Bible Readings for May 22, 2013

Today our passages are 2 Samuel 1:1–2:11; John 12:20-50; Psalm 118:19-29; and Proverbs 15:27-28. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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2 Samuel 1-2:11 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Samuel 1

David Finds Out about Saul's Death

 ¹Saul was dead.    Meanwhile, David had defeated the Amalekites and returned to Ziklag. ²Three days later, a soldier came from Saul's army. His clothes were torn, and dirt was on his head. ^[a] He went to David and knelt down in front of him. ³David asked, "Where did you come from?"
   The man answered, "From Israel's army. I barely escaped with my life."
    ⁴"Who won the battle?" David asked.
   The man said, "Our army turned and ran, but many were wounded and died. Even King Saul and his son Jonathan are dead."
    ⁵David asked, "How do you know Saul and Jonathan are dead?"
    ⁶The young man replied:
   I was on Mount Gilboa and saw King Saul leaning on his spear. The enemy's war chariots and cavalry were closing in on him. ⁷When he turned around and saw me, he called me over. I went and asked what he wanted.
    ⁸Saul asked me, "Who are you?"
   "An Amalekite," I answered.
    ⁹Then he said, "Kill me! I'm dying, and I'm in terrible pain." ^{[b] 10}So I killed him. I knew he was too badly wounded to live much longer. Then I took his crown and his arm-band, and I brought them to you, Your Majesty. Here they are.
    ¹¹Right away, David and his soldiers tore their clothes in sorrow. ¹²They cried all day long and would not eat anything. Everyone was sad because Saul, his son Jonathan, and many of the LORD's people had been killed in the battle.
    ¹³David asked the young man, "Where is your home?"
   The man replied, "My father is an Amalekite, but we live in Israel."
    ^14-16David said to him, "Why weren't you afraid to kill the LORD's chosen king? And you even told what you did. It's your own fault that you're going to die!"
   Then David told one of his soldiers, "Come here and kill this man!"
   

David Sings in Memory of Saul

 ¹⁷David sang a song in memory of Saul and Jonathan, ¹⁸and he ordered his men to teach the song to everyone in Judah. He called it "The Song of the Bow," and it can be found in The Book of Jashar. ^[c] This is the song: ¹⁹Israel, your famous hero    lies dead on the hills,
   and your mighty warriors
   have fallen!
    ²⁰Don't tell it in Gath
   or spread the news
   on the streets of Ashkelon.
   The godless Philistine women
   will be happy
   and jump for joy.
    ²¹Don't let dew or rain fall
   on the hills of Gilboa.
   Don't let its fields
   grow offerings for God.
   There the warriors' shields
   were smeared with mud,
   and Saul's own shield
   was left unpolished. ^{[d] 22}The arrows of Jonathan struck,
   and warriors died.
   The sword of Saul cut
   the enemy apart.
    ²³It was easy to love Saul
   and Jonathan.
   Together in life,
   together in death,
   they were faster than eagles
   and stronger than lions.
    ²⁴Women of Israel, cry for Saul.
   He brought you fine red cloth
   and jewelry made of gold.
    ²⁵Our warriors have fallen
   in the heat of battle,
   and Jonathan lies dead
   on the hills of Gilboa.
    ²⁶Jonathan, I miss you most!
   I loved you
   like a brother.
   You were truly loyal to me,
   more faithful than a wife
   to her husband. ^{[e] 27}Our warriors have fallen,
   and their weapons ^[f] are destroyed.
   

