Month: July 2017

¹² These divisions of the gatekeepers, under their leading men, had duties for ministering in the Lord’s temple, just as their brothers did. ¹³ They cast lots for each gate according to their ancestral houses, young and old alike.^(A)

¹⁴ The lot for the east gate fell to Shelemiah.^[a] They also cast lots for his son Zechariah, an insightful counselor, and his lot came out for the north gate. ¹⁵ Obed-edom’s was the south gate, and his sons’ lot was for the storehouses; ¹⁶ it was the west gate and the gate of Shallecheth on the ascending highway for Shuppim and Hosah.

There were guards stationed at every watch. ¹⁷ There were six Levites each day^[b] on the east, four each day on the north, four each day on the south, and two pair at the storehouses. ¹⁸ As for the court on the west, there were four at the highway and two at the court. ¹⁹ Those were the divisions of the gatekeepers from the sons of the Korahites and Merarites.

The Levitical Treasurers and Other Officials

²⁰ From the Levites, Ahijah was in charge of the treasuries of God’s temple and the treasuries of what had been dedicated.^{(B) 21} From the sons of Ladan, who were the sons of the Gershonites through Ladan and were the heads of families belonging to Ladan the Gershonite: Jehieli. ²² The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel, were in charge of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

²³ From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites: ²⁴ Shebuel, a descendant of Moses’ son Gershom, was the officer in charge of the treasuries. ²⁵ His relative through Eliezer: his son Rehabiah, his son Jeshaiah, his son Joram, his son Zichri, and his son Shelomith.^{[c] 26} This Shelomith^[d] and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries of what had been dedicated by King David,^(C) by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army commanders. ²⁷ They dedicated part of the plunder from their battles for the repair of the Lord’s temple. ²⁸ All that Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah had dedicated, along with everything else that had been dedicated, were in the care of Shelomith^[e] and his brothers.

²⁹ From the Izrahites: Chenaniah and his sons had the outside duties^(D) as officers and judges^(E) over Israel. ³⁰ From the Hebronites: Hashabiah^(F) and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had assigned duties in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the Lord and for the service of the king. ³¹ From the Hebronites: Jerijah^(G) was the head of the Hebronites, according to the genealogical records of his ancestors. A search was made in the fortieth year of David’s reign and strong, capable men were found among them at Jazer^(H) in Gilead. ³² There were among Jerijah’s relatives, 2,700 capable men who were heads of families. King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh as overseers in every matter relating to God and the king.^(I)

David’s Secular Officials

27 This is the list of the Israelites, the heads of families, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every matter to do with the divisions that were on rotated military duty each month throughout^[f] the year. There were 24,000 in each division:

²³ David didn’t count the men aged 20 or under, for the Lord had said He would make Israel as numerous as the stars of heaven.^{(L) 24} Joab son of Zeruiah began to count them, but he didn’t complete it. There was wrath against Israel because of this census,^(M) and the number was not entered in the Historical Record^[i] of King David.

³² David’s uncle Jonathan was a counselor; he was a man of understanding and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hachmoni attended^[k] the king’s sons. ³³ Ahithophel^(Q) was the king’s counselor. Hushai^(R) the Archite was the king’s friend. ³⁴ After Ahithophel came Jehoiada son of Benaiah,^(S) then Abiathar.^(T) Joab was the commander of the king’s army.^(U)

The Promise Granted through Faith

¹³ For the promise to Abraham^(A) or to his descendants that he would inherit the world^(B) was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.^{[a] 14} If those who are of the law are heirs,^(C) faith is made empty and the promise is canceled. ¹⁵ For the law produces wrath.^(D) And where there is no law,^(E) there is no transgression.

¹⁶ This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace,^(F) to guarantee it to all the descendants^(G)—not only to those who are of the law^[b] but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all ¹⁷ in God’s sight. As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations.^(H)[c] He believed in God, who gives life to the dead^(I) and calls^(J) things into existence that do not exist.^{(K) 18} He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations^(L)[d] according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be.^{(M)[e] 19} He considered^[f] his own body to be already dead^(N) (since he was about 100 years old)^(O) and also considered the deadness of Sarah’s womb,^(P) without weakening in the faith. ²⁰ He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,^{(Q) 21} because he was fully convinced^(R) that what He had promised He was also able to perform.^{(S) 22} Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.^{(T)[g] 23} Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone,^{(U) 24} but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in Him^(V) who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.^{(W) 25} He was delivered up for^[h] our trespasses^(X) and raised for^[i] our justification.^[j](Y)

Faith Triumphs

5 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith,^(Z) we have peace^[k] with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.^{(AA) 2} We have also obtained access through Him^(AB) by faith^[l] into this grace in which we stand,^(AC) and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that,^(AD) but we also rejoice in our afflictions,^(AE) because we know that affliction produces endurance,^{(AF) 4} endurance produces proven character,^(AG) and proven character produces hope. ⁵ This hope will not disappoint us,^(AH) because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts^(AI) through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Psalm 14

A Portrait of Sinners

For the choir director. Davidic.

The Divisions of the Priests

24 The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were as follows: Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.^{(A) 2} But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.^{(B) 3} Together with Zadok^(C) from the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the sons of Ithamar, David divided them according to the assigned duties of their service. ⁴ Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than Ithamar’s, they were divided accordingly: 16 heads of ancestral houses were from Eleazar’s descendants, and eight heads of ancestral houses were from Ithamar’s. ⁵ They^(D) were assigned by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.

