Bible Readings for July 19, 2019

Today our passages are 1 Chronicles 28:1–29:30; Romans 5:6-21; Psalm 15:1-5; and Proverbs 19:18-19. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Steet, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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1 Chronicles 28-29:30 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Chronicles 28

David Gives Solomon the Plans for the Temple

 ¹David called a meeting in Jerusalem for all of Israel's leaders, including the tribal leaders, the government officials, the army commanders, the officials in charge of the royal property and livestock, the palace officials, and the brave warriors.    ²After everyone was there, David stood up and said:
   Listen to me, my people. I wanted to build a place where the sacred chest would be kept, so we could go there and worship the LORD our God. I have prepared all the supplies for building a temple, ³but the LORD has refused to let me build it, because he said I have killed too many people in battle.
    ⁴The LORD God chose Judah to be the leading tribe in Israel. Then from Judah, he chose my father's family, and from that family, he chose me to be the king of Israel, and he promised that my descendants will also rule as kings. ⁵The LORD has blessed me with many sons, but he chose my son Solomon to be the next king of Israel. ⁶The LORD said to me, "Your son Solomon will build my temple, and it will honor me. Solomon will be like a son to me, and I will be like a father to him. ⁷If he continues to obey my laws and commands, his kingdom will never end."
    ⁸My friends, you are the LORD's people. And now, with God as your witness, I want you to promise that you will do your best to obey everything the LORD God has commanded us. Then this land will always belong to you and your descendants.
    ⁹Solomon, my son, worship God and obey him with all your heart and mind, just as I have done. He knows all your thoughts and your reasons for doing things, and so if you turn to him, he will hear your prayers. But if you ignore him, he will reject you forever. ¹⁰The LORD has chosen you to build a temple for worshiping him. Be confident and do the work you have been assigned.
    ¹¹After David finished speaking, he gave Solomon the plans for building the main rooms of the temple, including the porch, the storerooms, the rooms upstairs and downstairs, as well as the most holy place. ¹²He gave Solomon his plans for the courtyards and the open areas around the temple, and for the rooms to store the temple treasures and gifts that had been dedicated to God.
    ¹³David also gave Solomon his plans for dividing the priests and the Levites into groups, as well as for the work that needed to be done at the temple and for taking care of the objects used for worship. ¹⁴He told Solomon how much gold and silver was to be used in making the sacred objects, ¹⁵including the lampstands and lamps, ¹⁶the gold table which held the sacred loaves of bread, the tables made of silver, ¹⁷the meat forks, the bowls and cups, ¹⁸the gold incense altar, and the gold statue of a chariot for the winged creatures which were on the lid of the sacred chest.
    ¹⁹David then said to Solomon:
   The LORD showed me how his temple is to be built. ²⁰But you must see that everything is done according to these plans. Be confident, and never be afraid of anything or get discouraged. The LORD my God will help you do everything needed to finish the temple, so it can be used for worshiping him. ²¹The priests and Levites have been assigned their duties, and all the skilled workers are prepared to do their work. The people and their leaders will do anything you tell them.
    

1 Chronicles 29

Gifts for Building the Temple

 ¹David told the crowd:    God chose my son Solomon to build the temple, but Solomon is young and has no experience. This is not just any building--this is the temple for the LORD God! ²That's why I have done my best to get everything Solomon will need to build it--gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, onyx, turquoise, colored gems, all kinds of precious stones, and marble.
    ³Besides doing all that, I have promised to give part of my own gold and silver as a way of showing my love for God's temple. ⁴Almost one hundred twenty tons of my finest gold and over two hundred fifty tons of my silver will be used to decorate its walls ⁵and to make the gold and silver objects. Now, who else will show their dedication to the LORD by giving gifts for building his temple?
    ⁶After David finished speaking, the family leaders, the tribal leaders, the army commanders, and the government officials voluntarily gave gifts ⁷for the temple. These gifts included almost two hundred tons of gold, three hundred eighty tons of silver, almost seven hundred tons of bronze, and three thousand seven hundred fifty tons of iron. ⁸Everyone who owned precious stones also donated them to the temple treasury, where Jehiel from the Levite clan of Gershon guarded them.
    ⁹David and the people were very happy that so much had been given to the LORD, and they all celebrated.     

