAHAZ

1Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem. 2Jehoahaza was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3Now the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4Then the king of Egypt made Jehoahaz'sa brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahazb his brother and carried him off to Egypt.

THE REIGN AND CAPTIVITY OF JEHOIAKIM

5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God. 6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. 7Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

THE REIGN AND CAPTIVITY OF JEHOIACHIN

9Jehoiachin was eighta years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.

10At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and took him to Babylon, with the costly articles from the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah, Jehoiakim'sa brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

ZEDEKIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH

11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned

eleven years in Jerusalem. 12He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. 13And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel. 14Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the LORD which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.

36:11–21 The reign of Zedekiah, a.k.a. Mattaniah (ca. 597–586 B.C.). Jeremiah prophesied during this reign (Jer. 1:3) and wrote Lamentations to mourn the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 B.C. Ezekiel received his commission during this reign (Ezek. 1:1) and prophesied from 592 B.C. to his death in 560 B.C.

THE FALL OF JERUSALEM

15And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

17Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them

all into his hand. 18And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king

and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. 19Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with

fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. 20And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to

him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

THE PROCLAMATION OF CYRUS

22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

23Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!

Next July 19 Reading

The Book of Ezra

Ezra 1

July 20

E ZRA 1:1–2:70

END OF THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

2Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with

him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the

house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. 5Then the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build

the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. 6And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

1:5 whose spirits God had moved. The primary underlying message of Ezra and Nehemiah is that the sovereign hand of God is at work in perfect keeping with His plan at His appointed times. The 70 years of captivity were complete, so God stirred up not only the spirit of Cyrus to make the decree, but His own people to go and build up Jerusalem and the temple (1:1).

7King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which

Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods; 8and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath

the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9This is the number of them: thirty gold platters, one thousand silver platters,

twenty-nine knives, 10thirty gold basins, four hundred and ten silver basins of

a similar kind, and one thousand other articles. 11All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra 2

THE CAPTIVES WHO RETURNED TO JERUSALEM

1Nowa these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.

2Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar,a Bigvai, Rehum,b and Baanah. The number of the men

of the people of Israel: 3the people of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and

seventy-two; 4the people of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two; 5the

people of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five; 6the people of Pahath-Moab, of

the people of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve; 7the

people of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 8the people of Zattu, nine

hundred and forty-five; 9the people of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty; 10the

people of Bani,a six hundred and forty-two; 11the people of Bebai, six hundred and

twenty-three; 12the people of Azgad, one thousand two hundred and twenty-two; 13the people of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six; 14the people of Bigvai, two

thousand and fifty-six; 15the people of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four; 16the

people of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight; 17the people of Bezai, three hundred and

twenty-three; 18the people of Jorah,a one hundred and twelve; 19the people of

Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three; 20the people of Gibbar,a ninety-five; 21the

people of Bethlehem, one hundred and twenty-three; 22the men of Netophah, fifty-

six; 23the men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight; 24the people of

Azmaveth,a forty-two; 25the people of Kirjath Arim,a Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven

hundred and forty-three; 26the people of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-

one; 27the men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two; 28the men of Bethel and

Ai, two hundred and twenty-three; 29the people of

Nebo, fifty-two; 30the people of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six; 31the people of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 32the people of Harim, three hundred and twenty; 33the people of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five; 34the people of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five; 35the people of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.

2:2 Zerubbabel. This man was the rightful leader of Judah in that he was of the lineage of David through Jehoiachin (1 Chr. 3:17). He did not serve as king (the curse on Jehoiachin's line, Jer. 22:24–30), but was still in the messianic line because the curse was bypassed (Matt. 1:12; Luke 3:27). The curse of the messianic line for Christ was bypassed in Luke's genealogy by tracing the lineage through David's son Nathan. His name means "offspring of Babylon," indicating his place of birth. He, rather than Cyrus's political appointee Sheshbazzar (1:11), led Judah according to God's will. Jeshua. The high priest of the first return whose name means "Yahweh saves." He is called Joshua in Haggai 1:1 and Zechariah 3:1 . His father Jozadak ( Ezra 3:2 ) had been exiled ( 1 Chr. 6:15 ). He came from the lineage of Levi, Aaron, Eleazar, and Phinehas; thus he was legitimately in the line of the high priest (Num. 25:10–13).

36The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three; 37the sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two; 38the sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 39the sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

40The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah,a

seventy-four.

41The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight. 42The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-nine in all.

43The Nethinim: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 44the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha,a the sons of Padon, 45the sons of Lebanah,

the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, 46the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan, 47the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, 48the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, 49the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, 50the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephusim,a 51the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 52the sons of Bazluth,a the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 53the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah, 54the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.

55The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Peruda,a 56the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 57the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim, and the sons of Ami.a 58All the Nethinim and the children of Solomon's servants were three hundred and ninety-two.

59And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub,

Addan,a and Immer; but they could not identify their father's house or their

genealogy,b whether they were of Israel: 60the sons of Delaiah, the sons of

Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two; 61and of the sons of

the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Koz,a and the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name. 62These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled. 63And the governora said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim.

64The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 65besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred men and women singers. 66Their horses were seven hundred and thirtysix, their mules two hundred and forty-five, 67their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and their donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

68Some of the heads of the fathers' houses, when they came to the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to erect it in its place: 69According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly garments.

70So the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Next July 20 Reading

Ezra 3

July 21

E ZRA 3:1–4:24

WORSHIP RESTORED AT JERUSALEM

1And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in

the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2Then

Jeshua the son of Jozadaka and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt offerings. 4They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day. 5Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the LORD. 6From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid. 7They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

RESTORATION OF THE TEMPLE BEGINS

8Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of

God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak,a

and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites

from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the LORD. 9Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of

Judah,a arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

10When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests

stooda in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD:

"For He is good,

For His mercy endures forever toward Israel."a

Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the

LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

12But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, 13so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.

3:12 the first temple. The temple built by Solomon (1 Kin. 5–7).wept with a loud voice. The first temple had been destroyed 50 years earlier. The old men, who would have been about 60 years or older, knew that this second temple did not begin to match the splendor of Solomon's temple nor did the presence of God reside within it (Hag. 2:1–4; Zech. 4:9, 10). The nation was small and

weak, the temple smaller and less beautiful by far. There were no riches as in David and Solomon's days. The ark was gone. But most disappointing was the absence of God's Shekinah glory. Thus the weeping. shouted…for joy. For those who did not have a point of comparison, this was a great moment. Possibly Psalm 126 was written and sung for this occasion.

Ezra 4

RESISTANCE TO REBUILDING THE TEMPLE

1Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, 2they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here." 3But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us." 4Then the people of the

land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 5and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

REBUILDING OF JERUSALEM OPPOSED

6In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

4:6–23 This section represents later opposition which Ezra chose to put here as a parenthetical continuation of the theme "opposition to resettling and rebuilding Judah." He first referred to the opposition from Israel's enemies under King Ahasuerus (a regal title) or Xerxes (ca. 486–464 B.C.), who ruled at the time of Esther (4:6). Ezra 4:7–23 then recounts opposition in Nehemiah's day under Artaxerxes I (ca. 464–423 B.C.) expressed in a detailed letter of accusation against the Jews (vv. 7–16). It was successful in stopping the work, as the king's reply indicates (vv. 17–23). Most likely, this opposition is that also spoken of in Nehemiah 1:3. All this was the ongoing occurrence of severe animosity between the Israelites and Samaritans, which was later aggravated when the Samaritans built a rival temple on Mt. Gerizim (John 4:9). The opposition to Zerubbabel picks up again at 4:24–5:2 during the reign of Darius I, who actually reigned before either Ahasuerus or Artaxerxes.

7In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language. 8Rehuma the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:

9Froma Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan,b the

Dehavites, the Elamites, 10and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the

remainder beyond the Rivera —and so forth.b

11(This is a copy of the letter that they sent him) To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region

beyond the River, and so forth:a

12Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and evil city, and

are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations. 13Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay tax,

tribute, or custom, and the king's treasury will be diminished.14Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king's

dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king,15that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed. 16We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River. 17The king sent an answer: To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the remainder beyond the River:

Peace, and so forth.a

18The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me. 19And I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been

fostered in it.20There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the region beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were

paid to them.21Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.

4:21 Now give the command. No small order for one or two workers, but rather the efforts of 50,000 were called to a halt. The king was commissioning a decree of great significance. The original language calls for the difference. This decree would not lose its authority until the king established a new decree.

22Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings? 23Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. 24Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Next July 21 Reading

Ezra 5

July 22

E ZRA 5:1–6:22

RESTORATION OF THE TEMPLE RESUMED

1Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadaka rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

5:1 Haggai and Zechariah. The Book of Haggai is styled as a "royal administrative correspondence" (Hag. 1:13) sent from the Sovereign King of the Universe through the "LORD's messenger," Haggai (Hag. 1:13). Part of its message is addressed specifically to Zerubbabel, the political leader, and Joshua, the religious leader, telling them to take courage and work on the temple because God was with them (Hag. 2:4). These two prophets gave severe reproaches and threats if the people did not return to the building and promised national prosperity if they did. Not long after the exiles heard this message, the temple work began afresh after a 16-year hiatus.

3At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the Rivera

and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: "Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?" 4Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building. 5But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter. 6This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent:

5:5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders. God's hand of protection which led this endeavor allowed the work to continue while official communication was going on with Darius, the Persian king.

The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king. 7(They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus) To Darius the king: All peace. 8Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. 9Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: "Who

commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?"10We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.

11And thus they returned us an answer, saying: "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many

years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.12But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and

carried the people away to Babylon.13However, in the first year of Cyrus king of

Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.14Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named

Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.15And he said to him, 'Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its

former site.'16Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it

has been under construction, and it is not finished." 17Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king's treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.

Ezra 6

THE DECREE OF DARIUS

1Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the archives,a where the treasures were stored in Babylon. 2And at Achmetha,a in the palace that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found, and in it a record was written thus:

3In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: "Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits,4with three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the expenses be paid from the king's treasury.5Also let the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple which is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple which is in Jerusalem, each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God"— 6Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and your companions the Persians who are beyond the River, keep yourselves far from there.7Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site. 8Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God: Let the cost be paid at the king's expense from taxes on the region beyond the River; this is to be

given immediately to these men, so that they are not hindered.9And whatever they need—young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests who are in Jerusalem—let it be given them day by day

without fail,10that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be

made a refuse heap because of this. 12And may the God who causes His

name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius issue a decree; let it be done diligently.

THE TEMPLE COMPLETED AND DEDICATED

13Then Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai,

and their companions diligently did according to what King Darius had sent. 14So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. 16Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17And they offered sacrifices at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18They assigned the priests to their divisions and the Levites to their divisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.

THE PASSOVER CELEBRATED

19And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth

day of the first month. 20For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were ritually clean. And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. 21Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the LORD God of Israel. 22And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the LORD made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

6:22 turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them. By turning the heart of the king in their favor in allowing them to complete the rebuilding, God encouraged His people. They understood the verse, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD" (Prov. 21:1) better through this ordeal. The title "King of Assyria" was held by every king who succeeded the great Neo-Assyrian Empire regardless of what country they may have come from.

Next July 22 Reading

Ezra 7

July 23

E ZRA 7:1–8:36

THE ARRIVAL OF EZRA

1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of

Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2the son of Shallum, the son of

Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of

Meraioth, 4the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— 6this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. 7Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. 10For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

7:6 a skilled scribe. Ezra's role as a scribe was critical to reinstate the nation since the leaders had to go back to the law and interpret it. This was no small task because many aspects of life had changed in the intervening 1,000 years since the law was first given. Tradition says Ezra had the law memorized and could write it from recall. the hand of the LORD his God upon him. This refrain occurs throughout the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Its resounding presence assures the reader that it was not by the shrewd leadership skills of a few men that Judah, with its temple and walls, was rebuilt in the midst of a powerful Medo-Persian Empire. Rather it was the sovereign hand of the wise and powerful King of the universe that allowed this to happen.

7:10 seek…do…teach. The pattern of Ezra's preparation is exemplary. He studied before he attempted to live a life of obedience, and he studied and practiced the law in his own life before he opened his mouth to teach that law. But the success of Ezra's leadership did not come from his strength alone, but most significantly because "the good hand of his God [was] upon him" (7:9).

THE LETTER OF ARTAXERXES TO EZRA

11This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of His statutes to Israel:

12Artaxerxes,a king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven:

Perfect peace, and so forth.b

13I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with

you.14And whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your

God which is in your hand;15and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel,

whose dwelling is in Jerusalem;16and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the house of their God

in Jerusalem—17now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God.19Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God,

deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.20And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king's treasury. 21And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently,22up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribed limit.23Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? 24Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God.25And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them.26Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment. 27Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, 28and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty princes.

So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.

Ezra 8

HEADS OF FAMILIES WHO RETURNED WITH EZRA

1These are the heads of their fathers' houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush; 3of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and registered with him were one hundred and fifty males; 4of the sons of PahathMoab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males; 5of the sons of Shechaniah,a Ben-Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males; 6of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males; 7of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males; 8of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males; 9of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males; 10of the sons of Shelomith,a Ben-Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males; 11of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males; 12of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males; 13of the last sons of Adonikam, whose

names are these—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah—and with them sixty males; 14also of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

SERVANTS FOR THE TEMPLE

15Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And I looked among the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there. 16Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leaders; also for Joiarib and Elnathan, men of understanding. 17And I gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Iddo and his brethrena the Nethinim at the place Casiphia—that they should

bring us servants for the house of our God. 18Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men; 19and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons

of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men; 20also of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim. All of them were designated by name.

FASTING AND PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

21Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, "The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him." 23So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.

8:21–23 I proclaimed a fast. The people of Israel would soon begin the long journey. Such travel was dangerous, for the roads were frequented by thieves who robbed for survival. Even messengers traveled with caravans to ensure their safety. Ezra and the people did not want to confuse the king regarding their trust in God's protection so they entreated Him for safety with a prayerful fast. God honored their prayer of faith with His protection.

GIFTS FOR THE TEMPLE

24And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah,

Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them— 25and weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israel who were present, had offered. 26I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold, 27twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of

fine polished bronze, precious as gold. 28And I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD; the articles are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your fathers. 29Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders of the priests and the Levites and heads of the fathers' houses of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the

LORD." 30So the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

THE RETURN TO JERUSALEM

31Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road. 32So we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days. 33Now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, 34with the number and weight of everything. All the weight was written down at that time.

35The children of those who had been carried away captive, who had come from the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

36And they delivered the king's orders to the king's satraps and the governors in the region beyond the River. So they gave support to the people and the house of God.

Next July 23 Reading

Ezra 9

July 24

E ZRA 9:1–10:44

INTERMARRIAGE WITH PAGANS

1When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, "The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass." 3So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. 4Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.

9:1 When these things were done. This refers to the implementation of the different trusts and duties committed to him. priests…Levites. As was the case before the Assyrian and Babylonian deportations, the spiritual leadership defaulted along with the people ( Is. 24:2 ; Jer. 5:30 , 31 ; 6:13–15 ; Hos. 3:9; Mal. 2:1–9 ; 2 Tim. 4:2–4 ). abominations. The reason for this exclusiveness was to keep the people pure. In the first settlement, Israel was warned not to make covenants with the nations, which would result in intermarriages and inevitably the worship of foreign gods (Ex. 34:10–17; Deut. 7:1–5). To a great extent, the continual violation of this precipitated the 70-year exile from which they had just returned. Ezra found out it had happened again and called for immediate repentance. Nehemiah (Neh. 13:23–27) and Malachi (Mal. 2:14–16) later encountered the same sin. It is unthinkable that the Jews would so quickly go down the same disastrous path of idolatry. Neither wrath from God in the exile to Babylon nor grace from God in the return was enough to keep them from defecting again.

5At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment

and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God. 6And I said: "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt

has grown up to the heavens. 7Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to

plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. 8And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a

measure of revival in our bondage. 9For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to

give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10And now, O our God, what shall we

say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another

with their impurity. 12Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as

an inheritance to your children forever.' 13And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less

than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had

consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? 15O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!"

9:5–15 Ezra's priestly prayer of intercession and confession is like Daniel's (Dan. 9:1–20) and Nehemiah's (Neh. 1:4–11), in that he used plural pronouns

that identified himself with the people's sin, even though he did not participate in it. The use of "we," "our," and "us" demonstrates Ezra's understanding that the sin of the few is sufficient to contaminate the many.

Ezra 10

CONFESSION OF IMPROPER MARRIAGES

1Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly. 2And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, "We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. 3Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it."

10:1 praying…confessing, weeping, and bowing down. Ezra's contrite spirit before the people was evident and they joined him. These extreme expressions of contrition demonstrated the seriousness of the sin and the genuineness of their repentance.

5Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel

swear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath. 6Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity.

7And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the

descendants of the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem, 8and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the instructions of the leaders and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he himself would

be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity.

9So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain. 10Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives."

12Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, "Yes! As you have

said, so we must do. 13But there are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for

there are many of us who have transgressed in this matter. 14Please, let the leaders of our entire assembly stand; and let all those in our cities who have taken pagan wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of their cities,

until the fierce wrath of our God is turned away from us in this matter." 15Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite gave them support.

16Then the descendants of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers' households, were set apart by the fathers' households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17By the first day of the first month they finished questioning all the men who had taken pagan wives.

PAGAN WIVES PUT AWAY

18And among the sons of the priests who had taken pagan wives the following were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak,a and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19And they gave their promise that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they presented a ram of the flock as their trespass offering.

20Also of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah; 21of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah; 22of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23Also of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24Also of the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25And others of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Jeziah, Malchiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah; 26of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Eliah; 27of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza; 28of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai; 29of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth;a 30of the sons of Pahath-Moab:

Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh; 31of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah; 33of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei; 34of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluh,a 36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasai,a 38Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph; 43of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai,a Joel, and Benaiah.

44All these had taken pagan wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

Next July 24 Reading

The Book of Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1

July 25

N EHEMIAH 1:1–2:20

NEHEMIAH PRAYS FOR HIS PEOPLE

1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushana the citadel, 2that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3And they said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire."

4So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

1:4 sat down and wept, and mourned for many days. Although Nehemiah was neither a prophet nor a priest, he had a deep sense of Jerusalem's significance to God and was greatly distressed that affairs there had not advanced the cause and glory of God.

5And I said: "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who

keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love Youa and observe Yourb

commandments, 6please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have

sinned. 7We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your

servant Moses. 8Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant

Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;a 9but

if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for

My name.'a 10Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You

have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man."

1:11 the king's cupbearer. As an escort of the monarch at meals, the cupbearer had a unique advantage to petition the king. Not only did the king owe him his life since the cupbearer tested all the king's beverages for possible poison, thus putting his own life at risk, but he also became a close confidant. God sovereignly used this relationship between a Gentile and Jew to deliver His people, such as He did with Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and Mordecai.

For I was the king's cupbearer.

Nehemiah 2

NEHEMIAH SENT TO JUDAH

1And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. 2Therefore the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart."

2:2 dreadfully afraid. Nehemiah feared that either his countenance, his explanation, or his request would anger the king and thus lead to his death (Esth. 4:11 with 5:1–3).

So I became dreadfully afraid, 3and said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?"

4Then the king said to me, "What do you request?"

So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it."

6Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), "How long will your journey be? And when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

7Furthermore I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me

for the governors of the region beyond the River,a that they must permit me to

pass through till I come to Judah, 8and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple,a for the city wall, and for the house that I will

occupy." And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

9Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. 10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite officiala heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.

2:10 Sanballat…Tobiah. These men were probably also behind the opposition described in Ezra 4:7–23 which stopped the work in Jerusalem. Sanballat served as governor of Samaria and Tobiah, of the region east of the Jordan. These district magistrates were leaders of Samaritan factions (see chap. 6) to the north and east. They had lost any recourse to prevent Judah from rebuilding since God's people were authorized to fortify their settlement against attack from enemies such as these two officials. To overtly attack or oppose the Jews would be to oppose the Persian king.

NEHEMIAH VIEWS THE WALL OF JERUSALEM

11So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

17Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach." 18And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me.

So they said, "Let us rise up and build." Then they set their hands to this good work.

19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?"

20So I answered them, and said to them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem."

Next July 25 Reading

Nehemiah 3

July 26

N EHEMIAH 3:1–5:19

REBUILDING THE WALL

1Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred,a and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2Next to Eliashiba the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

3Also the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. 4And next to them Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz,a made repairs. Next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs. 5Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their shouldersa to the work of their Lord.

6Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars. 7And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, the men

of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired the residencea of the governor of the region

beyond the River. 8Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the

goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, onea of the perfumers,

made repairs; and they fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs in front of his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabniah made repairs.

11Malchijah the son of Harim and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab

repaired another section, as well as the Tower of the Ovens. 12And next to him was Shallum the son of Hallohesh, leader of half the district of Jerusalem; he and his daughters made repairs.

13Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Refuse Gate.

14Malchijah the son of Rechab, leader of the district of Beth Haccerem,

repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.

15Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, leader of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he built it, covered it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah by the King's Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David. 16After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, leader of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs as far as the place in front of the tombsa of David, to the man-made pool, and as far as the House of the Mighty.