⁶ The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech^(E) son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. One ancestral house was taken for Eleazar, and then one for Ithamar.

¹⁹ These had their assigned duties for service when they entered the Lord’s temple, according to their regulations, which they received from their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

The Rest of the Levites

Those were the sons of the Levites according to their ancestral houses. ³¹ They also cast lots the same way as their relatives the sons of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites—the family heads and their younger brothers alike.^(H)

The Levitical Musicians

25 David and the officers of the army also set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman,^(I) and Jeduthun, who were to prophesy^(J) accompanied by lyres, harps, and cymbals.^(K) This is the list of the men who performed their service:

⁶ All these men were under their own fathers’ authority for the music in the Lord’s temple, with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of God’s temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the king’s authority. ⁷ They numbered 288 together with their relatives who were all trained and skillful in music for the Lord. ⁸ They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.^(N)

9 The first lot for Asaph fell to Joseph, his sons, and his brothers—	12
to Gedaliah the second: him, his brothers, and his sons—	12
10 the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his brothers—	12
11 the fourth to Izri,[f] his sons, and his brothers—	12
12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his brothers—	12
13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his brothers—	12
14 the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons, and his brothers—	12
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his brothers—	12
16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his brothers—	12
17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his brothers—	12
18 the eleventh to Azarel,[g] his sons, and his brothers—	12
19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his brothers—	12
20 the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his brothers—	12
21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his brothers—	12
22 the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his brothers—	12
23 the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers—	12
24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his brothers—	12
25 the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his brothers—	12
26 the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his brothers—	12
27 the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his brothers—	12
28 the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his brothers—	12
29 the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his brothers—	12
30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his brothers—	12
31 and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers—	12.

The Levitical Gatekeepers

26 The following were the divisions of the gatekeepers:

Abraham Justified by Faith

4 What then can we say that Abraham, our physical ancestor,^[a](A) has found? ² If Abraham was justified^[b] by works,^(B) he has something to brag about—but not before God.^{[c] 3} For what does the Scripture say?

⁴ Now to the one who works,^(D) pay is not considered as a gift, but as something owed. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares the ungodly to be righteous,^[e](E) his faith is credited for righteousness.

David Celebrating the Same Truth

⁶ Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the man God credits righteousness to apart from works:

Abraham Justified before Circumcision

⁹ Is this blessing only for the circumcised,^(G) then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.^{(H)[g] 10} In what way then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. ¹¹ And he received the sign of circumcision^(I) as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith^[h](J) while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father^(K) of all who believe^(L) but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. ¹² And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

Psalm 13

A Plea for Deliverance

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

22 ¹ Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”^(A)

David’s Preparations for the Temple

² So David gave orders to gather the foreigners that were in the land of Israel,^(B) and he appointed stonecutters to cut finished stones for building God’s house.^{(C) 3} David supplied a great deal of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, together with an immeasurable quantity of bronze,^{(D) 4} and innumerable cedar logs because the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.^{(E) 5} David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly great and famous and glorious in all the lands.^(F) Therefore, I must make provision for it.” So David made lavish preparations for it before his death.

⁶ Then he summoned his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. ⁷ “My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God,^{(G) 8} but the word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me.^{(H) 9} But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies,^(I) for his name will be Solomon,^[a](J) and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.^{(K) 10} He is the one who will build a house for My name. He will be My son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’^(L)

¹¹ “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you,^(M) and may you succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as He said about you. ¹² Above all, may the Lord give you insight and understanding when He puts you in charge of Israel so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.^{(N) 13} Then you will succeed if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances the Lord commanded Moses for Israel.^(O) Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.^(P)

¹⁴ “Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the Lord—3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver,^[b](Q) and bronze and iron that can’t be weighed because there is so much of it. I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them. ¹⁵ You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work ¹⁶ in gold, silver, bronze, and iron—beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.”^(R)

¹⁷ Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon: ¹⁸ “The Lord your God is with you, isn’t He? And hasn’t He given you rest on every side?^(S) For He has handed the land’s inhabitants over to me, and the land has been subdued before the Lord and His people. ¹⁹ Now determine in your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.^(T) Get started building the Lord God’s sanctuary so that you may bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant and the holy articles of God to the temple that is to be built^(U) for the name of Yahweh.”^(V)

The Divisions of the Levites

23 When David was old and full of days,^(W) he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.^{(X) 2} Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, the priests, and the Levites. ³ The Levites 30 years old or more were counted;^(Y) the total number of men was 38,000 by headcount.^{(Z) 4} “Of these,” David said, “24,000 are to be in charge of the work on the Lord’s temple,^(AA) 6,000 are to be officers and judges,^{(AB) 5} 4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the Lord with the instruments that I have made for worship.”^(AC)

⁶ Then David divided them into divisions according to Levi’s sons:^(AD) Gershom,^[c] Kohath, and Merari.

