the Third Week after Easter
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
May 20 - Old & New Testament
niv
2 Samuel 23,24
David's Last Words
1 These are the last words of David:
"The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,
the utterance of the man exalted(a) by the Most High,
the man anointed(b) by the God of Jacob,
the hero of Israel's songs:
2 "The Spirit(c) of the
Lord
spoke through me;
his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock(d) of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,(e)
when he rules in the fear(f) of God,(g)
4 he is like the light(h) of morning(i) at sunrise(j)
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain(k)
that brings grass from the earth.'
5 "If my house were not right with God,
surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,(l)
arranged and secured in every part;
surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
and grant me my every desire.
6 But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,(m)
which are not gathered with the hand.
7 Whoever touches thorns
uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;
they are burned up where they lie."
David's Mighty Warriors(n)
8 These are the names of David's mighty warriors:(o)
Josheb-Basshebeth,[a](p) a Tahkemonite,[b] was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed[c] in one encounter.
9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai(q) the Ahohite.(r) As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim[d] for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.
11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam,(s) while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.(t) 14 At that time David was in the stronghold,(u) and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.(v) 15 David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!" 16 So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured(w) it out before the Lord . 17 "Far be it from me, Lord , to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood(x) of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.
18 Abishai(y) the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three.[e] He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 19 Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them.
20 Benaiah(z) son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel,(aa) performed great exploits. He struck down Moab's two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
24 Among the Thirty were:
Asahel(ab) the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
25 Shammah the Harodite,(ac)
Elika the Harodite,
26 Helez(ad) the Paltite,
Ira(ae) son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,
27 Abiezer(af) from Anathoth,(ag)
Sibbekai[f] the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite,
Maharai(ah) the Netophathite,(ai)
29 Heled[g](aj) son of Baanah the Netophathite,
Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah(ak) in Benjamin,
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite,(al)
Hiddai[h] from the ravines of Gaash,(am)
31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite,
Azmaveth the Barhumite,(an)
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
the sons of Jashen,
Jonathan 33 son of[i] Shammah the Hararite,
Ahiam son of Sharar[j] the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite,(ao)
Eliam(ap) son of Ahithophel(aq) the Gilonite,
35 Hezro the Carmelite,(ar)
Paarai the Arbite,
36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah,(as)
the son of Hagri,[k]
37 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite,(at) the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite,(au)
Gareb the Ithrite
39 and Uriah(av) the Hittite.
There were thirty-seven in all.
David Enrolls the Fighting Men(a)
1 Again(b) the anger of the Lord burned against Israel,(c) and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of(d) Israel and Judah."
2 So the king said to Joab(e) and the army commanders[a] with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba(f) and enroll(g) the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are."
3 But Joab(h) replied to the king, "May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over,(i) and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?"
4 The king's word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.
5 After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer,(j) south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.(k) 6 They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.(l) 7 Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre(m) and all the towns of the Hivites(n) and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba(o) in the Negev(p) of Judah.
8 After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.(q)
10 David was conscience-stricken(r) after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord , "I have sinned(s) greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord , I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.(t)"
11 Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad(u) the prophet, David's seer:(v) 12 "Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.'"
13 So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come on you three[b] years of famine(w) in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague(x) in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me."
14 David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord , for his mercy(y) is great; but do not let me fall into human hands."
15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.(z) 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented(aa) concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the Lord (ab) was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord , "I have sinned; I, the shepherd,[c] have done wrong. These are but sheep.(ac) What have they done?(ad) Let your hand fall on me and my family."(ae)
David Builds an Altar(af)
18 On that day Gad went to David and said to him, "Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah(ag) the Jebusite." 19 So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
21 Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?"
"To buy your threshing floor," David answered, "so I can build an altar to the Lord , that the plague on the people may be stopped."(ah)
22 Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen(ai) for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah[d] gives(aj) all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the Lord your God accept you."
24 But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."(ak)
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels[e](al) of silver for them. 25 David built an altar(am) to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer(an) in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
John 6:41-71
Chapter 6
41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42 They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph,(au) whose father and mother we know?(av) How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven' ?"(aw)
43 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,(ax) and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.'[d](ay) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;(az) only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.(ba) 48 I am the bread of life.(bb) 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.(bc) 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,(bd) which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread(be) that came down from heaven.(bf) Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."(bg)
52 Then the Jews(bh) began to argue sharply among themselves,(bi) "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53 Jesus said to them, "Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh(bj) of the Son of Man(bk) and drink his blood,(bl) you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.(bm) 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.(bn) 57 Just as the living Father sent me(bo) and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."(bp) 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples(bq) said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"(br)
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?(bs) 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man(bt) ascend to where he was before!(bu) 63 The Spirit gives life;(bv) the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[e] and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known(bw) from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.(bx) 65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them."(by)
66 From this time many of his disciples(bz) turned back and no longer followed him.
67 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.(ca)
68 Simon Peter answered him,(cb) "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.(cc) 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."(cd)
70 Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you,(ce) the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!"(cf) 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,(cg) who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)(ch)
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