17After him the Levites, under Rehum the son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, leader of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. 18After him their brethren, under Bavaia the son of Henadad, leader of the other half of the district of Keilah, made repairs. 19And next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the leader of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the Ascent to the Armory at the buttress. 20After him Baruch the son of Zabbaia carefully repaired the other section, from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21After him Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz,a repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib.

22And after him the priests, the men of the plain, made repairs. 23After him Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house. 24After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section,

from the house of Azariah to the buttress, even as far as the corner. 25Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the buttress, and on the tower which projects from the king's upper house that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.

26Moreover the Nethinim who dwelt in Ophel made repairs as far as the place in front of the Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower. 27After them the Tekoites repaired another section, next to the great projecting tower, and as far as the wall of Ophel.

28Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own

house. 29After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. 30After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of

Berechiah made repairs in front of his dwelling. 31After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the Nethinim and of the merchants, in front of the Miphkada Gate, and as far as the upper room at the corner. 32And between the upper room at the corner, as far as the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

Nehemiah 4

THE WALL DEFENDED AGAINST ENEMIES

1But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the

wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish —stones that are burned?"

3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall."

4Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own

heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.

6So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

7Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, 8and all of

them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. 9Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

10Then Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall."

11And our adversaries said, "They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease."

12So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, "From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us."

13Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their

spears, and their bows. 14And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the

leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses."

15And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. 16So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. 17Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. 18Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

19Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, "The work

is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. 20Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us."

21So we labored in the work, and half of the mena held the spears from

daybreak until the stars appeared. 22At the same time I also said to the people, "Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day." 23So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.

Nehemiah 5

NEHEMIAH DEALS WITH OPPRESSION

1And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. 2For there were those who said, "We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live."

3There were also some who said, "We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine."

4There were also those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on

our lands and vineyards. 5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards."

6And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, "Each of you is exacting usury from his brother." So I called a great assembly against them. 8And I said to them, "According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?"

Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. 9Then I said, "What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! 11Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their

vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them."

12So they said, "We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say."

Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do

according to this promise. 13Then I shook out the fold of my garmenta and said, "So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied."

And all the assembly said, "Amen!" and praised the LORD. Then the people did

according to this promise.

THE GENEROSITY OF NEHEMIAH

14Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes,

twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's provisions. 15But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants

bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. 16Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and wea did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.

17And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides

those who came to us from the nations around us. 18Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor's provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

19Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

Next July 26 Reading

Nehemiah 6

July 27

N EHEMIAH 6:1–7:73

CONSPIRACY AGAINST NEHEMIAH

1Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), 2that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono." But they thought to do me harm.

3So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?"

4But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.

5Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an

open letter in his hand. 6In it was written:

6:5 open letter. Official letters were typically rolled up and sealed with an official signet by the letter's sender or one of his assisting officials. An open or unsealed letter was not only a sign of disrespect and open criticism, but also suggested the information therein was public knowledge. The goal of this document was to intimidate Nehemiah into stopping the work.

It is reported among the nations, and Geshema says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. 7And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, "There is a king in Judah!" Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.

8Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart."

9For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, "Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done."

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

10Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; and he said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you."

6:10 secret informer. When the open letter failed to intimidate Nehemiah into stopping the work and coming to a meeting, his enemies decided to try intimidation from within. They hired a false prophet (v. 12), Shemaiah, to lure Nehemiah into the Holy Place in the temple for refuge from a murder plot. To enter and shut himself in the Holy Place would have been a desecration of the house of God and would have caused people to question his reverence for God. Shemaiah was the son of a priest who was an intimate friend of Nehemiah. This plan would give them grounds to raise an evil report against Nehemiah, who was not a priest and had no right to go into the Holy Place (6:13). It could also make the people question his courage (v. 11).

11And I said, "Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who

would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!" 12Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

14My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.

THE WALL COMPLETED

15So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

6:16 this work was done by our God. While modern readers might be tempted to exalt the leadership qualities which brought the work to completion, Nehemiah's conclusion was seen through the eyes of his enemies, i.e., God works through faithful people, but it is God who works.

17Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and

the letters of Tobiah came to them. 18For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19Also they reported his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

Nehemiah 7

1Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the

gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.

3And I said to them, "Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of his own house."

THE CAPTIVES WHO RETURNED TO JERUSALEM

4Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and

the houses were not rebuilt. 5Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return, and found written in it: 6Thesea are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city.

7Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth,a Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: 8the sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 9the sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two; 10the sons of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two; 11the sons of Pahath-Moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand

eight hundred and eighteen; 12the sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 13the sons of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five; 14the sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty; 15the sons of Binnui,a six hundred and forty-eight; 16the sons of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight; 17the sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two; 18the sons of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven; 19the sons of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven; 20the sons of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five; 21the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight; 22the sons of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight; 23the sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four; 24the sons of Hariph,a one hundred and twelve; 25the sons of Gibeon,a

ninety-five; 26the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred and eighty-eight; 27the men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight; 28the men of Beth Azmaveth,a forty-two; 29the men of Kirjath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three; 30the men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one; 31the men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two; 32the men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred and twenty-three; 33the men of the other Nebo, fifty-two; 34the sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 35the sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty; 36the sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five; 37the sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one; 38the sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty. 39The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred

and seventy-three; 40the sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two;

41the sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 42the sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

43The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel,

and of the sons of Hodevah,a seventy-four. 44The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and forty-eight. 45The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-eight.

46The Nethinim: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 47the sons of Keros,

the sons of Sia,a

the sons of Padon,

48the sons of Lebana,a

the sons of Hagaba,b

the sons of Salmai,c

49the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,

50the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,

51the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah,

52the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim,

the sons of Nephishesim,a

53the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,

54the sons of Bazlith,a

the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,

55the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah,

56the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha. 57The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth,

the sons of Perida,a

58the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,

59the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim,

and the sons of Amon.a

60All the Nethinim, and the sons of Solomon's servants, were three hundred and ninety-two. 61And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon,a and Immer, but they could not identify their father's house nor their lineage, whether they were of Israel: 62the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah,

the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and

forty-two; 63and of the priests: the sons of

Habaiah, the sons of Koz,a

the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name. 64These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but it was not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as

defiled. 65And the governora said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim. 66Altogether the whole assembly was forty-two thousand three hundred and

sixty, 67besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five men and women singers. 68Their horses were seven hundred and

thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty-five, 69their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty. 70And some of the heads of the fathers' houses gave to the work. The

governora gave to the treasury one thousand gold drachmas, fifty basins,

and five hundred and thirty priestly garments. 71Some of the heads of the fathers' houses gave to the treasury of the work twenty thousand gold drachmas, and two thousand two hundred silver minas. 72And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priestly garments. 73So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim, and all Israel dwelt in their cities.

EZRA READS THE LAW

When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.

Next July 27 Reading

Nehemiah 8

July 28

N EHEMIAH 8:1–9:38

1Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the

Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel. 2So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear

with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. 3Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

4So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum,

Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all

the people stood up. 6And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God.

Then all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

7Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. 8So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.

9And Nehemiah, who was the governor,a Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the

LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep." For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

10Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

11So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is

holy; do not be grieved." 12And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

13Now on the second day the heads of the fathers' houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand

the words of the Law. 14And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during

the feast of the seventh month, 15and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written."

16Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open

square of the Gate of Ephraim. 17So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not

done so. And there was very great gladness. 18Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.

Nehemiah 9

THE PEOPLE CONFESS THEIR SINS

1Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were

assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.a 2Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one–fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.

9:1 this month. Tishri (Sept./Oct.), 445 B.C. (7:73b; 8:2). with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust. The outward demonstration of deep mourning and heaviness of heart for their iniquity seems to have been done in the spirit of the Day of Atonement which was normally observed on the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev. 16:1–34; 23:26–32).

9:2 separated themselves from all foreigners. This call for divorcing all lawful wives taken from among the heathen was needed, since the last time, prompted 13 years before by Ezra, had only been partially successful. Many had escaped the required action of divorce and kept their pagan wives. Perhaps new defaulters had appeared, also, and were confronted for the first time with this necessary action of divorce. Nehemiah's efforts were successful in removing this evil mixture.

9:3 they stood…read…confessed and worshiped. The succession of events helped to reestablish the essential commitment of Israel to God and His law. They read for 3 hours about the sins of their fathers and for 3 more hours confessed that they had been partakers of similar evil deeds. In response to all of this, they worshiped.

4Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their

God. 5And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: "Stand up and bless the LORD your God

Forever and ever!

"Blessed be Your glorious name, Which is exalted above all blessing and praise! 6You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.

7"You are the LORD God, Who chose Abram, And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, And gave him the name Abraham; 8You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give the land of the Canaanites, The Hittites, the Amorites, The Perizzites, the Jebusites, And the Girgashites— To give it to his descendants. You have performed Your words,

For You are righteous.

9"You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, And heard their cry by the Red Sea. 10You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, Against all his servants, And against all the people of his land. For You knew that they acted proudly against them. So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day. 11And You divided the sea before them, So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; And their persecutors You threw into the deep, As a stone into the mighty waters. 12Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, And by night with a pillar of fire, To give them light on the road Which they should travel.

13"You came down also on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven, And gave them just ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments. 14You made known to them Your holy Sabbath, And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws, By the hand of Moses Your servant. 15You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, And told them to go in to possess the land Which You had sworn to give them.

16"But they and our fathers acted proudly, Hardened their necks, And did not heed Your commandments. 17They refused to obey, And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their necks, And in their rebelliona

They appointed a leader To return to their bondage. But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them.

18"Even when they made a molded calf for themselves, And said, 'This is your god That brought you up out of Egypt,' And worked great provocations, 19Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, To lead them on the road; Nor the pillar of fire by night, To show them light, And the way they should go. 20You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst. 21Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear outa

And their feet did not swell.

22"Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations, And divided them into districts.a

So they took possession of the land of Sihon, The land ofb the king of Heshbon, And the land of Og king of Bashan. 23You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, And brought them into the land Which You had told their fathers To go in and possess. 24So the people went in And possessed the land; You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, The Canaanites, And gave them into their hands,

With their kings And the people of the land, That they might do with them as they wished. 25And they took strong cities and a rich land, And possessed houses full of all goods, Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves, And fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and grew fat, And delighted themselves in Your great goodness.

26"Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You, Cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets, who testified against them To turn them to Yourself; And they worked great provocations. 27Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, Who oppressed them; And in the time of their trouble, When they cried to You, You heard from heaven; And according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them From the hand of their enemies.

28"But after they had rest, They again did evil before You. Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, So that they had dominion over them; Yet when they returned and cried out to You, You heard from heaven; And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies, 29And testified against them, That You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted proudly, And did not heed Your commandments, But sinned against Your judgments, 'Which if a man does, he shall live by them.'a

And they shrugged their shoulders, Stiffened their necks, And would not hear.

30Yet for many years You had patience with them, And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets. Yet they would not listen; Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; For You are God, gracious and merciful.

32"Now therefore, our God, The great, the mighty, and awesome God, Who keeps covenant and mercy: Do not let all the trouble seem small before You That has come upon us, Our kings and our princes, Our priests and our prophets, Our fathers and on all Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33However You are just in all that has befallen us; For You have dealt faithfully, But we have done wickedly. 34Neither our kings nor our princes, Our priests nor our fathers, Have kept Your law, Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies, With which You testified against them. 35For they have not served You in their kingdom, Or in the many good things that You gave them, Or in the large and rich land which You set before them; Nor did they turn from their wicked works.

36"Here we are, servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, To eat its fruit and its bounty, Here we are, servants in it! 37And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us, Because of our sins; Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle At their pleasure; And we are in great distress. 38"And because of all this,

We make a sure covenant and write it; Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it."

Next July 28 Reading

Nehemiah 10

July 29

N EHEMIAH 10:1–11:36

THE PEOPLE WHO SEALED THE COVENANT

1Now those who placed their seal on the document were:

Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, 2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7Meshullam, Abijah,

Mijamin, 8Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

9The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel.

10Their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11Micha, Rehob,

Hashabiah, 12Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu.

14The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, 19Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 27Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

THE COVENANT THAT WAS SEALED

28Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their

daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding— 29these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and

His statutes: 30We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of

the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; 31if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year's produce and the exacting of every debt.

10:28 who had separated themselves. These are those who 1) had followed the demand of Ezra and Nehemiah to divorce pagan spouses or 2) had been left in the land but never joined themselves to any heathen, thus remaining separate. Intermarriage with the nations had previously precipitated an influence in Israel which had culminated in Babylonian slavery, thus playing a major role in Israel's unfaithfulness to the covenant.

32Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-

third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: 33for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make

atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. 34We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the

Law.

35And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the

firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 36to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; 37to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. 38And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse.

10:35–37 firstfruits…firstborn…firstborn. These laws required the firstfruits of the ground ( Ex. 23:19 ; 34:26 ; Deut. 26:2 ), the firstfruits of the trees ( Lev. 19:24 ; Num. 18:13 ), the firstborn sons redeemed by the estimated price of the priest ( Num. 18:15 ), and the firstborn of the herds and flocks ( Ex. 13:12 ; Num. 18:15 , 17 ). All of this was kept at the storehouses near the temple and distributed for the support of the priests and Levites. The Levites then gave a tenth of what they received to the priests (Num. 18:26).

39For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.

Nehemiah 11

THE PEOPLE DWELLING IN JERUSALEM

1Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities. 2And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.

3These are the heads of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem. (But in the cities of Judah everyone dwelt in his own possession in their cities—Israelites, priests,

Levites, Nethinim, and descendants of Solomon's servants.) 4Also in Jerusalem dwelt some of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin.

The children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the children of Perez; 5and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of ColHozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni. 6All the sons of Perez who dwelt at Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men.

7And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah; 8and after him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight. 9Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Senuaha was second over the city.

10Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, and Jachin; 11Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, was the leader of the house of God. 12Their brethren who did the work of the house were eight hundred and twenty-two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, 13and his brethren, heads of the fathers' houses, were two hundred and forty-two; and Amashai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, 14and their brethren, mighty men of valor, were one hundred and twenty-eight. Their overseer was Zabdiel the son of one of the great men.a

15Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the

son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; 16Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the heads of the Levites, had the oversight of the business outside of the house of God; 17Mattaniah the son of Micha,a the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the leader who began the thanksgiving with prayer; Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. 18All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four. 19Moreover the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren who kept the gates, were one hundred and seventy-two.

20And the rest of Israel, of the priests and Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, everyone in his inheritance. 21But the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel. And Ziha and Gishpa were over the Nethinim.

22Also the overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha, of the sons of Asaph,

the singers in charge of the service of the house of God. 23For it was the king's command concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers, a

quota day by day. 24Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the children of Zerah

the son of Judah, was the king's deputya in all matters concerning the people.

THE PEOPLE DWELLING OUTSIDE JERUSALEM

25And as for the villages with their fields, some of the children of Judah dwelt in Kirjath Arba and its villages, Dibon and its villages, Jekabzeel and its villages; 26in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet, 27Hazar Shual, and Beersheba and its villages; 28in Ziklag and Meconah and its villages; 29in En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, 30Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages; in Lachish and its fields; in Azekah and its villages. They dwelt from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.

31Also the children of Benjamin from Geba dwelt in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel, and their villages; 32in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah; 33in Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim; 34in Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat; 35in Lod, Ono, and the Valley of Craftsmen. 36Some of the Judean divisions of Levites were in Benjamin.

Next July 29 Reading

Nehemiah 12

July 30

N EHEMIAH 12:1–13:31

THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES

1Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of

Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4Iddo, Ginnethoi,a Abijah, 5Mijamin, Maadiah,

Bilgah, 6Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.

These were the heads of the priests and their brethren in the days of Jeshua. 8Moreover the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who led the thanksgiving psalms, he and his brethren. 9Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, stood across from them in their duties.

10Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada, 11Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua. 12Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of the fathers' houses were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14of Melichu,a Jonathan; of Shebaniah,b Joseph; 15of Harim,a Adna; of Meraioth,b Helkai; 16of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17of Abijah, Zichri; the son of Minjamin;a of Moadiah,b Piltai; 18of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20of Sallai,a Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

22During the reign of Darius the Persian, a record was also kept of the Levites and priests who had been heads of their fathers' houses in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua. 23The sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers' houses until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib, were written in the book of the chronicles.

24And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers across from them, to praise and give thanks, group alternating with group, according to the command of David the man of God. 25Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were

gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storerooms of the gates. 26These lived in

the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak,a and in the days of

Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

NEHEMIAH DEDICATES THE WALL

27Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed

instruments and harps. 28And the sons of the singers gathered together from the

countryside around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, 29from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had

built themselves villages all around Jerusalem. 30Then the priests and Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

31So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. One went to the right hand on the wall toward the Refuse

Gate. 32After them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, 33and

Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35and some of the priests' sons with trumpets—Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the

son of Asaph, 36and his brethren, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of

God. Ezra the scribe went before them. 37By the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up the stairs of the City of David, on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David, as far as the Water Gate eastward.

38The other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind them with half of the people on the wall, going past the Tower of the Ovens as far as the Broad Wall, 39and above the Gate of Ephraim, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped by the Gate of the Prison.

40So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me; 41and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Minjamin,a Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; 42also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang loudly with Jezrahiah the director.

43Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the

joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

TEMPLE RESPONSIBILITIES

44And at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for

Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered. 45Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the

purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son. 46For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of

praise and thanksgiving to God. 47In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also consecrated holy things for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for the children of Aaron.

Nehemiah 13

PRINCIPLES OF SEPARATION

1On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, 2because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3So it was, when they had heard the Law, that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel.

THE REFORMS OF NEHEMIAH

4Now before this, Eliashib the priest, having authority over the storerooms of the

house of our God, was allied with Tobiah. 5And he had prepared for him a large room, where previously they had stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the

priests. 6But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Then after certain days I

obtained leave from the king, 7and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing a room for him in the courts of the

house of God. 8And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household

goods of Tobiah out of the room. 9Then I commanded them to cleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

10I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field. 11So I contended with the rulers, and said, "Why is the house of God forsaken?" And I gathered them together and set them in their place. 12Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. 13And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.

14Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services!

15In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I

warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions. 16Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

17Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, "What evil

thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? 18Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath."

19So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no

burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

21Then I warned them, and said to them, "Why do you spend the night around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!" From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath. 22And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.

Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!

23In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod,

Ammon, and Moab. 24And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people.

25So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, "You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves. 26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin. 27Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?"

28And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me.

29Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

30Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan. I also assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service, 31and to bringing the wood offering and the firstfruits at appointed times.

Remember me, O my God, for good!

Next July 30 Reading

The Book of Esther

Esther 1

July 31

E STHER 1:1–2:23

THE KING DETHRONES QUEEN VASHTI

1Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerusa (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), 2in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his

kingdom, which was in Shushana the citadel, 3that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia

and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him— 4when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

1:1–2:13 This section identifies the main persons and sets the stage for the drama to follow. Uz. Job's home was a walled city with gates (29:7, 8), where he held a position of great respect. The city was in the land of Uz in northern Arabia, adjacent to Midian, where Moses lived for 40 years (Ex. 2:15). Job. The story begins on earth with Job as the central figure. He was a rich man with 7 sons and 3 daughters, in his middle years with a grown family. He was good, a family man, rich, and widely known. blameless…upright,…feared God… shunned evil. 1:8. Job was not perfect or without sin (6:24; 7:21; 9:20). However, it appears from the language that he had put his trust in God for redemption and faithfully lived a God-honoring, sincere life of integrity and consistency personally, maritally (2:10), and parentally (1:4, 5).

5And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to

small, in the court of the garden of the king's palace. 6There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of

alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. 7And they served drinks in

golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in

abundance, according to the generosity of the king. 8In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man's pleasure.

9Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

1:9 Queen Vashti. Greek literature records her name as Amestris. She gave birth (ca. 483 B.C.) to Ahasuerus's third son, Artaxerxes, who later succeeded his father Ahasuerus on the throne (Ezra 7:1).

10On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show

her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. 12But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him.

13Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times (for this was the king's manner toward all who knew law and justice, 14those closest to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who had access to the king's presence, and who ranked highest in the kingdom): 15"What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?"

16And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: "Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in

all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17For the queen's behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before

him, but she did not come.' 18This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media

will say to all the king's officials that they have heard of the behavior of the

queen. Thus there will be excessive contempt and wrath. 19If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal

position to another who is better than she. 20When the king's decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small."

21And the reply pleased the king and the princes, and the king did

according to the word of Memucan. 22Then he sent letters to all the king's provinces, to each province in its own script, and to every people in their own language, that each man should be master in his own house, and speak in the language of his own people.

Esther 2

ESTHER BECOMES QUEEN

1After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered

Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. 2Then the king's servants who attended him said: "Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the

king; 3and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women's

quarters, under the custody of Hegaia the king's eunuch, custodian of the women.

And let beauty preparations be given them. 4Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti."

This thing pleased the king, and he did so. 5In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was

Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. 6Kisha had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with Jeconiahb king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. 7And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

2:5 Mordecai. He was among the fourth generation of deported Jews.Kish. Mordecai's great-grandfather who actually experienced the Babylonian deportation. After Babylon fell to Medo-Persia (ca. 539 B.C.), Jews were moved to other parts of the new kingdom. Kish represents a Benjamite family name that could be traced back (ca. 1100 B.C.) to Saul's father (1 Sam. 9:1).