Aaron, along with his descendants,^(AF) was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of Yahweh,^(AG) to minister to Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever. ¹⁴ As for Moses the man of God,^(AH) his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

²⁴ These were the sons of Levi by their ancestral houses—the heads of families, according to their registration by name in the headcount—20 years old or more, who worked in the service of the Lord’s temple.^{(AI) 25} For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to His people,^(AJ) and He has come to stay in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ Also, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the equipment for its service”^(AK)— ²⁷ for according to the last words of David, the Levites 20 years old or more were to be counted— ²⁸ “but their duty will be to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the Lord’s temple, being responsible for the courts and the chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of God’s temple— ²⁹ as well as the rows of the bread of the Presence,^(AL) the fine flour for the grain offering,^(AM) the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking,^[e](AN) the mixing,^(AO) and all measurements of volume and length.^{(AP) 30} They are also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise in the evening. ³¹ Whenever burnt offerings are offered to the Lord on the Sabbaths, New Moons,^(AQ) and appointed festivals, they are to do so regularly in the Lord’s presence according to the number prescribed for them.^{(AR) 32} They are to carry out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the holy place,^(AS) and for their relatives, the sons of Aaron,^(AT) in the service of the Lord’s temple.”

The Whole World Guilty before God

⁹ What then? Are we any better?^[a] Not at all! For we have previously charged that both Jews^(A) and Gentiles^[b](B) are all under sin,^{[c](C) 10} as it is written:^[d]

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says^(J) speaks to those who are subject to the law,^[k](K) so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment.^{[l](L) 20} For no one will be justified^[m] in His sight by the works of the law,^(M) because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.^(N)

God’s Righteousness through Faith

²¹ But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed^(O)—attested by the Law and the Prophets^{[n](P) 22} —that is, God’s righteousness through faith^(Q) in Jesus Christ,^[o](R) to all who believe,^(S) since there is no distinction.^{(T) 23} For all have sinned^(U) and fall short of the^[p] glory of God. ²⁴ They are justified freely by His grace^(V) through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.^{(W) 25} God presented Him as a propitiation^[q](X) through faith in His blood,^(Y) to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God^(Z) passed over the sins previously committed.^{(AA) 26} God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous^[r] the one who has faith in Jesus.

Boasting Excluded

²⁷ Where then is boasting?^(AB) It is excluded. By what kind of law?^[s](AC) By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law^[t] of faith. ²⁸ For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.^{(AD) 29} Or is God for Jews only?^(AE) Is He not also for Gentiles? Yes, for Gentiles too, ³⁰ since there is one God^(AF) who will justify the circumcised by faith^(AG) and the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹ Do we then cancel the law through faith? Absolutely not!^(AH) On the contrary, we uphold the law.^(AI)

Psalm 12

Oppression by the Wicked

For the choir director: according to Sheminith.^(A) A Davidic psalm.

19 After David had conquered his enemies and united Israel into one nation, Nahash (king of the Ammonites) died, and his son ascended to the throne. ² So David sent messengers into Ammonite territory to console Hanun (son of Nahash) about his father’s death.

³ But the Ammonite chiefs doubted David’s sincerity.

⁴ So Hanun humiliated David’s servants: shaved them, cut their garment hems up to their hips, and sent them away. ⁵ When David heard what had happened, he sent a message to his humiliated servants:

⁶ When Hanun and the Ammonites realized they had made themselves abhorrent to David, they paid 37 tons of silver to mercenaries from Mesopotamia, Aram-maacah, and Zobah. ⁷ They hired 32,000 chariots and the king of Maacah and his people (who camped at Medeba). Then the Ammonites gathered together from their cities for the battle. ⁸ When David heard about Ammon’s preparations, he sent Joab and all of his mighty army. ⁹ The Ammonites approached the city gate in their armor, but the Aramean kings who had come to help the Ammonites were alone in the field.

¹⁰ When Joab realized his forces were at a disadvantage, he asked the most skilled Israelite soldiers to prepare for battle against the Arameans. ¹¹ His brother Abshai commanded the remainder of the forces, who prepared to fight the Ammonites.

¹⁴ When Joab and his forces approached the Arameans, the enemy fled. ¹⁵ When the Ammonites saw the Arameans flee, they also fled from Abshai back into the city walls. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ After their defeat by Israel, the Arameans sent for other Arameans who lived beyond the Euphrates River with Shophach (the commander of Hadadezer’s army) leading them. ¹⁷ When David heard, he responded to this mobilization by gathering his forces, crossing the Jordan, and facing the Arameans in formation. When the Arameans saw this they arranged their forces and engaged in battle. ¹⁸ The Arameans fled from the Israelites; and David killed 7,000 charioteers, 40,000 foot soldiers, and Shophach (the commander of the army).

¹⁹ When the servants of Hadadezer realized Israel had defeated them, they surrendered to David and served him—unwilling to help the Ammonites anymore.

20 In the spring (the time when kings wage wars because the spring harvest was over, farm work eased, and soldiers could live off the land), Joab led the army to ravage the land of the Ammonites and overthrow their capital city, Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem during Joab’s campaign. ² David took the crown off the head of their king (which weighed about 75 pounds and was bejeweled) and it was placed on his own head. And David took the great riches of the city. ³ He set the people of the city to work with tools of iron: saws, axes and other sharp implements. This David did to all the Ammonite cities before he and his people returned to Jerusalem.

