Bible Readings for July 12, 2013

Today our passages are 1 Chronicles 12:19–14:17; Romans 1:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; and Proverbs 19:4-5. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17 (Contemporary English Version)

Warriors from the Manasseh tribe

 ¹⁹ Some of the warriors who joined David were from the tribe of Manasseh. They had earlier gone with David when he agreed to fight on the side of the Philistines against King Saul. But as soon as the Philistine rulers realized that David might turn against them and rejoin Saul, they sent David away to the town of Ziklag. ²⁰That's when the following men from Manasseh joined him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. They had all been commanders in Saul's army ²¹and brave soldiers, and so David made them officers in his army. They fought on his side when enemy troops attacked.     ²²Day after day, new men came to join David, and soon he had a large, powerful army.
   

David's Men at Hebron

 ^23-37The kingdom of Israel had been taken away from Saul, and it now belonged to David. He was ruling from Hebron, and thousands of well-trained soldiers from each tribe went there to crown David king of all Israel, just as the LORD had promised. These soldiers, who were always prepared for battle, included: 6,800 from Judah, who were armed with shields and spears; 7,100 from Simeon; 4,600 from Levi, including Jehoiada, who was a leader from Aaron's descendants, and his 3,700 men, as well as Zadok, who was a brave soldier, and 22 of his relatives, who were also officers; 3,000 from Benjamin, because this was Saul's own tribe and most of the men had remained loyal to him; 20,800 from Ephraim, who were not only brave, but also famous in their clans; 18,000 from West Manasseh, who had been chosen to help make David king; 200 leaders from Issachar, along with troops under their command--these leaders knew the right time to do what needed to be done; 50,000 from Zebulun, who were not only loyal, but also trained to use any weapon; 1,000 officers from Naphtali and 37,000 soldiers armed with shields and spears; 28,600 from Dan; 40,000 from Asher; and 120,000 from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, who were armed with all kinds of weapons.     ³⁸All of these soldiers voluntarily came to Hebron because they wanted David to become king of Israel. In fact, everyone in Israel wanted the same thing. ³⁹The soldiers stayed in Hebron three days, eating and drinking what their relatives had prepared for them. ⁴⁰Other Israelites from as far away as the territories of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought cattle and sheep to slaughter for food. They also brought donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen that were loaded down with flour, dried figs, wine, and olive oil.
   Everyone in Israel was very happy.
   

1 Chronicles 13

David Moves the Sacred Chest to Jerusalem

(2 Samuel 6.1-12a)

 ¹Some time later, David talked with his army commanders, ^2-3and then announced to the people of Israel:    While Saul was king, the sacred chest was ignored. But now it's time to bring the chest to Jerusalem. We will invite everyone in Israel to come here, including the priests and the Levites in the towns surrounded by pastureland. But we will do these things only if you agree, and if the LORD our God wants us to.
    ⁴The people agreed this was the right thing to do.
    ⁵David gathered everyone from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo-Hamath in the north. ⁶Then he led them to Baalah in Judah, which was also called Kiriath-Jearim. They went there to get the sacred chest and bring it to Jerusalem, because it belonged to the LORD God, whose throne is above the winged creatures ^[a] on the lid of the chest. ⁷The sacred chest was still at Abinadab's house, ^[b] and when David and the crowd arrived there, they brought the chest outside and placed it on a new ox cart. Abinadab's sons ^[c] Uzzah and Ahio guided the cart, ⁸while David and the crowd danced and sang praises to the LORD with all their might. They played music on small harps and other stringed instruments, and on tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. ⁹But when they came to Chidon's threshing place, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the chest to stop it from falling. ¹⁰The LORD God was very angry at Uzzah for doing this, and he killed Uzzah right there beside the chest.
    ¹¹David then got angry at God for killing Uzzah. So he named that place "Attack on Uzzah," ^[d] and it's been called that ever since. ¹²David was afraid what the LORD might do to him, and he asked himself, "Should I really be the one to take care of the sacred chest?" ¹³So instead of taking it to Jerusalem, David decided to take it to the home of Obed-Edom, who lived in the town of Gath.
    ¹⁴The chest stayed there for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-Edom, his family, and everything he owned.
   

1 Chronicles 14

David's Palace in Jerusalem

(2 Samuel 5.11-16)

 ¹King Hiram of Tyre sent some officials to David. They brought along carpenters and stone workers, and enough cedar logs to build David a palace. ²David now knew that the LORD had made him a powerful king of Israel for the good of his people.     ³After David moved to Jerusalem, he married more women and had more sons and daughters. ^4-7His children born there were Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Beeliada, ^[e] and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

(2 Samuel 5.17-25)