8So it was, when the king's command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai,

that Esther also was taken to the king's palace, into the care of Hegai

the custodian of the women. 9Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king's palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.

10Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her

not to reveal it. 11And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women's quarters, to learn of Esther's welfare and what was happening to her.

12Each young woman's turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months' preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for

beautifying women. 13Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women's

quarters to the king's palace. 14In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.

15Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king's eunuch, the custodian of the

women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. 16So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth

month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king.

MORDECAI DISCOVERS A PLOT

19When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within

the king's gate. 20Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him.

21In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king's gate, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22So the matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai's name. 23And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

Next July 31 Reading

Esther 3

August 1

E STHER 3:1–4:17

HAMAN'S CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE JEWS

1After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. 2And all the king's servants who were within the king's gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage. 3Then the king's servants who were within the king's gate said to Mordecai, "Why do you transgress the king's command?" 4Now it happened, when they spoke to him daily and he would not listen to them, that they told it to Haman, to see whether Mordecai's words would stand; for Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew. 5When Haman saw that

Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was filled with wrath. 6But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai.

3:4 he was a Jew. It seems evident from Haman's fury and attempted genocide that there were strong anti-Semitic attitudes in Shushan, which seems to explain Mordecai's reluctance to reveal his true ethnic background.

7In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, the lot), before Haman to determine the day

and the month,a until it fell on the twelfth month,b which is the month of Adar.

8Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people's, and they do not keep the king's laws. Therefore

it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. 9If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king's treasuries."

10So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the

son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11And the king said to Haman, "The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you."

12Then the king's scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree was written according to all that Haman commanded—to the king's satraps, to the governors who were over each province, to the officials of all people, to every province according to its script, and to every people in their language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and sealed with

the king's signet ring. 13And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the

twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions.a

14A copy of the document was to be issued as law in every province, being

published for all people, that they should be ready for that day. 15The couriers went out, hastened by the king's command; and the decree was proclaimed in Shushan the citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed.

Esther 4

ESTHER AGREES TO HELP THE JEWS

1When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a

loud and bitter cry. 2He went as far as the front of the king's gate, for no one

might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 3And in every province where the king's command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4So Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. 5Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. 6So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in

front of the king's gate. 7And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries to destroy the Jews. 8He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. 9So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

10Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: 11"All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called

to go in to the king these thirty days." 12So they told Mordecai Esther's words.

13And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: "Do not think in your heart that

you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. 14For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

4:14 relief and deliverance. Mordecai exhibited a healthy faith in God's sovereign power to preserve His people. He may have remembered the Lord's promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:3; 17:1–8). you… will perish. Mordecai indicated that Esther would not escape the sentence or be overlooked because of her prominence (4:13). such a time as this. Mordecai indirectly appealed to God's providential timing

15Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 16"Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"

17So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther

commanded him.a

Next August 1 Reading

Esther 5

August 2

E STHER 5:1–6:14

ESTHER'S BANQUET

1Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, across from the king's house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house.a

2So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.

3And the king said to her, "What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!"

4So Esther answered, "If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him."

5Then the king said, "Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said." So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

6At the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, "What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!"

7Then Esther answered and said, "My petition and request is this: 8If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said."

HAMAN'S PLOT AGAINST MORDECAI

9So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. 10Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. 11Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king.

12Moreover Haman said, "Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. 13Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate."

14Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, "Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet."

And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.

Esther 6

THE KING HONORS MORDECAI

1That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 2And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3Then the king said, "What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?"

6:1 the book. Five years had intervened since Mordecai's loyal but as yet unrewarded act (2:23). At exactly the proper moment, God providentially intervened so that the king suffered insomnia, called for the book of records, read of Mordecai's unrewarded deeds 5 years past, and then desired to reward him (Dan. 6:18).

And the king's servants who attended him said, "Nothing has been done for him."

4So the king said, "Who is in the court?" Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king's palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

5The king's servants said to him, "Haman is there, standing in the court." And the king said, "Let him come in." 6So Haman came in, and the king asked him, "What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?"

Now Haman thought in his heart, "Whom would the king delight to honor more

than me?" 7And Haman answered the king, "For the man whom the king delights

to honor, 8let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a

horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its

head. 9Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's

most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!' "

10Then the king said to Haman, "Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king's gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken."

11So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!"

12Afterward Mordecai went back to the king's gate. But Haman hurried to his

house, mourning and with his head covered. 13When Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him."

6:13 you have begun to fall. Neither divine prophecy (Ex. 17:14) nor biblical history (1 Sam. 15:8, 9) stood in Haman's favor. Haman's entourage seemed to have some knowledge of this biblical history.

14While they were still talking with him, the king's eunuchs came, and hastened to bring Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.

Next August 2 Reading

Esther 7

August 3

E STHER 7:1–8:17

HAMAN HANGED INSTEAD OF MORDECAI

1So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther. 2And on the second day, at the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!"

3Then Queen Esther answered and said, "If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. 4For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king's loss."

5So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?"

6And Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!" So Haman was terrified before the king and queen. 7Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. 8When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, "Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?"

As the word left the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. 9Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, "Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king's behalf, is standing at the house of Haman."

Then the king said, "Hang him on it!" 10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath subsided.

Esther 8

ESTHER SAVES THE JEWS

1On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.

8:1 the house of Haman. Property of a traitor by Persian custom returned to the king. In this case, he gave it to his queen, Esther, who put Mordecai over it (8:2). The outcome for Haman's wife, Zeresh, and his wise men is unknown (5:14; 6:12, 13). Haman's 10 sons later died (9:7–10).

3Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. 4And the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king, 5and said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. 6For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?"

7Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the

gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. 8You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with

the king's signet ring no one can revoke."

9So the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province in its own script, to every people in their own language,

and to the Jews in their own script and language. 10And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king's signet ring, and sent letters by couriers

on horseback, riding on royal horses bred from swift steeds.a

11By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, 12on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.a 13A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel.

15So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. 17And in every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.

8:17 many…people…Jews. The population realized that the God of the Jews greatly exceeded anything that the pantheon of Persian deities could offer ( Ex. 15:14–16 ; Ps. 105:38 ; Acts 5:11 ), especially in contrast to their recent defeat by the Greeks.

Next August 3 Reading

Esther 9

August 4

E STHER 9:1–10:3

THE JEWS DESTROY THEIR TORMENTORS

1Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king's command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite

occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. 2The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could

withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. 3And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king's work,

helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. 4For Mordecai was great in the king's palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces;

for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. 5Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them.

9:1 twelfth month. During the period February-March. Here is a powerful statement with regard to God's providential preservation of the Jewish race in harmony with God's unconditional promise to Abraham (Gen. 17:1–8). This providential deliverance stands in contrast to God's miraculous deliverance of the Jews from Egypt; yet in both cases the same end had been accomplished by the supernatural power of God.

6And in Shushan the citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha— 10the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

11On that day the number of those who were killed in Shushan the citadel

was brought to the king. 12And the king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the citadel, and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It shall be granted to you. Or what is your further request? It shall be done."

13Then Esther said, "If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do again tomorrow according to today's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on the gallows."

14So the king commanded this to be done; the decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman's ten sons.

15And the Jews who were in Shushan gathered together again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men at Shushan; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

16The remainder of the Jews in the king's provinces gathered together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of their enemies; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. 17This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. And on the fourteenth of the montha they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

THE FEAST OF PURIM

18But the Jews who were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day, as

well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of the montha they rested, and made it

a day of feasting and gladness. 19Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending presents to one another.

20And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far,

who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, 21to establish among them that

they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, 22as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and

gifts to the poor. 23So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as

Mordecai had written to them, 24because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them,

and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them; 25but when

Esthera came before the king, he commanded by letter that thisb wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

26So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what

had happened to them, 27the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would join them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and

according to the prescribed time, 28that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.

29Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote

with full authority to confirm this second letter about Purim. 30And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews, to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the

kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, 31to confirm these days of

Purim at their appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had prescribed for them, and as they had decreed for themselves and their

descendants concerning matters of their fasting and lamenting. 32So the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.

Esther 10

MORDECAI'S ADVANCEMENT

1And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. 2Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.a

10:3 Mordecai…was second. Mordecai joined the top echelon of Jewish international statesmen like Joseph, who ranked second in the Egyptian dynasty ( Gen. 41:37–45 ), and Daniel, who succeeded in both the Babylonian ( Dan. 2:46–49 ; 5:29 ) and Medo-Persian Empires ( Dan. 6:28 ). speaking peace. Less than 10 years later (ca. 465 B.C.), Ahasuerus was assassinated. There are no further details concerning Esther and Mordecai. What Mordecai did for less than a decade on behalf of Israel, Jesus Christ will do for all eternity as the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6, 7; Zech. 9:9, 10).

Next August 4 Reading

The Book of Job

Job 1

August 5

J OB 1:1–2:13

JOB AND HIS FAMILY IN UZ

1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man

was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. 2And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.

4And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed

day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and curseda God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly.

SATAN ATTACKS JOB'S CHARACTER

6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satana also came among them. 7And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?"

1:6 sons of God. Job's life is about to be caught up in heavenly strategies as the scene moves from earth to heaven where God is holding council with His heavenly court. Neither Job nor his friends ever knew about this. The angelic host (38:7; Pss. 29:1; 89:7; Dan. 3:25) came to God's throne to render account of their ministry throughout the earth and heaven (1 Kin. 22:19–22). Like a Judas among the apostles, Satan was with the angels. Satan. Emboldened by the success he had with the unfallen Adam in paradise (Gen. 3:6–12, 17–19), he was confident that the fear of God in Job, one of a fallen race, would not stand his tests. And he had fallen himself (see Is. 14:12). As opposed to a personal name, Satan as a title means "adversary," in either a personal or judicial sense. This demon is the ultimate spiritual adversary of all time and has been accusing the righteous throughout the ages (Rev. 12:10).

So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."

8Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"

9So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"

12And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person."

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

JOB LOSES HIS PROPERTY AND CHILDREN

13Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking

wine in their oldest brother's house; 14and a messenger came to Job and said,

"The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15when the

Sabeansa raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

16While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

17While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

18While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19and suddenly a great wind came from acrossa the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

20Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground

and worshiped. 21And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb,

And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the

LORD." 22In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Job 2

SATAN ATTACKS JOB'S HEALTH

1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?"

Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."

3Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause."

2:3 he holds fast to his integrity. God affirmed that Job had won round one. without cause. God uses the same expression the adversary used in Job 1 "for nothing (1:9)…without cause (2:3)." The message behind God's turn of words is that the adversary is the guilty party in this case, not Job who had suffered all the disaster without any personal cause. He had done nothing to incur the pain and loss, though it was massive. The issue was purely a matter of conflict between God and Satan. This is a crucial statement, because when Job's friends tried to explain why all the disasters had befallen him, they always put the blame on Job. Grasping this assessment from God that Job had not been punished for something, but suffered for nothing related to him personally is a crucial key to the story. Sometimes suffering is caused by divine purposes unknowable to us.

4So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"

6And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life." 7So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful

boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.

9Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

10But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

JOB'S THREE FRIENDS

11Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment

together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. 12And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and

wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. 13So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Next August 5 Reading

Job 3

August 6

J OB 3:1–4:21

JOB DEPLORES HIS BIRTH

1After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.2And Job spoke, and said: 3"May the day perish on which I was born, And the night in which it was said,

'A male child is conceived.' 4May that day be darkness; May God above not seek it, Nor the light shine upon it. 5May darkness and the shadow of death claim it; May a cloud settle on it; May the blackness of the day terrify it. 6As for that night, may darkness seize it; May it not rejoicea among the days of the year, May it not come into the number of the months. 7Oh, may that night be barren! May no joyful shout come into it! 8May those curse it who curse the day, Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan. 9May the stars of its morning be dark; May it look for light, but have none, And not see the dawning of the day; 10Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

11"Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb? 12Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse? 13For now I would have lain still and been quiet, I would have been asleep; Then I would have been at rest 14With kings and counselors of the earth, Who built ruins for themselves, 15Or with princes who had gold, Who filled their houses with silver; 16Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, Like infants who never saw light? 17There the wicked cease from troubling, And there the weary are at rest. 18There the prisoners rest together; They do not hear the voice of the

oppressor. 19The small and great are there, And the servant is free from his master.

20"Why is light given to him who is in misery, And life to the bitter of soul, 21Who long for death, but it does not come, And search for it more than hidden treasures; 22Who rejoice exceedingly, And are glad when they can find the grave? 23Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in? 24For my sighing comes before I eat,a

And my groanings pour out like water. 25For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me,

3:25, 26 the thing I greatly feared. Not a particular thing but a generic classification of suffering. The very worst fear that anyone could have was coming to pass in Job's life, and he is experiencing severe anxiety, fearing more.

And what I dreaded has happened to me. 26I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes."

Job 4

ELIPHAZ: JOB HAS SINNED

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2"If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?

But who can withhold himself from speaking? 3Surely you have instructed many, And you have strengthened weak hands. 4Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, And you have strengthened the feeble knees; 5But now it comes upon you, and you are weary; It touches you, and you are troubled. 6Is not your reverence your confidence? And the integrity of your ways your hope? 7"Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?

4:7 who ever perished being innocent? Eliphaz, recognizing Job's "reverence" and "integrity" (v. 6), was likely encouraging Job at the outset by saying he wouldn't die because he was innocent of any deadly iniquity, but must be guilty of some serious sin because he was reaping such anger from God. This was a moral universe and moral order was at work, he thought. He had oversimplified God's pattern of retribution. This simple axiom, "the righteous will prosper and the wicked will suffer," does not always hold up in human experience. It is true that plowing and sowing iniquity reaps judgment, so Eliphaz was partially right (Gal. 6:7–9; 1 Pet. 3:12), but not everything we reap in life is the result of something we have sown (2 Cor. 12:7–10). Eliphaz was replacing theology with simplistic logic. To say that wherever there is suffering, it is the result of sowing sin is wrong (Ex. 4:11; John 9:1–3).

Or where were the upright ever cut off? 8Even as I have seen,

Those who plow iniquity And sow trouble reap the same. 9By the blast of God they perish, And by the breath of His anger they are consumed. 10The roaring of the lion, The voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken. 11The old lion perishes for lack of prey, And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

12"Now a word was secretly brought to me, And my ear received a whisper of it. 13In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, 14Fear came upon me, and trembling, Which made all my bones shake. 15Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair on my body stood up. 16It stood still, But I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; There was silence; Then I heard a voice saying: 17'Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? 18If He puts no trust in His servants, If He charges His angels with error, 19How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before a moth? 20They are broken in pieces from morning till evening; They perish forever, with no one regarding. 21Does not their own excellence go away? They die, even without wisdom.'

Next August 6 Reading

Job 5

August 7

J OB 5:1–6:30

ELIPHAZ: JOB IS CHASTENED BY GOD

1"Call out now; Is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? 2For wrath kills a foolish man, And envy slays a simple one. 3I have seen the foolish taking root, But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place. 4His sons are far from safety, They are crushed in the gate, And there is no deliverer. 5Because the hungry eat up his harvest, Taking it even from the thorns,a And a snare snatches their substance.b

6For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble spring from the ground; 7Yet man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.

8"But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause— 9Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number. 10He gives rain on the earth, And sends waters on the fields. 11He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety.

12He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot carry out their plans. 13He catches the wise in their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them. 14They meet with darkness in the daytime, And grope at noontime as in the night. 15But He saves the needy from the sword, From the mouth of the mighty, And from their hand. 16So the poor have hope, And injustice shuts her mouth.

17"Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects;

5:17 happy is the man whom God corrects. Eliphaz put a positive spin on his advice by telling Job that enviable or desirable is the situation of the one God cares enough to chasten. "If only Job admitted his sin, he could be happy again" was the advice.

Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. 18For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole. 19He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you. 20In famine He shall redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword. 21You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes. 22You shall laugh at destruction and famine, And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 23For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. 24You shall know that your tent is in peace; You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss. 25You shall also know that your descendants shall be many, And your

offspring like the grass of the earth. 26You shall come to the grave at a full age, As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season. 27Behold, this we have searched out; It is true. Hear it, and know for yourself."

Job 6

JOB: MY COMPLAINT IS JUST

1Then Job answered and said:

2"Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, And my calamity laid with it on the scales! 3For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea— Therefore my words have been rash. 4For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; My spirit drinks in their poison; The terrors of God are arrayed against me. 5Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass, Or does the ox low over its fodder? 6Can flavorless food be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg? 7My soul refuses to touch them; They are as loathsome food to me.

8"Oh, that I might have my request, That God would grant me the thing that I long for! 9That it would please God to crush me, That He would loose His hand and cut me off! 10Then I would still have comfort;

6:10 the words of the Holy One. Job had not been avoiding the revelation of God that he had received. The commands of the Holy One were precious to him and he had lived by them. This was confusing to him, as he couldn't find any sinful source for his suffering. He would rejoice in his pain if he knew it would

soon lead to death, but he couldn't see any hope for death or deliverance in himself (vv. 11–13).

Though in anguish I would exult, He will not spare; For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

11"What strength do I have, that I should hope? And what is my end, that I should prolong my life? 12Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh bronze? 13Is my help not within me? And is success driven from me?

14"To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. 15My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook, Like the streams of the brooks that pass away, 16Which are dark because of the ice, And into which the snow vanishes. 17When it is warm, they cease to flow; When it is hot, they vanish from their place. 18The paths of their way turn aside, They go nowhere and perish. 19The caravans of Tema look, The travelers of Sheba hope for them. 20They are disappointed because they were confident; They come there and are confused. 21For now you are nothing, You see terror and are afraid. 22Did I ever say, 'Bring something to me'? Or, 'Offer a bribe for me from your wealth'? 23Or, 'Deliver me from the enemy's hand'? Or, 'Redeem me from the hand of oppressors'?

24"Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; Cause me to understand wherein I

have erred. 25How forceful are right words! But what does your arguing prove? 26Do you intend to rebuke my words, And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind? 27Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless, And you undermine your friend. 28Now therefore, be pleased to look at me; For I would never lie to your face. 29Yield now, let there be no injustice! Yes, concede, my righteousness still stands! 30Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern the unsavory?

Next August 7 Reading

Job 7

August 8

J OB 7:1–8:22

JOB: MY SUFFERING IS COMFORTLESS

1"Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man? 2Like a servant who earnestly desires the shade, And like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages, 3So I have been allotted months of futility, And wearisome nights have been appointed to me. 4When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise, And the night be ended?' For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn. 5My flesh is caked with worms and dust, My skin is cracked and breaks out afresh.

6"My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And are spent without hope. 7Oh, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good. 8The eye of him who sees me will see me no more; While your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be. 9As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, So he who goes down to the grave does not come up. 10He shall never return to his house, Nor shall his place know him anymore.

11"Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12Am I a sea, or a sea serpent, That You set a guard over me?

13When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,' 14Then You scare me with dreams And terrify me with visions, 15So that my soul chooses strangling And death rather than my body.a 16I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, For my days are but a breath.

17"What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him, 18That You should visit him every morning, And test him every moment? 19How long?

7:19 till I swallow my saliva. This strange statement was an Arabic proverb, indicating a brief moment. Job was asking for a moment "to catch his breath," or in the case of the proverb, "swallow his saliva."

Will You not look away from me, And let me alone till I swallow my saliva? 20Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself?a

21Why then do You not pardon my transgression, And take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, And You will seek me diligently, But I will no longer be."

Job 8

BILDAD: JOB SHOULD REPENT

1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: 2"How long will you speak these things, And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?

3Does God subvert judgment?

8:3 Almighty pervert justice. Bildad took Job's claims for innocence and applied them to his simplistic notion of retribution. He concluded that Job was accusing God of injustice when God must be meting out justice to Job. Job tried to avoid outright accusations of this sort, but the evidence led Bildad to this conclusion because he had no knowledge of the heavenly facts.

Or does the Almighty pervert justice? 4If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression. 5If you would earnestly seek God And make your supplication to the Almighty, 6If you were pure and upright, Surely now He would awake for you, And prosper your rightful dwelling place. 7Though your beginning was small, Yet your latter end would increase abundantly.

8"For inquire, please, of the former age, And consider the things discovered by their fathers;

9For we were born yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days on earth are a shadow. 10Will they not teach you and tell you, And utter words from their heart?

11"Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the reeds flourish without water? 12While it is yet green and not cut down, It withers before any other plant. 13So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish, 14Whose confidence shall be cut off, And whose trust is a spider's web. 15He leans on his house, but it does not stand. He holds it fast, but it does not endure. 16He grows green in the sun, And his branches spread out in his garden. 17His roots wrap around the rock heap, And look for a place in the stones. 18If he is destroyed from his place, Then it will deny him, saying, 'I have not seen you.'

19"Behold, this is the joy of His way, And out of the earth others will grow. 20Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, Nor will He uphold the evildoers. 21He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, And your lips with rejoicing. 22Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing."a

Next August 8 Reading

Job 9

August 9

J OB 9:1–10:22

JOB: THERE IS NO MEDIATOR

1Then Job answered and said:

2"Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God? 3If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. 4God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? 5He removes the mountains, and they do not know When He overturns them in His anger; 6He shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; 7He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; 8He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea; 9He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; 10He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number. 11If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; 12If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, 'What are You doing?' 13God will not withdraw His anger, The allies of the prouda lie prostrate beneath Him.