⁴ After David conquered Ammon, war erupted at the city of Gezer in Philistia. Sibbecai (the Hushathite) killed Sippai (a descendant of the giants) and subjugated the city. ⁵ During another Philistian encounter, Elhanan (son of Jair) killed Lahmi (brother of Goliath the Gittite) whose spear was as long as a weaver’s beam. ⁶ War also broke out at Gath, where there lived a tall man who had 24 fingers and toes—6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot—who was descended from the giants. ⁷ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan (son of Shimea, David’s brother) killed him. ⁸ All these were descended from the giants in Gath (a Philistine capital), and they were killed by David and his men.

21 After our King David had consolidated his power in Israel, conquering his surrounding enemies, an adversary^[a] stood against Israel, and incited David to conduct a census in the nation to determine the strength of his army before going to war.

⁴ In spite of Joab’s objections, David’s census occurred. Joab obeyed his king, traveled throughout Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. ⁵ He then reported the number of all the people to David: 1,100,000 swordsmen were in Israel and 470,000 were in Judah. ⁶ But Joab rebelled against David’s command and did not count Levi and Benjamin because he was against the census.

⁷ As Joab anticipated, God was displeased with the census and He struck Israel. ⁸ The king then prayed to God.

⁹ The Eternal spoke to Gad, David’s seer.

So Gad paid the king a visit.

¹⁴ So the Eternal did as He promised and sent a violent plague to Israel; 70,000 men of Israel died. ¹⁵ God also sent a heavenly messenger to destroy Jerusalem; but as the messenger was poised to ruin it, the Eternal saw the damage caused by the plague and grieved over the calamity. He told the messenger, “The pestilence is enough punishment; stand down.” The Eternal’s messenger stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite when the True God stopped him.

¹⁶ When David looked up and saw the Eternal’s messenger standing between earth and heaven with his sword stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders mourned. They dressed in sackcloth and prostrated themselves.

¹⁹ David obeyed the instruction of the divine messenger.

²⁰ When Ornan saw the messenger, his four sons who were with him hid among the wheat. But Ornan continued threshing. ²¹ As David approached, Ornan glimpsed the king, left his chores, and prostrated himself before David.

²⁵ So David paid Ornan 15 pounds of gold by weight for the property. ²⁶ There David built an altar to the Eternal, sacrificed burnt offerings, and gave peace offerings. David requested His presence, and He accepted the altar and sacrifices by sending fire from heaven onto the altar of burnt offering. ²⁷ Then the Eternal commanded the divine messenger to sheath his sword. ²⁸ When David saw how the Eternal had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite by coming to the altar as fire and by stopping the plagues and the destruction of Jerusalem, David offered a sacrifice there instead of at Gibeon. ²⁹ (The congregation tent of the Eternal, which Moses had built in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were in the high place at Gibeon at that time.) ³⁰ But David could not go to Gibeon to commune with God because he still feared that the Eternal’s messenger would slay him.

²⁵ You see, circumcision is of value only if you keep the law’s teachings. But if you keep breaking God’s rules, you are no different than those without the mark. ²⁶ So if an uncircumcised man abides by God’s just precepts, doesn’t that make his standing before God the same as one who is circumcised? ²⁷ The man who is physically uncircumcised but still keeps the law, he will stand in judgment over the person who is circumcised and yet continually breaks God’s law. ²⁸ A mark that is evident doesn’t necessarily make one a Jew, and circumcision that is evident only in the flesh is not true. ²⁹ But the true Jew is Jewish on the inside—in secret places no one but God can see—and true circumcision involves the heart; it comes from the Spirit, not from some written code. The praise and reputation of that kind of Jew come from God, not from man.

3 So then, do the Jews have an advantage over the other nations? Does circumcision do anything for you? ² The answer is yes, in every way. To begin with, God spoke to and through the Jewish people. ³ But what if some Jews have been unfaithful? Does the fact that they abandoned their faith zero out God’s faithfulness? ⁴ Absolutely not! If every person on the planet were a liar and thief, God would still be true. It stands written:

⁵ If our perpetual injustice and corruption merely accentuate the purity of God’s justice, what can we say? Is God unjust for unleashing His fury against us? (I am speaking from our limited human perspective.) ⁶ Again, absolutely not! If this were so, how could God stand as Judge over the world? ⁷ But if my lie serves only to point out God’s truth and bring Him glory, then why am I being judged for my sin? ⁸ There are slanderous charges out there that we are saying things like, “Let’s be as wicked as possible so that something good will come from it.” Those malicious gossips will get what they deserve.

Psalm 11

For the worship leader. A song of David.

19 After David had conquered his enemies and united Israel into one nation, Nahash (king of the Ammonites) died, and his son ascended to the throne. ² So David sent messengers into Ammonite territory to console Hanun (son of Nahash) about his father’s death.

³ But the Ammonite chiefs doubted David’s sincerity.

⁴ So Hanun humiliated David’s servants: shaved them, cut their garment hems up to their hips, and sent them away. ⁵ When David heard what had happened, he sent a message to his humiliated servants:

⁶ When Hanun and the Ammonites realized they had made themselves abhorrent to David, they paid 37 tons of silver to mercenaries from Mesopotamia, Aram-maacah, and Zobah. ⁷ They hired 32,000 chariots and the king of Maacah and his people (who camped at Medeba). Then the Ammonites gathered together from their cities for the battle. ⁸ When David heard about Ammon’s preparations, he sent Joab and all of his mighty army. ⁹ The Ammonites approached the city gate in their armor, but the Aramean kings who had come to help the Ammonites were alone in the field.