David Praises the LORD

 ¹⁰Then, in front of everyone, David sang praises to the LORD:    I praise you forever, LORD! You are the God our ancestor Jacob ^[a] worshiped. ¹¹Your power is great, and your glory is seen everywhere in heaven and on earth. You are king of the entire world, ¹²and you rule with strength and power. You make people rich and powerful and famous. ¹³We thank you, our God, and praise you. ¹⁴But why should we be happy that we have given you these gifts? They belong to you, and we have only given back what is already yours. ¹⁵We are only foreigners living here on earth for a while, just as our ancestors were. And we will soon be gone, like a shadow that suddenly disappears.
    ¹⁶Our LORD God, we have brought all these things for building a temple to honor you. They belong to you, and you gave them to us. ¹⁷But we are happy, because everyone has voluntarily given you these things. You know what is in everyone's heart, and you are pleased when people are honest. ¹⁸Always make us eager to give, and help us be faithful to you, just as our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob faithfully worshiped you. ¹⁹And give Solomon the desire to completely obey your laws and teachings, and the desire to build the temple for which I have provided these gifts.
    ²⁰David then said to the people, "Now it's your turn to praise the LORD, the God your ancestors worshiped!" So everyone praised the LORD, and they bowed down to honor him and David their king.     

Solomon Is Crowned King

 ²¹The next day, the Israelites slaughtered a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, and they offered them as sacrifices to please the LORD, ^[b] along with offerings of wine. ²²The people were very happy, and they ate and drank there at the LORD's altar. That same day, Solomon was crowned king. The people celebrated and poured olive oil on Solomon's head to show that he would be their next king. They also poured oil on Zadok's head to show that he was their priest.     ²³So Solomon became king after David his father. Solomon was successful, and everyone in Israel obeyed him. ²⁴Every official and every soldier, as well as all of David's other sons, were loyal to him. ²⁵The LORD made Solomon a great king, and the whole nation was amazed at how famous he was. In fact, no other king of Israel was as great as Solomon.     

David Dies

 ²⁶David the son of Jesse was king of Israel ²⁷for forty years. He ruled from Hebron for seven years and from Jerusalem for thirty-three years. ²⁸David was rich and respected and lived to be an old man. Then he died, and his son Solomon became king.     ²⁹Everything David did while he was king is included in the history written by the prophets Samuel, Nathan, and Gad. ³⁰They wrote about his powerful rule and about the things that happened not only to him, but also to Israel and the other nations.
    

Footnotes:

1. 1 Chronicles 29:10 Jacob: See the note at 1.34.
2. 1 Chronicles 29:21 sacrifices to please the LORD: See the note at 16.1.

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Romans 5:6-21 (Contemporary English Version)

⁶Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. ⁷No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. ⁸But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.
    ⁹But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger. ¹⁰Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son's life. ¹¹And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.     

Adam and Christ

 ¹²Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die. ¹³Sin was in the world before the Law came. But no record of sin was kept, because there was no Law. ¹⁴Yet death still had power over all who lived from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. This happened, though not everyone disobeyed a direct command from God, as Adam did.    In some ways Adam is like Christ who came later. ¹⁵But the gift that God was kind enough to give was very different from Adam's sin. That one sin brought death to many others. Yet in an even greater way, Jesus Christ alone brought God's gift of kindness to many people.
    ¹⁶There is a lot of difference between Adam's sin and God's gift. That one sin led to punishment. But God's gift made it possible for us to be acceptable to him, even though we have sinned many times. ¹⁷Death ruled like a king because Adam had sinned. But that cannot compare with what Jesus Christ has done. God has been so kind to us, and he has accepted us because of Jesus. And so we will live and rule like kings.
    ¹⁸Everyone was going to be punished because Adam sinned. But because of the good thing that Christ has done, God accepts us and gives us the gift of life. ¹⁹Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.
    ²⁰The Law came, so that the full power of sin could be seen. Yet where sin was powerful, God's kindness was even more powerful. ²¹Sin ruled by means of death. But God's kindness now rules, and God has accepted us because of Jesus Christ our Lord. This means that we will have eternal life. 