14"How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him? 15For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him;

9:15, 20 though I were righteous. He means here, not sinless, but having spiritual integrity, i.e., a pure heart to love, serve, and obey God. He was affirming again that his suffering was not due to sins he was not willing to confess. Even at that, God found something to condemn him for, he felt, making it hopeless, then, to contend with God.

I would beg mercy of my Judge. 16If I called and He answered me, I would not believe that He was listening to my voice. 17For He crushes me with a tempest, And multiplies my wounds without cause. 18He will not allow me to catch my breath, But fills me with bitterness. 19If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong; And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court? 20Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.

21"I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life. 22It is all one thing; Therefore I say, 'He destroys the blameless and the wicked.' 23If the scourge slays suddenly, He laughs at the plight of the innocent. 24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, who else could it be?

25"Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. 26They pass by like swift ships, Like an eagle swooping on its prey.

27If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,' 28I am afraid of all my sufferings; I know that You will not hold me innocent. 29If I am condemned, Why then do I labor in vain? 30If I wash myself with snow water, And cleanse my hands with soap, 31Yet You will plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes will abhor me. 32"For He is not a man, as I am,

9:32 that we should go to court together. Job acknowledged that, as a mere man, he had no right to call on God to declare his innocence or to contend with God over his innocence. Job was not arguing that he was sinless, but he didn't believe he had sinned to the extent that he deserved his severe suffering. Job held on to the same simplistic system of retribution as that of his accusers, which said that suffering was always caused by sin. And he knew he was not sinless, but he couldn't identify any unconfessed or unrepented sins. "Where is mercy?" he wondered.

That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together. 33Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.

9:33–35 any mediator between us. A court official who sees both sides clearly, as well as the source of disagreement, so as to bring resolution was not found. Where was an advocate, an arbitrator, an umpire, or a referee? Was there no one to remove God's rod and call for justice.

34Let Him take His rod away from me, And do not let dread of Him terrify me. 35Then I would speak and not fear Him, But it is not so with me.

Job 10

JOB: I WOULD PLEAD WITH GOD

1"My soul loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me; Show me why You contend with me. 3Does it seem good to You that You should oppress, That You should despise the work of Your hands, And smile on the counsel of the wicked? 4Do You have eyes of flesh? Or do You see as man sees? 5Are Your days like the days of a mortal man? Are Your years like the days of a mighty man, 6That You should seek for my iniquity And search out my sin, 7Although You know that I am not wicked, And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?

8'Your hands have made me and fashioned me, An intricate unity; Yet You would destroy me. 9Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again? 10Did You not pour me out like milk, And curdle me like cheese, 11Clothe me with skin and flesh, And knit me together with bones and sinews? 12You have granted me life and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit.

13'And these things You have hidden in Your heart; I know that this was with You: 14If I sin, then You mark me,

And will not acquit me of my iniquity. 15If I am wicked, woe to me; Even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am full of disgrace; See my misery! 16If my head is exalted, You hunt me like a fierce lion, And again You show Yourself awesome against me. 17You renew Your witnesses against me, And increase Your indignation toward me; Changes and war are ever with me.

18'Why then have You brought me out of the womb? Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me! 19I would have been as though I had not been. I would have been carried from the womb to the grave. 20Are not my days few? Cease! Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort, 21Before I go to the place from which I shall not return, To the land of darkness and the shadow of death, 22A land as dark as darkness itself, As the shadow of death, without any order, Where even the light is like darkness.' "

Next August 9 Reading

Job 11

August 10

J OB 11:1–12:25

ZOPHAR URGES JOB TO REPENT

1Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2"Should not the multitude of words be answered?

And should a man full of talk be vindicated? 3Should your empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you? 4For you have said, 'My doctrine is pure, And I am clean in your eyes.' 5But oh, that God would speak, And open His lips against you, 6That He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For they would double your prudence. Know therefore that God exacts from you Less than your iniquity deserves.

7"Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 8They are higher than heaven— what can you do? Deeper than Sheol— what can you know? 9Their measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.

10"If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment, Then who can hinder Him? 11For He knows deceitful men; He sees wickedness also. Will He not then consider it? 12For an empty-headed man will be wise, When a wild donkey's colt is born a man.

13"If you would prepare your heart, And stretch out your hands toward Him; 14If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away, And would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;

15Then surely you could lift up your face without spot; Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear; 16Because you would forget your misery, And remember it as waters that have passed away, 17And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning. 18And you would be secure, because there is hope; Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety. 19You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid; Yes, many would court your favor. 20But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And they shall not escape, And their hope—loss of life!"

Job 12

JOB ANSWERS HIS CRITICS

1Then Job answered and said:

2"No doubt you are the people,

12:2–4 you are the people, and wisdom will die with you! Job responded with cutting sarcasm directed at his know-it-all friends (v. 2) and then reminded them that he understood the principles of which they had spoken (v. 3), but they were irrelevant to his situation. On top of that, he despaired at the pain of becoming a derision to his friends, though he was innocent (v. 4).

And wisdom will die with you! 3But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these?

4"I am one mocked by his friends, Who called on God, and He answered him, The just and blameless who is ridiculed. 5A lampa is despised in the thought of one who is at ease; It is made ready for those whose feet slip. 6The tents of robbers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure— In what God provides by His hand.

7"But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; 8Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. 9Who among all these does not know

That the hand of the LORD has done this, 10In whose hand is the life

of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind? 11Does not the ear test words And the mouth taste its food? 12Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding.

13"With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding. 14If He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt; If He imprisons a man, there can be no release. 15If He withholds the waters, they dry up; If He sends them out, they overwhelm the earth. 16With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His. 17He leads counselors away plundered, And makes fools of the judges. 18He loosens the bonds of kings, And binds their waist with a belt. 19He leads princesa away plundered, And overthrows the mighty. 20He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders. 21He pours contempt on princes, And disarms the mighty. 22He uncovers deep things out of darkness, And brings the shadow of death to light. 23He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them. 24He takes away the understandinga of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. 25They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Next August 10 Reading

Job 13

August 11

J OB 13:1–14:22

1"Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it. 2What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to reason with God. 4But you forgers of lies, You are all worthless physicians. 5Oh, that you would be silent, And it would be your wisdom! 6Now hear my reasoning, And heed the pleadings of my lips. 7Will you speak wickedly for God, And talk deceitfully for Him? 8Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God? 9Will it be well when He searches you out? Or can you mock Him as one mocks a man? 10He will surely rebuke you If you secretly show partiality. 11Will not His excellence make you afraid, And the dread of Him fall upon you? 12Your platitudes are proverbs of ashes, Your defenses are defenses of clay. 13"Hold your peace with me, and let me speak, Then let come on me what may! 14Why do I take my flesh in my teeth, And put my life in my hands? 15Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

13:15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Job assured his accusers that his convictions were not self-serving, because he was ready to die trusting God. But still he would defend his innocence before God and was confident that he was truly saved and not a hypocrite (v. 16).

Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. 16He also shall be my salvation, For a hypocrite could not come before Him. 17Listen carefully to my speech, And to my declaration with your ears. 18See now, I have prepared my case, I know that I shall be vindicated. 19Who is he who will contend with me? If now I hold my tongue, I perish.

JOB'S DESPONDENT PRAYER

20"Only two things do not do to me, Then I will not hide myself from You: 21Withdraw Your hand far from me, And let not the dread of You make me afraid. 22Then call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, then You respond to me. 23How many are my iniquities and sins?

13:23 How many are my iniquities and sins? Job wanted to know how many so that he could determine if his measure of suffering matched the severity of his sin, and he could then repent for sins he was unaware of.

Make me know my transgression and my sin. 24Why do You hide Your face, And regard me as Your enemy? 25Will You frighten a leaf driven to and fro? And will You pursue dry stubble? 26For You write bitter things against me, And make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. 27You put my feet in the stocks, And watch closely all my paths. You set a limita for the soles of my feet.

28"Mana decays like a rotten thing, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

Job 14

1"Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble. 2He comes forth like a flower and fades away; He flees like a shadow and does not continue. 3And do You open Your eyes on such a one, And bring mea to judgment with Yourself? 4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one! 5Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass. 6Look away from him that he may rest, Till like a hired man he finishes his day.

7"For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender shoots will not cease. 8Though its root may grow old in the earth, And its stump may die in the ground, 9Yet at the scent of water it will bud And bring forth branches like a plant. 10But man dies and is laid away;

Indeed he breathes his last And where is he? 11As water disappears from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dries up, 12So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more,

They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep.

13"Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. 15You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands. 16For now You number my steps, But do not watch over my sin. 17My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You covera my iniquity.

18"But as a mountain falls and crumbles away, And as a rock is moved from its place; 19As water wears away stones, And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth; So You destroy the hope of man. 20You prevail forever against him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away. 21His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; They are brought low, and he does not perceive it. 22But his flesh will be in pain over it, And his soul will mourn over it."

Next August 11 Reading

Job 15

August 12

J OB 15:1–16:22

ELIPHAZ ACCUSES JOB OF FOLLY

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2"Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?

3Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or by speeches with which he can do no good? 4Yes, you cast off fear, And restrain prayer before God. 5For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the tongue of the crafty. 6Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you.

7"Are you the first man who was born? Or were you made before the hills? 8Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? 9What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not in us? 10Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Much older than your father. 11Are the consolations of God too small for you, And the word spoken gentlya with you? 12Why does your heart carry you away, And what do your eyes wink at, 13That you turn your spirit against God, And let such words go out of your mouth?

14"What is man, that he could be pure?

15:14–16 A strong statement with regard to the sinfulness of man (Rom. 3:23)

that attacked Job's claim to righteousness. Verse 15 refers to holy angels who

fell and brought impurity into the heavens (Rev. 12:1–4). The truth is accurate, that all men are sinners but irrelevant in Job's case, because his suffering was not due to any sin.

And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? 15If God puts no trust in His saints, And the heavens are not pure in His sight, 16How much less man, who is abominable and filthy, Who drinks iniquity like water!

17"I will tell you, hear me; What I have seen I will declare, 18What wise men have told, Not hiding anything received from their fathers, 19To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them: 20The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor. 21Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him. 22He does not believe that he will return from darkness, For a sword is waiting for him. 23He wanders about for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand. 24Trouble and anguish make him afraid; They overpower him, like a king ready for battle. 25For he stretches out his hand against God, And acts defiantly against the Almighty, 26Running stubbornly against Him With his strong, embossed shield.

27"Though he has covered his face with his fatness, And made his waist heavy with fat, 28He dwells in desolate cities, In houses which no one inhabits, Which are destined to become ruins.

29He will not be rich, Nor will his wealth continue, Nor will his possessions overspread the earth. 30He will not depart from darkness; The flame will dry out his branches, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away. 31Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself, For futility will be his reward. 32It will be accomplished before his time, And his branch will not be green. 33He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine, And cast off his blossom like an olive tree. 34For the company of hypocrites will be barren, And fire will consume the tents of bribery. 35They conceive trouble and bring forth futility; Their womb prepares deceit."

Job 16

JOB REPROACHES HIS PITILESS FRIENDS

1Then Job answered and said:

2"I have heard many such things; Miserable comforters are you all! 3Shall words of wind have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer? 4I also could speak as you do, If your soul were in my soul's place. I could heap up words against you, And shake my head at you; 5But I would strengthen you with my mouth, And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.

6"Though I speak, my grief is not relieved; And if I remain silent, how am I eased? 7But now He has worn me out; You have made desolate all my company. 8You have shriveled me up, And it is a witness against me; My leanness rises up against me And bears witness to my face. 9He tears me in His wrath, and hates me; He gnashes at me with His teeth; My adversary sharpens His gaze on me. 10They gape at me with their mouth, They strike me reproachfully on the cheek, They gather together against me. 11God has delivered me to the ungodly, And turned me over to the hands of the wicked. 12I was at ease, but He has shattered me; He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces; He has set me up for His target, 13His archers surround me. He pierces my hearta and does not pity; He pours out my gall on the ground. 14He breaks me with wound upon wound;

He runs at me like a warrior.a

15"I have sewn sackcloth over my skin, And laid my heada in the dust. 16My face is flushed from weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death; 17Although no violence is in my hands, And my prayer is pure.

18"O earth, do not cover my blood, And let my cry have no resting place! 19Surely even now my witness is in heaven, And my evidence is on high. 20My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God. 21Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, As a man pleads for his neighbor! 22For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return.

Next August 12 Reading

Job 17

August 13

J OB 17:1–18:21

JOB PRAYS FOR RELIEF

1"My spirit is broken, My days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me. 2Are not mockers with me? And does not my eye dwell on their provocation?

3"Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he who will shake hands with me? 4For You have hidden their heart from understanding; Therefore You will not exalt them. 5He who speaks flattery to his friends, Even the eyes of his children will fail.

6"But He has made me a byword of the people, And I have become one in whose face men spit. 7My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow, And all my members are like shadows. 8Upright men are astonished at this, And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite. 9Yet the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger.

10"But please, come back again, all of you,a For I shall not find one wise man among you. 11My days are past, My purposes are broken off, Even the thoughts of my heart. 12They change the night into day; 'The light is near,' they say, in the face of darkness. 13If I wait for the grave as my house, If I make my bed in the darkness, 14If I say to corruption, 'You are my father,' And to the worm, 'You are my mother and my sister,' 15Where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it? 16Will they go down to the gates of Sheol?

Shall we have rest together in the dust?"

Job 18

BILDAD: THE WICKED ARE PUNISHED

1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: 2"How long till you put an end to words?

Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak. 3Why are we counted as beasts, And regarded as stupid in your sight? 4You who tear yourself in anger, Shall the earth be forsaken for you? Or shall the rock be removed from its place?

5"The light of the wicked indeed goes out, And the flame of his fire does not shine. 6The light is dark in his tent, And his lamp beside him is put out. 7The steps of his strength are shortened, And his own counsel casts him down. 8For he is cast into a net by his own feet, And he walks into a snare. 9The net takes him by the heel, And a snare lays hold of him. 10A noose is hidden for him on the ground, And a trap for him in the road. 11Terrors frighten him on every side, And drive him to his feet. 12His strength is starved, And destruction is ready at his side. 13It devours patches of his skin; The firstborn of death devours his limbs. 14He is uprooted from the shelter of his tent, And they parade him before the king of terrors. 15They dwell in his tent who are none of his; Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.

16His roots are dried out below, And his branch withers above. 17The memory of him perishes from the earth, And he has no name among the renowned.a

18He is driven from light into darkness, And chased out of the world. 19He has neither son nor posterity among his people, Nor any remaining in his dwellings. 20Those in the west are astonished at his day, As those in the east are frightened. 21Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, And this is the place of him who does not know God."

Next August 13 Reading

Job 19

August 14

J OB 19:1–20:29

JOB TRUSTS IN HIS REDEEMER

1Then Job answered and said:

2"How long will you torment my soul, And break me in pieces with words? 3These ten times you have reproached me; You are not ashamed that you have wronged me.a

4And if indeed I have erred, My error remains with me. 5If indeed you exalt yourselves against me, And plead my disgrace against me, 6Know then that God has wronged me, And has surrounded me with His net.

7"If I cry out concerning wrong, I am not heard. If I cry aloud, there is no justice. 8He has fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass; And He has set darkness in my paths. 9He has stripped me of my glory, And taken the crown from my head. 10He breaks me down on every side, And I am gone; My hope He has uprooted like a tree. 11He has also kindled His wrath against me, And He counts me as one of His enemies. 12His troops come together And build up their road against me; They encamp all around my tent.

13"He has removed my brothers far from me, And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me. 14My relatives have failed, And my close friends have forgotten me. 15Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants, Count me as a

stranger; I am an alien in their sight. 16I call my servant, but he gives no answer; I beg him with my mouth. 17My breath is offensive to my wife, And I am repulsive to the children of my own body. 18Even young children despise me; I arise, and they speak against me. 19All my close friends abhor me, And those whom I love have turned against me. 20My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,

19:20 skin of my teeth. This was the origin of a common slang phrase, referring to skin that is thin and fragile. The idea is that he had escaped death by a very slim margin. The loss of all his family, as well as the abuse of his friends was added to the terror of God-forsakeness which had gripped him.

And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

21"Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, For the hand of God has struck me! 22Why do you persecute me as God does, And are not satisfied with my flesh?

23"Oh, that my words were written!

19:23–29 At the point of Job's greatest despair, his faith appeared at its highest as he confidently affirmed that God was his Redeemer. He wanted that confidence in the record for all to know (vv. 23, 24). Job wished that the activities of his life were put into words and "inscribed in granite," so all would know that he had not sinned to the magnitude of his suffering. God granted his prayer. God was his Redeemer (Ex. 6:6; Ps. 19:14; 72:14; Is. 43:14; 47:4; 49:26; Jer. 50:34), who would vindicate him in that last day of judgment on the earth

when justice was finally done (Jer. 12:1–3; John 5:25, 29; Rev. 20:11–15).

Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! 24That they were engraved on a rock With an iron pen and lead, forever! 25For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; 26And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, 27Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! 28If you should say, 'How shall we persecute him?'— Since the root of the matter is found in me, 29Be afraid of the sword for yourselves; For wrath brings the punishment of the sword, That you may know there is a judgment."

Job 20

ZOPHAR'S SERMON ON THE WICKED MAN

1Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2"Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer, Because of the turmoil within me.

3I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me, And the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer.

4"Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth, 5That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? 6Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens, And his head reaches to the clouds, 7Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse; Those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?' 8He will fly away like a dream, and not be found; Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night. 9The eye that saw him will see him no more, Nor will his place behold him anymore. 10His children will seek the favor of the poor, And his hands will restore his wealth. 11His bones are full of his youthful vigor, But it will lie down with him in the dust.

12"Though evil is sweet in his mouth, And he hides it under his tongue, 13Though he spares it and does not forsake it, But still keeps it in his mouth, 14Yet his food in his stomach turns sour; It becomes cobra venom within him. 15He swallows down riches

And vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly. 16He will suck the poison of cobras; The viper's tongue will slay him. 17He will not see the streams, The rivers flowing with honey and cream. 18He will restore that for which he labored, And will not swallow it down;

From the proceeds of business He will get no enjoyment. 19For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor, He has violently seized a house which he did not build.

20"Because he knows no quietness in his heart,a He will not save anything he desires. 21Nothing is left for him to eat; Therefore his well-being will not last. 22In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; Every hand of misery will come against him. 23When he is about to fill his stomach, God will cast on him the fury of His wrath, And will rain it on him while he is eating. 24He will flee from the iron weapon; A bronze bow will pierce him through. 25It is drawn, and comes out of the body; Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors come upon him; 26Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. An unfanned fire will consume him; It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent. 27The heavens will reveal his iniquity, And the earth will rise up against him. 28The increase of his house will depart, And his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath. 29This is the portion from God for a wicked man, The heritage appointed to him by God."

Next August 14 Reading

Job 21

August 15

J OB 21:1–22:30

JOB'S DISCOURSE ON THE WICKED

1Then Job answered and said:

2"Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your consolation. 3Bear with me that I may speak, And after I have spoken, keep mocking.

4"As for me, is my complaint against man? And if it were, why should I not be impatient? 5Look at me and be astonished; Put your hand over your mouth. 6Even when I remember I am terrified, And trembling takes hold of my flesh. 7Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power? 8Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes. 9Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them. 10Their bull breeds without failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage. 11They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance. 12They sing to the tambourine and harp, And rejoice to the sound of the flute. 13They spend their days in wealth,

And in a moment go down to the grave.a

14Yet they say to God, 'Depart from us, For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. 15Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?' 16Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

17"How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them, The sorrows God distributes in His anger? 18They are like straw before the wind, And like chaff that a storm carries away. 19They say, 'God lays up one'sa iniquity for his children'; Let Him recompense him, that he may know it. 20Let his eyes see his destruction, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 21For what does he care about his household after him, When the number of his months is cut in half?

22"Can anyone teach God knowledge, Since He judges those on high? 23One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and secure; 24His pailsa are full of milk, And the marrow of his bones is moist. 25Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, Never having eaten with pleasure. 26They lie down alike in the dust, And worms cover them.

27"Look, I know your thoughts, And the schemes with which you would wrong me. 28For you say, 'Where is the house of the prince? And where is the tent,a

The dwelling place of the wicked?' 29Have you not asked those who travel the road? And do you not know their signs? 30For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; They shall be brought out on the day of wrath.

31Who condemns his way to his face? And who repays him for what he has done? 32Yet he shall be brought to the grave, And a vigil kept over the tomb. 33The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him; Everyone shall follow him, As countless have gone before him. 34How then can you comfort me with empty words, Since falsehood remains in your answers?"

Job 22

ELIPHAZ ACCUSES JOB OF WICKEDNESS

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2"Can a man be profitable to God,

Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself? 3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless? 4"Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, And enters into judgment with you? 5Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquity without end? 6For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing. 7You have not given the weary water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry. 8But the mighty man possessed the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it. 9You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed. 10Therefore snares are all around you, And sudden fear troubles you, 11Or darkness so that you cannot see; And an abundance of water covers you.