¹⁰ When Joab realized his forces were at a disadvantage, he asked the most skilled Israelite soldiers to prepare for battle against the Arameans. ¹¹ His brother Abshai commanded the remainder of the forces, who prepared to fight the Ammonites.

¹⁴ When Joab and his forces approached the Arameans, the enemy fled. ¹⁵ When the Ammonites saw the Arameans flee, they also fled from Abshai back into the city walls. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ After their defeat by Israel, the Arameans sent for other Arameans who lived beyond the Euphrates River with Shophach (the commander of Hadadezer’s army) leading them. ¹⁷ When David heard, he responded to this mobilization by gathering his forces, crossing the Jordan, and facing the Arameans in formation. When the Arameans saw this they arranged their forces and engaged in battle. ¹⁸ The Arameans fled from the Israelites; and David killed 7,000 charioteers, 40,000 foot soldiers, and Shophach (the commander of the army).

¹⁹ When the servants of Hadadezer realized Israel had defeated them, they surrendered to David and served him—unwilling to help the Ammonites anymore.

20 In the spring (the time when kings wage wars because the spring harvest was over, farm work eased, and soldiers could live off the land), Joab led the army to ravage the land of the Ammonites and overthrow their capital city, Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem during Joab’s campaign. ² David took the crown off the head of their king (which weighed about 75 pounds and was bejeweled) and it was placed on his own head. And David took the great riches of the city. ³ He set the people of the city to work with tools of iron: saws, axes and other sharp implements. This David did to all the Ammonite cities before he and his people returned to Jerusalem.

⁴ After David conquered Ammon, war erupted at the city of Gezer in Philistia. Sibbecai (the Hushathite) killed Sippai (a descendant of the giants) and subjugated the city. ⁵ During another Philistian encounter, Elhanan (son of Jair) killed Lahmi (brother of Goliath the Gittite) whose spear was as long as a weaver’s beam. ⁶ War also broke out at Gath, where there lived a tall man who had 24 fingers and toes—6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot—who was descended from the giants. ⁷ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan (son of Shimea, David’s brother) killed him. ⁸ All these were descended from the giants in Gath (a Philistine capital), and they were killed by David and his men.

21 After our King David had consolidated his power in Israel, conquering his surrounding enemies, an adversary^[a] stood against Israel, and incited David to conduct a census in the nation to determine the strength of his army before going to war.

⁴ In spite of Joab’s objections, David’s census occurred. Joab obeyed his king, traveled throughout Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. ⁵ He then reported the number of all the people to David: 1,100,000 swordsmen were in Israel and 470,000 were in Judah. ⁶ But Joab rebelled against David’s command and did not count Levi and Benjamin because he was against the census.

⁷ As Joab anticipated, God was displeased with the census and He struck Israel. ⁸ The king then prayed to God.

⁹ The Eternal spoke to Gad, David’s seer.

So Gad paid the king a visit.

¹⁴ So the Eternal did as He promised and sent a violent plague to Israel; 70,000 men of Israel died. ¹⁵ God also sent a heavenly messenger to destroy Jerusalem; but as the messenger was poised to ruin it, the Eternal saw the damage caused by the plague and grieved over the calamity. He told the messenger, “The pestilence is enough punishment; stand down.” The Eternal’s messenger stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite when the True God stopped him.

¹⁶ When David looked up and saw the Eternal’s messenger standing between earth and heaven with his sword stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders mourned. They dressed in sackcloth and prostrated themselves.

¹⁹ David obeyed the instruction of the divine messenger.

²⁰ When Ornan saw the messenger, his four sons who were with him hid among the wheat. But Ornan continued threshing. ²¹ As David approached, Ornan glimpsed the king, left his chores, and prostrated himself before David.

²⁵ So David paid Ornan 15 pounds of gold by weight for the property. ²⁶ There David built an altar to the Eternal, sacrificed burnt offerings, and gave peace offerings. David requested His presence, and He accepted the altar and sacrifices by sending fire from heaven onto the altar of burnt offering. ²⁷ Then the Eternal commanded the divine messenger to sheath his sword. ²⁸ When David saw how the Eternal had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite by coming to the altar as fire and by stopping the plagues and the destruction of Jerusalem, David offered a sacrifice there instead of at Gibeon. ²⁹ (The congregation tent of the Eternal, which Moses had built in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were in the high place at Gibeon at that time.) ³⁰ But David could not go to Gibeon to commune with God because he still feared that the Eternal’s messenger would slay him.

²⁵ You see, circumcision is of value only if you keep the law’s teachings. But if you keep breaking God’s rules, you are no different than those without the mark. ²⁶ So if an uncircumcised man abides by God’s just precepts, doesn’t that make his standing before God the same as one who is circumcised? ²⁷ The man who is physically uncircumcised but still keeps the law, he will stand in judgment over the person who is circumcised and yet continually breaks God’s law. ²⁸ A mark that is evident doesn’t necessarily make one a Jew, and circumcision that is evident only in the flesh is not true. ²⁹ But the true Jew is Jewish on the inside—in secret places no one but God can see—and true circumcision involves the heart; it comes from the Spirit, not from some written code. The praise and reputation of that kind of Jew come from God, not from man.