2 Samuel 2

David Becomes King of Judah

 ¹Later, David asked the LORD, "Should I go back to one of the towns of Judah?"    The LORD answered, "Yes."
   David asked, "Which town should I go to?"
   "Go to Hebron," the LORD replied.
    ²David went to Hebron with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. Ahinoam was from Jezreel, and Abigail was the widow of Nabal from Carmel. ³David also had his men and their families come and live in the villages near Hebron.
    ⁴The people of Judah met with David at Hebron and poured olive oil on his head to show that he was their new king. Then they told David, "The people from Jabesh in Gilead buried Saul."
    ⁵David sent messengers to tell them:
   The LORD bless you! You were kind enough to bury Saul your ruler, ⁶and I pray that the LORD will be kind and faithful to you. I will be your friend because of what you have done. ⁷Saul is dead, but the tribe of Judah has made me their king. So be strong and have courage.
   

Ishbosheth Becomes King of Israel

 ⁸Abner the son of Ner ^[g] had been the general of Saul's army. He took Saul's son Ishbosheth ^[h] across the Jordan River to Mahanaim ⁹and made him king of Israel, ^[i] including the areas of Gilead, Asher, ^[j] Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin. ¹⁰Ishbosheth was forty years old at the time, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah made David their king, ¹¹and he ruled from Hebron for seven and a half years.

Footnotes:

1. 2 Samuel 1:2 His clothes. . . his head: People tore their clothes and put dirt on their heads to show they were sad because someone had died.
2. 2 Samuel 1:9 in terrible pain: Or "very weak."
3. 2 Samuel 1:18 The Book of Jashar: This book may have been a collection of ancient war songs.
4. 2 Samuel 1:21 unpolished: Some shields were made of leather and were polished with olive oil.
5. 2 Samuel 1:26 You. . . husband: Or "You loved me more than a wife could possibly love her husband."
6. 2 Samuel 1:27 weapons: This may refer to Saul and Jonathan.
7. 2 Samuel 2:8 son of Ner: Abner was Saul's cousin (see 1 Samuel 14.50).
8. 2 Samuel 2:8 Ishbosheth: One ancient translation has "Ishbaal" (see also 1 Chronicles 8.33). In Hebrew "baal" means "lord" and was used as the name of a Canaanite god. The people of Israel often changed "baal" to "bosheth" (which means "shame") in personal names. Ishbosheth was probably called Ishvi or Ishyo in 1 Samuel 14.49.
9. 2 Samuel 2:9 Israel: Sometimes "Israel" means the northern tribes and does not include the tribes of Judah and Simeon. That is how it is used in this verse.
10. 2 Samuel 2:9 Asher: The Hebrew text has "Ashur," which is the Hebrew name for the Assyrians. It may be another spelling for Asher (one of the tribes of Israel) or it may refer to Geshur (a small area between Gilead and Jezreel, east of Lake Galilee).

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John 12:20-50 (Contemporary English Version)

Some Greeks Want To Meet Jesus

 ²⁰Some Greeks ^[a] had gone to Jerusalem to worship during Passover. ²¹Philip from Bethsaida in Galilee was there too. So they went to him and said, "Sir, we would like to meet Jesus." ²²Philip told Andrew. Then the two of them went to Jesus and told him.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

 ²³Jesus said:    The time has come for the Son of Man to be given his glory. ^{[b] 24}I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat. ²⁵If you love your life, you will lose it. If you give it up in this world, you will be given eternal life. ²⁶If you serve me, you must go with me. My servants will be with me wherever I am. If you serve me, my Father will honor you. ²⁷Now I am deeply troubled, and I don't know what to say. But I must not ask my Father to keep me from this time of suffering. In fact, I came into the world to suffer. ²⁸So Father, bring glory to yourself.
   A voice from heaven then said, "I have already brought glory to myself, and I will do it again!" ²⁹When the crowd heard the voice, some of them thought it was thunder. Others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.
    ³⁰Then Jesus told the crowd, "That voice spoke to help you, not me. ³¹This world's people are now being judged, and the ruler of this world ^[c] is already being thrown out! ³²If I am lifted up above the earth, I will make everyone want to come to me." ³³Jesus was talking about the way he would be put to death. ³⁴The crowd said to Jesus, "The Scriptures teach that the Messiah will live forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"
    ³⁵Jesus answered, "The light will be with you for only a little longer. Walk in the light while you can. Then you won't be caught walking blindly in the dark. ³⁶Have faith in the light while it is with you, and you will be children of the light."
   After Jesus had said these things, he left and went into hiding.

