Today's Reading

¹David spoke to the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

²and he said, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;

³God, my rock, in him I will take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge. My savior, you save me from violence.

⁴I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from my enemies.

⁵For the waves of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁶The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death caught me.

⁷In my distress I called on the Lord. Yes, I called to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry came into his ears.

⁸Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.

⁹Smoke went up out of his nostrils. Fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.

¹⁰He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.

¹¹He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he was seen on the wings of the wind.

¹²He made darkness pavilions around himself: gathering of waters, and thick clouds of the skies.

¹³At the brightness before him, coals of fire were kindled.

¹⁴The Lord thundered from heaven. The Most High uttered his voice.

¹⁵He sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and confused them.

¹⁶Then the channels of the sea appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare by the rebuke of the Lord, At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

¹⁷He sent from on high and he took me. He drew me out of many waters.

¹⁸He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁹They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.

²⁰He also brought me out into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²¹The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness. He rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands.

²²For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

²³For all his ordinances were before me. As for his statutes, I did not depart from them.

²⁴I was also perfect toward him. I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁵Therefore the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in his eyesight.

²⁶With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man you will show yourself perfect.

²⁷With the pure you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

²⁸You will save the afflicted people, But your eyes are on the proud, that you may bring them down.

²⁹For you are my lamp, Lord. The Lord will light up my darkness.

³⁰For by you, I run against a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.

³¹As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tested. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

³²For who is God, besides the Lord? Who is a rock, besides our God?

³³God is my strong fortress. He makes my way perfect.

³⁴He makes his feet like hinds' feet, and sets me on my high places.

³⁵He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of brass.

³⁶You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your gentleness has made me great.

³⁷You have enlarged my steps under me. My feet have not slipped.

³⁸I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them. I did not turn again until they were consumed.

³⁹I have consumed them, and struck them through, so that they can't arise. Yes, they have fallen under my feet.

⁴⁰For you have armed me with strength for the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴¹You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.

⁴²They looked, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

⁴³Then I beat them as small as the dust of the earth. I crushed them as the mire of the streets, and spread them abroad.

⁴⁴You also have delivered me from the strivings of my people. You have kept me to be the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known will serve me.

⁴⁵The foreigners will submit themselves to me. As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me.

⁴⁶The foreigners will fade away, and will come trembling out of their close places.

⁴⁷The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock! Exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,

⁴⁸even the God who executes vengeance for me, who brings down peoples under me,

⁴⁹who brings me away from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.

⁵⁰Therefore I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the nations. Will sing praises to your name.

⁵¹He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, forevermore."

¹Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse says, the man who was raised on high says, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:

²"The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me. His word was on my tongue.

³The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, 'One who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God,

⁴shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through clear shining after rain.'

⁵Most certainly my house is not so with God, yet he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure, for it is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he doesn't make it grow.

⁶But all of the ungodly shall be as thorns to be thrust away, because they can't be taken with the hand,

⁷But the man who touches them must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear. They shall be utterly burned with fire in their place."

⁸These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb Basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.

⁹After him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines who were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away.

¹⁰He arose, and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand froze to the sword; and the Lord worked a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take spoil.

¹¹After him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. The Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines.

¹²But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and killed the Philistines; and the Lord worked a great victory.

¹³Three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

¹⁴David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

¹⁵David longed, and said, "Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!"

¹⁶The three mighty men 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 he would not drink of it, but poured it out to the Lord.

¹⁷He said, "Be it far from me, Lord, that I should do this! Isn't it the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. The three mighty men did these things.

¹⁸Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. He lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name among the three.

¹⁹Wasn't he most honorable of the three? Therefore he was made their captain: however he did not attain to the three.

²⁰Benaiah 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.

²¹He killed an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but 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.

²²Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and had a name among the three mighty men.

²³He was more honorable than the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. David set him over his guard.

²⁴Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

²⁵Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

²⁶Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

²⁷Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

²⁸Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

²⁹Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,

³⁰Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash.

³¹Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

³²Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

³³Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite,

³⁴Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

³⁵Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

³⁶Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

³⁷Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armor bearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah,

³⁸Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

³⁹Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

¹Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, "Go, number Israel and Judah."

²The king said to Joab the captain of the army, who was with him, "Now go back and forth through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the sum of the people."

