Bible Readings for May 15, 2017

Today our passages are 1 Samuel 17:1–18:4; John 8:21-30; Psalm 111:1-10; and Proverbs 15:11. 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 Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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1 Samuel 17-18:4 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Samuel 17

Goliath Challenges Israel's Army

 ¹The Philistines got ready for war and brought their troops together to attack the town of Socoh in Judah. They set up camp at Ephes-Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[] 2-3}King Saul and the Israelite army set up camp on a hill overlooking Elah Valley, and they got ready to fight the Philistine army that was on a hill on the other side of the valley. ⁴The Philistine army had a hero named Goliath who was from the town of Gath and was over nine feet ^[b<="">] tall. ^5-6He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armor to protect his chest and legs. The chest armor alone weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds. He carried a bronze sword strapped on his back, ⁷and his spear was so big that the iron spearhead alone weighed more than fifteen pounds. A soldier always walked in front of Goliath to carry his shield. ⁸Goliath went out and shouted to the army of Israel:   Why are you lining up for battle? I'm the best soldier in our army, and all of you are in Saul's army. Choose your best soldier to come out and fight me! ⁹If he can kill me, our people will be your slaves. But if I kill him, your people will be our slaves. ¹⁰Here and now I challenge Israel's whole army! Choose someone to fight me!
    ¹¹Saul and his men heard what Goliath said, but they were so frightened of Goliath that they couldn't do a thing.
   David Decides to Challenge Goliath
    ¹²David's father Jesse was an old man, who belonged to the Ephrath clan and lived in Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons: ^13-14the oldest was Eliab, the next was Abinadab, and Shammah was the third. The three of them had gone off to fight in Saul's army.
   David was Jesse's youngest son. ¹⁵He took care of his father's sheep, and he went back and forth between Bethlehem and Saul's camp.
    ¹⁶Goliath came out and gave his challenge every morning and every evening for forty days.
    ¹⁷One day, Jesse told David, "Hurry and take this sack of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers at the army camp. ¹⁸And here are ten large chunks of cheese to take to their commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are doing and bring back something that shows that they're all right. ¹⁹They're with Saul's army, fighting the Philistines in Elah Valley."
    ²⁰David obeyed his father. He got up early the next morning and left someone else in charge of the sheep; then he loaded the supplies and started off. He reached the army camp just as the soldiers were taking their places and shouting the battle cry. ²¹The army of Israel and the Philistine army stood there facing each other.
    ²²David left his things with the man in charge of supplies and ran up to the battle line to ask his brothers if they were well. ²³While David was talking with them, Goliath came out from the line of Philistines and started boasting as usual. David heard him.
    ²⁴When the Israelite soldiers saw Goliath, they were scared and ran off. ²⁵They said to each other, "Look how he keeps coming out to insult us. The king is offering a big reward to the man who kills Goliath. That man will even get to marry the king's daughter, and no one in his family will ever have to pay taxes again."
    ²⁶David asked some soldiers standing nearby, "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and stopping him from insulting our people? Who does that worthless Philistine think he is? He's making fun of the army of the living God!"
    ²⁷The soldiers told David what the king would give the man who killed Goliath.
    ²⁸David's oldest brother Eliab heard him talking with the soldiers. Eliab was angry at him and said, "What are you doing here, anyway? Who's taking care of that little flock of sheep out in the desert? You spoiled brat! You came here just to watch the fighting, didn't you?"
    ²⁹"Now what have I done?" David answered. "Can't I even ask a question?" ³⁰Then he turned and asked another soldier the same thing he had asked the others, and he got the same answer.
    ³¹Some soldiers overheard David talking, so they told Saul what David had said. Saul sent for David, and David came. ³²"Your Majesty," he said, "this Philistine shouldn't turn us into cowards. I'll go out and fight him myself!"
    ³³"You don't have a chance against him," Saul replied. "You're only a boy, and he's been a soldier all his life."
    ³⁴But David told him:
   Your Majesty, I take care of my father's sheep. And when one of them is dragged off by a lion or a bear, ³⁵I go after it and beat the wild animal until it lets the sheep go. If the wild animal turns and attacks me, I grab it by the throat and kill it.
    ³⁶Sir, I have killed lions and bears that way, and I can kill this worthless Philistine. He shouldn't have made fun of the army of the living God! ³⁷The LORD has rescued me from the claws of lions and bears, and he will keep me safe from the hands of this Philistine.
   "All right," Saul answered, "go ahead and fight him. And I hope the LORD will help you."
    ³⁸Saul had his own military clothes and armor put on David, and he gave David a bronze helmet to wear. ³⁹David strapped on a sword and tried to walk around, but he was not used to wearing those things.
   "I can't move with all this stuff on," David said. "I'm just not used to it."
   David took off the armor ⁴⁰and picked up his shepherd's stick. He went out to a stream and picked up five smooth rocks and put them in his leather bag. Then with his sling in his hand, he went straight toward Goliath.
   

