Today's Reading

¹Then all Israel gathered themselves to David to Hebron, saying, "Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

²In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. The Lord your God said to you, 'You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over my people Israel.'"

³So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel.

⁴David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (the same is Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there.

⁵The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You shall not come in here." Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion. The same is the city of David.

⁶David said, "Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain." Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was made chief.

⁷David lived in the stronghold; therefore they called it the city of David.

⁸He built the city all around, from Millo even around; and Joab repaired the rest of the city.

⁹David grew greater and greater; for the Lord of hosts was with him.

¹⁰Now these are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who showed themselves strong with him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.

¹¹This is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, the chief of the thirty; he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them at one time.

¹²After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men.

¹³He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where there was a plot of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.

¹⁴They stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and killed the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great victory.

¹⁵Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

¹⁶David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

¹⁷David longed, and said, "Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!"

¹⁸The three broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the Lord,

¹⁹and said, "My God forbid it me, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy?" For they risked their lives to bring it. Therefore he would not drink it. The three mighty men did these things.

²⁰Abishai, the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three; for he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name among the three.

²¹Of the three, he was more honorable than the two, and was made their captain: however he did not attain to the three.

²²Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down also and killed a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.

²³He killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.

²⁴Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and had a name among the three mighty men.

²⁵Behold, he was more honorable than the thirty, but he did not attain to the three: and David set him over his guard.

²⁶Also the mighty men of the armies: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

²⁷Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,

²⁸Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite,

²⁹Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

³⁰Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite,

³¹Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

³²Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

³³Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

³⁴the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite,

³⁵Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur,

³⁶Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

³⁷Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai,

³⁸Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri,

³⁹Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,

⁴⁰Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

⁴¹Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai,

⁴²Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,

⁴³Hanan the son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite,

⁴⁴Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,

⁴⁵Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite,

⁴⁶Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite,

⁴⁷Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

¹Now these are those who came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, his helpers in war.

²They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow: they were of Saul's brothers of Benjamin.

³The chief was Ahiezer; then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite, and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah, and Jehu the Anathothite,

⁴and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty, and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite,

⁵Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite,

⁶Elkanah, and Isshiah, and Azarel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites,

⁷and Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸Of the Gadites there separated themselves to David to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the roes on the mountains;

⁹Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,

¹⁰Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

¹¹Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

¹²Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

¹³Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh.

¹⁴These of the sons of Gad were captains of the army: he who was least was equal to one hundred, and the greatest to one thousand.

¹⁵These are those who went over the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east, and toward the west.

¹⁶There came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the stronghold to David.

¹⁷David went out to meet them, and answered them, "If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart shall be knit to you; but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it."

¹⁸Then the Spirit came on Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, and he said, "We are yours, David, and on your side, you son of Jesse: peace, peace be to you, and peace be to your helpers; for your God helps you." Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.

¹⁹Of Manasseh also there fell away some to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle; but they did not help them; for the lords of the Philistines sent him away after consultation, saying, "He will fall away to his master Saul to the jeopardy of our heads."

²⁰As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands who were of Manasseh.

²¹They helped David against the band of rovers: for they were all mighty men of valor, and were captains in the army.

²²For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like the army of God.

²³These are the numbers of the heads of those who were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord.

²⁴The children of Judah who bore shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, armed for war.

²⁵Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war, seven thousand and one hundred.

²⁶Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred.

²⁷Jehoiada was the leader of the household of Aaron; and with him were three thousand and seven hundred,

²⁸and Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father's house twenty-two captains.

²⁹Of the children of Benjamin, the brothers of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul.

³⁰Of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers' houses.

³¹Of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by name, to come and make David king.

³²Of the children of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their heads were two hundred; and all their brothers were at their commandment.

³³Of Zebulun, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array, with all kinds of instruments of war, fifty thousand, and who could command and were not of double heart.

³⁴Of Naphtali one thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty-seven thousand.

³⁵Of the Danites who could set the battle in array, twenty-eight thousand six hundred.

³⁶Of Asher, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array, forty thousand.

³⁷On the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all kinds of instruments of war for the battle, one hundred twenty thousand.

³⁸All these being men of war, who could order the battle array, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

³⁹They were there with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brothers had made preparation for them.

⁴⁰Moreover those who were near to them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on donkeys, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, food of meal, cakes of figs, and clusters of raisins, and wine, and oil, and cattle, and sheep in abundance: for there was joy in Israel.

¹David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, even with every leader.

²David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us send abroad everywhere to our brothers who are left in all the land of Israel, with whom the priests and Levites are in their cities that have suburbs, that they may gather themselves to us;

³and let us bring again the ark of our God to us. For we did not seek it in the days of Saul."

⁴All the assembly said that they would do so; for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

⁵So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor the brook of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.