3 So then, do the Jews have an advantage over the other nations? Does circumcision do anything for you? ² The answer is yes, in every way. To begin with, God spoke to and through the Jewish people. ³ But what if some Jews have been unfaithful? Does the fact that they abandoned their faith zero out God’s faithfulness? ⁴ Absolutely not! If every person on the planet were a liar and thief, God would still be true. It stands written:

⁵ If our perpetual injustice and corruption merely accentuate the purity of God’s justice, what can we say? Is God unjust for unleashing His fury against us? (I am speaking from our limited human perspective.) ⁶ Again, absolutely not! If this were so, how could God stand as Judge over the world? ⁷ But if my lie serves only to point out God’s truth and bring Him glory, then why am I being judged for my sin? ⁸ There are slanderous charges out there that we are saying things like, “Let’s be as wicked as possible so that something good will come from it.” Those malicious gossips will get what they deserve.

Psalm 11

For the worship leader. A song of David.

³⁷ So David left Asaph and his brothers at the covenant chest of the Eternal to serve it continually, performing the daily rituals. ³⁸ Obed-edom and the 68 brothers served, with Obed-edom (son of Jeduthun) and Hosah as the gatekeepers.

³⁹ Zadok (the priest) and his fellow priests lived before the congregation tent of the Eternal in the high place at Gibeon ⁴⁰ to burn offerings continually to Him upon the altar in the morning and evening, as God had commanded Israel. ^41-42 With them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those who are chosen and recorded here who gave testimony about the Eternal, whose loyal love never ends, using clarions, cymbals, other instruments, and songs. The sons of Jeduthun were assigned to be gatekeepers at Gibeon. ⁴³ Once the congregation tent was prepared, all the people returned to their homes, and David returned to bless his own house.

17 Once David had sat in his palace, he made an observation.

³ Later that night, God came to Nathan and corrected his thinking.

¹⁵ Nathan told David exactly what the Eternal said through this vision. ¹⁶ Then King David sat before the Eternal.

18 After God blessed David’s monarchy, King David conquered the Philistines—defeating them and seizing their capital city of Gath and its towns.

² He defeated the Moabites, who were his relatives through his ancestor Ruth, and the Moabites served David and brought him tribute.

³ He defeated Hadadezer (king of Zobah) as far as Hamath in Aram, extending the borders of Israel to the Euphrates River. ⁴ From Hadadezer David seized 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. He cut the leg muscles of all the chariot horses, reserving only 100 for future use with the chariots. ⁵ When the armies of Damascus in Aram came to help their kinsman Hadadezer, David killed 22,000 Arameans. ⁶ Then David built garrisons in Damascus, and the Arameans served him and brought him tribute. The Eternal helped David, ensuring his victory, wherever he went. ⁷ David seized the golden shields from the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ He seized large quantities of bronze from Hadadezer’s cities of Tibhath and Cun (which Solomon later used to cast the bronze basin, pillars, and utensils for the temple). ⁹ When Tou (king of Hamath in Aram) heard that David had defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he was overjoyed since he had been fighting with Hadadezer himself. Tou sent his son, Hadoram, to King David to greet him and to bless him with gold, silver, and bronze, for David had fought Hadadezer and had won the victory. ¹¹ King David then dedicated these gifts to the Eternal along with the silver and gold he had seized from these nations: Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek.

¹² One of David’s chiefs, Abishai (son of Zeruiah), defeated 18,000 Edomites in the valley of Salt. ¹³ He built garrisons in Edom, and all the people of that nation served David. The Eternal helped David wherever he went.

¹⁴ David was a just and righteous ruler over all Israel—over his people and the lands he conquered. ¹⁵ Joab (son of Zeruiah) led the army; Jehoshaphat (son of Ahilud) was the recorder; ¹⁶ Zadok (son of Ahitub) and Abimelech (son of Abiathar) were priests; Shavsha was secretary; ¹⁷ Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) governed the Cherethites and the Pelethites. David’s own sons were his trusted chiefs giving him advice.

2 So you can see there are no excuses for any of us. If your eyes shift their focus from yourselves to others—to judge how they are doing—you have already condemned yourselves! You don’t realize that you are pointing your fingers at others for the exact things you do as well. ² There’s no doubt that the judgment of God will justly fall upon hypocrites who practice such things. ³ Here’s what is happening: you attack and criticize others and then turn around to commit the same offenses yourselves! Do you think you will somehow dodge God’s judgment? ⁴ Do you take the kindness of God for granted? Do you see His patience and tolerance as signs that He is a pushover when it comes to sin? How could you not know that His kindness is guiding our hearts to turn away from distractions and habitual sin to walk a new path?^[a]

⁵ But because your heart is obstinate and shameless, you’re storing up wrath that will count against you. On the day of His choosing, God’s wrath and judgment will be unleashed to make things right. ⁶ As it goes, everyone will receive what his actions in life have cultivated. ⁷ Whoever has labored diligently and patiently to do what is right—seeking glory, honor, and immortality—God will grant him endless joy in life eternal. ⁸ But selfish individuals who make trouble, resist the truth, or sell out to wickedness will meet a very different fate—they will find fury and indignation as the fruit of living in the wrong. ⁹ Suffering and pain await everyone whose life is marked by evil living (first for the Jew, and next for the non-Jew). ¹⁰ But if you do what is right, you will receive glory, admiration, and peace (again, first for the Jew, then for the non-Jew). ¹¹ God has no favorites.

