Day 143 – May 23, 2022

1 Chronicles 11:10-13:14

¹⁰ Now these were the heads of the mighty men whom David had with him, who strengthened themselves in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord regarding Israel. ¹¹ And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam the son of a Hachmonite, chief of the captains; he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them at one time. ¹² After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at Pasdammim, and the Philistines gathered there for battle, near a field full of barley. And the people fled from the sight of the Philistines. ¹⁴ And he stood in the midst of the field and preserved it, and killed the Philistines. The Lord brought about a great deliverance.
¹⁵ Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock towards David, to the cave of Adullam. The encampment of the Philistines was set up in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁷ And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” ¹⁸ So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem by the gate, and took it and brought some to David. Nevertheless, David did not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. ¹⁹ And he said, “God be merciful to me. Should I do what was spoken? Shall I drink the blood of these men with their lives? For they brought it with their lives in peril.” Therefore he was not willing to drink it. The three mighty men did these things.
  ²⁰ Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another three. He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. ²¹ Of the three he was more favored than the other two men, and was chief over them. But of the three of them, he did not go. ²² Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two ruffians of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. ²³ And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the hand of the Egyptian there was a spear like a weaver’s beam, and he went down to him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. ²⁵ Indeed, he was honored more than this thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his family.
²⁶ And the mighty warriors were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ²⁷ Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, ²⁸ Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, ²⁹ Sibbechai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, ³⁰ Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹ Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, ³² Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, ³³ Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴ the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, ³⁵ Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite (the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴² Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and thirty with him, ⁴³ Hanan the son of Maachah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, ⁴⁵ Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, 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 Army Expands
​¹ Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish. They were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, ² being armed with bows for shooting arrows and using either the right hand or the left for slinging stones. They were of Benjamin, Saul’s brethren. ³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah and Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴ Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; ⁵ Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁶ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁷ Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; ⁸ and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.
⁹ Some Gadites joined David in the wilderness, strong, mighty men of war, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains: ¹⁰ Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, ¹¹ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, ¹² Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, ¹³ Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, ¹⁴ Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh. ¹⁵ These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand. ¹⁶ These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
¹⁷ Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to aid David at the stronghold. ¹⁸ David went out and met them, and addressed them by saying, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no guile in my hands, may the God of our fathers observe and bring judgment.”
  ¹⁹ And the Spirit came upon Amasai, a captain of the thirty, and he said:
“Go, you and your people,
David, son of Jesse,
Peace, peace be to you,
And peace to your helpers,
For your God has helped you.”
And David received them and made them captains of the forces.
²⁰ And some from Manasseh defected to David when he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement, saying, “He may defect to his master Saul and endanger our heads.” ²¹ When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh. ²² And they helped David against the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. ²³ For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God.
The Soldiers at Hebron
²⁴ Now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war and that came to David at Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, according to the word of the Lord: ²⁵ of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred armed for war; ²⁶ of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor fit for war, seven thousand one hundred; ²⁷ of the sons of Levi, four thousand six hundred; ²⁸ Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him three thousand seven hundred; ²⁹ Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his father’s house, twenty-two captains; ³⁰ of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, three thousand—until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul; ³¹ of the sons of Ephraim, twenty thousand eight hundred mighty men of valor, noted men throughout the house of their fathers; ³² of the half-tribe of Manasseh, eighteen thousand who were designated by name to come and make David king; ³³ of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred, and all their brethren were at their command; ³⁴ of Zebulun, there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks; ³⁵ of Naphtali, one thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear; ³⁶ of the Danites who could keep battle formation, twenty-eight thousand six hundred; ³⁷ of Asher, those who could go out to war, able to keep battle formation, forty thousand; ³⁸ of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, from the other side of the Jordan, one hundred twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war.
³⁹ All these men of war who could keep ranks came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king. ⁴⁰ All these men of war who could keep ranks in a peaceful spirit came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel; and they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them. ⁴¹ Moreover those who were near to them, from as far away as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys and camels, on mules and oxen; provisions of flour, cakes of figs, cakes of raisins, wine, oil, and oxen and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.
  The Ark Is Moved from Kirjath-Jearim
​¹ Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, with every leader. ² And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it is of the Lord our God and it seems good to you, let us send to our brethren remaining in all of Israel, and to the priests, the Levites who are with them in the cities of their possession, so they may gather together with us. ³ And let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not sought it since the days of Saul.” ⁴ Then all the assembly said they would do so, for this thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
⁵ So David summoned an assembly of all Israel, from the boundaries of Egypt to as far as the entrance of Hamath, to carry in the ark of God from the city of Kirjath-Jearim. ⁶ David brought it up, and all Israel went up to the city of David, which belonged to Judah, to bring up the ark of God the Lord, who rests between the cherubim, whose name is proclaimed by it. ⁷ So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Aminadab; Uzza and his brothers drove the cart. ⁸ Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their strength, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets.
⁹ And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen stumbled. ¹⁰ Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand upon the ark. He died there before God. ¹¹ And David became disheartened regarding the Lord’s action against Uzza, and called that place Perez-Uzza until this day.
¹² David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How shall I bring the ark of God home by myself?” ¹³ So David would not move the ark by himself into the City of David, but had it taken aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹⁴ The 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 he had.

Psalm 117:1–16

​¹ Alleluia.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

For His mercy endures forever.

² Let the house of Israel say that He is good,

For His mercy endures forever.

³ Let the house of Aaron say that He is good,

For His mercy endures forever.

⁴ Let all who fear the Lord say that He is good,

For His mercy endures forever.

⁵ In affliction I called upon the Lord,

And He heard me in a broad place.

⁶ The Lord is my helper;

I shall not be afraid of what man will do to me.

⁷ The Lord is my helper;

I shall look upon my enemies.

⁸ It is good to trust in the Lord

Rather than to trust in man;

⁹ It is good to hope in the Lord

Rather than to hope in rulers.

¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me,

But in the name of the Lord I defended myself against them;

¹¹ They circled and surrounded me,

But in the name of the Lord I defended myself against them;

¹² They surrounded me like bees around a honeycomb,

And they were inflamed like fire in a thorn bush;

But in the name of the Lord I defended myself against them.

¹³ I was shoved and disheartened, that I might fall,

But the Lord took hold of me.

¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my song,

And He became my salvation.

¹⁵ The sound of exceeding joy and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;

The right hand of the Lord worked its power;

¹⁶ The right hand of the Lord exalted me;

The right hand of the Lord worked its power.

Proverbs 25:6–11

⁶ Do not brag on yourself in the presence of the king,

Neither stand in the places of princes;

⁷ For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up to me,”

Than for you to be humbled in the presence of a prince.

⁸ Speak the things your eyes see.

⁹ Do not enter into a quarrel quickly,

That you may not be sorry in the end.

¹⁰ When your friend reproaches you,

Retreat and do not despise him,

¹¹ Lest your friend continue to reproach you,

And your quarrel and enmity shall not depart,

But be equal to death for you.

John 7:37-8:2

³⁷ On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
³⁸ “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
³⁹ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Who Is He?
⁴⁰ Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.”
⁴¹ Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee?
⁴² “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”
⁴³ So there was a division among the people because of Him.
⁴⁴ Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
Rejected by the Authorities
⁴⁵ Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”
⁴⁶ The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!”
⁴⁷ Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived?
⁴⁸ “Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?
⁴⁹ “But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”
⁵⁰ Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them,
⁵¹ “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”
⁵² They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”
  An Adulteress Faces the Light of the World
⁵³ And everyone went to his own house.
​¹ But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
² Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.