David Kills Goliath

 ⁴¹Goliath came toward David, walking behind the soldier who was carrying his shield. ⁴²When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him. ⁴³"Do you think I'm a dog?" Goliath asked. "Is that why you've come after me with a stick?" He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods ⁴⁴and shouted, "Come on! When I'm finished with you, I'll feed you to the birds and wild animals!"    ⁴⁵David answered:
   You've come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I've come out to fight you in the name of the LORD All-Powerful. He is the God of Israel's army, and you have insulted him too!
    ⁴⁶Today the LORD will help me defeat you. I'll knock you down and cut off your head, and I'll feed the bodies of the other Philistine soldiers to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a real God. ⁴⁷Everybody here will see that the LORD doesn't need swords or spears to save his people. The LORD always wins his battles, and he will help us defeat you.
    ⁴⁸When Goliath started forward, David ran toward him. ⁴⁹He put a rock in his sling and swung the sling around by its straps. When he let go of one strap, the rock flew out and hit Goliath on the forehead. It cracked his skull, and he fell facedown on the ground. ⁵⁰David defeated Goliath with a sling and a rock. He killed him without even using a sword.
    ⁵¹David ran over and pulled out Goliath's sword. Then he used it to cut off Goliath's head.
   When the Philistines saw what had happened to their hero, they started running away. ⁵²But the soldiers of Israel and Judah let out a battle cry and went after them as far as Gath ^[c<="">] and Ekron. The bodies of the Philistines were scattered all along the road from Shaaraim to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³When the Israelite army returned from chasing the Philistines, they took what they wanted from the enemy camp. ⁵⁴David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath's weapons in his own tent.
   

David Becomes One of Saul's Officers

 ⁵⁵After King Saul had watched David go out to fight Goliath, Saul turned to the commander of his army and said, "Abner, who is that young man?"   "Your Majesty," Abner answered, "I swear by your life that I don't know."
    ⁵⁶"Then find out!" Saul told him.
    ⁵⁷When David came back from fighting Goliath, he was still carrying Goliath's head.
   Abner took David to Saul, ⁵⁸and Saul asked, "Who are you?"
   "I am David the son of Jesse, a loyal Israelite from Bethlehem."
   

1 Samuel 18

 ¹David and Saul finished talking, and soon David and Jonathan ^[d<="">] became best friends. Jonathan thought as much of David as he did of himself. ²From that time on, Saul kept David in his service and would not let David go back to his own family. ³Jonathan liked David so much that they promised to always be loyal friends. ⁴Jonathan took off the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David. He also gave him his military clothes, ^[e<="">] his sword, his bow and arrows, and his belt.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Samuel 17:1 Socoh and Azekah: Socoh was controlled by the Israelites, while Azekah was in Philistine hands.
2. 1 Samuel 17:4 over nine feet: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls and some manuscripts of one ancient translation have "almost seven feet."
3. 1 Samuel 17:52 Gath: One ancient translation; Hebrew "a valley."
4. 1 Samuel 18:1 Jonathan: Saul's oldest son (see chapter 14).
5. 1 Samuel 18:4 military clothes: Or "armor."

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John 8:21-30 (Contemporary English Version)

You Cannot Go Where I Am Going

 ²¹Jesus also told them, "I am going away, and you will look for me. But you cannot go where I am going, and you will die with your sins unforgiven."    ²²The Jewish leaders asked, "Does he intend to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying we cannot go where he is going?"
    ²³Jesus answered, "You are from below, but I am from above. You belong to this world, but I don't. ²⁴That is why I said you will die with your sins unforgiven. If you don't have faith in me for who I am, ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} you will die, and your sins will not be forgiven." ²⁵"Who are you?" they asked Jesus.
   Jesus answered, "I am exactly who I told you at the beginning. ²⁶There is a lot more I could say to condemn you. But the one who sent me is truthful, and I tell the people of this world only what I have heard from him."
    ²⁷No one understood that Jesus was talking to them about the Father.
    ²⁸Jesus went on to say, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, ^[b<="">] you will know who I am. You will also know that I don't do anything on my own. I say only what my Father taught me. ²⁹The one who sent me is with me. I always do what pleases him, and he will never leave me." ³⁰After Jesus said this, many of the people put their faith in him.
   