¹² If one lives life without knowledge of the law—the teachings of the Torah—he will sin and die apart from the law. If someone else lives life under the law, his sin will be judged by what the law teaches. ¹³ Here’s my point: just because a person hears the law read or recited does not mean he is right before the one True God; it is following the law that makes one right, not just hearing it. ^14-15 For instance, some outsiders who are not required to follow the law often live quite naturally by its teachings. Even though the law wasn’t given to them, in themselves they have the law. Here’s the thing: their lives demonstrate that God has inscribed the law’s teachings on their hearts. On judgment day, their consciences will testify for them, and their thoughts will both accuse and defend them. ¹⁶ This good news given to me declares that this affirmation and accusation will take place on that day when God, through Jesus, the Anointed One, judges every person’s life secrets.

¹⁷ Listen, if you claim to be a Jew, count on the law, and boast in your relationship with God; ¹⁸ if you know His will and can determine what is essential (because you have been instructed in the law); and ¹⁹ if you stand convinced that you are chosen to be a guide to the blind, a light to those who live in darkness, ²⁰ a teacher of foolish wanderers and children, and have in the law what is essentially the form of knowledge and truth— ²¹ then tell me, why don’t you practice what you preach? If you are going to sermonize against stealing, then stop stealing. ²² If you are going to teach others not to commit adultery, then be completely faithful to your spouse. If you hate idolatry, then stop robbing the temples! ²³ If you pride yourself in having God’s law, then stop dishonoring God by failing to keep its teaching. ²⁴ Here’s what it says: “Because of you, God’s reputation is slandered by those outside the covenant.”^[b]

15 David founded the city of David as his capital and built his palaces there. But in his zeal to rebuild Jerusalem and build his palaces, He prepared a place for the covenant chest of God in a tent adjacent to the palace. ^2-3 Then David invited the people of Israel to Jerusalem for a parade celebrating the arrival of the covenant chest of the Eternal.

⁴ So David gathered the men of Aaron and the other Levites: ⁵ the men of Kohath (Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives), ⁶ the men of Merari (Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives), ⁷ the men of Gershom (Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives), ⁸ the men of Elizaphan (Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives), ⁹ the men of Hebron (Eliel the chief and 80 of his relatives), and ¹⁰ the men of Uzziel (Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives).

¹¹ When they had all gathered together, David summoned Zadok and Abiathar (two priests) and the other Levites: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

¹⁴ After the priests and the Levites were consecrated for their duty, David and the Levites organized the city’s processional in honor of the chest of the Eternal, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ The Levites picked up the covenant chest of God and carried it by wooden poles on their shoulders as the Eternal commanded them to do through His prophet Moses. ¹⁶ David told the leaders of the Levites to select their relatives as musicians and singers in the parade, playing instruments such as lutes, lyres, and cymbals and raising their voices in joy. ¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman (son of Joel) and his kinsmen, Asaph (son of Berechiah), the sons of Merari, and Ethan (son of Kushaiah). ¹⁸ With these men were their assistants: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, along with Obed-edom and Jeiel who were gatekeepers.

¹⁹ The celebration began with a parade. The assembled singers (Heman, Asaph, and Ethan) sounded their bronze cymbals; ²⁰ Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played their lutes tuned to alamoth, ²¹ and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played their lyres tuned to sheminith. ²² Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, directed the singing because of his musical ability, ²³ while Berechia and Elkanah led the gatekeepers. ²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer (all priests) blew their clarions at the front of the parade in front of the covenant chest of God, as Obed-edom and Jehiah carried it. ²⁵ In this manner, David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands prepared to move the covenant chest of the Eternal from the house of Obed-edom into its high place in Jerusalem with rejoicing. ²⁶ As God was helping the Levites to carry the heavy covenant chest, they offered seven wild bulls and seven stags to Him. ²⁷ David, all the Levites carrying the chest, the singers, and Chenaniah the song leader were dressed in fine linen robes. The king also wore a linen priestly vest. ²⁸ All Israel celebrated the chest’s journey to its tent, rejoicing with the sound of trumpets, clarions, and cymbals, and worshiping with harps and lyres.

²⁹ When the covenant chest of the Eternal entered the city of David, Michal (the daughter of Saul and David’s wife) gazed out of a window and saw her husband dancing and celebrating in the parade. At that moment, Michal hated David.

16 The Levites set the covenant chest of God down in the middle of the tent David had built for it, and they made sacrifices and burnt offerings before God. ² When David finished these rituals of burnt offerings and peace offerings he blessed the people under the Eternal’s authority. ³ He gave a loaf of bread, a date roll,^[a] and a raisin cake to every man and woman in Israel. ⁴ He appointed some of the Levites as servants of the covenant chest of the Eternal, as officers to commemorate, to give thanks, and to give praise to the Eternal One, God of Israel. ⁵ Asaph was the head of the servants, next Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-edom. Jeiel was over all instruments, including a ten-stringed harp and lyre, while Asaph played the cymbals. ⁶ Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests played trumpets regularly before the covenant chest of God. ⁷ That day, at the end of the parade, David gave this first song of thanks to Asaph and his brothers:

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is breaking through from heaven, opposing all manifestations of ungodliness and wickedness by the people who do wrong to keep God’s truth in check. ¹⁹ These people are not ignorant about what can be known of God, because He has shown it to them with great clarity. ²⁰ From the beginning, creation in its magnificence enlightens us to His nature. Creation itself makes His undying power and divine identity clear, even though they are invisible; and it voids the excuses and ignorant claims of these people ²¹ because, despite the fact that they knew the one true God, they have failed to show the love, honor, and appreciation due to the One who created them! Instead, their lives are consumed by vain thoughts that poison their foolish hearts. ²² They claim to be wise; but they have been exposed as fools, frauds, and con artists— ²³ only a fool would trade the splendor and beauty of the immortal God to worship images of the common man or woman, bird or reptile, or the next beast that tromps along.

