1 Chronicles 14:1-16:35
1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent to David messengers, cedar trees, masons, and carpenters to build him a house. 2 So David knew the Lord had established him as king over Israel, for his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel.
3 Then David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David begot more sons and daughters. 4 And these are the names of his children whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
David Defeats the Philistines
8 Now when the Philistines heard David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David. When David heard of it, he went out to meet them. 9 But the Philistines came and raided the Valley of the Giants. 10 And David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” The Lord said to him, “Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.”
11 So he went up to Baal-Perazim, where David defeated them. Then David said, “God broke through the lines of my enemy like a breach of water.” He thus called the name of that place Breach of Perazim. 12 And there the Philistines left behind their idols, and David commanded them to burn them up by fire.
13 And again the Philistines made a raid on the Valley of the Giants. 14 And again David inquired of God, and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them. Instead, circle around them and come upon them near the pear trees. 15 And it shall be, when you hear the tops of the pear trees rustling in the wind, then you shall enter into battle, for God has gone out before you to defeat the army of the Philistines.” 16 So David did as God commanded him, and they drove back the army of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer. 17 Then the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the terror of him upon all nations.
Preparing to Transport the Ark
1 David built houses for himself in the City of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it.
2 Then David said, “No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever.” 3 And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place which he prepared for it. 4 Then David assembled the children of Aaron and the Levites: 5 of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and one hundred twenty of his brethren; 6 of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and two hundred fifty of his brethren; 7 of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and one hundred thirty of his brethren; 8 of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his brethren; 9 of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his brethren; 10 of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and one hundred twelve of his brethren.
11 And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 He said to them, “You, the heads of the families of the Levites, sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, so you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I prepared for it. 13 Because you were not prepared the first time, because we did not strive for judgment, God divided us within ourselves.” 14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15 As Moses had commanded, in accordance with the written word of the Lord, the sons of the Levites took the ark of God upon their shoulders with bearing-poles.
16 Then David said to the chief of the Levites, “Establish your brethren to be the singers with musical instruments—stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals—to sing invitingly in a voice of joyfulness unto His heaven.” 17 So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of their brethren, the sons of Merari, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; 18 and with them their brethren of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers; 19 the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound the cymbals of bronze; 20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with strings according to Alamoth; 21 Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to direct with harps on the Sheminith; 22 Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was in charge of the music because he was skillful; 23 Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark; 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.
The Ark Is Moved to Jerusalem
25 With joy David and the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom. 26 And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they offered seven bulls and seven rams. 27 David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. 28 Thus all of Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the horn, with trumpets and cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps. 29 And it happened, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked out through a window and saw King David dancing and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.
1 So they brought in the ark of God and set it in the midst of the tent David had pitched for it. They offered up whole burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 And David finished offering the whole burnt offerings and peace offerings, and blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 And he divided one loaf of baked bread to every man and woman of Israel.
4 And he appointed Levites to minister before the presence of the ark of the Lord, to exclaim and give thanks and to praise the Lord God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom; Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests, continually before the ark of the covenant of God with trumpets.
David’s Song of Praise
7 Then David by the hand of Asaph and his brethren gave orders to praise the Lord:
8 Give praise to the Lord Himself! Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
9 Sing songs to Him, sing praises to Him;
Tell of all His wondrous works which the Lord has done.
10 Praise His holy name;
The heart that seeks to do His pleasure shall rejoice.
11 Seek the Lord and be strong;
On account of all things, seek His face.
12 Remember His remarkable works which He has done,
His wonders and the judgments of His mouth,
13 O seed of Israel His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones.
14 He is the Lord our Lord;
His judgments are over all the earth.
15 Let us remember His covenant unto the ages,
The word He commands for a thousand generations—
16 The covenant He made with Abraham
And His oath to Isaac;
17 He confirmed it to Jacob for an ordinance,
To Israel for an eternal covenant,
18 Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance.”
19 When they were few in number,
When they were small in stature and dwelt as sojourners in it,
20 And when they went from nation to nation
And from one kingdom to another people,
21 He allowed no man to rule over them,
And He reproved kings for their sakes,
22 Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And bring no harm to My prophets.”
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim His salvation from day to day.
24 For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
25 For all the gods of the Gentiles are idols,
But our God made the heavens.
26 Glory and praise are before Him;
Strength and rejoicing are in His place.
27 Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
28 Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Take gifts and offer them before His presence.
Oh, worship the Lord in His holy courts!
29 Let all the earth fear because of His presence;
Let the earth be set upright
And not be moved.
30 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
31 Let the sea roar and all its fullness,
And the trees of the forest and all that is in them.
32 For the trees of the forest shall rejoice before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
33 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
34 And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation;
And deliver us from the Gentiles
To praise Your holy name,
And boast in Your praises.”
35 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From ages unto the ages.
All the people said, “Amen.” And they praised the Lord.
Psalm 117:17–29
17 I shall not die, but live,
And tell of the Lord’s works.
18 The Lord chastened and corrected me,
But He did not give me up to death.
19 Open the gates of righteousness to me;
I will enter therein and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
The righteous shall go in through it.
21 I will give thanks to You, for You heard me,
And You became my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected,
the same became the head of the corner;
23 And this came about from the Lord,
And it is wonderful in our eyes.
24 This is the day the Lord made;
Let us greatly rejoice, and be glad therein.
25 O Lord, save us now;
O Lord, prosper us now.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;
We blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord, and He revealed Himself to us;
Appoint a feast for yourselves, decked with branches,
Even to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to You;
You are my God, and I shall exalt You;
I will give thanks to You, for You heard me;
And You became my salvation.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His mercy endures forever.
Proverbs 25:12–16
12 Grace and friendship free a man;
Keep these for yourself, that you may not be reproached,
But guard your ways peaceably.
13 As a golden apple in a small necklace of sardius stone,
Thus it is to speak a wise word.
14 As a very expensive sardius stone set in a golden earring,
So is a wise word to an obedient ear.
15 As the falling of snow in harvest is beneficial against the heat,
So is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
For he benefits the souls of those who use him.
16 As winds, clouds, and rains are evident,
So are those who boast in a false gift.
John 8:3–30
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
5 “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”
6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Jesus Defends His Self-Witness
13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”
14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.
15 “You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
16 “And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.
17 “It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.
18 “I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
19 Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
Jesus Predicts His Departure
21 Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”
22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”
23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
26 “I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
29 “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.