⁶David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord that sits above the cherubim, that is called by the Name.

⁷They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.

⁸David and all Israel played before God with all their might, even with songs, and with harps, and with stringed instruments, and with tambourines, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

⁹When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.

¹⁰The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he struck him, because he put forth his hand to the ark; and there he died before God.

¹¹David was displeased, because the Lord had broken forth on Uzza; and he called that place Perez Uzza, to this day.

¹²David was afraid of God that day, saying, "How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?"

¹³So David did not move the ark to him into the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

¹⁴The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months: and the Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that he had.

¹When we had escaped, then we learned that the island was called Malta.

²The natives showed us uncommon kindness; for they kindled a fire, and received us all, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.

³But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and placed them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

⁴When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said one to another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice has not allowed to live."

⁵However he shook off the creature into the fire, and was not harmed.

⁶But they expected that he would have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but when they watched for a long time and saw nothing bad happen to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

⁷Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us, and courteously entertained us for three days.

⁸It happened that the father of Publius lay sick of fever and dysentery. Paul entered in to him, prayed, and laying his hands on him, healed him.

⁹Then when this was done, the rest also who had diseases in the island came, and were cured.

¹⁰They also honored us with many honors, and when we sailed, they put on board the things that we needed.

¹¹After three months, we set sail in a ship of Alexandria which had wintered in the island, whose sign was "The Twin Brothers."

¹²Touching at Syracuse, we stayed there three days.

¹³From there we weighed anchor and arrived at Rhegium. After one day, a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli,

¹⁴where we found brothers, and were entreated to stay with them for seven days. So we came to Rome.

¹⁵From there the brothers, when they heard of us, came to meet us as far as The Market of Appius and The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God, and took courage.

¹⁶When we entered into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him.

¹⁷It happened that after three days Paul called together those who were the Jewish leaders. When they had come together, he said to them, "I, brothers, though I had done nothing against the people, or the customs of our fathers, still was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,

¹⁸who, when they had examined me, desired to set me free, because there was no cause of death in me.

¹⁹But when the Judeans spoke against it, I was constrained to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything about which to accuse my nation.

²⁰For this cause therefore I asked to see you and to speak with you. For because of the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."

²¹They said to him, "We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor did any of the brothers come here and report or speak any evil of you.

²²But we desire to hear from you what you think. For, as concerning this sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against."

²³When they had appointed him a day, many people came to him at his lodging. He explained to them, testifying about the Kingdom of God, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.

²⁴Some believed the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.

²⁵When they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had spoken one word, "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah, the prophet, to your fathers,

²⁶saying, 'Go to this people, and say, in hearing, you will hear, but will in no way understand. In seeing, you will see, but will in no way perceive.

²⁷For this people's heart has grown callous. Their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again, and I would heal them.'

²⁸"Be it known therefore to you, that the salvation of God is sent to the nations. They will also listen." [

²⁹When he had said these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.]

³⁰Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who were coming to him,

³¹proclaiming the Kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, without hindrance.

¹Praise the Lord, all you nations! Praise him, all you peoples!

²For his loving kindness is great toward us. The Lord's faithfulness endures forever. Praise Yah!

¹Do not be envious of evil men; neither desire to be with them:

²for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about mischief.

³Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established;

⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure.

⁵A wise man has great power; and a knowledgeable man increases strength;

⁶for by wise guidance you wage your war; and victory is in many advisors.

⁷Wisdom is too high for a fool: he doesn't open his mouth in the gate.

⁸One who plots to do evil will be called a schemer.

⁹The schemes of folly are sin. The mocker is detested by men.

¹⁰If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.

¹¹Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!

¹²If you say, "Behold, we did not know this;" doesn't he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn't he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?

¹³My son, eat honey, for it is good; the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to your taste:

¹⁴so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul; if you have found it, then there will be a reward, your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁵Do not lie in wait, wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous. Do not destroy his resting place:

¹⁶for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

¹⁷Do not rejoice when your enemy falls. Do not let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;

¹⁸lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

¹⁹Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; neither be envious of the wicked:

²⁰for there will be no reward to the evil man; and the lamp of the wicked shall be snuffed out.

²¹My son, fear the Lord and the king. Do not join those who are rebellious:

²²for their calamity will rise suddenly; the destruction from them both-who knows?

²³These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.

²⁴He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous;" peoples shall curse him, and nations shall abhor him-

²⁵but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a rich blessing will come on them.

²⁶An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

²⁷Prepare your work outside, and get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your house.

²⁸Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause. Do not deceive with your lips.

²⁹Do not say, "I will do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."

³⁰I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

³¹Behold, it was all grown over with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.

³²Then I saw, and considered well. I saw, and received instruction:

³³a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep;

³⁴so your poverty will come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.