Today's Reading

¹The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn; but, because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.

²For Judah prevailed above his brothers, and of him came the prince; but the birthright was Joseph's:)

³the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

⁴The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,

⁵Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,

⁶Beerah his son, whom Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was leader of the Reubenites.

⁷His brothers by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,

⁸and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who lived in Aroer, even to Nebo and Baal Meon:

⁹and eastward he lived even to the entrance of the wilderness from the river Euphrates, because their livestock were multiplied in the land of Gilead.

¹⁰In the days of Saul, they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they lived in their tents throughout all the land east of Gilead.

¹¹The sons of Gad lived over against them, in the land of Bashan to Salecah:

¹²Joel the chief, and Shapham the second, and Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan.

¹³Their brothers of their fathers' houses: Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jacan, and Zia, and Eber, seven.

¹⁴These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;

¹⁵Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of their fathers' houses.

¹⁶They lived in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, as far as their borders.

¹⁷All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.

¹⁸The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty, that were able to go forth to war.

¹⁹They made war with the Hagrites, with Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab.

²⁰They were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them, because they put their trust in him.

²¹They took away their livestock; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred fifty thousand, and of donkeys two thousand, and of men one hundred thousand.

²²For there fell many slain, because the war was of God. They lived in their place until the captivity.

²³The children of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land: they increased from Bashan to Baal Hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon.

²⁴These were the heads of their fathers' houses: even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses.

²⁵They trespassed against the God of their fathers, and prostituted themselves after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God destroyed before them.

²⁶The God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river of Gozan, to this day.

¹The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

²The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.

³The children of Amram: Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

⁴Eleazar became the father of Phinehas, Phinehas became the father of Abishua,

⁵and Abishua became the father of Bukki, and Bukki became the father of Uzzi,

⁶and Uzzi became the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah became the father of Meraioth,

⁷Meraioth became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub,

⁸and Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Ahimaaz,

⁹and Ahimaaz became the father of Azariah, and Azariah became the father of Yochanan,

¹⁰and Yochanan became the father of Azariah, (he it is who executed the priest's office in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem),

¹¹and Azariah became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub,

¹²and Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Shallum,

¹³and Shallum became the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah,

¹⁴and Azariah became the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah became the father of Jehozadak;

¹⁵Jehozadak went into captivity, when the Lord carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

¹⁶The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁷These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei.

¹⁸The sons of Kohath were Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.

¹⁹The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses.

²⁰Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,

²¹Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son.

²²The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,

²³Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son,

²⁴Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.

²⁵The sons of Elkanah: Amasai, and Ahimoth.

²⁶As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, and Nahath his son,

²⁷Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.

²⁸The sons of Samuel: the firstborn Joel, and the second Abijah.

²⁹The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

³⁰Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.

³¹These are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after that the ark had rest.

³²They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem: and they waited on their office according to their order.

³³These are those who waited, and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,

³⁴the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

³⁵the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

³⁶the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

³⁷the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,

³⁸the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

³⁹His brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea,

⁴⁰the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah,

⁴¹the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

⁴²the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

⁴³the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.

⁴⁴On the left hand their brothers the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,

⁴⁵the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

⁴⁶the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer,

⁴⁷the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

⁴⁸Their brothers the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

⁴⁹But Aaron and his sons offered on the altar of burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the most holy place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

⁵⁰These are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

⁵¹Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

⁵²Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

⁵³Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.

⁵⁴Now these are their dwelling places according to their encampments in their borders: to the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites (for theirs was the first lot),

⁵⁵to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah, and its suburbs around it;

⁵⁶but the fields of the city, and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

⁵⁷To the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge, Hebron; Libnah also with its suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs,

⁵⁸and Hilen with its suburbs, Debir with its suburbs,

⁵⁹and Ashan with its suburbs, and Beth Shemesh with its suburbs;

⁶⁰and out of the tribe of Benjamin, Geba with its suburbs, and Allemeth with its suburbs, and Anathoth with its suburbs. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.

⁶¹To the rest of the sons of Kohath were given by lot, out of the family of the tribe, out of the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities.