Footnotes:

1. John 8:24 I am: For the Jewish people the most holy name of God is " Yahweh," which may be translated " I am." In the Gospel of John " I am" is sometimes used by Jesus to show that he is that one.
2. John 8:28 lifted up the Son of Man: See the note at 7.39.

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Psalm 111:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 111

Praise the LORD for All He Has Done

 ¹Shout praises to the LORD!   With all my heart
   I will thank the LORD
   when his people meet.
    ²The LORD has done
   many wonderful things!
   Everyone who is pleased
   with God's marvelous deeds
   will keep them in mind.
    ³Everything the LORD does
   is glorious and majestic,
   and his power to bring justice
   will never end.
    ⁴The LORD God is famous
   for his wonderful deeds,
   and he is kind and merciful.
    ⁵He gives food to his worshipers
   and always keeps his agreement
   with them.
    ⁶He has shown his mighty power
   to his people
   and has given them the lands
   of other nations.
    ⁷God is always honest and fair,
   and his laws can be trusted.
    ⁸They are true and right
   and will stand forever.
    ⁹God rescued his people,
   and he will never break
   his agreement with them.
   He is fearsome and holy.
    ¹⁰Respect and obey the LORD!
   This is the first step
   to wisdom and good sense. ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} God will always be respected.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 111:10 This. . . sense: Or " This is what wisdom and good sense are all about."

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Proverbs 15:11 (Contemporary English Version)

¹¹If the LORD can see everything
   in the world of the dead,
   he can see in our hearts.

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Verse of the Day

“No one can explain how a baby breathes before it is born. So how can anyone explain what God does? After all, he created everything.” - Ecclesiastes 11:5

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Swiss-American psychiatrist, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote, “The opinion which other people have of you is their problem, not yours.”

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A Joke for the Day

Top Ten Signs You Bought A Bad Computer

10. Lower corner of screen has the words "Etch-a-sketch" on it.
9. It's celebrity spokesman is that "Hey Vern!" guy.
8. In order to start it, you need some jumper cables and a friend's car.
7. It's slogan is "Pentium: redefining mathematics".
6. The "quick reference" manual is 120 pages long.
5. Whenever you turn it on, all the dogs in your neighborhood start howling.
4. The screen often displays the message, "Ain't it break time yet?"
3. The manual contains only one sentence: "Good Luck!"
2. The only chip inside is a Dorito.
1. You've decided that your computer is an excellent addition to your fabulous paperweight collection.

Bible Readings for August 25, 2014

Today our passages are Job 12:1–15:35; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58; Psalm 39:1-13; and Proverbs 21:30-31. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. If you missed a day, you can find all the readings at our blog, The Bible in a Year.

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Job 16-19:29 (The Message)

Job 16

Job Defends Himself

If You Were in My Shoes

^1-5 Then Job defended himself:

"I've had all I can take of your talk.
What a bunch of miserable comforters!
Is there no end to your windbag speeches?
What's your problem that you go on and on like this?
If you were in my shoes,
I could talk just like you.
I could put together a terrific harangue
and really let you have it.
But I'd never do that. I'd console and comfort,
make things better, not worse!

^6-14 "When I speak up, I feel no better;
if I say nothing, that doesn't help either.
I feel worn down.
God, you have wasted me totally—me and my family!
You've shriveled me like a dried prune,
showing the world that you're against me.
My gaunt face stares back at me from the mirror,
a mute witness to your treatment of me.
Your anger tears at me,
your teeth rip me to shreds,
your eyes burn holes in me—God, my enemy!
People take one look at me and gasp.
Contemptuous, they slap me around
and gang up against me.
And God just stands there and lets them do it,
lets wicked people do what they want with me.
I was contentedly minding my business when God beat me up.
He grabbed me by the neck and threw me around.
He set me up as his target,
then rounded up archers to shoot at me.
Merciless, they shot me full of arrows;
bitter bile poured from my gut to the ground.
He burst in on me, onslaught after onslaught,
charging me like a mad bull.

^15-17 "I sewed myself a shroud and wore it like a shirt;
I lay facedown in the dirt.
Now my face is blotched red from weeping;
look at the dark shadows under my eyes,
Even though I've never hurt a soul
and my prayers are sincere!