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Psalm 15:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 15

(A psalm by David.)

Who May Worship the LORD?

 ¹Who may stay in God's temple    or live on the holy mountain
   of the LORD?
    ²Only those who obey God
   and do as they should.
   They speak the truth
    ³and don't spread gossip;
   they treat others fairly
   and don't say cruel things.
    ⁴They hate worthless people,
   but show respect for all
   who worship the LORD.
   And they keep their promises,
   no matter what the cost.
    ⁵They lend their money
   without charging interest,
   and they don't take bribes
   to hurt the innocent.
   Those who do these things
   will always stand firm. 

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Proverbs 19:18-19 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁸Correct your children
   before it's too late;
   if you don't punish them,
   you are destroying them.
    ¹⁹People with bad tempers
   are always in trouble,
   and they need help
   over and over again. ^[a] 

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 19:19 and they. . . again: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Verse of the Day

 

“Don't be afraid. I am with you. Don't tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.” - Isaiah 41:10 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American economist, who is currently the W.R. Berkley Professor of Economics and Business at New York University, Thomas J. Sargent wrote, “What I really don't like is oversimplification.”

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A Joke for Today

Two elderly, excited Southern women were sitting together in the front pew of a church listening to a fiery preacher.When this preacher condemned the sin of stealing, these two ladies cried out at the tops of their lungs, "AMEN, BROTHER!" When the preacher condemned the sin of lust, they yelled again, "PREACH IT, REVEREND!" And when the preacher condemned the sin of lying, they jumped to their feet and screamed, "RIGHT ON, BROTHER! TELL IT LIKE IT IS... AMEN!" But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip, the two got very quiet. One turned to the other and said, "He's quit preaching and now he's meddlin'."

Bible Readings for July 18, 2019

Today our passages are 1 Chronicles 26:12–27:34; Romans 4:13–5:5; Psalm 14:1-7; and Proverbs 19:17. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Steet, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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1 Chronicles 26:12-27:34 (Contemporary English Version)

¹²The guards were divided into groups, according to their family leaders, and they were assigned duties at the temple, just like the other Levites. ¹³Each group, no matter how large or small, was assigned a gate to guard, and they let the LORD show them what he wanted done. ^[a] ¹⁴Shelemiah ^[b] was chosen to guard the East Gate. Zechariah his son was a wise man and was chosen to guard the North Gate. ¹⁵Obed-Edom was then chosen to guard the South Gate, and his sons were chosen to guard the storerooms. ¹⁶Shuppim and Hosah were chosen to guard the West Gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road. The guards were assigned the following work schedule: ¹⁷Each day six guards were on duty on the east side of the temple, four were on duty on the north side, and four were on duty on the south side. Two guards were stationed at each of the two storerooms, ¹⁸four were stationed along the road leading to the west courtyard, ^[c] and two guards stayed in the court itself. ¹⁹These were the guard duties assigned to the men from the clans of Korah and Merari.     

Guards Are Assigned to the Treasury

 ²⁰The Levites who were relatives of the Korahites and the Merarites were ^[d] in charge of guarding the temple treasury and the gifts that had been dedicated to God. ²¹Ladan was from the Gershon clan and was the father of Jehieli. Many of his other descendants were family leaders in the clan. ^[e] ²²Jehieli was the father of Zetham and Joel, and they were responsible for guarding the treasury. ²³Other guards at the treasury were from the Kohathite clans of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.     ²⁴Shebuel was a descendant of Gershom the son of Moses. He was the chief official in charge of the temple treasury. ²⁵The descendants of Gershom's brother Eliezer included Rehabiah, Jeshaiah, Joram, Zichri, and Shelomoth. 
    ²⁶Shelomoth and his relatives were in charge of all the gifts that were dedicated to the LORD. These included the gifts that King David had dedicated, as well as those dedicated by the family leaders, army officers, and army commanders. ²⁷And whenever valuable things were captured in battle, these men brought some of them to the temple. ²⁸Shelomoth and his relatives were responsible for any gifts that had been given to the temple, including those from Samuel the prophet, King Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, ^[f] and Joab the son of Zeruiah. 