12"Is not God in the height of heaven? And see the highest stars, how lofty they are! 13And you say, 'What does God know? Can He judge through the deep darkness? 14Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.' 15Will you keep to the old way Which wicked men have trod, 16Who were cut down before their time, Whose foundations were swept away by a flood? 17They said to God, 'Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?'a

18Yet He filled their houses with good things; But the counsel of the wicked

is far from me.

19"The righteous see it and are glad, And the innocent laugh at them: 20'Surely our adversariesa are cut down, And the fire consumes their remnant.'

21"Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you. 22Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, And lay up His words in your heart. 23If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; You will remove iniquity far from your tents. 24Then you will lay your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks. 25Yes, the Almighty will be your golda

And your precious silver; 26For then you will have your delight in the Almighty, And lift up your face to God. 27You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, And you will pay your vows. 28You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways. 29When they cast you down, and you say, 'Exaltation will come!' Then He will save the humble person. 30He will even deliver one who is not innocent; Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands."

Next August 15 Reading

Job 23

August 16

J OB 23:1–25:6

JOB PROCLAIMS GOD'S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS

1Then Job answered and said:

2"Even today my complaint is bitter; Mya hand is listless because of my groaning. 3Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! 4I would present my case before Him, And fill my mouth with arguments. 5I would know the words which He would answer me, And understand what He would say to me. 6Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me. 7There the upright could reason with Him, And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

8"Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; 9When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. 10But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. 11My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. 12I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth

More than my necessary food.

13"But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does. 14For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such things are with Him. 15Therefore I am terrified at His presence; When I consider this, I am afraid of Him. 16For God made my heart weak, And the Almighty terrifies me; 17Because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness, And He did not hide deep darkness from my face.

Job 24

JOB COMPLAINS OF VIOLENCE ON THE EARTH

1"Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days?

2"Some remove landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them; 3They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox as a pledge. 4They push the needy off the road; All the poor of the land are forced to hide. 5Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, They go out to their work, searching for food. The wilderness yields food for them and for their children. 6They gather their fodder in the field And glean in the vineyard of the wicked. 7They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering in the cold. 8They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And huddle around the rock for want of shelter.

9"Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor. 10They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry. 11They press out oil within their walls, And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst. 12The dying groan in the city, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them with wrong.

13"There are those who rebel against the light; They do not know its ways

Nor abide in its paths. 14The murderer rises with the light; He kills the poor and needy; And in the night he is like a thief. 15The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, 'No eye will see me'; And he disguises his face. 16In the dark they break into houses Which they marked for themselves in the daytime; They do not know the light. 17For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death; If someone recognizes them, They are in the terrors of the shadow of death.

18"They should be swift on the face of the waters,

24:18–21 Again Job referred to the opinions of his counselors, saying that, if their views were correct, all the wicked should be experiencing punishment. But it is obvious they were not.

Their portion should be cursed in the earth, So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards. 19As drought and heat consume the snow waters, So the gravea consumes those who have sinned. 20The womb should forget him, The worm should feed sweetly on him; He should be remembered no more, And wickedness should be broken like a tree. 21For he preys on the barren who do not bear, And does no good for the widow.

22"But God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life. 23He gives them security, and they rely on it; Yet His eyes are on their

ways. 24They are exalted for a little while, Then they are gone. They are brought low; They are taken out of the way like all others; They dry out like the heads of grain.

25"Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech worth nothing?"

Job 25

BILDAD: HOW CAN MAN BE RIGHTEOUS?

1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: 2"Dominion and fear belong to Him; He makes peace in His high places.

3Is there any number to His armies? Upon whom does His light not rise? 4How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman? 5If even the moon does not shine, And the stars are not pure in His sight, 6How much less man, who is a maggot, And a son of man, who is a worm?"

Next August 16 Reading

Job 26

August 17

J OB 26:1–14

JOB: MAN'S FRAILTY AND GOD'S MAJESTY

1But Job answered and said:

2"How have you helped him who is without power? How have you saved the arm that has no strength? 3How have you counseled one who has no wisdom? And how have you declared sound advice to many? 4To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit came from you?

5"The dead tremble, Those under the waters and those inhabiting them. 6Sheol is naked before Him, And Destruction has no covering. 7He stretches out the north over empty space;

26:7 hangs the earth on nothing. A statement that is accurate, given in ancient time, before scientific verification. This indicates the divine authorship of Scripture.

He hangs the earth on nothing. 8He binds up the water in His thick clouds, Yet the clouds are not broken under it. 9He covers the face of His throne, And spreads His cloud over it. 10He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,

26:10 a circular horizon. This describes the earth as a circular globe, another

scientifically accurate statement at a time when many thought the world was flat.

At the boundary of light and darkness. 11The pillars of heaven tremble, And are astonished at His rebuke. 12He stirs up the sea with His power, And by His understanding He breaks up the storm. 13By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;

26:13 His Spirit. Job 33:4 . The Holy Spirit worked mightily in creation ( Gen. 1:2 ). the fleeing serpent. This is figurative language for the idea that God brought all constellations into subjection under His authority (26:12). "Serpent" could be translated "crooked" and refer to any wayward stars or planets being brought under control by His mighty power.

His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. 14Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?"

Next August 17 Reading

Job 27

August 18

J OB 27:1–28:28

JOB MAINTAINS HIS INTEGRITY

1Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said: 2"As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,

3As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils, 4My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit. 5Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.

7"May my enemy be like the wicked, And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous. 8For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life? 9Will God hear his cry When trouble comes upon him? 10Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call on God?

11"I will teach you about the hand of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal. 12Surely all of you have seen it; Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?

13"This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty: 14If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. 15Those who survive him shall be buried in death, And theira widows shall not weep, 16Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay— 17He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver.

18He builds his house like a moth,a

Like a booth which a watchman makes. 19The rich man will lie down, But not be gathered up;a

He opens his eyes, And he is no more. 20Terrors overtake him like a flood; A tempest steals him away in the night. 21The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; It sweeps him out of his place. 22It hurls against him and does not spare; He flees desperately from its power. 23Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 28

JOB'S DISCOURSE ON WISDOM

1"Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined. 2Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore. 3Man puts an end to darkness,

And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death. 4He breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro. 5As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire; 6Its stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust. 7That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon's eye seen it. 8The proud lionsa have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. 9He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots. 10He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing. 11He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light.

12"But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. 14The deep says, 'It is not in me'; And the sea says, 'It is not with me.' 15It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. 16It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire. 17Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. 18No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies. 19The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

20"From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? 21It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air. 22Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a report about it with our ears.' 23God understands its way,

And He knows its place. 24For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, 25To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. 26When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, 27Then He saw wisdoma and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. 28And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.' "

Next August 18 Reading

Job 29

August 19

J OB 29:1–30:31

JOB'S SUMMARY DEFENSE

1Job further continued his discourse, and said: 2"Oh, that I were as in months past, As in the days when God watched over me;

3When His lamp shone upon my head, And when by His light I walked through darkness; 4Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent; 5When the Almighty was yet with me,

29:5 When the Almighty was yet with me. Job felt abandoned by God. But God would demonstrate to Job, by addressing his criticisms, that God was with him all throughout this ordeal.

When my children were around me; 6When my steps were bathed with cream,a And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!

7"When I went out to the gate by the city, When I took my seat in the open square,

8The young men saw me and hid, And the aged arose and stood; 9The princes refrained from talking, And put their hand on their mouth; 10The voice of nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. 11When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; 12Because I delivered the poor who cried out,

29:12, 13 poor…fatherless…perishing man… widow's. All over the ancient Near Eastern world, a man's virtue was measured by his treatment of the weakest and most vulnerable members of society. If he protected and provided for this group, he was respected as being a noble man. These things, which Job had done, his accusers said he must not have done or he wouldn't be suffering (see 22:1–11).

The fatherless and the one who had no helper. 13The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. 15I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. 16I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. 17I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.

18"Then I said, 'I shall die in my nest, And multiply my days as the sand. 19My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lies all night on my branch. 20My glory is fresh within me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.'

21"Men listened to me and waited, And kept silence for my counsel. 22After my words they did not speak again, And my speech settled on them as dew. 23They waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain. 24If I mocked at them, they did not believe it, And the light of my countenance they did not cast down. 25I chose the way for them, and sat as chief; So I dwelt as a king in the army, As one who comforts mourners.

Job 30

1"But now they mock at me, men younger than I, Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock. 2Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor has perished. 3They are gaunt from want and famine, Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste, 4Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And broom tree roots for their food. 5They were driven out from among men, They shouted at them as at a thief. 6They had to live in the clefts of the valleys, In caves of the earth and the rocks. 7Among the bushes they brayed, Under the nettles they nestled. 8They were sons of fools, Yes, sons of vile men; They were scourged from the land.

9"And now I am their taunting song; Yes, I am their byword. 10They abhor me, they keep far from me; They do not hesitate to spit in my face. 11Because He has loosed mya bowstring and afflicted me, They have cast off restraint before me. 12At my right hand the rabble arises; They push away my feet, And they raise against me their ways of destruction. 13They break up my path, They promote my calamity; They have no helper. 14They come as broad breakers; Under the ruinous storm they roll along. 15Terrors are turned upon me; They pursue my honor as the wind, And my prosperity has passed like a cloud.

16"And now my soul is poured out because of my plight; The days of affliction take hold of me.

17My bones are pierced in me at night, And my gnawing pains take no rest. 18By great force my garment is disfigured; It binds me about as the collar of my coat. 19He has cast me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes.

20"I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me. 21But You have become cruel to me; With the strength of Your hand You oppose me. 22You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it; You spoil my success. 23For I know that You will bring me to death, And to the house appointed for all living.

24"Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins, If they cry out when He destroys it. 25Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? 26But when I looked for good, evil came to me; And when I waited for light, then came darkness. 27My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest; Days of affliction confront me. 28I go about mourning, but not in the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help. 29I am a brother of jackals, And a companion of ostriches. 30My skin grows black and falls from me; My bones burn with fever. 31My harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the voice of those who weep.

Next August 19 Reading

Job 31

August 20

J OB 31:1–32:22

1"I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman? 2For what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high? 3Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity? 4Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps?

5"If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit, 6Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity. 7If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes, Or if any spot adheres to my hands, 8Then let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out. 9"If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, 10Then let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her. 11For that would be wickedness; Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. 12For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, And would root out all my increase.

13"If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me, 14What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? 15Did not He who made me in the womb make them?

Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

16"If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it 18(But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother's womb I guided the widowa); 19If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering; 20If his hearta has not blessed me, And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; 21If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate; 22Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket. 23For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

24"If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, 'You are my confidence'; 25If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much; 26If I have observed the suna when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness, 27So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand; 28This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above.

29"If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him 30(Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul); 31If the men of my tent have not said, 'Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?' 32(But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, For I have opened my doors to the travelera); 33If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, 34Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of

families,

So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door— 35Oh, that I had one to hear me!

31:35 my Prosecutor had written a book. Job wished that God, the perfect Prosecutor who knows the allegations perfectly, had written a book that would have revealed God's will and wisdom and the reasons for Job's pain. This would have cleared him of all charges by his friends.

Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book! 36Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown; 37I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.

38"If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together; 39If I have eaten its fruita without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives; 40Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.

Job 32

ELIHU CONTRADICTS JOB'S FRIENDS

1So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his

own eyes. 2Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. 3Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

4Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job.a

5When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.

6So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: "I am young in years, and you are very old;

Therefore I was afraid, And dared not declare my opinion to you. 7I said, 'Agea should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom.' 8But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. 9Great mena are not always wise, Nor do the aged always understand justice.

10"Therefore I say, 'Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.' 11Indeed I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say. 12I paid close attention to you; And surely not one of you convinced Job, Or answered his words— 13Lest you say, 'We have found wisdom'; God will vanquish him, not man. 14Now he has not directed his words against me; So I will not answer him

with your words.

15"They are dismayed and answer no more; Words escape them. 16And I have waited, because they did not speak, Because they stood still and answered no more. 17I also will answer my part, I too will declare my opinion. 18For I am full of words; The spirit within me compels me. 19Indeed my belly is like wine that has no vent; It is ready to burst like new wineskins. 20I will speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer. 21Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone; Nor let me flatter any man. 22For I do not know how to flatter, Else my Maker would soon take me away.

Next August 20 Reading

Job 33

August 21

J OB 33:1–34:37

ELIHU CONTRADICTS JOB

1"But please, Job, hear my speech, And listen to all my words. 2Now, I open my mouth; My tongue speaks in my mouth. 3My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure knowledge. 4The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5If you can answer me, Set your words in order before me; Take your stand. 6Truly I am as your spokesmana before God; I also have been formed out of clay. 7Surely no fear of me will terrify you, Nor will my hand be heavy on you.

8"Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words, saying, 9'I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me. 10Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy; 11He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all my paths.'

12"Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God is greater than man. 13Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words. 14For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. 15In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, 16Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction. 17In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man, 18He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.

19"Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with strong pain in

many of his bones, 20So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent food. 21His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones stick out which once were not seen. 22Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, And his life to the executioners. 23"If there is a messenger for him, A mediator, one among a thousand, To show man His uprightness, 24Then He is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom'; 25His flesh shall be young like a child's, He shall return to the days of his youth. 26He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness. 27Then he looks at men and says, 'I have sinned, and perverted what was right, And it did not profit me.' 28He will redeem hisa soul from going down to the Pit, And hisb life shall see the light.

29"Behold, God works all these things, Twice, in fact, three times with a man, 30To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

31"Give ear, Job, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will speak. 32If you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you. 33If not, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom."

Job 34

ELIHU PROCLAIMS GOD'S JUSTICE

1Elihu further answered and said:

34:1–37 Elihu addressed Job and his accusers. His approach was to quote Job directly (vv. 5–9), then respond to his complaints, but at times he misinterpreted Job's remarks, and at other times he put the words of the accusers in Job's mouth. The most obvious example of the latter wrongdoing was in saying that Job claimed to be sinlessly perfect (v. 6). Job never claimed that; in fact, Job acknowledged his sin (7:21; 13:26). Elihu didn't know it, but God had pronounced Job innocent (1:8; 2:3). In answer to Job's complaints that God seemed unjust, Elihu reminded Job that God was too holy to do anything wrong (v. 10), fair in dealing with people (vv. 11, 12), powerful (vv. 13, 14), just (vv. 17, 18), impartial (vv. 19, 20), omniscient (vv. 21, 22), the Judge of all (v. 23), and the Sovereign who does what He wills to prevent evil (vv. 24–30).

2"Hear my words, you wise men; Give ear to me, you who have knowledge. 3For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food. 4Let us choose justice for ourselves; Let us know among ourselves what is good.

5"For Job has said, 'I am righteous, But God has taken away my justice; 6Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'

7What man is like Job, Who drinks scorn like water, 8Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men? 9For he has said, 'It profits a man nothing That he should delight in God.' 10"Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to commit iniquity. 11For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way. 12Surely God will never do wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert justice. 13Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world? 14If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, 15All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.

16"If you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words: 17Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is most just? 18Is it fitting to say to a king, 'You are worthless,' And to nobles, 'You are wicked'? 19Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands. 20In a moment they die, in the middle of the night; The people are shaken and pass away; The mighty are taken away without a hand.

21"For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps. 22There is no darkness nor shadow of death Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. 23For He need not further consider a man, That he should go before God in judgment. 24He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place. 25Therefore He knows their works; He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed.

26He strikes them as wicked men In the open sight of others, 27Because they turned back from Him, And would not consider any of His ways, 28So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears the cry of the afflicted. 29When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?— 30That the hypocrite should not reign, Lest the people be ensnared. 31"For has anyone said to God, 'I have borne chastening; I will offend no more; 32Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more'? 33Should He repay it according to your terms, Just because you disavow it? You must choose, and not I; Therefore speak what you know.

34"Men of understanding say to me, Wise men who listen to me: 35'Job speaks without knowledge, His words are without wisdom.' 36Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost, Because his answers are like those of wicked men! 37For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God."

Next August 21 Reading

Job 35

August 22

J OB 35:1–36:33

ELIHU CONDEMNS SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

1Moreover Elihu answered and said:

35:1–16 Elihu again referred to Job's complaints, first of all his thinking that there appeared to be no advantage to being righteous (v. 3), which Job had said, as recorded in 21:15 and 34:9. The first part of his answer is that Job gained nothing by sinning or not sinning because God was so high that nothing men do affects Him (vv. 5–7). It only affects other men (v. 8). Job had also complained that God did not answer his prayers when he cried under this oppression (see 24:12; 30:20). Elihu coldly gave 3 reasons why Job's prayers had not been heard: pride (vv. 10, 12), wrong motives (v. 13), and lack of patient trust (v. 14). Again, all this theoretical talk missed Job's predicament completely because he was righteous. Elihu was no more help than the other counselors.

2"Do you think this is right? Do you say, 'My righteousness is more than God's'? 3For you say,

'What advantage will it be to You? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?'

4"I will answer you, And your companions with you. 5Look to the heavens and see; And behold the clouds— They are higher than you. 6If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him? 7If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand? 8Your wickedness affects a man such as you, And your righteousness a son of man.

9"Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty. 10But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, 11Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?' 12There they cry out, but He does not answer, Because of the pride of evil men. 13Surely God will not listen to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it. 14Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him. 15And now, because He has not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly, 16Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge."

Job 36

ELIHU PROCLAIMS GOD'S GOODNESS

1Elihu also proceeded and said:

2"Bear with me a little, and I will show you That there are yet words to speak on God's behalf. 3I will fetch my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. 4For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

5"Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding. 6He does not preserve the life of the wicked, But gives justice to the oppressed. 7He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, For He has seated them forever, And they are exalted. 8And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction, 9Then He tells them their work and their transgressions— That they have acted defiantly. 10He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity. 11If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. 12But if they do not obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge.a

13"But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when

He binds them. 14They die in youth, And their life ends among the perverted

persons.a 15He delivers the poor in their affliction,

36:15 opens their ears in oppression. This was a new insight and perhaps the most helpful thing Elihu said. He went beyond all that had been said about God's using suffering to chasten and bring repentance. He was saying that God used suffering to open men's ears, to draw them to Himself. But as long as Job kept complaining, he was turning to iniquity rather than drawing near to God in his suffering (vv. 16–21).

And opens their ears in oppression.

16"Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, Into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness. 17But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you. 18Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow; For a large ransom would not help you avoid it. 19Will your riches, Or all the mighty forces, Keep you from distress? 20Do not desire the night, When people are cut off in their place. 21Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, For you have chosen this rather than affliction.

22"Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him? 23Who has assigned Him His way, Or who has said, 'You have done wrong'?

ELIHU PROCLAIMS GOD'S MAJESTY

24"Remember to magnify His work, Of which men have sung. 25Everyone has seen it; Man looks on it from afar.

26"Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered. 27For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist, 28Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man. 29Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, The thunder from His canopy? 30Look, He scatters His light upon it, And covers the depths of the sea. 31For by these He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance. 32He covers His hands with lightning, And commands it to strike. 33His thunder declares it, The cattle also, concerning the rising storm.

Next August 22 Reading

Job 37

August 23

J OB 37:1–38:41

1"At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place. 2Hear attentively the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that comes from His mouth. 3He sends it forth under the whole heaven, His lightning to the ends of the earth. 4After it a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, And He does not restrain them when His voice is heard. 5God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend. 6For He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth'; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength. 7He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work. 8The beasts go into dens, And remain in their lairs. 9From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind, And cold from the scattering winds of the north. 10By the breath of God ice is given, And the broad waters are frozen. 11Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds. 12And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, That they may do whatever He commands them On the face of the whole earth.a 13He causes it to come, Whether for correction, Or for His land, Or for mercy.

14"Listen to this, O Job; Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. 15Do you know when God dispatches them, And causes the light of His cloud to shine? 16Do you know how the clouds are balanced, Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge? 17Why are your garments hot, When He quiets the earth by the south wind? 18With Him, have you spread out the skies, Strong as a cast metal mirror?

19"Teach us what we should say to Him, For we can prepare nothing because of the darkness. 20Should He be told that I wish to speak? If a man were to speak, surely he would be swallowed up. 21Even now men cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies, When the wind has passed and cleared them. 22He comes from the north as golden splendor; With God is awesome majesty. 23As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, In judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress. 24Therefore men fear Him; He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart."

Job 38

THE LORD REVEALS HIS OMNIPOTENCE TO JOB 1THEN THE LORD

ANSWERED JOB OUT OF THE WHIRLWIND, AND SAID:

38:1 the LORD. Yahweh, the covenant "LORD," was the name used for God in the book's prologue, where the reader was introduced to Job and his relationship with God. However, in chapters 3–37, the name "Yahweh" is not used. God is called "El Shaddai," God the Almighty. In this book that change becomes a way of illustrating that God has been detached and distant. The relationship is restored in rich terms as God reveals Himself to Job using His covenant name. out of the whirlwind. Job had repeatedly called God to court in order to verify his innocence. God finally came to interrogate Job on some of the comments he had made to his own accusers. God was about to be Job's vindicator, but He first brought Job to a right understanding of Himself.