The One Who Represents Mortals Before God

^18-22 "O Earth, don't cover up the wrong done to me!
Don't muffle my cry!
There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me,
in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name—
My Champion, my Friend,
while I'm weeping my eyes out before God.
I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God
as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor. "Only a few years are left
before I set out on the road of no return."

Job 17

^1-2 "My spirit is broken, my days used up,
my grave dug and waiting.
See how these mockers close in on me?
How long do I have to put up with their insolence?

^3-5 "O God, pledge your support for me.
Give it to me in writing, with your signature.
You're the only one who can do it!
These people are so useless!
You know firsthand how stupid they can be.
You wouldn't let them have the last word, would you?
Those who betray their own friends
leave a legacy of abuse to their children.

^6-8 "God, you've made me the talk of the town—
people spit in my face;
I can hardly see from crying so much;
I'm nothing but skin and bones.
Decent people can't believe what they're seeing;
the good-hearted wake up and insist I've given up on God.

⁹ "But principled people hold tight, keep a firm grip on life,
sure that their clean, pure hands will get stronger and stronger!

^10-16 "Maybe you'd all like to start over,
to try it again, the bunch of you.
So far I haven't come across one scrap
of wisdom in anything you've said.
My life's about over. All my plans are smashed,
all my hopes are snuffed out—
My hope that night would turn into day,
my hope that dawn was about to break.
If all I have to look forward to is a home in the graveyard,
if my only hope for comfort is a well-built coffin,
If a family reunion means going six feet under,
and the only family that shows up is worms,
Do you call that hope?
Who on earth could find any hope in that?
No. If hope and I are to be buried together,
I suppose you'll all come to the double funeral!"

Job 18

Bildad's Second Attack

Plunged from Light into Darkness

^1-4 Bildad from Shuhah chimed in: "How monotonous these word games are getting!
Get serious! We need to get down to business.
Why do you treat your friends like slow-witted animals?
You look down on us as if we don't know anything.
Why are you working yourself up like this?
Do you want the world redesigned to suit you?
Should reality be suspended to accommodate you?

^5-21 "Here's the rule: The light of the wicked is put out.
Their flame dies down and is extinguished.
Their house goes dark—
every lamp in the place goes out.
Their strong strides weaken, falter;
they stumble into their own traps.
They get all tangled up
in their own red tape,
Their feet are grabbed and caught,
their necks in a noose.
They trip on ropes they've hidden,
and fall into pits they've dug themselves.
Terrors come at them from all sides.
They run helter-skelter.
The hungry grave is ready
to gobble them up for supper,
To lay them out for a gourmet meal,
a treat for ravenous Death.
They are snatched from their home sweet home
and marched straight to the death house.
Their lives go up in smoke;
acid rain soaks their ruins.
Their roots rot
and their branches wither.
They'll never again be remembered—
nameless in unmarked graves.
They are plunged from light into darkness,
banished from the world.
And they leave empty-handed—not one single child—
nothing to show for their life on this earth.
Westerners are aghast at their fate,
easterners are horrified:
'Oh no! So this is what happens to perverse people.
This is how the God-ignorant end up!'"

Job 19

Job Answers Bildad

I Call for Help and No One Bothers

^1-6 Job answered: "How long are you going to keep battering away at me,
pounding me with these harangues?
Time after time after time you jump all over me.
Do you have no conscience, abusing me like this?
Even if I have, somehow or other, gotten off the track,
what business is that of yours?
Why do you insist on putting me down,
using my troubles as a stick to beat me?
Tell it to God—he's the one behind all this,
he's the one who dragged me into this mess.

^7-12 "Look at me—I shout 'Murder!' and I'm ignored;
I call for help and no one bothers to stop.
God threw a barricade across my path—I'm stymied;
he turned out all the lights—I'm stuck in the dark.
He destroyed my reputation,
robbed me of all self-respect.
He tore me apart piece by piece—I'm ruined!
Then he yanked out hope by the roots.
He's angry with me—oh, how he's angry!
He treats me like his worst enemy.
He has launched a major campaign against me,
using every weapon he can think of,
coming at me from all sides at once.

I Know That God Lives

^13-20 "God alienated my family from me;
everyone who knows me avoids me.
My relatives and friends have all left;
houseguests forget I ever existed.
The servant girls treat me like a bum off the street,
look at me like they've never seen me before.
I call my attendant and he ignores me,
ignores me even though I plead with him.
My wife can't stand to be around me anymore.
I'm repulsive to my family.
Even street urchins despise me;
when I come out, they taunt and jeer.
Everyone I've ever been close to abhors me;
my dearest loved ones reject me.
I'm nothing but a bag of bones;
my life hangs by a thread.

