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Daily Bible Reading
August 14 - Old & New Testament
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1 Chronicles 10,11,12
The Deaths of Saul and His Sons
1 The Philistines(a) fought against Israel, and Israel's men fled from them and were killed on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and killed Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. 3 When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers found him and severely wounded him. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!" But his armor-bearer wouldn't do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died. 6 So Saul and his three sons died—his whole house died together.
7 When all the men of Israel in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. So the Philistines came and settled in them.
8 The next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa. 9 They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news to their idols and their people. 10 Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his skull in the temple of Dagon.(b)
11 When all Jabesh-gilead heard of everything the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their brave men set out and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak[a] in Jabesh(c) and fasted seven days.
13 Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord because he did not keep the Lord 's word.(d) He even consulted a medium for guidance,(e) 14 but he did not inquire of the Lord . So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.(f)
David's Anointing as King
1 All Israel(a) came together to David at Hebron and said, "Here we are, your own flesh and blood.[a] 2 Even when Saul was king, you led us out to battle and brought us back. The Lord your God also said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel and be ruler over My people Israel.'"
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the Lord 's presence, and they anointed David king over Israel, in keeping with the Lord 's word through Samuel.(b)
David's Capture of Jerusalem
4 David(c) and all Israel marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus(d)); the Jebusites who inhabited the land were there. 5 The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You will never get in here." Yet David did capture the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
6 David said, "Whoever is the first to kill a Jebusite will become chief commander." Joab(e) son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became the chief.
7 Then David took up residence in the stronghold; therefore, it was called the city of David. 8 He built up the city all the way around, from the supporting terraces to the surrounding parts, and Joab restored the rest of the city. 9 David steadily grew more powerful,(f) and the Lord of Hosts was with him.
Exploits of David's Warriors
10 The following were the chiefs of David's warriors who, together with all Israel, strongly supported him in his reign to make him king according to the Lord 's word about Israel.(g) 11 This(h) is the list of David's warriors:
Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief(i) of the Thirty;[b] he wielded his spear against 300 and killed them at one time.
12 After him, Eleazar son of Dodo(j) the Ahohite was one of the three warriors. 13 He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines had gathered there for battle. There was a portion of a field full of barley, where the troops had fled from the Philistines.(k) 14 But Eleazar and David[c] took their stand in the middle of the field and defended it. They killed the Philistines, and the Lord gave them a great victory.
15 Three of the 30 chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam,(l) while the Philistine army was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.(m) 16 At that time David was in the stronghold,(n) and a Philistine garrison(o) was at Bethlehem. 17 David was extremely thirsty[d] and said, "If only someone would bring me water to drink from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem!" 18 So the Three broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem. They brought it back to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord . 19 David said, "I would never do such a thing in the presence of God! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?" For they brought it at the risk of their lives. So he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.
20 Abishai,(p) Joab's brother, was the leader of the Three.[e] He raised his spear against 300 men and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three. 21 He was more honored than the Three and became their commander even though he did not become one of the Three.
22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada(q) was the son of a brave man[f] from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. Benaiah killed two sons of Ariel of Moab,[g] and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 23 He also killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall.[h] Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand like a weaver's beam,(r) Benaiah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and then killed him with his own spear. 24 These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who had a reputation among the three warriors. 25 He was the most honored of the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
26 The fighting men(s) were:
Joab's brother Asahel,(t)
Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
27 Shammoth the Harorite,
Helez the Pelonite,
28 Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
Abiezer the Anathothite,
29 Sibbecai the Hushathite,
Ilai the Ahohite,
30 Maharai the Netophathite,
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,
31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites,
Benaiah the Pirathonite,
32 Hurai from the wadis of Gaash,
Abiel the Arbathite,
33 Azmaveth the Baharumite,
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
34 the sons of[i](u) Hashem the Gizonite,
Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,
35 Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite,
Eliphal son of Ur,
36 Hepher the Mecherathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,
37 Hezro the Carmelite,
Naarai son of Ezbai,
38 Joel the brother of Nathan,
Mibhar son of Hagri,
39 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer for Joab son of Zeruiah,
40 Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
41 Uriah the Hittite,
Zabad son of Ahlai,
42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, chief of the Reubenites, and 30 with him,
43 Hanan son of Maacah,
Joshaphat the Mithnite,
44 Uzzia the Ashterathite,
Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
45 Jediael son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite,
46 Eliel the Mahavite,
Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam,
Ithmah the Moabite,
47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
David's First Supporters
1 The following were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still banned from the presence of Saul son of Kish.(a) They were among the warriors who helped him in battle. 2 They were archers who could use either the right or left hand, both to sling stones and shoot arrows from a bow.(b) They were Saul's relatives(c) from Benjamin:
3 Their chief was Ahiezer son of Shemaah the Gibeathite.
Then there was his brother Joash;
Jeziel and Pelet sons of Azmaveth;
Beracah, Jehu the Anathothite;
4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty;
[a]Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite;
5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite;
6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;
7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were fighting men, trained for battle, expert with shield and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.(d)
9 Ezer was the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third,
10 Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth,
11 Attai sixth, Eliel seventh,
12 Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth,
13 Jeremiah tenth, and Machbannai eleventh.
14 These Gadites were army commanders; the least of them was a match for a hundred, and the greatest of them for a thousand.(e) 15 These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month[b] when it was overflowing all its banks,(f) and put to flight all those in the valleys to the east and to the west.
16 Other Benjaminites and men from Judah also went to David at the stronghold.(g) 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, "If you have come in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my enemies even though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our ancestors look on it and judge."
18 Then the Spirit took control of[c](h) Amasai,(i) chief of the Thirty, and he said:
We are yours, David,
we are with you, son of Jesse!
Peace, peace to you,
and peace to him who helps you,(j)
for your God helps you.
So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.
19 Some Manassites defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. However, they did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers sent David away after a discussion. They said, "It will be our heads if he defects to his master Saul."(k) 20 When David went to Ziklag, some men from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against the raiders,(l) for they were all brave warriors and commanders in the army. 22 At that time, men came day after day to help David until there was a great army, like an army of God.[d](m)
David's Soldiers in Hebron
23 The numbers of the armed troops who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul's kingdom over to him,(n) according to the Lord 's word,(o) were as follows:
24 From the Judahites: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears.
25 From the Simeonites: 7,100 brave warriors ready for war.
26 From the Levites: 4,600
27 in addition to Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men;
28 and Zadok,(p) a young brave warrior, with 22 commanders from his own ancestral house.
29 From the Benjaminites, the relatives of Saul:(q) 3,000 (up to that time the majority of the Benjaminites maintained their allegiance to the house of Saul).
30 From the Ephraimites: 20,800 brave warriors who were famous men in their ancestral houses.
31 From half the tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king.
32 From the Issacharites, who understood the times(r) and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their relatives under their command.
33 From Zebulun: 50,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, with one purpose(s) to help David.[e]
34 From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.
35 From the Danites: 28,600 trained for battle.
36 From Asher: 40,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle.
37 From across the Jordan—from the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: 120,000 men equipped with all the military weapons of war.
38 All these warriors, lined up in battle formation, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of Israel was also of one mind to make David king.(t) 39 They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. 40 In addition, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came and brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant provisions of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine and oil, oxen, and sheep.(u) Indeed, there was joy in Israel.
1 Corinthians 8
Chapter 8
Food Offered to Idols
1 About food offered to idols:(a) We know that "we all have knowledge."[a] Knowledge inflates with pride,(b) but love(c) builds up. 2 If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it.(d) 3 But if anyone loves God,(e) he is known(f) by Him.
4 About eating food offered to idols, then, we know that "an idol is nothing in the world," and that "there is no God but one."(g) 5 For even if there are so-called gods,(h) whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many "gods" and many "lords"—
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father.(i)
All things are from Him,(j)
and we exist for Him.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ.
All things are through Him,
and we exist through Him.(k)
7 However, not everyone has this knowledge. In fact, some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food offered to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not make us acceptable to God. We are not inferior if we don't eat, and we are not better if we do eat.(l) 9 But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block(m) to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, the one who has this knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, won't his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols? 11 Then the weak person, the brother for whom Christ died,(n) is ruined[b](o) by your knowledge.(p) 12 Now when you sin like this against the brothers and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to fall, I will never again eat meat,(q) so that I won't cause my brother to fall.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