⁶²To the sons of Gershom, according to their families, out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.

⁶³To the sons of Merari were given by lot, according to their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

⁶⁴The children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities with their suburbs.

⁶⁵They gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities which are mentioned by name.

⁶⁶Some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their borders out of the tribe of Ephraim.

⁶⁷They gave to them the cities of refuge, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim with its suburbs; Gezer also with its suburbs,

⁶⁸and Jokmeam with its suburbs, and Beth Horon with its suburbs,

⁶⁹and Aijalon with its suburbs, and Gath Rimmon with its suburbs;

⁷⁰and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its suburbs, and Bileam with its suburbs, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.

⁷¹To the sons of Gershom were given, out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its suburbs, and Ashtaroth with its suburbs;

⁷²and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs,

⁷³and Ramoth with its suburbs, and Anem with its suburbs;

⁷⁴and out of the tribe of Asher, Mashal with its suburbs, and Abdon with its suburbs,

⁷⁵and Hukok with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs;

⁷⁶and out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, and Hammon with its suburbs, and Kiriathaim with its suburbs.

⁷⁷To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with its suburbs, Tabor with its suburbs;

⁷⁸and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, were given them, out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with its suburbs, and Jahzah with its suburbs,

⁷⁹and Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs;

⁸⁰and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, and Mahanaim with its suburbs,

⁸¹and Heshbon with its suburbs, and Jazer with its suburbs.

¹Of the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four.

²The sons of Tola: Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers' houses, to wit, of Tola; mighty men of valor in their generations: their number in the days of David was twenty-two thousand six hundred.

³The sons of Uzzi: Izrahiah. The sons of Izrahiah: Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Isshiah, five; all of them chief men.

⁴With them, by their generations, after their fathers' houses, were bands of the army for war, thirty-six thousand; for they had many wives and sons.

⁵Their brothers among all the families of Issachar, mighty men of valor, reckoned in all by genealogy, were eighty-seven thousand.

⁶The sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three.

⁷The sons of Bela: Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of fathers' houses, mighty men of valor; and they were reckoned by genealogy twenty-two thousand thirty-four.

⁸The sons of Becher: Zemirah, and Joash, and Eliezer, and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jeremoth, and Abijah, and Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher.

⁹They were reckoned by genealogy, after their generations, heads of their fathers' houses, mighty men of valor, twenty thousand two hundred.

¹⁰The sons of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zethan, and Tarshish, and Ahishahar.

¹¹All these were sons of Jediael, according to the heads of their fathers' houses, mighty men of valor, seventeen thousand and two hundred, who were able to go forth in the army for war.

¹²Shuppim also, and Huppim, the sons of Ir, Hushim, the sons of Aher.

¹³The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.

¹⁴The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his concubine the Aramitess bore: she bore Machir the father of Gilead:

¹⁵and Machir took a wife of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister's name was Maacah; and the name of the second was Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had daughters.

¹⁶Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she named him Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh; and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.

¹⁷The sons of Ulam: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.

¹⁸His sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod, and Abiezer, and Mahlah.

¹⁹The sons of Shemida were Ahian, and Shechem, and Likhi, and Aniam.

²⁰The sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eleadah his son, and Tahath his son,

²¹and Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath who were born in the land killed, because they came down to take away their livestock.

²²Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brothers came to comfort him.

²³He went in to his wife, and she conceived, and bore a son, and he named him Beriah, because tragedy had come to his house.

²⁴His daughter was Sheerah, who built Beth Horon the lower and the upper, and Uzzen Sheerah.

²⁵Rephah was his son, and Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son,

²⁶Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son,

²⁷Nun his son, Joshua his son.

²⁸Their possessions and habitations were Bethel and its towns, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, with its towns; Shechem also and its towns, to Azzah and its towns;

²⁹and by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Beth Shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these lived the children of Joseph the son of Israel.

³⁰The sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister.

³¹The sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith.

³²Heber became the father of Japhlet, and Shomer, and Hotham, and Shua their sister.

³³The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, and Bimhal, and Ashvath. These are the children of Japhlet.