^21-22 "Oh, friends, dear friends, take pity on me.
God has come down hard on me!
Do you have to be hard on me, too?
Don't you ever tire of abusing me?

^23-27 "If only my words were written in a book—
better yet, chiseled in stone!
Still, I know that God lives—the One who gives me back my life—
and eventually he'll take his stand on earth.
And I'll see him—even though I get skinned alive!—
see God myself, with my very own eyes.
Oh, how I long for that day!

^28-29 "If you're thinking, 'How can we get through to him,
get him to see that his trouble is all his own fault?'
Forget it. Start worrying about yourselves.
Worry about your own sins and God's coming judgment,
for judgment is most certainly on the way."

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1 Corinthians 16:1-24 (The Message)

1 Corinthians 16

Coming to See You

^1-4Regarding the relief offering for poor Christians that is being collected, you get the same instructions I gave the churches in Galatia. Every Sunday each of you make an offering and put it in safekeeping. Be as generous as you can. When I get there you'll have it ready, and I won't have to make a special appeal. Then after I arrive, I'll write letters authorizing whomever you delegate, and send them off to Jerusalem to deliver your gift. If you think it best that I go along, I'll be glad to travel with them. ^5-9I plan to visit you after passing through northern Greece. I won't be staying long there, but maybe I can stay awhile with you—maybe even spend the winter? Then you could give me a good send-off, wherever I may be headed next. I don't want to just drop by in between other "primary" destinations. I want a good, long, leisurely visit. If the Master agrees, we'll have it! For the present, I'm staying right here in Ephesus. A huge door of opportunity for good work has opened up here. (There is also mushrooming opposition.)
^10-11If Timothy shows up, take good care of him. Make him feel completely at home among you. He works so hard for the Master, just as I do. Don't let anyone disparage him. After a while, send him on to me with your blessing. Tell him I'm expecting him, and any friends he has with him.
¹²About our friend Apollos, I've done my best to get him to pay you a visit, but haven't talked him into it yet. He doesn't think this is the right time. But there will be a "right time."
^13-14Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping.
^15-16Would you do me a favor, friends, and give special recognition to the family of Stephanas? You know, they were among the first converts in Greece, and they've put themselves out, serving Christians ever since then. I want you to honor and look up to people like that: companions and workers who show us how to do it, giving us something to aspire to.
^17-18I want you to know how delighted I am to have Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus here with me. They partially make up for your absence! They've refreshed me by keeping me in touch with you. Be proud that you have people like this among you.
¹⁹The churches here in western Asia send greetings.
Aquila, Priscilla, and the church that meets in their house say hello.
²⁰All the friends here say hello.
Pass the greetings around with holy embraces!
²¹And I, Paul—in my own handwriting!—send you my regards.
²²If anyone won't love the Master, throw him out. Make room for the Master!
²³Our Master Jesus has his arms wide open for you.
²⁴And I love all of you in the Messiah, in Jesus.

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Psalm 40:1-10 (The Message)

Psalm 40

A David Psalm

^1-3 I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
to make sure I wouldn't slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
they enter the mystery,
abandoning themselves to God.

^4-5 Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
turn your backs on the world's "sure thing,"
ignore what the world worships;
The world's a huge stockpile
of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one
comes close to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know,
and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words
account for you.

⁶ Doing something for you, bringing something to you—
that's not what you're after.
Being religious, acting pious—
that's not what you're asking for.
You've opened my ears
so I can listen.

^7-8 So I answered, "I'm coming.
I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I'm coming to the party
you're throwing for me."
That's when God's Word entered my life,
became part of my very being.

^9-10 I've preached you to the whole congregation,
I've kept back nothing, God—you know that.
I didn't keep the news of your ways
a secret, didn't keep it to myself.
I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth
For myself alone. I told it all,
let the congregation know the whole story.

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Proverbs 22:1 (The Message)

Proverbs 22

The Cure Comes Through Discipline

¹ A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich; a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

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Verse of the Day

“You give peace of mind to all who love your Law. Nothing can make them fall.” - Psalm 119:165

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American psychiatrist, a pioneer in near-death studies and the author of the groundbreaking book On Death and Dying (1969), Elisabeth Kübler-Ross  wrote, “The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well.”