Other Officers Are Assigned Their Duties

 ²⁹Chenaniah from the Izhar clan and his sons were government officials and judges. They did not work at the temple.    ³⁰Hashabiah from the Hebron clan and one thousand seven hundred of his skilled relatives were the officials in charge of all religious and government business in the Israelite territories west of the Jordan River. 
    ^31-32Jerijah was the leader of the Hebron clan. David assigned him and two thousand seven hundred of his relatives, who were all respected family leaders, to be the officials in charge of all religious and government business in the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. David found out about these men during the fortieth year of his rule, when he had a list made of all the families in the Hebron clan. They were from the town of Jazer in the territory of Gilead. 
    

1 Chronicles 27

David Assigns Army Commanders

 ¹Each month a group of twenty-four thousand men served as soldiers in Israel's army. These men, which included the family leaders, army commanders, and officials of the king, were under the command of the following men, arranged by the month of their service:     ²In the first month, Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel, ³a descendant of Perez; 
    ⁴in the second month, Dodai the Ahohite, whose assistant was Mikloth; ^[g] ⁵in the third month, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada the priest, ⁶who was the leader of the Thirty Warriors, and whose son Ammizabad was also an army commander; ^[h] ⁷in the fourth month, Asahel the brother of Joab, whose son Zebadiah took over command after him; 
    ⁸in the fifth month, Shamhuth from the Izrah clan; 
    ⁹in the sixth month, Ira the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa; 
    ¹⁰in the seventh month, Helez from Pelon in the territory of Ephraim; 
    ¹¹in the eighth month, Sibbecai from Hushah of the Zerah clan; 
    ¹²in the ninth month, Abiezer from Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin; 
    ¹³in the tenth month, Maharai from Netophah of the Zerah clan; 
    ¹⁴in the eleventh month, Benaiah from Pirathon in the territory of Ephraim; 
    ¹⁵in the twelfth month, Heldai from Netophah, who was a descendant of Othniel. 
 

David Assigns Tribal Leaders

 ^16-22Here is a list of the leaders of each tribe in Israel:    Eliezer son of Zichri was over Reuben: Shephatiah son of Maacah was over Simeon; Hashabiah son of Kemuel was over the Levites, and Zadok the priest was over the descendants of Aaron; Elihu the brother of David was over Judah; Omri son of Michael was over Issachar; Ishmaiah son of Obadiah was over Zebulun; Jerimoth son of Azriel was over Naphtali; Hoshea son of Azaziah was over Ephraim; Joel son of Pedaiah was over West Manasseh; Iddo son of Zechariah was over East Manasseh; Jaasiel son of Abner was over Benjamin; Azarel son of Jeroham was over Dan. 
    ²³When David decided to count the people of Israel, he gave orders not to count anyone under twenty years of age, because the LORD had promised long ago that Israel would have as many people as there are stars in the sky. ²⁴Joab the son of Zeruiah had begun to count the people, but he stopped when the LORD began punishing Israel. So the total number was never included in David's official records.     

Officials in Charge of the King's Property

 ²⁵Azmaveth the son of Adiel was in charge of the king's personal storage rooms. Jonathan the son of Uzziah was in charge of the king's other storerooms that were in the towns, the villages, and the defense towers in Israel.     ²⁶Ezri the son of Chelub was in charge of the workers who farmed the king's land. 
    ²⁷Shimei from Ramah was in charge of the vineyards, and Zabdi from Shepham was in charge of storing the wine. 
    ²⁸Baal Hanan from Geder was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the western foothills, and Joash was in charge of storing the olive oil. 
    ²⁹Shitrai from Sharon was responsible for the cattle that were kept in Sharon Plain, and Shaphat son of Adlai was responsible for those kept in the valleys. 
    ³⁰Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels, Jehdeiah from Meronoth was in charge of the donkeys, and Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the sheep and goats. 
    ³¹These were the men in charge of David's royal property.     

David's Personal Advisors

 ³²David's uncle Jonathan was a wise and intelligent advisor. He and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni taught David's sons.    ³³Ahithophel and Hushai the Archite were two of David's advisors. ³⁴Jehoiada the son of Benaiah was the king's advisor after Ahithophel, and later, Abiathar was his advisor. 
   Joab was commander of Israel's army. 
    