The People Refuse To Have Faith in Jesus

 ³⁷He had worked a lot of miracles ^[d] among the people, but they were still not willing to have faith in him. ³⁸This happened so that what the prophet Isaiah had said would come true, "Lord, who has believed    our message?
   And who has seen
   your mighty strength?"
    ³⁹The people could not have faith in Jesus, because Isaiah had also said,
    ⁴⁰"The Lord has blinded
   the eyes of the people,
   and he has made
   the people stubborn.
   He did this so that they
   could not see
   or understand,
   and so that they
   would not turn to the Lord
   and be healed."
    ⁴¹Isaiah said this, because he saw the glory of Jesus and spoke about him. ^{[e] 42}Even then, many of the leaders put their faith in Jesus, but they did not tell anyone about it. The Pharisees had already given orders for the people not to have anything to do with anyone who had faith in Jesus. ⁴³And besides, the leaders liked praise from others more than they liked praise from God.

Jesus Came To Save the World

 ⁴⁴In a loud voice Jesus said:    Everyone who has faith in me also has faith in the one who sent me. ⁴⁵And everyone who has seen me has seen the one who sent me. ⁴⁶I am the light that has come into the world. No one who has faith in me will stay in the dark.
    ⁴⁷I am not the one who will judge those who refuse to obey my teachings. I came to save the people of this world, not to be their judge. ⁴⁸But everyone who rejects me and my teachings will be judged on the last day ^[f] by what I have said. ⁴⁹I don't speak on my own. I say only what the Father who sent me has told me to say. ⁵⁰I know that his commands will bring eternal life. That is why I tell you exactly what the Father has told me.

Footnotes:

1. John 12:20 Greeks: Perhaps Gentiles who worshiped with the Jews. See the note at 7.35.
2. John 12:23 be given his glory: See the note at 7.39.
3. John 12:31 world: In the Gospel of John " world" sometimes refers to the people who live in this world and to the evil forces that control their lives.
4. John 12:37 miracles: See the note at 2.11.
5. John 12:41 he saw the glory of Jesus and spoke about him: Or " he saw the glory of God and spoke about Jesus."
6. John 12:48 the last day: See the note at 6.39.

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Psalm 118:19-29 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁹Open the gates of justice!
   I will enter and tell the LORD
   how thankful I am.
    ²⁰Here is the gate of the LORD!
   Everyone who does right
   may enter this gate.
    ²¹I praise the LORD
   for answering my prayers
   and saving me.
    ²²The stone that the builders
   tossed aside
   has now become
   the most important stone.
    ²³The LORD has done this,
   and it is amazing to us.
    ²⁴This day belongs to the LORD!
   Let's celebrate
   and be glad today.
    ²⁵We'll ask the LORD to save us!
   We'll sincerely ask the LORD
   to let us win.
    ²⁶God bless the one who comes
   in the name of the LORD!
   We praise you from here
   in the house of the LORD.
    ²⁷The LORD is our God,
   and he has given us light!
   Start the celebration!
   March with palm branches
   all the way to the altar. ^{[a] 28}The LORD is my God!
   I will praise him and tell him
   how thankful I am.
    ²⁹Tell the LORD
   how thankful you are,
   because he is kind
   and always merciful.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 118:27 Start. . . altar: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Proverbs 15:27-28 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁷Being greedy causes trouble
   for your family,
   but you protect yourself
   by refusing bribes.
    ²⁸Good people think
   before they answer,
   but the wicked speak evil
   without ever thinking.

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Verse of the Day

“My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love.” - Galatians 5:13

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

English historian and Member of Parliament Edward Gibbon wrote, “I never make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect.”