Bible Readings for July 8, 2013

Today our passages are 1 Chronicles 5:18–6:81; Acts 26:1-32; Psalm 6:1-10; and Proverbs 18:20-21. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁸The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh had 44,760 soldiers trained to fight in battle with shields, swords, bows, and arrows. ¹⁹They fought against the Hagrites and the tribes of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. ²⁰Whenever these soldiers went to war against their enemies, they prayed to God and trusted him to help. That's why the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh defeated the Hagrites and their allies. ²¹These Israelite tribes captured fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys, and one hundred thousand people. ²²Many of the Hagrites died in battle, because God was fighting this battle against them. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh lived in that territory until they were taken as prisoners to Assyria. ^[a]

The Tribe of East Manasseh

 ²³East Manasseh was a large tribe, so its people settled in the northern region of Bashan, as far north as Baal-Hermon, ^[b] Senir, and Mount Hermon. ²⁴Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel were their clan leaders; they were well-known leaders and brave soldiers.

The Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh Are Defeated

 ²⁵The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh were unfaithful to the God their ancestors had worshiped, and they started worshiping the gods of the nations that God had forced out of Canaan. ²⁶So God sent King Tiglath Pileser ^[c] of Assyria to attack these Israelite tribes. The king led them away as prisoners to Assyria, and from then on, he forced them to live in Halah, Habor, Hara, and near the Gozan River.

1 Chronicles 6

The Descendants of Levi

 ¹Levi was the father of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.     ²Kohath was the father of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ³Amram was the father of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.
   Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
    ^4-14Eleazar's descendants included Phinehas, Abishua, Bukki, Uzzi, Zerahiah, Meraioth, Amariah, Ahitub, Zadok, Ahimaaz, Azariah, Johanan, Azariah the priest who served in the temple built by King Solomon, Amariah, Ahitub, Zadok, Shallum, Hilkiah, Azariah, Seraiah, and Jehozadak. ¹⁵King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia took Jehozadak to Babylon as prisoner when the LORD let the people of Judah and Jerusalem be dragged from their land. ^[d] ¹⁶Levi's three sons had sons of their own. ¹⁷Gershon was the father of Libni and Shimei. ¹⁸Kohath was the father of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ¹⁹Merari was the father of Mahli and Mushi. These descendants of Levi each became leaders of their own clans.
    ^20-21Gershon's descendants included Libni, Jahath, Zimmah, Joah, Iddo, Zerah, and Jeatherai.
    ^22-24Kohath's descendants included Amminadab, Korah, Assir, Elkanah, Ebiasaph, Assir, Tahath, Uriel, Uzziah, and Shaul.
    ²⁵Elkanah was the father of Amasai and Ahimoth. ^26-27Ahimoth's descendants included Elkanah, Zophai, Nahath, Eliab, Jeroham, and Elkanah.
    ²⁸Samuel was the father of Joel ^[e] and Abijah, born in that order. ^29-30Merari's descendants included Mahli, Libni, Shimei, Uzzah, Shimea, Haggiah, and Asaiah.
   

The Temple Musicians

 ³¹After King David had the sacred chest moved to Jerusalem, he appointed musicians from the Levi tribe to be in charge of the music at the place of worship. ³²These musicians served at the sacred tent and later at the LORD's temple that King Solomon built.     ^33-38Here is a list of these musicians and their family lines:
   Heman from the Kohathite clan was the director. His ancestors went all the way back to Jacob and included Joel, Samuel, Elkanah, Jeroham, Eliel, Toah, Zuph, Elkanah, Mahath, Amasai, Elkanah, Joel, Azariah, Zephaniah, Tahath, Assir, Ebiasaph, Korah, Izhar, Kohath, Levi.
    ^39-43Asaph was Heman's relative and served as his assistant. Asaph's ancestors included Berechiah, Shimea, Michael, Baaseiah, Malchijah, Ethni, Zerah, Adaiah, Ethan, Zimmah, Shimei, Jahath, Gershon, and Levi.
    ^44-47Ethan was also Heman's relative and served as his assistant. Ethan belonged to the Merari clan, and his ancestors included Kishi, Abdi, Malluch, Hashabiah, Amaziah, Hilkiah, Amzi, Bani, Shemer, Mahli, Mushi, Merari, and Levi.
    ⁴⁸The rest of the Levites were appointed to work at the sacred tent.
   