2"Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? 3Now prepare yourself like a man;

38:3 I will question you. God silenced Job's presumption in constantly wanting to ask the questions of God by becoming Job's questioner. It must be noted that God never told Job about the reason for his pain, about the conflict between Himself and Satan, which was the reason for Job's suffering. He never gave Job any explanation at all about the circumstances of his trouble. He did one thing in all He said. He asked Job if he was as eternal, great, powerful, wise,

and perfect as God. If not, Job would have been better off to be quiet and trust Him.

I will question you, and you shall answer Me.

4"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8"Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb; 9When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; 10When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; 11When I said, 'This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!'

12"Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place, 13That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it? 14It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment. 15From the wicked their light is withheld, And the upraised arm is broken.

16"Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? 17Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?

18Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

19"Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place, 20That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home? 21Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great?

22"Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, 23Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war? 24By what way is light diffused, Or the east wind scattered over the earth?

25"Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt, 26To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man; 27To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass? 28Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? 29From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? 30The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen.

31"Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion? 32Can you bring out Mazzarotha in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? 33Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

34"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you? 35Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, 'Here we are!'?

36Who has put wisdom in the mind?a

Or who has given understanding to the heart? 37Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, 38When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together?

39"Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait? 41Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?

Next August 23 Reading

Job 39

August 24

J OB 39:1–40:24

1"Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth? 2Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young? 3They bow down, They bring forth their young, They deliver their offspring.a 4Their young ones are healthy, They grow strong with grain; They depart and do not return to them.

5"Who set the wild donkey free? Who loosed the bonds of the onager, 6Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the barren land his dwelling? 7He scorns the tumult of the city; He does not heed the shouts of the driver. 8The range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searches after every green thing.

9"Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger? 10Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes? Or will he plow the valleys behind you? 11Will you trust him because his strength is great? Or will you leave your labor to him? 12Will you trust him to bring home your grain, And gather it to your threshing floor?

13"The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork's? 14For she leaves her eggs on the ground, And warms them in the dust; 15She forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may break them. 16She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, without concern, 17Because God deprived her of wisdom, And did not endow her with understanding. 18When she lifts herself on high, She scorns the horse and its rider.

19"Have you given the horse strength?

Have you clothed his neck with thunder?a 20Can you frighten him like a locust? His majestic snorting strikes terror. 21He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms. 22He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword. 23The quiver rattles against him, The glittering spear and javelin. 24He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded. 25At the blast of the trumpet he says, 'Aha!' He smells the battle from afar, The thunder of captains and shouting.

26"Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, And spread its wings toward the south? 27Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high? 28On the rock it dwells and resides, On the crag of the rock and the stronghold. 29From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar. 30Its young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there it is."

Job 40

1Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said: 2"Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?

He who rebukes God, let him answer it."

JOB'S RESPONSE TO GOD

3Then Job answered the LORD and said: 4"Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. 5Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further."

GOD'S CHALLENGE TO JOB

6Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 7"Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me:

8"Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? 9Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? 10Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, And array yourself with glory and beauty. 11Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. 12Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; Tread down the wicked in their place. 13Hide them in the dust together, Bind their faces in hidden darkness.

14Then I will also confess to you That your own right hand can save you.

15"Look now at the behemoth,a which I made along with you;

40:15–24 behemoth. While this is a generic term used commonly in the Old Testament for large cattle or land animals, the description in this passage suggests an extraordinary creature. The hippopotamus has been suggested by the details in the passage (vv. 19–24). However, the short tail of a hippo is hardly consistent with v. 17, where tail could be translated "trunk." It could refer to an elephant, who could be considered "first" or chief of God's creatures whom only He can control (v. 19). Some believe God is describing His most impressive creation of land animals, the dinosaur species, which fit all the characteristics.

He eats grass like an ox. 16See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles. 17He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. 18His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron. 19He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword. 20Surely the mountains yield food for him, And all the beasts of the field play there. 21He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh. 22The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him. 23Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, 24Though he takes it in his eyes, Or one pierces his nose with a snare.

Next August 24 Reading

Job 41

August 25

J OB 41:1–42:17

1"Can you draw out Leviathana with a hook,

41:1 Leviathan. This term appears in 4 other Old Testament texts (Job 3:8; Pss. 74:14; 104:26; Is. 27:1). In each case Leviathan refers to some mighty creature who can overwhelm man but who is no match for God. Since this creature lives in the sea among ships (Ps. 104:26), some form of sea monster, possibly an ancient dinosaur, is in view. Some feel it was a crocodile, which had scaly hide (v. 15), terrible teeth (v. 14), and speed in the water (v. 32). But crocodiles are not sea creatures, and clearly this one was (v. 31). Some have thought it was a killer whale or a great white shark, because he is the ultimate killer beast over all other proud beasts (v. 34).

Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? 2Can you put a reed through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook? 3Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you? 4Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever? 5Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens? 6Will your companions make a banqueta of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants?

7Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears? 8Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle— Never do it again! 9Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? 10No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? 11Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.

12"I will not conceala his limbs, His mighty power, or his graceful proportions. 13Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle? 14Who can open the doors of his face, With his terrible teeth all around? 15His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal; 16One is so near another That no air can come between them; 17They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted. 18His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. 20Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. 21His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth. 22Strength dwells in his neck, And sorrow dances before him. 23The folds of his flesh are joined together; They are firm on him and cannot be moved. 24His heart is as hard as stone, Even as hard as the lower millstone. 25When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are besidea themselves. 26Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; Nor does spear, dart, or javelin. 27He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood. 28The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones become like stubble to him.

29Darts are regarded as straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins. 30His undersides are like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire. 31He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. 32He leaves a shining wake behind him; One would think the deep had white hair. 33On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear. 34He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride."

Job 42

JOB'S REPENTANCE AND RESTORATION

1Then Job answered the LORD and said:

42:1–6 Job's confession and repentance took place finally. He still did not know why he suffered so profoundly, but he was done complaining, questioning, and challenging God's wisdom and justice. He was reduced to such utter humility, crushed beneath the weight of God's greatness, that all he could do was repent for his insolence. Without answers to all of his questions, Job quietly bowed in humble submission before his Creator and admitted that God was sovereign (Is. 14:24; 46:8–11). Most importantly for the message of the book, Job was still diseased and without his children and possessions, and God had not changed anything (except for the humbling of the heart of His servant). Satan had been proven completely wrong in the charges he brought against Job and in thinking he could destroy true saving faith; Job's companions were completely wrong in the charges they brought against him; but most critically, Job himself was completely wrong in the charges he had raised against God. He expressed his own sorrowful regret that he had not just accepted God's will without such ignorant complaints and questions.

2"I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.'

5"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,

42:5 have heard…now my eye sees You. At last, Job said he understood God whom he had seen with the eyes of faith. He had never so well grasped the greatness, majesty, sovereignty, and independence of God as he did at that moment.

But now my eye sees You. 6Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes."

7And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two

friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has."

9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD commanded them; for the LORD had accepted Job. 10And the LORD restored Job's lossesa when he prayed for his

friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.

12Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one

thousand female donkeys. 13He also had seven sons and three daughters.

14And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second

Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. 15In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

16After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children

and grandchildren for four generations. 17So Job died, old and full of days.

Next August 25 Reading

The Book of Psalms

BOOK ONE: PSALMS 1—41

Psalm 1

January 1

P SALM 1:1–6

THE WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE END OF THE UNGODLY BLESSED

IS THE MAN

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

4The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Next January 1 Reading

Psalm 2

January 2

P SALM 2:1–6

THE MESSIAH'S TRIUMPH AND KINGDOM

Why do the nations rage,

2:1 in the days of Herod the king. Herod the Great was the first in a dynasty of rulers and is thought to be a descendant of Esau. A ruthless and cunning ruler, he saw the beginning of the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple under his reign. wise men from the East. The number of men is not given, though the 3 gifts can be seen to represent one man each. These men were Magi magicians and astrologers not kings.

And the people plot a vain thing? 2The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3"Let us break Their

bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us."

4He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. 5Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: 6"Yet I have set My King

On My holy hill of Zion."

Next January 2 Reading

January 3

P SALM 2:7–12

7"I will declare the decree:

2:7 You are My Son. Second Samuel 7:8–16 is the only Old Testament reference to the Father/Son relationship in the Trinity, a relationship seen throughout the New Testament. Today I have begotten You. This expresses the privileges of relationship, with its prophetic application to the Son, the Messiah. This verse is quoted in the New Testament in reference to the birth of Jesus (Heb. 1:5, 6) and to His resurrection (Acts 13:33, 34) as the ultimate fulfillments of the verse.

The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9You shall breaka them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.' "

10Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12a Kiss the Son, lest b He be angry,

2:12 Kiss the Son. This symbolic act indicates allegiance and submission (see 1 Sam. 10:1). This word for "Son" is not the Hebrew word for "son" that is used in v. 7. Rather, it is the Aramaic counterpart for the word (see Dan. 7:13), which addresses the command to "nations" (v. 1). perish in the way. These words pick up the major burden of Psalm 1.

And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Next January 3 Reading

Psalm 3

January 4

P SALM 3:1–4

THE LORD HELPS HIS TROUBLED PEOPLE A PSALM OF DAVID WHEN HE

FLED FROM ABSALOM HIS SON.

LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. 2Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God."

Selah

3But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. 4I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill.

Selah

Next January 4 Reading

January 5

P SALM 3:5–8

5I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. 6I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.

7Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people.

Selah

Next January 5 Reading

Psalm 4

January 6

P SALM 4:1–3

THE SAFETY OF THE FAITHFUL

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

4:1 O God of my righteousness. The ultimate basis for divine intervention is God's righteousness, not the psalmist's (see Jer. 23:6). distress. This word describes the psalmist in painful situations. When he says "You have relieved me," he conveys the picture that God has provided space for him.

You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

2How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood?

Selah

3But know that the LORD has set aparta for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him.

Next January 6 Reading

January 7

P SALM 4:4–8

4Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.

Selah

5Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD.

6There are many who say, "Who will show us any good?" LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. 7You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. 8I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Next January 7 Reading

Psalm 5

January 8

P SALM 5:1–7

A PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE

To the Chief Musician. With flutes.a A Psalm of David.

Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. 2Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. 3My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

4For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. 5The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. 6You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

7But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.

Next January 8 Reading

January 9

P SALM 5:8–12

8Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face.

9For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part is destruction; Their throat is an open tomb; They flatter with their tongue. 10Pronounce them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,

For they have rebelled against You.

11But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. 12For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Next January 9 Reading

Psalm 6

January 10

P SALM 6:1–5

A PRAYER OF FAITH IN TIME OF DISTRESS

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. On an eight-

stringed harp.a A Psalm of David.

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your

hot displeasure. 2Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled. 3My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O LORD—how long?

4Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies' sake! 5For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?

Next January 10 Reading

January 11

P SALM 6:6–10

6I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim;

I drench my couch with my tears. 7My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies.

8Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. 9The LORD has heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer. 10Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.

Next January 11 Reading

Psalm 7

January 12

P SALM 7:1–5

PRAYER AND PRAISE FOR DELIVERANCE FROM ENEMIES

A Meditationa of David, which he sang to the LORD

concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.

O LORD my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who

persecute me; And deliver me, 2Lest they tear me like a lion, Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

3O LORD my God, if I have done this: If there is iniquity in my hands, 4If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, Or have plundered my enemy without cause, 5Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust.

Selah

Next January 12 Reading

January 13

P SALM 7:6–8

6Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for mea to the judgment You have commanded! 7So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; For their sakes, therefore, return on high.

8The

LORD shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me.

Next January 13 Reading

January 14

P SALM 7:9–17

9Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. 10My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart.

11God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day. 12If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. 13He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

14Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and

brings forth falsehood. 15He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made. 16His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

17I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Next January 14 Reading

Psalm 8

January 15

P SALM 8:1–5

THE GLORY OF THE LORD IN CREATION TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. ON THE

INSTRUMENT OF GATH.A A PSALM OF DAVID.

O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

2Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

3When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

8:3 Your heavens, the work of Your fingers. The heavens are created by God (Pss. 33:6, 9; 102:25; 136:5). The anthropomorphism "Your fingers" miniaturizes the magnitude of the universe in the presence of the Creator.

The moon and the stars, which You have

ordained, 4What is man that You are mindful of him,

8:4 What is man…? If the whole universe is diminutive in the sight of the Divine Creator, how much less is the significance of mankind! Even the word for "man" used in v. 4 alludes to his weakness (see Pss. 9:19, 20; 90:3a; 103:15, etc.). and the son of man. This phrase also looks upon man as insignificant and transitory (e.g., Ps. 90:3b). Yet, the Aramaic counterpart of this phrase is found in Daniel 7:13, which has profound messianic overtones (see also Jesus' favorite self-designation in the New Testament, Son of Man).

And the son of man that You visit him? 5For You have made him a little lower than the angels,a And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Next January 15 Reading

January 16

P SALM 8:6–9

6You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field, 8The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas.

9O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Next January 16 Reading

Psalm 9

January 17

P SALM 9:1–5

PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING FOR THE LORD'S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS TO

THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. TO THE TUNE OF "DEATH OF THE SON."A A PSALM

OF DAVID.

I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your

marvelous works. 2I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

3When my enemies turn back, They shall fall and perish at Your presence. 4For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging in righteousness. 5You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

Next January 17 Reading

January 18

P SALM 9:6–10

6O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities;

Even their memory has perished. 7But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

9The

LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. 10And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Next January 18 Reading

January 19

P SALM 9:11–20

11Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people. 12When He avenges blood, He remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble.

13Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, 14That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.

15The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. 16The LORD is a known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

Meditation.a

Selah

17The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God. 18For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

19Arise, O LORD, Do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight. 20Put them in fear, O LORD, That the nations may know themselves to be but men.

Selah

Next January 19 Reading

Psalm 10

January 20

P SALM 10:1–11

A SONG OF CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S TRIUMPH OVER EVIL

Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of trouble? 2The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

3For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD. 4The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.

5His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them. 6He has said in his heart, "I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity." 7His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

8He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless. 9He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; He lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net. 10So he crouches, he lies low,

That the helpless may fall by his strength. 11He has said in his heart, "God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see."

Next January 20 Reading

January 21

P SALM 10:12–18

12Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. 13Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, "You will not require an account."

14But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,

10:14 You are the helper of the fatherless. God is pictured as Helper or Advocate again, but this time in association with orphans. He is the Defender par excellence of the defenseless (on the imagery, see Ex. 22:21ff .; Deut. 10:18ff .; 1 Sam. 1:17 ; Jer. 7:6 ).

To repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. 15Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

16The LORD is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His

land. 17LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, 18To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Next January 21 Reading

Psalm 11

January 22

P SALM 11:1–7

FAITH IN THE LORD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. A

PSALM OF DAVID.

In the LORD I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain"? 2For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. 3If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?

4The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORD's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. 5The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. 6Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind Shall be the portion of their cup.

7For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness;

His countenance beholds the upright.a

Next January 22 Reading

Psalm 12

January 23

P SALM 12:1–8

MAN'S TREACHERY AND GOD'S CONSTANCY

To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp.a A Psalm of David.

Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. 2They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that speaks proud things, 4Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; Who is lord over us?"

5"For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he yearns."

6The words of the LORD are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. 7You shall keep them, O LORD, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

8The wicked prowl on every side,

When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Next January 23 Reading

Psalm 13

January 24

P SALM 13:1–6

TRUST IN THE SALVATION OF THE LORD

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed against him"; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Next January 24 Reading

Psalm 14

January 25

P SALM 14:1–7

FOLLY OF THE GODLESS, AND GOD'S FINAL TRIUMPH

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.

2The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

4Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the LORD? 5There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous. 6You shame the counsel of the poor, But the LORD is his refuge.

7Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice

and Israel be glad.

Next January 25 Reading

Psalm 15

January 26

P SALM 15:1–5

THE CHARACTER OF THOSE WHO MAY DWELL WITH THE LORD

A Psalm of David.

LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

2He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; 3He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; 4In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5He who does not put out his money at usury,

15:5 usury. Interest rates ran as high as 50 percent, but God's law put strict regulations on borrowing and lending. He…shall never be moved. This is an important promise in the light of its usage in Psalms and Proverbs (see Pss. 10:6; 13:4; 16:8; 46:5; 62:2, 6; Prov. 10:30).

Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

Next January 26 Reading

Psalm 16

January 27

P SALM 16:1–6

THE HOPE OF THE FAITHFUL, AND THE MESSIAH'S VICTORY A MICHTAM OF

DAVID.

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

2O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You." 3As for the saints who are on the earth, "They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight."

4Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.

5O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. 6The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.

Next January 27 Reading

January 28

P SALM 16:7–11

7I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me

in the night seasons. 8I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

9Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. 10For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 11You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Next January 28 Reading

Psalm 17

January 29

P SALM 17:1–7

PRAYER WITH CONFIDENCE IN FINAL SALVATION

A Prayer of David.

Hear a just cause, O LORD, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips. 2Let my vindication come from Your presence; Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.

3You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. 4Concerning the works of men, By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer. 5Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip.

6I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. 7Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them.

Next January 29 Reading

January 30

P SALM 17:8–15

8Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, 9From the wicked who oppress me, From my deadly enemies who surround me.

10They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly. 11They have now surrounded us in our steps; They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, 12As a lion is eager to tear his prey, And like a young lion lurking in secret places.

13Arise, O LORD, Confront him, cast him down; Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, 14With Your hand from men, O LORD, From men of the world who have their portion in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.

15As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

Next January 30 Reading

Psalm 18

January 31

P SALM 18:1–12

GOD THE SOVEREIGN SAVIOR

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who

spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day that the LORD

delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said: I will love You, O LORD, my strength.

2The

LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

4The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. 5The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 6In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

7Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. 8Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. 9He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. 10And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. 11He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. 12From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

Next January 31 Reading

February 1

P SALM 18:13–19

13The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.a

14He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. 15Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

16He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. 17He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. 18They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. 19He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

Next February 1 Reading

February 2

P SALM 18:20–27

20The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. 21For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. 22For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. 23I was also blameless before Him,

And I kept myself from my iniquity. 24Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

25With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; 26With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. 27For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks.

Next February 2 Reading

February 3

P SALM 18:28–36

28For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. 29For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall. 30As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

31For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 32It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. 33He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. 34He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. 36You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip.

Next February 3 Reading

February 4

P SALM 18:37–45

37I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. 38I have wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. 39For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. 40You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. 41They cried out, but there was none to save; Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them. 42Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

43You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations; A people I have not known shall serve me. 44As soon as they hear of me they obey me; The foreigners submit to me. 45The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts.

Next February 4 Reading

February 5

P SALM 18:46–50

46The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. 47It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; 48He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.

49Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.

50Great deliverance He gives to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore.

Next February 5 Reading

Psalm 19

February 6

P SALM 19:1–6

THE PERFECT REVELATION OF THE LORD

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

The heavens declare the glory of God;

19:1–6 The testimony of the universe comes forth consistently and clearly, but sinful mankind persistently resists it. For this reason, general revelation cannot convert sinners, but it does make them highly accountable (see Rom. 1:18ff.). Salvation comes ultimately only through special revelation, i.e., as the Word of God is effectually applied by the Spirit of God.

And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4Their linea has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, 5Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

6Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Next February 6 Reading

February 7

P SALM 19:7–14

7The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the

LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.

12Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. 13Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Next February 7 Reading

Psalm 20

February 8

P SALM 20:1–5

THE ASSURANCE OF GOD'S SAVING WORK

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the

God of Jacob defend you; 2May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; 3May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice.

Selah

4May He grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose. 5We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

Next February 8 Reading

February 9

P SALM 20:6–9

6Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.

7Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

20:7 Some trust in… Trust, boast, and praise must not be directed to the wrong objects but only to God Himself (see, e.g., Deut. 17:16 ; 20:1– 4 ; Lev. 26:7 , 8 ; Ps. 33:16 , 17 ; Is. 31:1–3 ; Jer. 9:23 , 24 ; Zech. 4:6 ).

But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 8They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright.

9Save, LORD! May the King answer us when we call.

Next February 9 Reading

Psalm 21

February 10

P SALM 21:1–7

JOY IN THE SALVATION OF THE LORD

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your

salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 2You have given him his heart's desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips.

Selah

3For You meet him with the blessings of goodness;

21:3 You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. This is symbolic of superlative blessing (note the reversal in Ezek. 21:25–27

You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. 4He asked life from You, and You gave it to him— Length of days forever and ever. 5His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him. 6For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. 7For the king trusts in the LORD, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.

Next February 10 Reading

February 11

P SALM 21:8–13

8Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. 9You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; The LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, And the fire shall devour them. 10Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of men. 11For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. 12Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your

arrows on Your string toward their faces.

13Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.

Next February 11 Reading

Psalm 22

February 12

P SALM 22:1–8

THE SUFFERING, PRAISE, AND POSTERITY OF THE MESSIAH TO THE

CHIEF MUSICIAN. SET TO "THE DEER OF THE DAWN."A A PSALM OF

DAVID.

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

22:1 This heavy lament rivals Job 3; Psalm 69; Jeremiah 20:14–18. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? The repeated noun of direct address to God reflects a personal molecule of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. "Forsaken" is a strong expression for personal abandonment, intensely felt by David and supremely experienced by Christ on the cross (Matt. 27:46).

Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? 2O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.

3But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them.

5They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

6But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8"He trusteda in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"

Next February 12 Reading

February 13

P SALM 22:9–15

9But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother's breasts. 10I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother's womb You have been My God. 11Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help.

12Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion.

14I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

Next February 13 Reading

February 14

P SALM 22:16–21

16For dogs have surrounded Me;

22:16 They pierced My hands and My feet. The Hebrew text reads "like a lion," i.e., these vicious attacking enemies, like animals, have torn me. Likely, a messianic prediction with reference to crucifixion (see Is. 53:5; Zech. 12:10).

The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierceda My hands and My feet; 17I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18They divide My garments among them,

22:18 They divide…they cast. All 4 Gospel writers appeal to this imagery in describing Christ's crucifixion ( Matt. 27:35 ; Mark 15:24 ; Luke 23:34 ; John 19:24 ).

And for My clothing they cast lots.

19But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! 20Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. 21Save Me from the lion's mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen!

You have answered Me.

Next February 14 Reading

February 15

P SALM 22:22–31

22I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard.

25My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 26The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!

27All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You.a

28For the kingdom is the LORD's, And He rules over the nations.

29All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

30A posterity shall serve Him.

It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 31They will come

and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He

has done this.

Next February 15 Reading

Psalm 23

February 16

P SALM 23:1–6

THE LORD THE SHEPHERD OF HIS PEOPLE A PSALM OF DAVID.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.

4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

23:4 the valley of the shadow of death. Phraseology used to convey a perilously threatening environment (see Job 10:21, 22; 38:17; Pss. 44:19; 107:10; Jer. 2:6; Luke. 1:79). Your rod and Your staff. The shepherd's club and crook are viewed as comforting instruments of protection and direction, respectively.

I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint

my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwella in the house of the LORD Forever.

Next February 16 Reading

Psalm 24

February 17

P SALM 24:1–6

THE KING OF GLORY AND HIS KINGDOM

A Psalm of David.

The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, The world and those who

dwell therein. 2For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.

3Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

4:4 These sample qualities do not signify sinless perfection, but rather basic integrity of inward motive and outward manner.

Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face.

Selah

Next February 17 Reading

February 18

P SALM 24:7–10

7Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory.

Selah

Next February 18 Reading

Psalm 25

February 19

P SALM 25:1–7

A PLEA FOR DELIVERANCE AND FORGIVENESS

A Psalm of David.

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 2O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. 3Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

4Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. 5Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.

6Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,

25:6, 7 Remember…Do not remember… remember. These are not concerns about God forgetting something, but the psalmist's prayer reminders about God's gracious covenant promises and provisions, all of which are grounded upon His "goodness' sake" (see v. 11, "Your name's sake").

For they are from of old. 7Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O LORD.

Next February 19 Reading

February 20

P SALM 25:8–15

8Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. 9The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. 10All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. 11For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. 12Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall Hea teach in the way Heb chooses. 13He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. 14The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. 15My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Next February 20 Reading

February 21

P SALM 25:16–22

16Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. 17The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses!

18Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. 19Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. 20Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. 21Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You.

22Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles!

Next February 21 Reading

Psalm 26

February 22

P SALM 26:1–5

A PRAYER FOR DIVINE SCRUTINY AND REDEMPTION

A Psalm of David.

Vindicate me, O LORD,

6:1 Vindicate me. Literally, "Judge me!" This refers to exoneration of some false accusations and/or charges under the protection of the covenant stipulations of the theocratic law (see Pss. 7:8; 35:24; 43:1). my integrity. Again, this is not a claim to perfection, but of innocence, particularly as viewed within the context of ungrounded "legal" charges (see Ps. 7:8; Prov. 10:9; 19:1; 20:7; 28:6).

For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the LORD; I shall not slip. 2Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. 3For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth. 4I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, Nor will I go in with hypocrites. 5I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked.

Next February 22 Reading

February 23

P SALM 26:6–12

6I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O LORD, 7That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works. 8LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, And the place where Your glory dwells.

9Do not gather my soul with sinners, Nor my life with bloodthirsty men, 10In whose hands is a sinister scheme, And whose right hand is full of bribes.

11But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; Redeem me and be merciful to me. 12My foot stands in an even place; In the congregations I will bless the LORD.

Next February 23 Reading

Psalm 27

February 24

P SALM 27:1–3

AN EXUBERANT DECLARATION OF FAITH

A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

27:1 light. This important biblical word picture with exclusively positive connotations pictures the light of redemption in contrast to the darkness of condemnation (see Pss. 18:28; 36:9; 43:3; Is. 60:1, 19, 20; Mic. 7:8; John 8:12; 12:46; 1 John 1:5).

Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? 2When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. 3Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.

Next February 24 Reading

February 25

P SALM 27:4–10

4One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD,

And to inquire in His temple. 5For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

6And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

7Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8When You said, "Seek My face,"

7:8, 9 "Seek My face,"…"Your face,"…Your face. God's "face" indicates His personal presence or simply His being (Pss. 24:6; 105:4); and seeking His face is a primary characteristic of true believers who desire fellowship with God (see Deut. 4:29; 2 Chr. 11:16; 20:4; Ps. 40:16; Jer. 50:4; Hos. 3:5; Zech. 8:22).

My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek." 9Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me.

Next February 25 Reading

February 26

P SALM 27:11–14

11Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. 12Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence. 13I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.

14Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Next February 26 Reading

Psalm 28

February 27

P SALM 28:1–5

REJOICING IN ANSWERED PRAYER

A Psalm of David.

To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. 2Hear the voice of my supplications When I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

3Do not take me away with the wicked And with the workers of iniquity, Who speak peace to their neighbors, But evil is in their hearts. 4Give them according to their deeds, And according to the wickedness of their endeavors; Give them according to the work of their hands; Render to them what they deserve. 5Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, Nor the operation of His hands,

He shall destroy them And not build them up.

Next February 27 Reading

February 28

P SALM 28:6–9

6Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications! 7The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.

8The LORD is their strength,a

And He is the saving refuge of His anointed. 9Save Your people,

28:9 Your inheritance. God amazingly considers His people a most precious

possession (see Deut. 7:6–16; 9:29; 1 Sam 10:1; Pss. 33:12; 94:5; Eph. 1:18).

And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.

Next February 28 Reading

Psalm 29

March 1

P SALM 29:1–6

PRAISE TO GOD IN HIS HOLINESS AND MAJESTY

A Psalm of David.

Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,

29:1 mighty ones. Literally, "sons of God" (see Ps. 89:6 in its context of vv. 5– 10 ; see the plural form of "gods" in Ex. 15:11 ). The reference here in Psalm 29 is most likely to Yahweh's mighty angels.

Give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

3The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters. 4The voice of the LORD is powerful; The voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 5The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon. 6He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.

Next March 1 Reading

March 2

P SALM 29:7–11

7The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.

8The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. 9The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth, And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, "Glory!"

10The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, And the LORD sits as King forever. 11The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.

Next March 2 Reading

Psalm 30

March 3

P SALM 30:1–7

THE BLESSEDNESS OF ANSWERED PRAYER

A Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the house of David.

I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, And have not let

my foes rejoice over me. 2O LORD my God, I cried out to You,

30:2 , 3 You healed me. God alone is the unique healer (see Ex. 15:26 ; Deut. 32:39 ; Ps. 107:20 ). David is extolling God for bringing him back from a near-death experience.

And You healed me. 3O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.a

4Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.a

5For His anger is but for a moment,

30:5 This stark contrast constitutes one of the most worshipful testimonies from

the Scriptures (see the principle in Is. 54:7, 8; John 16:20–22; 2 Cor. 4:17).

His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

6Now in my prosperity I said, "I shall never be moved." 7LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled.

Next March 3 Reading

March 4

P SALM 30:8–12

8I cried out to You, O LORD; And to the LORD I made supplication: 9"What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? 10Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!" 11You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Next March 4 Reading

Psalm 31

March 5

P SALM 31:1–5

THE LORD A FORTRESS IN ADVERSITY TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. A PSALM

OF DAVID.

In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. 2Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.

3For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me. 4Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. 5Into Your hand I commit my spirit;

31:5 Into Your hand. This is applied to both the lesser David and the Greater David (Luke 23:46). Here it involves the common denominator of trust. This is a metaphor depicting God's power and control (see v. 15a; contra. vv. 8, 15b).

You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

Next March 5 Reading

March 6

P SALM 31:6–14

6I have hated those who regard useless idols;

31:6 I have hated. See Psalm 26:5 on the proper basis for such hatred (see Ps. 139:21 ). useless idols. This is a common designation for false gods (see Deut. 32:21 ; 1 Kin. 16:13 ; Jer. 10:15 ; 14:22 ; 16:19 ; 18:15 ; Jon. 2:8 ). On the "idiocy" of idolatry, see Habakkuk 2:18–20.

But I trust in the LORD. 7I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, 8And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place.

9Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! 10For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. 11I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. 12I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. 13For I hear the slander of many;

Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.

14But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."

Next March 6 Reading

March 7

P SALM 31:15–18

15My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. 16Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies' sake. 17Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave. 18Let the lying lips be put to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

Next March 7 Reading

March 8

P SALM 31:19–24

19Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men! 20You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues.

21Blessed be the LORD, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city! 22For I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before Your eyes"; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You.

23Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints!

31:23 love the LORD. Biblical love includes an attitudinal response and demonstrated obedience (see Deut. 6:4 , 5 ; 10:12 ; John 14:15 , 21 ; 15:10 ; 2 John 6 ). The assurance of both reward and retribution is a biblical maxim (e.g., Deut. 7:9 , 10 ).

For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. 24Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.

Next March 8 Reading

Psalm 32

March 9

P SALM 32:1–5

THE JOY OF FORGIVENESS

A Psalm of David. A Contemplation.a

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. 4For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.

Selah

5I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Selah

Next March 9 Reading

March 10

P SALM 32:6–11

6For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him. 7You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah

8I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. 9Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.

10Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the mercy shall surround him. 11Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

LORD,

Next March 10 Reading

Psalm 33

March 11

P SALM 33:1–9

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE LORD IN CREATION AND HISTORY REJOICE IN THE

LORD, O YOU RIGHTEOUS!

For praise from the upright is beautiful. 2Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. 3Sing to Him a new song;

33:3 a new song. I.e., a new occasion and impulse for expressing fresh praise to God (see Pss. 96:1; 98:1; 149:1).

Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

4For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth. 5He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

33:6 host. This designation refers to stellar and planetary bodies (see Is. 40:26; 45:12) and/or heaven's complement of angels (see Ps. 103:20–22). The former emphasis is more prominent in the immediate context.

And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 7He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;a He lays up the deep in storehouses.

8Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

Next March 11 Reading

March 12

P SALM 33:10–17

10The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 11The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations. 12Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

13The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. 14From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; 15He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.

16No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great

strength.

Next March 12 Reading

March 13

P SALM 33:18–22

18Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, 19To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.

20Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. 21For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. 22Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.

Next March 13 Reading

Psalm 34

March 14

P SALM 34:1–7

THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE WHO TRUST IN GOD

A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before

Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

I W bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 3Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.

4I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. 5They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. 6This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7The angela of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,

34:7 The angel of the LORD. A special manifestation of Yahweh Himself at strategic historical junctures (see Gen. 16:7ff, 18, 19; 31:11ff.; Josh. 5; Judg. 6; 13). A strong case can be made that these were preincarnate appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And delivers them.

Next March 14 Reading

March 15

P SALM 34:8–14

8Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! 9Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. 10The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

11Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good? 13Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. 14Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

Next March 15 Reading

March 16

P SALM 34:15–22

15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. 16The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all

their troubles. 18The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,

34:18 broken heart,…contrite spirit. These are graphic idioms that describe

dependent disciples (see Pss. 51:17; 147:3; Is. 57:15; 61:1; 66:2; Matt. 5:3).

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

19Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. 20He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. 21Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. 22The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

Next March 16 Reading

Psalm 35

March 17

P SALM 35:1–8

THE LORD THE AVENGER OF HIS PEOPLE A PSALM OF DAVID.

Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me; Fight

against those who fight against me. 2Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help. 3Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, "I am your salvation."

4Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor Who seek after my life; Let those be turned back and brought to confusion Who plot my hurt. 5Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angela of the LORD chase them. 6Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them. 7For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, Which they have dug without cause for my life. 8Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, And let his net that he has hidden catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall.

Next March 17 Reading

March 18

P SALM 35:9–16

9And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation. 10All my bones shall say,

35:10 LORD, who is = like You…? This had become a canonized expression of awe at the uniqueness of Israel's great God (see Ex. 15:11; Mic. 7:18).

"LORD, who is like You, Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?"

11Fierce witnesses rise up; They ask me things that I do not know. 12They reward me evil for good, To the sorrow of my soul. 13But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart. 14I paced about as though he were my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.

15But in my adversity they rejoiced And gathered together; Attackers gathered against me, And I did not know it; They tore at me and did not cease; 16With ungodly mockers at feasts They gnashed at me with their teeth.

Next March 18 Reading

March 19

P SALM 35:17–28

17Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions. 18I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.

19Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies; Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause. 20For they do not speak peace,

But they devise deceitful matters Against the quiet ones in the land. 21They also opened their mouth wide against me,

35:21, 22 Our eyes have seen it. This you have seen, O LORD. What David's enemy allegedly saw, the Lord has seen perfectly. David knew that his God would vindicate him based upon the true evidence, all in his favor.

And said, "Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it."

22This You have seen, O LORD; Do not keep silence. O Lord, do not be far from me. 23Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication, To my cause, my God and my Lord. 24Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me. 25Let them not say in their hearts, "Ah, so we would have it!" Let them not say, "We have swallowed him up."

26Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Who rejoice at my hurt; Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor Who exalt themselves against me.

27Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, "Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant." 28And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long.

Next March 19 Reading

Psalm 36

March 20

P SALM 36:1–6

MAN'S WICKEDNESS AND GOD'S PERFECTIONS

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD.

An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:

There is no fear of God before his eyes. 2For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. 3The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. 4He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.

5Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 6Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

Next March 20 Reading

March 21

P SALM 36:7–12

7How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of

Your wings. 8They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. 9For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

10Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11Let not the foot of pride come against me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12There the workers of iniquity have fallen; They have been cast down and are not able to rise.

Next March 21 Reading

Psalm 37

March 22

P SALM 37:1–4

THE HERITAGE OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE CALAMITY OF THE WICKED A

PSALM OF DAVID.

Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.

3Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Next March 22 Reading

March 23

P SALM 37:5–11

5Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him

who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.

9For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. 10For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. 11But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Next March 23 Reading

March 24

P SALM 37:12–17

12The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. 14The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. 15Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.

16A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked. 17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous.

Next March 24 Reading

March 25

P SALM 37:18–22

18The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. 19They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.

21The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. 22For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.

Next March 25 Reading

March 26

P SALM 37:23–29

23The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 24Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.

25I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. 26He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed.

27Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. 28For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

29The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.

Next March 26 Reading

March 27

P SALM 37:30–36

30The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. 31The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.

32The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. 33The LORD will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged.

34Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. 35I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. 36Yet he passed away,a and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

Next March 27 Reading

March 28

P SALM 37:37–40

37Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. 38But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.

Next March 28 Reading

Psalm 38

March 29

P SALM 38:1–8

PRAYER IN TIME OF CHASTENING

A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot

displeasure! 2For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down.

3There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. 4For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 5My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness.

6I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. 7For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh. 8I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

Next March 29 Reading

March 30

P SALM 38:9–22

9Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. 10My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

11My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off. 12Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt

speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long.

13But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. 14Thus I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth is no response.

15For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. 16For I said, "Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me."

17For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. 18For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin. 19But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied. 20Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

21Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me! 22Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

Next March 30 Reading

Psalm 39

March 31

P SALM 39:1–6

PRAYER FOR WISDOM AND FORGIVENESS

To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

I said, "I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me." 2I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up. 3My heart was hot within me; While I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:

4"LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. 5Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,

39:5 handbreadths. He measures the length of his life with the smallest popular measuring unit of ancient times (1 Kin. 7:26); see "four fingers" (i.e., about 2.9 in.) in Jeremiah 52:21. and my age is as nothing before You. On "measuring" God's age, see Psalm 90:2. vapor. For the same Hebrew word, see Ecclesiastes 1:2ff., "vanity" (a total of 31 occurrences of this term are in Eccl.); Psalm 144:4. On the concept in the New Testament, see James 4:14.

And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.

Selah

6Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them.

Next March 31 Reading

April 1

P SALM 39:7–11

7"And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. 8Deliver me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the reproach of the foolish. 9I was mute, I did not open my mouth, Because it was You who did it. 10Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. 11When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,

39:11 like a moth. The moth normally represented one of the most destructive creatures, but here the delicacy of the moth is intended (see Job 13:28; Is. 50:9; 51:8; Matt. 6:19ff.).

You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor.

Selah

Next April 1 Reading

April 2

P SALM 39:12–13

12"Hear my prayer, O LORD, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were. 13Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, Before I go away and am no more."

Next April 2 Reading

Psalm 40

April 3

P SALM 40:1–5

FAITH PERSEVERING IN TRIAL

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. 2He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

4Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 5Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done;

And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.

Next April 3 Reading

April 4

P SALM 40:6–12

6Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;

40:6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire. David is not negating the commandment to offer sacrifices, but is emphasizing their being offered with the right attitude of heart (contra. Saul, 1 Sam. 15:22, 23; note the emphases on proper spiritual prerequisites for sacrifices in Pss. 19:14; 50:7–15; 51:15–17; 69:30–31 ; Is. 1:10–15 ; Jer. 7:21–26 ; Hos. 6:6 ; Amos 5:21–24 ; Mic. 6:6–8 ; Matt. 23:23 ). My ears You have opened. Literally, "ears" or "two ears You have dug for me." This pictures obedience and dedication.

My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. 7Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart."

9I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know. 10I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth

From the great assembly.

11Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. 12For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me.

Next April 4 Reading

April 5

P SALM 40:13–17

13Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me! 14Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Who seek to destroy my life; Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor Who wish me evil. 15Let them be confounded because of their shame, Who say to me, "Aha, aha!"

16Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, "The LORD be magnified!" 17But I am poor and needy; Yet the LORD thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.

Next April 5 Reading

Psalm 41

April 6

P SALM 41:1–13

THE BLESSING AND SUFFERING OF THE GODLY

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. 2The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. 3The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.

4I said, "LORD, be merciful to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You." 5My enemies speak evil of me: "When will he die, and his name perish?" 6And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; His heart gathers iniquity to itself; When he goes out, he tells it.

7All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt. 8"An evil disease," they say, "clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more." 9Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.

10But You, O LORD, be merciful to me, and raise me up, That I may repay them. 11By this I know that You are well pleased with me, Because my enemy does not triumph over me. 12As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever.

13Blessed be the LORD God of Israel

41:13 Blessed be. The essence of the Hebrew root of "amen" is "it is true," i.e., reliable, confirmed, verified. Note that Book I of the Psalms (Pss. 1–41) closes with a doxology; see the endings of the other 4 books (Pss. 72:18, 19; 89:52; 106:48; 150:6).

From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

Next April 6 Reading

BOOK TWO: PSALMS 42—72

Psalm 42

April 7

P SALM 42:1–5

YEARNING FOR GOD IN THE MIDST OF DISTRESSES

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplationa of the sons of Korah.

As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?a

3My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, "Where is your God?"

4When I remember these things,

42:4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul. Such language also characterizes Jeremiah's Lamentations, indicating a heavy dirge. On "pouring out one's soul" or "heart," see 1 Samuel 1:15; Psalm 62:8; Lamentations 2:19. These are attempts at trying to unburden oneself from intolerable pain, grief, and agony.

I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude;

I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

5Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.a

Next April 7 Reading

April 8

P SALM 42:6–11

6O my God,a my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar. 7Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me. 8The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,

42:8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness. This statement of confidence interrupts the psalmist's laments (see their continuance in vv. 9, 10), providing a few gracious gulps of divine "air" under the cascading inundations of his trials and tormentors.

And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life.

9I will say to God my Rock, "Why have You forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 10As with a breaking of my bones, My enemies reproach me, While they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

11Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Next April 8 Reading

Psalm 43

April 9

P SALM 43:1–5

PRAYER TO GOD IN TIME OF TROUBLE

Vindicate me, O God, And plead my cause against an ungodly nation; Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! 2For You are the God of my strength; Why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

3Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!

3:3 Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me. These are bold personifications for divine guidance. The psalmist desired that these "messenger-attributes" divinely direct (see such "leading" and "guiding" in Gen. 24:48 ; Pss. 78:14 , 53 , 72 ; 107:30 ; Is. 57:18 ) so as to bring him successfully to his destination, i.e., Israel's designated place for worship.

Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle. 4Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You,

O God, my God.

5Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Next April 9 Reading

Psalm 44

April 10

P SALM 44:1–3

REDEMPTION REMEMBERED IN PRESENT DISHONOR

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplationa of the sons of Korah.

We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old: 2You drove out the nations with Your hand, But them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. 3For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your

countenance, Because You favored them.

Next April 10 Reading

April 11

P SALM 44:4–19

4You are my King, O God;a

Commandb victories for Jacob. 5Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. 6For I will not trust in my bow, Nor shall my sword save me. 7But You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who hated us. 8In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever.