Footnotes:

1. 1 Chronicles 26:13 they let the LORD show them what he wanted done: The Hebrew text has "they cast lots to find out what the LORD wanted done" (see the note at 6.65).
2. 1 Chronicles 26:14 Shelemiah: Another spelling for Meshelemiah.
3. 1 Chronicles 26:18 courtyard: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
4. 1 Chronicles 26:20 The Levites. . . were: One ancient translation; Hebrew "Ahijah the Levite was."
5. 1 Chronicles 26:21 Many of his other. . . clan: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
6. 1 Chronicles 26:28 Abner the son of Ner: Abner was King Saul's uncle (see 9.39).
7. 1 Chronicles 27:4 whose. . . Mikloth: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
8. 1 Chronicles 27:6 whose son Ammizabad. . . army commander: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Romans 4:13-5:5 (Contemporary English Version)

The Promise Is for All Who Have Faith

 ¹³God promised Abraham and his descendants that he would give them the world. This promise wasn't made because Abraham had obeyed a law, but because his faith in God made him acceptable. ¹⁴If Abraham and his descendants were given this promise because they had obeyed a law, then faith would mean nothing, and the promise would be worthless.     ¹⁵God becomes angry when his Law is broken. But where there isn't a law, it cannot be broken. ¹⁶Everything depends on having faith in God, so that God's promise is assured by his great kindness. This promise isn't only for Abraham's descendants who have the Law. It is for all who are Abraham's descendants because they have faith, just as he did. Abraham is the ancestor of us all. ¹⁷The Scriptures say that Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations. This promise was made to Abraham because he had faith in God, who raises the dead to life and creates new things. 
    ¹⁸God promised Abraham a lot of descendants. And when it all seemed hopeless, Abraham still had faith in God and became the ancestor of many nations. ¹⁹Abraham's faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly a hundred years old. He knew that he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. ²⁰But Abraham never doubted or questioned God's promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God. 
    ²¹Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised. ²²So God accepted him, ²³just as we read in the Scriptures. But these words were not written only for Abraham. ²⁴They were written for us, since we will also be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life. ²⁵God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God. 
    

Romans 5

What It Means To Be Acceptable to God

 ¹By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace ^[a] with God. ²Christ has also introduced us ^[b] to God's undeserved kindness on which we take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God. ³But that's not all! We gladly suffer, ^[c] because we know that suffering helps us to endure. ⁴And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope ⁵that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love. 

Footnotes:

1. Romans 5:1 we live at peace: Some manuscripts have " let us live at peace."
2. Romans 5:2 introduced us: Some manuscripts add " by faith."
3. Romans 5:3 We gladly suffer: Or " Let us gladly suffer."

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Psalm 14:1-7 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 14

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

No One Can Ignore the LORD

 ¹Only a fool would say,    "There is no God!" 
   People like that are worthless; 
   they are heartless and cruel 
   and never do right. 
    ²From heaven the LORD 
   looks down to see 
   if anyone is wise enough 
   to search for him. 
    ³But all of them are corrupt; 
   no one does right. 
    ⁴Won't you evil people learn? 
   You refuse to pray, 
   and you gobble down 
   the LORD's people. 
    ⁵But you will be frightened, 
   because God is on the side 
   of every good person. 
    ⁶You may spoil the plans 
   of the poor, 
   but the LORD protects them. 
    ⁷I long for someone from Zion 
   to come and save Israel! 
   Our LORD, when you bless 
   your people again, 
   Jacob's family will be glad, 
   and Israel will celebrate. 

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Proverbs 19:17 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁷Caring for the poor
   is lending to the LORD,
   and you will be well repaid. 

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Verse of the Day

“I will do right and praise you by learning to respect your perfect laws.” - Psalm 119:7 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American author of short stories and novels, Jessamyn West wrote, “We want the facts to fit the preconceptions. When they don't it is easier to ignore the facts than to change the preconceptions.”

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A Joke for Today

The young couple invited their aged parson for Sunday dinner.

While they were in the kitchen preparing the meal, the minister asked their son what they were having.