The Descendants of Aaron

 ⁴⁹Only Aaron and his descendants were allowed to offer sacrifices and incense on the two altars at the sacred tent. ^[f] They were in charge of the most holy place and the ceremonies to forgive sins, just as God's servant Moses had commanded. ^50-53Aaron's descendants included his son Eleazar, Phinehas, Abishua, Bukki, Uzzi, Zerahiah, Meraioth, Amariah, Ahitub, Zadok, and Ahimaaz.    

The Towns for the Levites

(Joshua 21.1-42)

 ⁵⁴Aaron's descendants belonged to the Levite clan of Kohath, and they were the first group chosen to receive towns to live in. ⁵⁵They received the town of Hebron in the territory of Judah and the pastureland around it. ⁵⁶But the farmland and villages around Hebron were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh. ^57-59So Aaron's descendants received the following Safe Towns ^[g] and the pastureland around them: Hebron, Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, and Beth-Shemesh. ⁶⁰From the Benjamin tribe they were given the towns of Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth and the pastureland around them. Thirteen towns were given to Aaron's descendants. ⁶¹The rest of the Levite clan of Kohath received ten towns from West Manasseh.     ⁶²The Levite clan of Gershon received thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh in Bashan.
    ⁶³The Levite clan of Merari received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
    ⁶⁴So the people of Israel gave the Levites towns to live in and the pastureland around them. ⁶⁵All the towns were chosen with the LORD's help, ^[h] including those towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. ⁶⁶Some of the families of the Kohath clan received their towns from the tribe of Ephraim. ^67-69These families received the following Safe Towns and the pastureland around them: Shechem in the hill country, Gezer, Jokmeam, Beth-Horon, Aijalon, and Gath-Rimmon. ⁷⁰And from West Manasseh they received Aner and Bileam, together with their pastureland.
    ⁷¹The Gershonite clan received two towns from the tribe of East Manasseh: Golan in Bashan and Ashtaroth, including the pastureland around them. ^72-73The Gershonites also received four towns from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh, Daberath, Ramoth, and Anem, including the pastureland around them. ^74-75The Gershonites received four towns from the tribe of Asher: Mashal, Abdon, Hukok, and Rehob, including the pastureland around them. ⁷⁶Finally, the Gershonites received three towns from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim, including the pastureland around them.
    ⁷⁷The rest of the Merari clan received the towns of Rimmono and Tabor and their pastureland from the tribe of Zebulun. ^78-79They also received four towns east of the Jordan River from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the flatlands, Jahzah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath, including the pastures around them. ^80-81And from the tribe of Gad the Merarites received the towns of Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer, including the pastureland around them.
   

Footnotes:

1. 1 Chronicles 5:22 they were taken as prisoners to Assyria: See 2 Kings 15.29; 17.5-23.
2. 1 Chronicles 5:23 Baal-Hermon: The location of this place is unknown.
3. 1 Chronicles 5:26 King Tiglath Pileser: The Hebrew text also includes "King Pul," another name by which he was known.
4. 1 Chronicles 6:15 King Nebuchadnezzar. . . dragged from their land: See 2 Kings 24.8-17; 25.1-21.
5. 1 Chronicles 6:28 Joel: Two ancient translations (see also verse 33 and 1 Samuel 8.1,2); this name is not in the Hebrew text.
6. 1 Chronicles 6:49 the two altars at the sacred tent: The Hebrew text mentions two different altars: A large altar for offering sacrifices, and a smaller altar for offering incense.
7. 1 Chronicles 6:57 Safe Towns: These were special towns set aside where a person who had accidentally killed someone could run for protection from the victim's relatives (see Numbers 35.9-15; Deuteronomy 19.1-13; Joshua 20.1-9).
8. 1 Chronicles 6:65 with the LORD's help: The Hebrew text has "by lot." Pieces of wood or stone (called "lots") were used to find out what God wanted his people to do.

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Acts 26:1-32 (Contemporary English Version)

