Bible Reading for May 25, 2013

Today our passages are 2 Samuel 7:1–8:18; John 14:15-31; Psalm 119:33-48; and Proverbs 15:33. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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2 Samuel 7-8:18 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Samuel 7

The LORD's Message to David

(1 Chronicles 17.1-15)

 ¹King David moved into his new palace, and the LORD let his kingdom be at peace. ²Then one day, as David was talking with Nathan the prophet, David said, "Look around! I live in a palace made of cedar, but the sacred chest has to stay in a tent."     ³Nathan replied, "The LORD is with you, so do what you want!"
    ⁴That night, the LORD told Nathan ⁵to go to David and give him this message:
   David, you are my servant, so listen to what I say. Why should you build a temple for me? ⁶I didn't live in a temple when I brought my people out of Egypt, and I don't live in one now. A tent has always been my home wherever I have gone with them. ⁷I chose leaders and told them to be like shepherds for my people Israel. But did I ever say anything to even one of them about building a cedar temple for me?
    ⁸David, this is what I, the LORD All-Powerful, say to you. I brought you in from the fields where you took care of sheep, and I made you the leader of my people. ⁹Wherever you went, I helped you and destroyed your enemies right in front of your eyes. I have made you one of the most famous people in the world.
    ¹⁰I have given my people Israel a land of their own where they can live in peace, and they won't have to tremble with fear any more. Evil nations won't bother them, as they did ¹¹when I let judges rule my people. And I have kept your enemies from attacking you.
   Now I promise that you and your descendants will be kings. ¹²I'll choose one of your sons to be king when you reach the end of your life and are buried in the tomb of your ancestors. I'll make him a strong ruler, ¹³and no one will be able to take his kingdom away from him. He will be the one to build a temple for me. ¹⁴I will be his father, and he will be my son.
   When he does wrong, I'll see that he is corrected, just as children are corrected by their parents. ¹⁵But I will never put an end to my agreement with him, as I put an end to my agreement with Saul, who was king before you. ¹⁶I will make sure that one of your descendants will always be king.
    ¹⁷Nathan told David exactly what he had heard in the vision.
   

David Gives Thanks to the LORD

(1 Chronicles 17.16-27)

 ¹⁸David went into the tent he had set up for the sacred chest. Then he sat there and prayed:    LORD All-Powerful, my family and I don't deserve what you have already done for us, ¹⁹and yet you have promised to do even more. Is this the way you usually treat people? ^{[a] 20}I am your servant, and you know my thoughts, so there is nothing more that I need to say. ²¹You have done this wonderful thing, and you have let me know about it, because you wanted to keep your promise. ²²LORD All-Powerful, you are greater than all others. No one is like you, and you alone are God. Everything we have heard about you is true. ²³And there is no other nation on earth like Israel, the nation you rescued from slavery in Egypt to be your own. You became famous by using great and wonderful miracles to force other nations and their gods out of your land, so your people could live here. ^{[b] 24}You have chosen Israel to be your people forever, and you have become their God. ²⁵And now, LORD God, please do what you have promised me and my descendants. ²⁶Then you will be famous forever, and everyone will say, "The LORD God All-Powerful rules Israel, and David's descendants are his chosen kings." ²⁷After all, you really are Israel's God, the LORD All-Powerful. You've told me that you will let my descendants be kings. That's why I have the courage to pray to you like this, even though I am only your servant.
    ²⁸LORD All-Powerful, you are God. You have promised me some very good things, and you can be trusted to do what you promise. ²⁹Please bless my descendants and let them always be your chosen kings. You have already promised, and I'm sure that you will bless my family forever.
   

2 Samuel 8

A List of David's Victories in War

(1 Chronicles 18.1-13)

 ¹Later, David attacked and badly defeated the Philistines. Israel was now free from their control. ^{[c] 2}David also defeated the Moabites. Then he made their soldiers lie down on the ground, and he measured them off with a rope. He would measure off two lengths of the rope and have those men killed, then he would measure off one length and let those men live. The people of Moab had to accept David as their ruler and pay taxes to him.     ³David set out for the Euphrates River to build a monument ^[d] there. On his way, ^[e] he defeated the king of Zobah, whose name was Hadadezer the son of Rehob. ⁴In the battle, David captured seventeen hundred cavalry ^[f] and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He also captured war chariots, but he destroyed all but one hundred of them. ^{[g] 5}When troops from the Aramean kingdom of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, David killed twenty thousand of them. ⁶He left some of his soldiers in Damascus, and the Arameans had to accept David as their ruler and pay taxes to him. Everywhere David went, the LORD helped him win battles.
    ⁷Hadadezer's officers had carried their arrows in gold cases hung over their shoulders, but David took these cases ^[h] and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸He also took a lot of bronze from the cities of Betah and Berothai, which had belonged to Hadadezer. ^9-10King Toi of Hamath and King Hadadezer had been enemies. So when Toi heard that David had attacked and defeated ^[i] Hadadezer's whole army, he sent his son Joram to praise and congratulate David. Joram also brought him gifts made of silver, gold, and bronze. ¹¹David gave these to the LORD, just as he had done with the silver and gold that he had captured from ¹²Edom, ^[j] Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and from King Hadadezer of Zobah. ¹³David fought the Edomite ^[k] army in Salt Valley and killed eighteen thousand of their soldiers. When he returned, he built a monument. ^{[l] 14}David left soldiers all through Edom, and the people of Edom had to accept him as their ruler. Wherever David went, the LORD helped him.
   