³⁴The sons of Shemer: Ahi, and Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram.

³⁵The sons of Helem his brother: Zophah, and Imna, and Shelesh, and Amal.

³⁶The sons of Zophah: Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah,

³⁷Bezer, and Hod, and Shamma, and Shilshah, and Ithran, and Beera.

³⁸The sons of Jether: Jephunneh, and Pispa, and Ara.

³⁹The sons of Ulla: Arah, and Hanniel, and Rizia.

⁴⁰All these were the children of Asher, heads of the fathers' houses, choice and mighty men of valor, chief of the princes. The number of them reckoned by genealogy for service in war was twenty-six thousand men.

¹Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.

²"I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you this day concerning all the things that I am accused by the Judeans,

³especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

⁴"Indeed, all Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem;

⁵having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

⁶Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

⁷which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Judeans, O King!

⁸Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead?

⁹"I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁰This I also did in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them.

¹¹Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

¹²"Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,

¹³at noon, O King, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me.

¹⁴When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

¹⁵"I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' "He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

¹⁶But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things which I will reveal to you;

¹⁷delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,

¹⁸to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

¹⁹"Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

²⁰but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

²¹For this reason Jews seized me in the temple, and tried to kill me.

²²Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said would happen,

²³how the Messiah must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles."

²⁴As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!"

²⁵But he said, "I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness.

²⁶For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner.

²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."

²⁸Agrippa said to Paul, "With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?"

²⁹Paul said, "I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these bonds."

³⁰The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.

³¹When they had withdrawn, they spoke one to another, saying, "This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds."

³²Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

¹Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your loving kindness, and for your truth's sake.

²Why should the nations say, "Where is their God, now?"

³But our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases.

⁴Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

⁵They have mouths, but they do not speak. They have eyes, but they do not see.

⁶They have ears, but they do not hear. They have noses, but they do not smell.

⁷They have hands, but they do not feel. They have feet, but they do not walk, neither do they speak through their throat.

⁸Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them.

⁹Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

¹⁰House of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

¹¹You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

¹²The Lord remembers us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron.

¹³He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great.

¹⁴May the Lord increase you more and more, you and your children.

¹⁵Blessed are you by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

¹⁶The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; but the earth has he given to the children of men.

¹⁷The dead do not praise Yah, neither any who go down into silence;

¹⁸But we will bless Yah, from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!

¹A good name is more desirable than great riches, and loving favor is better than silver and gold.

²The rich and the poor have this in common: The Lord is the maker of them all.

³A prudent man sees danger, and hides himself; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

⁴The result of humility and the fear of the Lord is wealth, honor, and life.

⁵Thorns and snares are in the path of the wicked: whoever guards his soul stays from them.

⁶Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

⁷The rich rule over the poor. The borrower is servant to the lender.

⁸He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

⁹He who has a generous eye will be blessed; for he shares his food with the poor.

¹⁰Drive out the mocker, and strife will go out; yes, quarrels and insults will stop.

¹¹He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully is the king's friend.

¹²The eyes of the Lord watch over knowledge; but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

¹³The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the streets!"

¹⁴The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit: he who is under the Lord's wrath will fall into it.

¹⁵Folly is bound up in the heart of a child: the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

¹⁶Whoever oppresses the poor for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty.

¹⁷Turn your ear, and listen to the words of the wise. Apply your heart to my teaching.

¹⁸For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.

¹⁹That your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you.

²⁰Haven't I written to you thirty excellent things of counsel and knowledge,

²¹To teach you truth, reliable words, to give sound answers to the ones who sent you?

²²Do not exploit the poor, because he is poor; and do not crush the needy in court;

²³for the Lord will plead their case, and plunder the life of those who plunder them.

²⁴Do not befriend a hot-tempered man, and do not associate with one who harbors anger:

²⁵lest you learn his ways, and ensnare your soul.

²⁶Do not be one of those who strike hands, of those who are collateral for debts.

²⁷If you do not have means to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?

²⁸Do not move the ancient boundary stone, which your fathers have set up.

²⁹Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve kings. He won't serve obscure men.