Bible Readings for May 30, 2013

Today our passages are 2 Samuel 15:23–16:23; John 18:25–19:22; Psalm 119:113-128; and Proverbs 16:10-11. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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2 Samuel 15:23-16:23 (Contemporary English Version)

David Sends the Sacred Chest Back to Jerusalem

 ²³The people of Jerusalem were crying and moaning as David and everyone with him passed by. He led them across Kidron Valley ^[a] and along the road toward the desert. ²⁴Zadok and Abiathar the priests were there along with several men from the tribe of Levi who were carrying the sacred chest. They set the chest down, and left it there until David and his followers had gone out of the city.     ²⁵Then David said:
   Zadok, take the sacred chest back to Jerusalem. If the LORD is pleased with me, he will bring me back and let me see it and his tent again. ²⁶But if he says he isn't pleased with me, then let him do what he knows is best.
    ²⁷Zadok, you are a good judge of things, ^[b] so return to the city and don't cause any trouble. Take your son Ahimaaz with you. Abiathar and his son Jonathan will also go back. ²⁸I'll wait at the river crossing in the desert until I hear from you. ²⁹Zadok and Abiathar took the sacred chest back into Jerusalem and stayed there. ³⁰David went on up the slope of the Mount of Olives. He was barefoot and crying, and he covered his head to show his sorrow. Everyone with him was crying, and they covered their heads too.
    ³¹Someone told David, "Ahithophel is helping Absalom plot against you!"
   David said, "Please, LORD, keep Ahithophel's plans from working!"
   

David Sends Hushai Back as a Spy

 ³²When David reached the top of the Mount of Olives, he met Hushai the Archite ^[c] at a place of worship. Hushai's robe was torn, and dust was on his head. ^{[d] 33}David told him: If you come with me, you might slow us down. ^{[e] 34}Go back into the city and tell Absalom, "Your Majesty, I am your servant. I will serve you now, just as I served your father in the past." Hushai, if you do that, you can help me ruin Ahithophel's plans. ³⁵Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you, and you can tell them everything you hear in the palace. ³⁶Then have them send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to tell me what you've heard.     ³⁷David's advisor Hushai slipped back into Jerusalem, just about the same time that Absalom was coming in.
   

2 Samuel 16

Ziba Gives Food to David

 ¹David had started down the other side of the Mount of Olives, when he was met by Ziba, the chief servant of Mephibosheth. ^[f] Ziba had two donkeys that were carrying two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred handfuls of raisins, a hundred figs, ^[g] and some wine. ²"What's all this?" David asked.    Ziba said, "The donkeys are for your family to ride. The bread and fruit are for the people to eat, and the wine is for them to drink in the desert when they are tired out."
    ³"And where is Mephibosheth?" David asked.
   Ziba answered, "He stayed in Jerusalem, because he thinks the people of Israel want him to rule the kingdom of his grandfather Saul."
    ⁴David then told him, "Everything that used to belong to Mephibosheth is now yours."
   Ziba said, "Your Majesty, I am your humble servant, and I hope you will be pleased with me."
   

Shimei Curses David

 ⁵David was near the town of Bahurim when a man came out and started cursing him. The man was Shimei the son of Gera, and he was one of Saul's distant relatives. ⁶He threw stones at David, at his soldiers, and at everyone else, including the bodyguards who walked on each side of David.     ⁷Shimei was yelling at David, "Get out of here, you murderer! You good-for-nothing, ⁸the LORD is paying you back for killing so many in Saul's family. You stole his kingdom, but now the LORD has given it to your son Absalom. You're a murderer, and that's why you're in such big trouble!"
    ⁹Abishai said, "Your Majesty, this man is as useless as a dead dog! He shouldn't be allowed to curse you. Let me go over and chop off his head."
    ¹⁰David replied, "What will I ever do with you and your brother Joab? If Shimei is cursing me because the LORD has told him to, then who are you to tell him to stop?"
    ¹¹Then David said to Abishai and all his soldiers:
   My own son is trying to kill me! Why shouldn't this man from the tribe of Benjamin want me dead even more? Let him curse all he wants. Maybe the LORD did tell him to curse me. ¹²But if the LORD hears these curses and sees the trouble I'm in, maybe he will have pity on me instead.
    ¹³David and the others went on down the road. Shimei went along the hillside by the road, cursing and throwing rocks and dirt at them. ¹⁴When David and those with him came to the Jordan River, they were tired out. But after they rested, they ^[h] felt much better.