A List of David's Officials

(1 Chronicles 18.14-17)

 ¹⁵David ruled all Israel with fairness and justice.     ¹⁶Joab the son of Zeruiah was the commander in chief of the army.
   Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud kept the government records.
    ¹⁷Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abiathar the son of Ahimelech, ^[m] were the priests. Seraiah was the secretary.
    ¹⁸Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was the commander of ^[n] David's bodyguard. ^[o] David's sons were priests.
   

Footnotes:

1. 2 Samuel 7:19 Is this. . . people: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. 2 Samuel 7:23 You. . . here: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. 2 Samuel 8:1 Israel. . . control: Or "David also took the town of Metheg-Ammah away from them."
4. 2 Samuel 8:3 monument: Kings sometimes set up monuments in lands they had conquered.
5. 2 Samuel 8:3 David. . . way: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. It may have been Hadadezer who was going to the Euphrates River. And he may have gone there either to build a monument or to put down a rebellion.
6. 2 Samuel 8:4 seventeen hundred cavalry: Hebrew; one ancient translation and 1 Chronicles 18.4 "a thousand chariots and seven thousand cavalry."
7. 2 Samuel 8:4 He also captured. . . them: Or "He crippled all but one hundred of the horses."
8. 2 Samuel 8:7 Hadadezer's. . . cases: Or "Hadadezer's soldiers carried gold shields, but David took these shields."
9. 2 Samuel 8:9 defeated: Or "killed."
10. 2 Samuel 8:12 Edom: Some Hebrew manuscripts and two ancient translations (see also 1 Chronicles 18.11); most Hebrew manuscripts "Aram." In Hebrew the words for "Edom" and "Aram" look almost alike.
11. 2 Samuel 8:13 Edomite: Some Hebrew manuscripts and two ancient translations (see also 1 Chronicles 18.12); most Hebrew manuscripts "Aramean." In Hebrew the words for "Edomite" and "Aramean" look almost alike.
12. 2 Samuel 8:13 built a monument: Or "was famous."
13. 2 Samuel 8:17 Abiathar the son of Ahimelech: One ancient translation and 1 Samuel 22.11-23; Hebrew "Ahimelech the son of Abiathar."
14. 2 Samuel 8:18 was the commander of: Not in the Hebrew text of this verse, but see 1 Chronicles 18.17.
15. 2 Samuel 8:18 David's bodyguard: The Hebrew text has "the Cherethites and the Pelethites," who were foreign soldiers hired by David to be his bodyguard.

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John 14:15-31 (Contemporary English Version)

The Holy Spirit Is Promised

 ¹⁵Jesus said to his disciples:    If you love me, you will do as I command. ¹⁶Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help ^[a] you and always be with you. ¹⁷The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don't see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you. ¹⁸I won't leave you like orphans. I will come back to you. ¹⁹In a little while the people of this world won't be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live. ²⁰Then you will know that I am one with the Father. You will know that you are one with me, and I am one with you. ²¹If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like.
    ²²The other Judas, not Judas Iscariot, ^[b] then spoke up and asked, "Lord, what do you mean by saying that you will show us what you are like, but you will not show the people of this world?" ²³Jesus replied:
   If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. ²⁴But anyone who doesn't love me, won't obey me. What they have heard me say doesn't really come from me, but from the Father who sent me.
    ²⁵I have told you these things while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Holy Spirit will come and help ^[c] you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you. ²⁷I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.
    ²⁸You have already heard me say that I am going and that I will also come back to you. If you really love me, you should be glad that I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am.
    ²⁹I am telling you this before I leave, so that when it does happen, you will have faith in me. ³⁰I cannot speak with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. But he has no power over me. ³¹I obey my Father, so that everyone in the world might know that I love him.
   It is time for us to go now.
   

Footnotes:

1. John 14:16 help: The Greek word may mean " comfort," " encourage," or " defend."
2. John 14:22 Iscariot: See the note at 6.71.
3. John 14:26 help: See the note at 14.16.

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Psalm 119:33-48 (Contemporary English Version)

³³Point out your rules to me,
   and I won't disobey
   even one of them.
    ³⁴Help me to understand your Law;
   I promise to obey it
   with all my heart.
    ³⁵Direct me by your commands!
   I love to do what you say.
    ³⁶Make me want to obey you,
   rather than to be rich.
    ³⁷Take away my foolish desires,
   and let me find life
   by walking with you.
    ³⁸I am your servant!
   Do for me what you promised
   to those who worship you.
    ³⁹Your wonderful teachings
   protect me from the insults
   that I hate so much.
    ⁴⁰I long for your teachings.
   Be true to yourself
   and let me live.
    ⁴¹Show me your love
   and save me, LORD,
   as you have promised.
    ⁴²Then I will have an answer
   for everyone
   who insults me
   for trusting your word.
    ⁴³I rely on your laws!
   Don't take away my chance
   to speak your truth.
    ⁴⁴I will keep obeying your Law
   forever and ever.
    ⁴⁵I have gained perfect freedom
   by following your teachings,
    ⁴⁶and I trust them so much
   that I tell them to kings.
    ⁴⁷I love your commands!
   They bring me happiness.
    ⁴⁸I love and respect them
   and will keep them in mind.

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Proverbs 15:33 (Contemporary English Version)

³³Showing respect to the LORD
   will make you wise,
   and being humble
   will bring honor to you.

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Verse of the Day

“[Hearing and Obeying]My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry.” - James 1:19

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American essayist, lecturer, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and earth, becomes part of his daily food.”