"Goat," the little boy replied.

"Goat?" replied the startled man of the cloth, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yep," said the youngster. "I heard Pa say to Ma, 'Might as well have the old goat for dinner today as any other day.'"

Bible Readings for July 17, 2019

Today our passages are 1 Chronicles 24:1–26:11; Romans 4:1-12; Psalm 13:1-6; and Proverbs 19:15-16. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Steet, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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1 Chronicles 24-26:11 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Chronicles 24

David Assigns the Priests Their Duties

 ¹Aaron's descendants were then divided into work groups. Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ²But Nadab and Abihu died long before their father, without having any sons. That's why Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.     ³David divided Aaron's descendants into groups, according to their assigned work. Zadok, one of Eleazar's descendants, and Ahimelech, one of Ithamar's descendants, helped David.
    ⁴Eleazar's descendants were divided into sixteen groups, and Ithamar's were divided into eight groups, because Eleazar's family included more family leaders. ⁵However, both families included temple officials and priests, and so to make sure the work was divided fairly, David asked God what to do. ^[a] ⁶As each group was assigned their duties, Shemaiah the son of Nethanel the Levite wrote down the name of the family leader in charge of that group. The witnesses were David and his officials, as well as Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the family leaders from the clans of the priests and the Levites.
    ^7-18Each group of priests went by the name of its family leader, and they were assigned their duties in the following order: Jehoiarib, Jedaiah, Harim, Seorim, Malchijah, Mijamin, Hakkoz, Abijah, Jeshua, Shecaniah, Eliashib, Jakim, Huppah, Jeshebeab, Bilgah, Immer, Hezir, Happizzez, Pethahiah, Jehezkel, Jachin, Gamul, Delaiah, Maaziah. ¹⁹These men were assigned their duties at the temple, just as the LORD God of Israel had commanded their ancestor Aaron.     

The Rest of the Levites Are Assigned Their Duties

 ²⁰Here is a list of the other descendants of Levi:    Amram was the ancestor of Shubael and Jehdeiah.
    ²¹Rehabiah was the ancestor of Isshiah, the oldest son in his family.
    ²²Izhar was the father of Shelomoth and the grandfather of Jahath.
    ²³Hebron had four sons, in the following order: Jeriah, Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.
    ²⁴Uzziel was the father of Micah and the grandfather of Shamir.
    ²⁵Isshiah, Micah's brother, was the father of Zechariah.
    ²⁶Merari was the father of Mahli, Mushi, and Jaaziah.
    ²⁷Jaaziah had three sons: Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. ^[b] ^28-29Mahli was the father of Eleazar and Kish. Eleazar had no sons, but Kish was the father of Jerahmeel. ³⁰Mushi had three sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the descendants of Levi, according to their clans. ³¹Each one was assigned his duties in the same way that their relatives the priests had been assigned their duties. David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the family leaders of the priests and Levites were the witnesses.
    

1 Chronicles 25

David Assigns the Temple Musicians Their Duties

 ¹David and the temple officials chose the descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to be in charge of music. They were to praise the LORD by playing cymbals, harps and other stringed instruments. Here is a list of the musicians and their duties:     ²Asaph's four sons, Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, were under the direction of their father and played music whenever the king told them to.
    ³Jeduthun's six sons, Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, ^[c] Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, were under the direction of their father and played harps and sang praises to the LORD. ⁴Heman had fourteen sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamtiezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. ⁵Heman was one of the king's prophets, and God honored Heman by giving him fourteen sons and three daughters. ⁶His sons were under his direction and played cymbals, harps, and other stringed instruments during times of worship at the temple.
   Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman took their orders directly from the king.
    ⁷There were two hundred eighty-eight of these men, and all of them were skilled musicians. ⁸David assigned them their duties by asking the LORD what he wanted. ^[d] Everyone was responsible for something, whether young or old, teacher or student. ^9-31The musicians were divided into twenty-four groups of twelve, and each group went by the name of their family leader. They were assigned their duties in the following order: Joseph, Gedaliah, Zaccur, Zeri, Nethaniah, Bukkiah, Asarelah, Jeshaiah, Mattaniah, Shimei, Uzziel, Hashabiah, Shebuel, Mattithiah, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Joshbekashah, Hanani, Mallothi, Eliathah, Hothir, Giddalti, Mahazioth, and Romamtiezer.
    