Hushai Meets Absalom

 ¹⁵By this time, Absalom, Ahithophel, and the others had reached Jerusalem. ¹⁶David's friend Hushai came to Absalom and said, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"     ¹⁷But Absalom asked Hushai, "Is this how you show loyalty to your friend David? Why didn't you go with him?"
    ¹⁸Hushai answered, "The LORD and the people of Israel have chosen you to be king. I can't leave. I have to stay and serve the one they've chosen. ¹⁹Besides, it seems right for me to serve you, just as I served your father."
   

Ahithophel's Advice

 ²⁰Absalom turned to Ahithophel and said, "Give us your advice! What should we do?"     ²¹Ahithophel answered, "Some of your father's wives ^[i] were left here to take care of the palace. You should have sex with them. Then everyone will find out that you have publicly disgraced your father. This will make you and your followers even more powerful." ²²Absalom had a tent set up on the flat roof of the palace, and everyone watched as he went into the tent with his father's wives.
    ²³Ahithophel gave such good advice in those days that both Absalom and David thought it came straight from God.
   

Footnotes:

1. 2 Samuel 15:23 Kidron Valley: This was considered the eastern boundary of Jerusalem.
2. 2 Samuel 15:27 you. . . things: Or "You are a prophet" or "You are not a prophet."
3. 2 Samuel 15:32 Archite: The Archites were part of the tribe of Benjamin (see Joshua 16.2).
4. 2 Samuel 15:32 Hushai's. . . head: See the note at 1.2.
5. 2 Samuel 15:33 you might slow us down: Hushai was probably very old.
6. 2 Samuel 16:1 chief servant of Mephibosheth: See 9.1-13.
7. 2 Samuel 16:1 figs: Or "pomegranates," a bright red fruit that looks like an apple.
8. 2 Samuel 16:14 they: Hebrew "he."
9. 2 Samuel 16:21 wives: See the note at 3.7.

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John 18:25-19:22 (Contemporary English Version)

Peter Again Denies that He Knows Jesus

(Matthew 26.71-75; Mark 14.69-72; Luke 22.58-62)

 ²⁵While Simon Peter was standing there warming himself, someone asked him, "Aren't you one of Jesus' followers?"    Again Peter denied it and said, "No, I am not!"
    ²⁶One of the high priest's servants was there. He was a relative of the servant whose ear Peter had cut off, and he asked, "Didn't I see you in the garden with that man?"
    ²⁷Once more Peter denied it, and right then a rooster crowed.
   

Jesus Is Tried by Pilate

(Matthew 27.1,2,11-14; Mark 15.1-5; Luke 23.1-5)

 ²⁸It was early in the morning when Jesus was taken from Caiaphas to the building where the Roman governor stayed. But the crowd waited outside. Any of them who had gone inside would have become unclean and would not be allowed to eat the Passover meal. ^{[a] 29}Pilate came out and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"     ³⁰They answered, "He is a criminal! That's why we brought him to you."
    ³¹Pilate told them, "Take him and judge him by your own laws."
   The crowd replied, "We are not allowed to put anyone to death." ³²And so what Jesus said about his death ^[b] would soon come true. ³³Pilate then went back inside. He called Jesus over and asked, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
    ³⁴Jesus answered, "Are you asking this on your own or did someone tell you about me?"
    ³⁵"You know I'm not a Jew!" Pilate said. "Your own people and the chief priests brought you to me. What have you done?"
    ³⁶Jesus answered, "My kingdom doesn't belong to this world. If it did, my followers would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. No, my kingdom doesn't belong to this world."
    ³⁷"So you are a king," Pilate replied.
   "You are saying that I am a king," Jesus told him. "I was born into this world to tell about the truth. And everyone who belongs to the truth knows my voice."
    ³⁸Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?"
   Pilate went back out and said, "I don't find this man guilty of anything!

Jesus Is Sentenced to Death

(Matthew 27.15-31; Mark 15.6-20; Luke 23.13-25)

 ³⁹And since I usually set a prisoner free for you at Passover, would you like for me to set free the king of the Jews?"     ⁴⁰They shouted, "No, not him! We want Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a terrorist. ^[c]