Selah

9But You have cast us off and put us to shame, And You do not go out with our armies. 10You make us turn back from the enemy, And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves. 11You have given us up like sheep intended for food, And have scattered us among the nations. 12You sell Your people for next to nothing, And are not enriched by selling them.

13You make us a reproach to our neighbors, A scorn and a derision to those all around us. 14You make us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples. 15My dishonor is continually before me, And the shame of my face has covered me, 16Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the enemy and the avenger.

17All this has come upon us; But we have not forgotten You, Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant. 18Our heart has not turned back, Nor have our steps departed from Your way; 19But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals, And covered us with the shadow of death.

Next April 11 Reading

April 12

P SALM 44:20–26

20If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, 21Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

22Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;

44:22 Yet for Your sake. They had no specific answers only this inescapable conclusion that, by God's sovereign will, they were allowed to be destroyed by their enemies. See Paul's quote of this verse in Romans 8:36 and its general principle in Matthew 5:10–12; 1 Peter 3:13–17; 4:12–16.

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. 24Why do You hide Your face, And forget our affliction and our oppression? 25For our soul is bowed down to the dust; Our body clings to the ground. 26Arise for our help, And redeem us for Your mercies' sake.

Next April 12 Reading

Psalm 45

April 13

P SALM 45:1–5

THE GLORIES OF THE MESSIAH AND HIS BRIDE

To the Chief Musician. Set to "The Lilies."a A Contemplationb of

the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.

My heart is overflowing with a good theme;

45:1 My heart is overflowing…my tongue. The psalmist is overwhelmed with emotion upon the occasion of the king's marriage. Consequently, he puts his stirred-up mind and feelings into words. In v. 2ff. his tongue is the brush that he uses to paint vivid word pictures.

I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2You are fairer than the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever. 3Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory and Your majesty. 4And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.

5Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies; The peoples fall under You.

Next April 13 Reading

April 14

P SALM 45:6–17

6Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;

45:6, 7 Your throne, O God. Since this king-groom was likely a member of the Davidic dynasty (e.g., 2 Sam. 7), there was a near and immediate application (see 1 Chr. 28:5; 29:23). Through progressive revelation (i.e., Heb. 1:8, 9), we learn of the ultimate application to "a greater than Solomon" who is God the Lord Jesus Christ.

A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 7You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions. 8All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad. 9Kings' daughters are among Your honorable women; At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

10Listen, O daughter, Consider and incline your ear; Forget your own people also, and your father's house; 11So the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, worship Him. 12And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; The rich among the people will seek your favor.

13The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; Her clothing is woven with gold. 14She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors; The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You. 15With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; They shall enter the King's palace.

16Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, Whom You shall make princes in all the earth. 17I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.

Next April 14 Reading

Psalm 46

April 15

P SALM 46:1–6

GOD THE REFUGE OF HIS PEOPLE AND CONQUEROR OF THE NATIONS TO

THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. A PSALM OF THE SONS OF KORAH. A SONG FOR

ALAMOTH.

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

Selah

4There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 5God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. 6The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

Next April 15 Reading

April 16

P SALM 46:7–11

7The LORD of hosts is with us;

46:7 The LORD of hosts is with us. The precious personal presence (see "God with us" in Is. 7:14; 8:8, 10) of the Divine Warrior (see "LORD of hosts" or "armies," e.g., Pss. 24:10; 48:8; 59:5) secures the safety of His people.

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

8Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth. 9He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.

10Be still, and know that I am God;

46:10 Be still, and know that I am God. This twin command to not panic and to recognize His sovereignty is probably directed to both His nation for comfort and all other nations for warning.

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

11The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

Next April 16 Reading

Psalm 47

April 17

P SALM 47:1–9

PRAISE TO GOD, THE RULER OF THE EARTH

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! 2For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. 3He will subdue the peoples under us, And the nations under our feet. 4He will choose our inheritance for us, The excellence of Jacob whom He loves.

Selah

5God has gone up with a shout, The LORD with the sound of a trumpet. 6Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.

8God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. 9The princes of the people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.

Next April 17 Reading

Psalm 48

April 18

P SALM 48:1–8

THE GLORY OF GOD IN ZION

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. 2Beautiful in elevation,

48:2 The joy of the whole earth. See the judgment context of Lamentations 2:15 . the sides of the north. "North" is an interpretive translation of a word that occurs as a Semitic place name, i.e., "Zaphon." In Canaanite mythology Zaphon was an ancient Near Eastern equivalent to Mt. Olympus, the dwelling place of pagan gods. If this was the psalmist's intention in Psalm 48:2, the reference becomes a polemical description of the Lord. He is not only King of Kings but also is God of all so-called gods. The city of the great King. See Psalm 47:2 and Matthew 5:34, 35. God Himself has always been the King of Kings.

The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. 3God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.

4For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together. 5They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away. 6Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs, 7As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.

8As we have heard,

So we have seen In the city of the LORD of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever.

Selah

Next April 18 Reading

April 19

P SALM 48:9–14

9We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple. 10According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. 11Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments.

12Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers; 13Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following. 14For this is God, Our God forever and ever;

He will be our guide Even to death.a

Next April 19 Reading

Psalm 49

April 20

P SALM 49:1–9

THE CONFIDENCE OF THE FOOLISH

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 2Both low and high, Rich and poor together. 3My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. 4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.

5Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? 6Those who trust in their wealth

49:6 Those who trust in their wealth. Mankind's propensity to trust in his own material goods is well attested in Scripture (e.g., Ps. 52:7; Jer. 17:5). Biblically this is exposed as the epitome of stupidity (see Prov. 23:4 , 5 ; Luke 12:16ff .).

And boast in the multitude of their riches, 7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— 8For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever— 9That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit.

Next April 20 Reading

April 21

P SALM 49:10–20

10For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others. 11Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever,a Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names. 12Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain;a He is like the beasts that perish.

13This is the way of those who are foolish, And of their posterity who approve their sayings.

Selah

14Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. 15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave,

49:15 But God will redeem my soul…He shall receive me. This is one of the greatest affirmations of confidence in God in the Psalms. Although the faithless person cannot buy his way out of death (v. 7ff.), the faithful one is redeemed by the only Redeemer, God Himself. (On the significance of the word "receive," see Gen. 5:24; 2 Kin. 2:10; Ps. 73:24; Heb. 11:5.) So in v. 15 the psalmist expresses his confidence in God, that He would raise him to eternal life.

For He shall receive me.

Selah

16Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; 17For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. 18Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), 19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light. 20A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts that perish.

Next April 21 Reading

Psalm 50

April 22

P SALM 50:1–6

GOD THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE

A Psalm of Asaph.

The Mighty One, God the LORD,

50:1 The Mighty One, God the LORD. The Divine Judge is introduced with three significant Old Testament names. The first two are the short and longer forms of the most common word for "God" in the Old Testament, and the third is the name for Israel's God par excellence, i.e., Yahweh. From the rising of the sun to its going down. A common Old Testament idiom conveying from east to west, i.e., all over the planet.

Has spoken and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down. 2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. 3Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.

4He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people: 5"Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice." 6Let the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is Judge.

Selah

Next April 22 Reading

April 23

P SALM 50:7–15

7"Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! 8I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices Or your burnt offerings, Which are continually before Me.

50:8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices. The divine Judge's condemnations are directed not at the act of sacrifice but at the people's attitude in sacrificing (see 1 Sam. 15:22 ; Pss. 40:6–8 ; 51:17 ; 69:30 ; Is. 1:12 ; Jer. 7:21– 26 ; Hos. 6:6 ; Mic. 6:6–8 ).

9I will not take a bull from your house,

50:9–13 will not take a bull from your house. God refuses mere ritual; it is an abomination to Him. He, unlike the pagan deities, needs nothing. He created everything and owns everything.

Nor goats out of your folds. 10For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. 11I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are

Mine.

12"If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. 13Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? 14Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. 15Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."

Next April 23 Reading

April 24

P SALM 50:16–23

16But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth, 17Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you? 18When you saw a thief, you consenteda with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers. 19You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit. 20You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son. 21These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes.

22"Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there be none to deliver: 23Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God."

Next April 24 Reading

Psalm 51

April 25

P SALM 51:1–6

A PRAYER OF REPENTANCE

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the

prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy upon me, O God,

51:1 lovingkindness. Even though he had sinned horribly, David knew that forgiveness was available, based on God's covenant love.

According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.

3For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4Against You, You only, have I sinned,

51:4 Against You, You only. David realized what every believer seeking forgiveness must, that even though he had tragically wronged Bathsheba and Uriah, his ultimate crime was against God and His holy law (see 2 Sam. 11:27).

And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak,a

And blameless when You judge.

5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

51:5 brought forth in iniquity. David also acknowledged that his sin was not God's fault in any way (vv. 4b, 6) nor was it some aberration. Rather, the source of David's sin was a fallen, sinful disposition, his since conception.

And in sin my mother conceived me. 6Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

Next April 25 Reading

April 26

P SALM 51:7–11

7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

51:7 hyssop. Old Testament priests used hyssop, a leafy plant, to sprinkle blood or water on a person being ceremonially cleansed from defilements such as leprosy or touching a dead body (see Lev. 14:6ff.; Num. 19:16–19). Here hyssop is a figure for David's longing to be spiritually cleansed from his moral defilement. In forgiveness, God washes away sin (see Ps. 103:12 ; Is. 1:16 ; Mic. 7:19 ).

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.

9Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.

10Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Next April 26 Reading

April 27

P SALM 51:12–19

12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.

14Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. 15O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. 16For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

18Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. 19Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Next April 27 Reading

Psalm 52

April 28

P SALM 52:1–5

THE END OF THE WICKED AND THE PEACE OF THE GODLY TO THE CHIEF

MUSICIAN. A CONTEMPLATIONA OF DAVID WHEN DOEG THE EDOMITE

WENT AND TOLD SAUL, AND SAID TO HIM, "DAVID HAS GONE TO THE HOUSE

OF AHIMELECH."

Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?

52:1 mighty man. A reference to Doeg, the chief of Saul's shepherds, who reported to Saul that the priests of Nob had aided David when he was a fugitive (see 1 Sam. 22:9, 18, 19).

The goodness of God endures continually. 2Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. 3You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness.

Selah

4You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue.

5God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living.

Selah

Next April 28 Reading

April 29

P SALM 52:6–9

6The righteous also shall see and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying, 7"Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness."

8But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;

52:8 green olive tree. The psalmist exults (through this simile) that the one who trusts in the mercy of God is productive and secure.

I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. 9I will praise You forever, Because You have done it; And in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

Next April 29 Reading

Psalm 53

April 30

P SALM 53:1–6

FOLLY OF THE GODLESS, AND THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL TO THE

CHIEF MUSICIAN. SET TO "MAHALATH." A CONTEMPLATIONA OF DAVID.

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.

2God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

4Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon God? 5There they are in great fear Where no fear was, For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you;

You have put them to shame, Because God has despised them.

6Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

Next April 30 Reading

Psalm 54

May 1

P SALM 54:1–7

ANSWERED PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE FROM ADVERSARIES TO THE

CHIEF MUSICIAN. WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.A A CONTEMPLATIONB OF DAVID WHEN THE ZIPHITES WENT AND SAID TO SAUL, "IS DAVID NOT HIDING

WITH US?"

Save me, O God, by Your name,

54:1 by Your name. In the ancient world, a person's name was essentially the person himself. Here, God's name includes His covenant protection. vindicate. David requests that God will execute justice for him, as in a court trial when a defendant is declared not guilty.

And vindicate me by Your strength. 2Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. 3For strangers have risen up against me, And oppressors have sought after my life; They have not set God before them.

Selah

4Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life. 5He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.

6I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good. 7For He has delivered me out of all trouble; And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.

Next May 1 Reading

Psalm 55

May 2

P SALM 55:1–8

TRUST IN GOD CONCERNING THE TREACHERY OF FRIENDS TO THE CHIEF

MUSICIAN. WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.A A CONTEMPLATIONB OF

DAVID.

Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication. 2Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, 3Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, And in wrath they hate me.

4My heart is severely pained within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 5Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. 6So I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. 7Indeed, I would wander far off, And remain in the wilderness.

Selah

8I would hasten my escape From the windy storm and tempest."

Next May 2 Reading

May 3

P SALM 55:9–15

9Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city. 10Day and night they go around it on its walls; Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it. 11Destruction is in its midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.

12For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;

Then I could hide from him. 13But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. 14We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng.

15Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into hell, For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.

Next May 3 Reading

May 4

P SALM 55:16–23

16As for me, I will call upon God, And the LORD shall save me.

17Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. 18He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me. 19God will hear, and afflict them, Even He who abides from of old.

Selah

Because they do not change, Therefore they do not fear God.

20He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has broken his covenant. 21The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, But war was in his heart; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.

22Cast your burden on the LORD,

55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD. The word for "burden" implies one's circumstances, one's lot. The psalmist promises that the Lord will uphold the believer in the struggles of life.

And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

23But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in You.

Next May 4 Reading

Psalm 56

May 5

P SALM 56:1–13

PRAYER FOR RELIEF FROM TORMENTORS

To the Chief Musician. Set to "The Silent Dove in Distant Lands."a

A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting

all day he oppresses me. 2My enemies would hound me all day, For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

3Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?

5All day they twist my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil. 6They gather together, They hide, they mark my steps, When they lie in wait for my life. 7Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God!

8You number my wanderings;

56:8 my tears…Your bottle. David asked God to keep a remembrance of all of his sufferings, so that God would eventually vindicate him.

Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?

9When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me. 10In God (I will praise His word), In the LORD (I will praise His word), 11In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

12Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You, 13For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living?

Next May 5 Reading

Psalm 57

May 6

P SALM 57:1–3

PRAYER FOR SAFETY FROM ENEMIES

To the Chief Musician. Set to "Do Not Destroy."a A Michtam of

David when he fled from Saul into the cave.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!

57:1 the shadow of Your wings. Meta-phorically, God cares for His own as a mother bird protects its young. Symbolically, there may be a reference here to the cherubim wings on the ark of the covenant where God was specifically present (see Ex. 37:1–16; Pss. 17:8; 36:7; 61:4; 63:7; 91:1, 4). I will make my refuge. When life becomes bizarre, only one's relationship with his God calms the soul.

For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.

2I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me. 3He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up.

Selah

God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.

Next May 6 Reading

May 7

P SALM 57:4–11

4My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men Who are set on fire, Whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword. 5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.

6They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me; Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen.

Selah

7My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. 8Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.

9I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. 10For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, And Your truth unto the clouds. 11Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.

Next May 7 Reading

Psalm 58

May 8

P SALM 58:1–11

THE JUST JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED

To the Chief Musician. Set to "Do Not Destroy."a A Michtam of

David.

Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men? 2No, in heart you work wickedness; You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

3The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. 4Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;

58:4 Their poison. The words and actions of these tyrants are like poisonous venom in a serpent's fangs. deaf cobra. Like a cobra which cannot hear its charmer are these stubborn rulers, who ignore all encouragements to righteousness.

They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear, 5Which will not heed the voice of charmers, Charming ever so skillfully.

6Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD! 7Let them flow away as waters which run continually; When he bends his bow, Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces. 8Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes, Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

9Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, As in His living and burning wrath. 10The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, 11So that men will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth."

Next May 8 Reading

Psalm 59

May 9

P SALM 59:1–5

THE ASSURED JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED

To the Chief Musician. Set to "Do Not Destroy."a A Michtam of David when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up against me. 2Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, And save me from bloodthirsty men.

3For look, they lie in wait for my life; The mighty gather against me, Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD. 4They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.

Awake to help me, and behold! 5You therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, Awake to punish all the nations; Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors.

Selah

Next May 9 Reading

May 10

P SALM 59:6–17

6At evening they return, They growl like a dog, And go all around the city. 7Indeed, they belch with their mouth; Swords are in their lips; For they say, "Who hears?"

8But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them; You shall have all the nations in derision. 9I will wait for You, O You his Strength;a For God is my defense. 10My God of mercya shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

11Do not slay them, lest my people forget; Scatter them by Your power, And bring them down, O Lord our shield. 12For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, Let them even be taken in their pride, And for the cursing and lying which they speak. 13Consume them in wrath, consume them, That they may not be; And let them know that God rules in Jacob To the ends of the earth.

Selah

14And at evening they return, They growl like a dog, And go all around the city. 15They wander up and down for food, And howla if they are not satisfied.

16But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. 17To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy.

Next May 10 Reading

Psalm 60

May 11

P SALM 60:1–5

URGENT PRAYER FOR THE RESTORED FAVOR OF GOD

To the Chief Musician. Set to "Lily of the Testimony."a A Michtam of David. For teaching. When he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, and Joab returned and killed

twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

O God, You have cast us off; You have broken us down; You have been displeased; Oh, restore us again! 2You have made the earth tremble; You have broken it; Heal its breaches, for it is shaking. 3You have shown Your people hard things; You have made us drink the wine of confusion.

4You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth.

Selah

5That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and hear me.

Next May 11 Reading

May 12

P SALM 60:6–12

6God has spoken in His holiness: "I will rejoice;

I will divide Shechem And measure out the Valley of Succoth. 7Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet for My head; Judah is My lawgiver. 8Moab is My washpot; Over Edom I will cast My shoe; Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me."

9Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom? 10Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies? 11Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. 12Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.a

Next May 12 Reading

Psalm 61

May 13

P SALM 61:1–4

ASSURANCE OF GOD'S ETERNAL PROTECTION

To the Chief Musician. On a stringed instrument.a A Psalm of David.

Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. 2From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. 4I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

Selah

Next May 13 Reading

May 14

P SALM 61:5–8

5For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. 6You will prolong the king's life, His years as many generations. 7He shall abide before God forever.

61:7 forever. The Davidic Covenant guaranteed that on the basis of God's merciful and faithful dealings with David and the nation, David's descendants would rule on the throne of Israel forever (2 Sam. 7; Pss. 40:11; 89:4, 33–37).

Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!

8So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.

Next May 14 Reading

Psalm 62

May 15

P SALM 62:1–4

A CALM RESOLVE TO WAIT FOR THE SALVATION OF GOD

To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. 2He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

3How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence. 4They only consult to cast him down from his high position; They delight in lies; They bless with their mouth, But they curse inwardly.

Selah

Next May 15 Reading

May 16

P SALM 62:5–12

5My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. 6He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. 7In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.

8Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

Selah

9Surely men of low degree are a vapor, Men of high degree are a lie; If they are weighed on the scales, They are altogether lighter than vapor. 10Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them.

11God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. 12Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.

Next May 16 Reading

Psalm 63

May 17

P SALM 63:1–11

JOY IN THE FELLOWSHIP OF GOD

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

O God, You are my God;

63:1 Early will I seek You. Eagerness to be with the Lord in every situation is more in view than the time of day. My soul thirsts. David longs for God's presence like a wanderer in a desert longs for water. In a dry and thirsty land. David writes this psalm while hiding in the wilderness of Judea, but longing to be back worshiping in Jerusalem.

Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You;

My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

3Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

6When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. 7Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

9But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 10They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals.

11But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Next May 17 Reading

Psalm 64

May 18

P SALM 64:1–10

OPPRESSED BY THE WICKED BUT REJOICING IN THE LORD

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;

64:1 Preserve…from fear. This word for "fear" means "dread" and is a different Hebrew word than the "fear" in verses 4 and 9. The psalmist recognized that the fear of an enemy can be as destructive as an actual assault.

Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 2Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity, 3Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words, 4That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

5They encourage themselves in an evil matter; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, "Who will see them?" 6They devise iniquities:

"We have perfected a shrewd scheme." Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

7But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded. 8So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away. 9All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing.

10The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.

Next May 18 Reading

Psalm 65

May 19

P SALM 65:1–8

PRAISE TO GOD FOR HIS SALVATION AND PROVIDENCE

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.

Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed. 2O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come. 3Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.

4Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.

5By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the

far-off seas; 6Who established the mountains by His strength, Being clothed with power; 7You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. 8They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs; You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

Next May 19 Reading

May 20

P SALM 65:9–13

9You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it. 10You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.

11You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance. 12They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, And the little hills rejoice on every side. 13The pastures are clothed with flocks; The valleys also are covered with grain; They shout for joy, they also sing.

Next May 20 Reading

Psalm 66

May 21

P SALM 66:1–7

PRAISE TO GOD FOR HIS AWESOME WORKS

To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm.

Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! 2Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious. 3Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4All the earth shall worship You

66:4 All the earth shall worship You. This praise is not only an acknowledgment of God's universal Lordship, but also an intimation of the people's belief in a future worldwide kingdom where God will be worshiped ( Is. 66:23 ; Zech. 14:16 ; Phil. 2:10 , 11 ).

And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name."

Selah

5Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men. 6He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him. 7He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.

Selah

Next May 21 Reading

May 22

P SALM 66:8–15

8Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, 9Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved. 10For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. 11You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. 12You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

13I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows, 14Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble. 15I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats.

Selah

Next May 22 Reading

May 23

P SALM 66:16–20

16Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul. 17I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. 18If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. 19But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!

Next May 23 Reading

Psalm 67

May 24

P SALM 67:1–7

AN INVOCATION AND A DOXOLOGY