1 Chronicles 26

The Temple Guards Are Assigned Their Duties

 ¹The temple guards were also divided into groups according to clans.    Meshelemiah son of Kore was from the Korah clan and was a descendant of Asaph. ²He had seven sons, who were born in the following order: Zechariah, Jediael, Zebadiah, Jathniel, ³Elam, Jehohanan, and Eliehoenai.
    ^4-5Obed-Edom had been blessed with eight sons: Shemaiah, Jehozabad, Joah, Sachar, Nethanel, Ammiel, Issachar, and Peullethai.
    ^6-7Shemaiah was the father of Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semachiah. They were all respected leaders in their clan. ⁸There were sixty-two descendants of Obed-Edom who were strong enough to be guards at the temple.
    ⁹Eighteen descendants of Meshelemiah were chosen for this work.
    ^10-11Hosah, from the Merari clan, was the father of Shimri, Hilkiah, Tebaliah, and Zechariah. Hosah had made Shimri the family leader, even though he was not the oldest son. Thirteen men from Hosah's family were chosen to be temple guards.
    

Footnotes:

1. 1 Chronicles 24:5 asked God what to do: The Hebrew text has "cast lots" (see the note at 6.65).
2. 1 Chronicles 24:27 Ibri: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 26,27.
3. 1 Chronicles 25:3 Shimei: One Hebrew manuscript and two ancient translations; other Hebrew manuscripts do not have this name.
4. 1 Chronicles 25:8 asking the LORD what he wanted: The Hebrew text has "casting lots" (see the note at 6.65).

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Romans 4:1-12 (Contemporary English Version)

Romans 4

The Example of Abraham

 ¹Well then, what can we say about our ancestor Abraham? ²If he became acceptable to God because of what he did, then he would have something to brag about. But he would never be able to brag about it to God. ³The Scriptures say, "God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him."     ⁴Money paid to workers isn't a gift. It is something they earn by working. ⁵But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. ⁶In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don't do anything to deserve these blessings. David says,
    ⁷"God blesses people
   whose sins are forgiven
   and whose evil deeds
   are forgotten.
    ⁸The Lord blesses people
   whose sins are erased
   from his book."
    ⁹Are these blessings meant for circumcised people or for those who are not circumcised? Well, the Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him. ¹⁰But when did this happen? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? Of course, it was before.
    ¹¹Abraham let himself be circumcised to show that he had been accepted because of his faith even before he was circumcised. This makes Abraham the father of all who are acceptable to God because of their faith, even though they are not circumcised. ¹²This also makes Abraham the father of everyone who is circumcised and has faith in God, as Abraham did before he was circumcised. 

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Psalm 13:1-6 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 13

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

A Prayer for the LORD's Help

 ¹How much longer, LORD,    will you forget about me?
   Will it be forever?
   How long will you hide?
    ²How long must I be confused
   and miserable all day?
   How long will my enemies
   keep beating me down?
    ³Please listen, LORD God,
   and answer my prayers.
   Make my eyes sparkle again,
   or else I will fall
   into the sleep of death.
    ⁴My enemies will say,
   "Now we've won!"
   They will be greatly pleased
   when I am defeated.
    ⁵I trust your love,
   and I feel like celebrating
   because you rescued me.
    ⁶You have been good to me, LORD,
   and I will sing about you.

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Proverbs 19:15-16 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁵If you are lazy 
   and sleep your time away, 
   you will starve. 
    ¹⁶Obey the Lord's teachings 
   and you will live-- 
   disobey and you will die. 

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Verse of the Day

“[The Power of the Good News]I 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.” - Romans 1:16 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American scientist, mathematician, and science administrator, Warren Weaver wrote, “Science attempts to analyze how things and people and animals behave; it has no concern whether this behavior is good or bad, is purposeful or not. But religion is precisely the quest for such answers: whether an act is right or wrong, good or bad, and why.

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A Joke for Today

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.
After explaining the commandment to “honor” thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?”

Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, “Thou shall not kill.”