John 19

 ¹Pilate gave orders for Jesus to be beaten with a whip. ²The soldiers made a crown out of thorn branches and put it on Jesus. Then they put a purple robe on him. ³They came up to him and said, "Hey, you king of the Jews!" They also hit him with their fists.     ⁴Once again Pilate went out. This time he said, "I will have Jesus brought out to you again. Then you can see for yourselves that I have not found him guilty."
    ⁵Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said, "Here is the man!" ^{[d] 6}When the chief priests and the temple police saw him, they yelled, "Nail him to a cross! Nail him to a cross!"
   Pilate told them, "You take him and nail him to a cross! I don't find him guilty of anything."
    ⁷The crowd replied, "He claimed to be the Son of God! Our Jewish Law says that he must be put to death."
    ⁸When Pilate heard this, he was terrified. ⁹He went back inside and asked Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus did not answer.
    ¹⁰"Why won't you answer my question?" Pilate asked. "Don't you know that I have the power to let you go free or to nail you to a cross?"
    ¹¹Jesus replied, "If God had not given you the power, you couldn't do anything at all to me. But the one who handed me over to you did something even worse."
    ¹²Then Pilate wanted to set Jesus free. But the crowd again yelled, "If you set this man free, you are no friend of the Emperor! Anyone who claims to be a king is an enemy of the Emperor."
    ¹³When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out. Then he sat down on the judge's bench at the place known as "The Stone Pavement." In Aramaic this pavement is called "Gabbatha." ¹⁴It was about noon on the day before Passover, and Pilate said to the crowd, "Look at your king!"
    ¹⁵"Kill him! Kill him!" they yelled. "Nail him to a cross!"
   "So you want me to nail your king to a cross?" Pilate asked.
   The chief priests replied, "The Emperor is our king!" ¹⁶Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be nailed to a cross.
   Jesus was taken away,

Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross

(Matthew 27.32-44; Mark 15.21-32; Luke 23.26-43)

 ¹⁷and he carried his cross to a place known as "The Skull." ^[e] In Aramaic this place is called "Golgotha." ¹⁸There Jesus was nailed to the cross, and on each side of him a man was also nailed to a cross. ¹⁹Pilate ordered the charge against Jesus to be written on a board and put above the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." ²⁰The words were written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.    The place where Jesus was taken wasn't far from the city, and many of the Jewish people read the charge against him. ²¹So the chief priests went to Pilate and said, "Why did you write that he is King of the Jews? You should have written, `He claimed to be King of the Jews.' "
    ²²But Pilate told them, "What is written will not be changed!"
   

Footnotes:

1. John 18:28 would have become unclean and would not be allowed to eat the Passover meal: Jewish people who came in close contact with foreigners right before Passover were not allowed to eat the Passover meal.
2. John 18:32 about his death: Jesus had said that he would die by being " lifted up," which meant that he would die on a cross. The Romans killed criminals by nailing them on a cross, but they did not let the Jews kill anyone in this way.
3. John 18:40 terrorist: Someone who stirred up trouble against the Romans in the hope of gaining freedom for the Jewish people.
4. John 19:5 " Here is the man!" : Or " Look at the man!"
5. John 19:17 The Skull: The place was probably given this name because it was near a large rock in the shape of a human skull.

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Psalm 119:113-128 (Contemporary English Version)

¹¹³I hate anyone
   whose loyalty is divided,
   but I love your Law.
    ¹¹⁴You are my place of safety
   and my shield.
   Your word is my only hope.
    ¹¹⁵All of you worthless people,
   get away from me!
   I am determined to obey
   the commands of my God.
    ¹¹⁶Be true to your word, LORD.
   Keep me alive and strong;
   don't let me be ashamed
   because of my hope.
    ¹¹⁷Keep me safe and secure,
   so that I will always
   respect your laws.
    ¹¹⁸You reject all deceitful liars
   because they refuse
   your teachings.
    ¹¹⁹As far as you are concerned,
   all evil people are ^[a] garbage, and so I follow your rules.
    ¹²⁰I tremble all over
   when I think of you
   and the way you judge.
    ¹²¹I did what was fair and right!
   Don't hand me over to those
   who want to mistreat me.
    ¹²²Take good care of me,
   your servant,
   and don't let me be harmed
   by those conceited people.
    ¹²³My eyes are weary from waiting
   to see you keep your promise
   to come and save me.
    ¹²⁴Show your love for me,
   your servant,
   and teach me your laws.
    ¹²⁵I serve you,
   so let me understand
   your teachings.
    ¹²⁶Do something, LORD!
   They have broken your Law.
    ¹²⁷Your laws mean more to me
   than the finest gold.
    ¹²⁸I follow all of your commands, ^[b] but I hate anyone
   who leads me astray.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 119:119 As far as. . . are: A few Hebrew manuscripts and ancient translations. Most Hebrew manuscripts have " You get rid of evil people as if they were."
2. Psalm 119:128 I. . . commands: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Proverbs 16:10-11 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁰Rulers speak with authority
   and are never wrong.
    ¹¹The LORD doesn't like it
   when we cheat in business.

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Verse of the Day

“I praise your promises! I trust you and am not afraid. No one can harm me.” - Psalm 56:4

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American literary critic and poet George Edward Woodberry wrote, “Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.”