 ⁸When the Philistines heard that David had become king of Israel, they came to capture him. But David heard about their plan and marched out to meet them in battle. ⁹The Philistines had already camped in Rephaim Valley and were raiding the nearby villages.     ¹⁰David asked God, "Should I attack the Philistines? Will you help me win?"
   The LORD told David, "Yes, attack them! I will give you victory."
    ¹¹David and his army marched to Baal-Perazim, where they attacked and defeated the Philistines. He said, "I defeated my enemies because God broke through them like a mighty flood." So he named the place "The Lord Broke Through." ^[f] ¹²Then David ordered his troops to burn the idols that the Philistines had left behind. ¹³Some time later, the Philistines came back into the hill country and camped in Rephaim Valley. ¹⁴David asked God what he should do, and God answered, "Don't attack them from the front. Circle around behind them where the balsam ^[g] trees are. ¹⁵Wait there until you hear the treetops making the sound of marching troops. That sound will mean I have marched out ahead of you to fight the Philistine army. So you must then attack quickly!" ¹⁶David obeyed God and he defeated the Philistines. He even chased them all the way from Gibeon to the entrance to Gezer.
    ¹⁷From then on, David became even more famous, and the LORD made all the nations afraid of him.
   

Footnotes:

1. 1 Chronicles 13:6 winged creatures: Two golden statues of winged creatures were on top of the sacred chest and were symbols of the LORD's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18).
2. 1 Chronicles 13:7 The sacred chest. . . Abinadab's house: See 1 Samuel 6.19--7.2.
3. 1 Chronicles 13:7 Abinadab's sons: These words are not in the Hebrew text, but see 2 Samuel 6.3.
4. 1 Chronicles 13:11 Attack on Uzzah: Or "Perez-Uzzah."
5. 1 Chronicles 14:4 Beeliada: Or "Eliada" (see 3.6-8).
6. 1 Chronicles 14:11 The Lord Broke Through: Or "Baal-Perazim."
7. 1 Chronicles 14:14 balsam: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Romans 1:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

Romans 1

 ¹From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.    God chose me to be an apostle, and he appointed me to preach the good news ²that he promised long ago by what his prophets said in the holy Scriptures. ^3-4This good news is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! As a human, he was from the family of David. But the Holy Spirit ^[a] proved that Jesus is the powerful Son of God, ^[b] because he was raised from death. ⁵Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle, ^[c] so that people of all nations would obey and have faith. ⁶You are some of those people chosen by Jesus Christ. ⁷This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be his very own people.
   I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
   

A Prayer of Thanks

 ⁸First, I thank God in the name of Jesus Christ for all of you. I do this because people everywhere in the world are talking about your faith. ⁹God has seen how I never stop praying for you, while I serve him with all my heart and tell the good news about his Son.     ¹⁰In all my prayers, I ask God to make it possible for me to visit you. ¹¹I want to see you and share with you the same blessings that God's Spirit has given me. Then you will grow stronger in your faith. ¹²What I am saying is that we can encourage each other by the faith that is ours.
    ¹³My friends, I want you to know that I have often planned to come for a visit. But something has always kept me from doing it. I want to win followers to Christ in Rome, as I have done in many other places. ^14-15It doesn't matter if people are civilized and educated, or if they are uncivilized and uneducated. I must tell the good news to everyone. That's why I am eager to visit all of you in Rome.
   

The Power of the Good News

 ¹⁶I am proud of the good news! It is God's powerful way of saving all people who have faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. ¹⁷The good news tells how God accepts everyone who has faith, but only those who have faith. ^[d] It is just as the Scriptures say, "The people God accepts because of their faith will live." ^[e]

Footnotes:

1. Romans 1:3 the Holy Spirit: Or " his own spirit of holiness."
2. Romans 1:3 proved that Jesus is the powerful Son of God: Or " proved in a powerful way that Jesus is the Son of God."
3. Romans 1:5 Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle: Or " Jesus was kind to us and chose us to be his apostles."
4. Romans 1:17 but only those who have faith: Or " and faith is all that matters."
5. Romans 1:17 The people God accepts because of their faith will live: Or " The people God accepts will live because of their faith."

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Psalm 9:13-20 (Contemporary English Version)

¹³Please have mercy, LORD!
   My enemies mistreat me.
   Keep me from the gates
   that lead to death,
    ¹⁴and I will sing about you
   at the gate to Zion.
   I will be happy there
   because you rescued me.
    ¹⁵Our LORD, the nations fell
   into their own pits,
   and their feet were caught
   in their own traps.
    ¹⁶You showed what you are like,
   and you made certain
   that justice is done,
   but evil people are trapped
   by their own evil deeds.
    ¹⁷The wicked will go down
   to the world of the dead
   to be with those nations
   that forgot about you.
    ¹⁸The poor and the homeless
   won't always be forgotten
   and without hope.
    ¹⁹Do something, LORD!
   Don't let the nations win.
   Make them stand trial
   in your court of law.
    ²⁰Make the nations afraid
   and let them all discover
   just how weak they are.

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Proverbs 19:4-5 (Contemporary English Version)

⁴The rich have many friends;
   the poor have none.
    ⁵Dishonest witnesses and liars
   won't escape punishment.

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Verse of the Day

“Jesus answered, "The Scriptures say: `No one can live only on food. People need every word that God has spoken.” - Matthew 4:4

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, and futurist Buckminster Fuller wrote, “We must progress to the stage of doing all the right things for all the right reasons instead of doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons.”