Acts 26

Paul's Defense before Agrippa

 ¹Agrippa told Paul, "You may now speak for yourself."    Paul stretched out his hand and said:
    ²King Agrippa, I am glad for this chance to defend myself before you today on all these charges that my own people have brought against me. ³You know a lot about our religious customs and the beliefs that divide us. So I ask you to listen patiently to me.
    ^4-5All the Jews have known me since I was a child. They know what kind of life I have lived in my own country and in Jerusalem. And if they were willing, they could tell you that I was a Pharisee, a member of a group that is stricter than any other. ⁶Now I am on trial because I believe the promise God made to our people long ago.
    ⁷Day and night our twelve tribes have earnestly served God, waiting for his promised blessings. King Agrippa, because of this hope, the Jewish leaders have brought charges against me. ⁸Why should any of you doubt that God raises the dead to life?
    ⁹I once thought that I should do everything I could to oppose Jesus from Nazareth. ¹⁰I did this first in Jerusalem, and with the authority of the chief priests I put many of God's people in jail. I even voted for them to be killed. ¹¹I often had them punished in our meeting places, and I tried to make them give up their faith. In fact, I was so angry with them, that I went looking for them in foreign cities.
    ¹²King Agrippa, one day I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and permission of the chief priests. ¹³About noon I saw a light brighter than the sun. It flashed from heaven on me and on everyone traveling with me. ¹⁴We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice say to me in Aramaic, "Saul, Saul, why are you so cruel to me? It's foolish to fight against me!"
    ¹⁵"Who are you?" I asked.
   Then the Lord answered, "I am Jesus! I am the one you are so cruel to. ¹⁶Now stand up. I have appeared to you, because I have chosen you to be my servant. You are to tell others what you have learned about me and what I will show you later."
    ¹⁷The Lord also said, "I will protect you from the Jews and from the Gentiles that I am sending you to. ¹⁸I want you to open their eyes, so that they will turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then their sins will be forgiven, and by faith in me they will become part of God's holy people."
    ¹⁹King Agrippa, I obeyed this vision from heaven. ²⁰First I preached to the people in Damascus, and then I went to Jerusalem and all over Judea. Finally, I went to the Gentiles and said, "Stop sinning and turn to God! Then prove what you have done by the way you live."
    ²¹That is why some men grabbed me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²²But all this time God has helped me, and I have preached both to the rich and to the poor. I have told them only what the prophets and Moses said would happen. ²³I told them how the Messiah would suffer and be the first to be raised from death, so that he could bring light to his own people and to the Gentiles.
    ²⁴Before Paul finished defending himself, Festus shouted, "Paul, you're crazy! Too much learning has driven you out of your mind."
    ²⁵But Paul replied, "Honorable Festus, I am not crazy. What I am saying is true, and it makes sense. ²⁶None of these things happened off in a corner somewhere. I am sure that King Agrippa knows what I am talking about. That's why I can speak so plainly to him."
    ²⁷Then Paul said to Agrippa, "Do you believe what the prophets said? I know you do."
    ²⁸Agrippa asked Paul, "In such a short time do you think you can talk me into being a Christian?"
    ²⁹Paul answered, "Whether it takes a short time or a long time, I wish you and everyone else who hears me today would become just like me! Except, of course, for these chains."
    ³⁰Then King Agrippa, Governor Festus, Bernice, and everyone who was with them got up. ³¹But before they left, they said, "This man isn't guilty of anything. He doesn't deserve to die or to be put in jail."
    ³²Agrippa told Festus, "Paul could have been set free, if he had not asked to be tried by the Roman Emperor."

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Psalm 6:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 6

(A psalm by David for the music leader. Use stringed instruments. (Psalm 6 instruments: The Hebrew text adds " according to the sheminith," which may refer to a musical instrument with eight strings.) )

A Prayer in Time of Trouble

 ¹Don't punish me, LORD,    or even correct me
   when you are angry!
    ²Have pity on me and heal
   my feeble body.
   My bones tremble with fear,
    ³and I am in deep distress.
   How long will it be?
    ⁴Turn and come to my rescue.
   Show your wonderful love
   and save me, LORD.
    ⁵If I die, I cannot praise you
   or even remember you.
    ⁶My groaning has worn me out.
   At night my bed and pillow
   are soaked with tears.
    ⁷Sorrow has made my eyes dim,
   and my sight has failed
   because of my enemies.
    ⁸You, LORD, heard my crying,
   and those hateful people
   had better leave me alone.
    ⁹You have answered my prayer
   and my plea for mercy.
    ¹⁰My enemies will be ashamed
   and terrified,
   as they quickly run away
   in complete disgrace.

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Proverbs 18:20-21 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁰Make your words good--
   you will be glad you did.
    ²¹Words can bring death or life!
   Talk too much, and you will eat
   everything you say.

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Verse of the Day

“I worship at your holy temple and praise you for your love and your faithfulness. You were true to your word and made yourself more famous than ever before.” - Psalm 138:2

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Swiss American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote, “We make progress in society only if we stop cursing and complaining about its shortcomings and have the courage to do something about them.”