³Joab said to the king, "Now may the Lord your God add to the people, however many they may be, one hundred times; and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king delight in this thing?"

⁴Notwithstanding, the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the army. Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.

⁵They passed over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and to Jazer:

⁶then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; and they came to Dan Jaan, and around to Sidon,

⁷and came to the stronghold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, at Beersheba.

⁸So when they had gone back and forth through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

⁹Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

¹⁰David's heart struck him after that he had numbered the people. David said to the Lord, "I have sinned greatly in that which I have done. But now, Lord, put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant; for I have done very foolishly."

¹¹When David rose up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

¹²"Go and speak to David, 'Thus says the Lord, "I offer you three things. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you."'"

¹³So Gad came to David, and told him, and said to him, "Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now answer, and consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me."

¹⁴David said to Gad, "I am in distress. Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great. Let me not fall into the hand of man."

¹⁵So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning even to the appointed time; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

¹⁶When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough. Now stay your hand." The angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁷David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who struck the people, and said, "Behold, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me, and against my father's house."

¹⁸Gad came that day to David, and said to him, "Go up, build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."

¹⁹David went up according to the saying of Gad, as the Lord commanded.

²⁰Araunah looked out, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. Then Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

²¹Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" David said, "To buy your threshing floor, to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people."

²²Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Behold, the cattle for the burnt offering, and the threshing instruments and the yokes of the oxen for the wood:

²³all this, king, does Araunah give to the king." Araunah said to the king, "May the Lord your God accept you."

²⁴The king said to Araunah, "No; but I will most certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

²⁵David built an altar to the Lord there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

¹Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the church which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

²Devout men buried Stephen, and lamented greatly over him.

³But Saul ravaged the church, entering into every house, and dragged both men and women off to prison.

⁴Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around proclaiming the word.

⁵Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Messiah.

⁶The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs which he did.

⁷For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

⁸There was great joy in that city.

⁹But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city, and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one,

¹⁰to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is that power of God which is called Great."

¹¹They listened to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.

¹²But when they believed Philip proclaiming good news concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

¹³Simon himself also believed. Being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed.

¹⁴Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

¹⁵who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit;

¹⁶for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

¹⁷Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,

¹⁹saying, "Give me also this power, that whomever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit."

²⁰But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

²¹You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.

²²Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask the Lord if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

²³For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity."

²⁴Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me."

²⁵They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the Samaritans.

²⁶But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert."

²⁷He arose and went; and behold, there was a man from Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship.

²⁸He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹The Spirit said to Philip, "Go near, and join yourself to this chariot."

³⁰Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

³¹He said, "How can I, unless someone explains it to me?" He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.

³²Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth.

³³In his humiliation, justice was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth."

³⁴The eunuch answered Philip, "Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?"

³⁵Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him Jesus.

³⁶As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?" [

³⁷Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' He answered, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.]

³⁸He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing.

⁴⁰But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.

¹The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice! Let the multitude of islands be glad!

²Clouds and darkness are around him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

³A fire goes before him, and burns up his adversaries on every side.

⁴His lightning lights up the world. The earth sees, and trembles.

⁵The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

⁶The heavens declare his righteousness. All the peoples have seen his glory.

⁷Let all them be shamed who serve engraved images, who boast in their idols. Worship him, all you gods!

⁸Zion heard and was glad. The daughters of Judah rejoiced, because of your judgments, Lord.

⁹For you, Lord, are most high above all the earth. You are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰You who love the Lord, hate evil. He preserves the souls of his holy ones. He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

¹¹Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.

¹²Be glad in the Lord, you righteous people! Give thanks to his holy Name.

¹Listen, sons, to a father's instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;

²for I give you sound learning. Do not forsake my law.

³For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.

⁴He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.

⁵Get wisdom. Get understanding. Do not forget, neither swerve from the words of my mouth.

⁶Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.

⁷Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.

⁸Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor, when you embrace her.

⁹She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you."

¹⁰Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.

¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.

¹²When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take firm hold of instruction. Do not let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter into the path of the wicked. Do not walk in the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, and do not pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.

¹⁶For they do not sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what they stumble over.

²⁰My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.

²¹Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.

²³Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.

²⁴Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.

²⁶Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.

²⁷Do not turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.