²⁴ So God gave them just what their lustful hearts desired. As a result, they violated their bodies and invited shame into their lives. ²⁵ How? By choosing a foolish lie over God’s truth. They gave their lives and devotion to the creature rather than to the Creator Himself, who is blessed forever and ever. Amen. ^26-27 This is why God released them to their own vile pursuits, and this is what happened: they chose sexual counterfeits—women had sexual relations with other women and men committed unnatural, shameful acts because they burned with lust for other men. This sin was rife, and they suffered painful consequences.

²⁸ Since they had no mind to recognize God, He turned them loose to follow the unseemly designs of their depraved minds and to do things that should not be done. ²⁹ Their days are filled with all sorts of godless living, wicked schemes, greed, hatred, endless desire for more, murder, violence, deceit, and spitefulness. And, as if that were not enough, they are gossiping, ³⁰ slanderous, God-hating, rude, egotistical, smug people who are always coming up with even more dreadful ways to treat one another. They don’t listen to their parents; ³¹ they lack understanding and character. They are simple-minded, covenant-breaking, heartless, and unmerciful; they are not to be trusted. ³² Despite the fact that they are fully aware that God’s law says this way of life deserves death, they fail to stop. And worse—they applaud others on this destructive path.

Psalm 10^[a]

^19a As David requested the aid of his Philistine allies in a battle against Saul, some Manassehites defected from Saul’s army to David’s army.^{[a] 20} The Manassehites included Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai—all captains of thousands in their tribe. ²¹ They could help David against attackers because they were all warriors and captains in the army. ²² Every day the numbers of David’s army increased, until it was as great as the army of God—large in number and justified by God’s will. ^19b But the Philistines at Ziklag refused to help David.

²³ This is a record of the divisions who joined David at Hebron to defeat Saul and conquer Israel as the Eternal determined.

²⁴ Of Judah 6,800 fought with spears and shields. ²⁵ Of Simeon, 7,100 were warriors. ²⁶ Of Levi 4,600 supported David— ²⁷ Jehoiada led 3,700 of the house of Aaron; ²⁸ Zadok, a young mighty man of valor, led 22 captains of his father’s house. ²⁹ Of Benjamin (Saul’s relatives), only 3,000 followed David because many maintained allegiance to their king, Saul. ³⁰ Of Ephraim 20,800 were famous warriors. ³¹ Of the half-tribe of Manasseh, 18,000 helped to make David king. ³² Of Issachar (politically savvy men), 200 were chiefs of their own relatives. ³³ Of Zebulun 50,000 fought with various weapons and followed David with complete devotion. ³⁴ Of Naphtali 1,000 chiefs led 37,000 who fought with spears and shields. ³⁵ Of Dan 28,600 were skilled at keeping ranks. ³⁶ Of Asher 40,000 joined the ranks of the army able to keep formation. ³⁷ From the other side of the Jordan, 120,000 of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh fought with various weapons. ³⁸ All these warriors came to Hebron wholeheartedly to support King David as he ascended to the throne of Israel. All others living in Israel recognized David’s right to rule, ³⁹ and they celebrated with David three days with the food and drink their relatives had prepared for them. ⁴⁰ Their kinsmen and the neighboring tribes (even as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali) brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—large amounts of flour cakes, fig cakes, raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep. All of Israel rejoiced.

⁴ Everyone agreed with David that this was right: the chest of the covenant should be among the people. ⁵ So David assembled Israel, from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath in Aram, to take the covenant chest of God from Kiriath-jearim. ⁶ Everyone went up to Baalah (also known as Kiriath-jearim) in Judah to take the covenant chest of God where the Eternal sits between the winged heavenly creatures and His name is called. ⁷ They carried the covenant chest of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab; Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. ⁸ David and all Israel rejoiced with all their might with songs, lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets as a celebration before God.

⁹ When they arrived at the threshing floor of Chidon, the oxen tripped, nearly tipping the covenant chest off the cart, so Uzza reached out to steady it. ¹⁰ The Eternal was enraged at Uzza because he touched the chest and defiled its sanctity, ignoring God’s instructions never to touch it, so He killed the man in His presence. ¹¹ David was angry at the Eternal’s retribution against Uzza, so the king named that place Perez-uzza, meaning “broken Uzza,” as it still is called today. ¹² David feared God and wondered, “How can I bring the covenant chest of God, something with such awesome power, home with me?” ¹³ Instead of bringing it to the city of David, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, who was from Gath Rammon (a Levitical city). ¹⁴ There the covenant chest of God remained three months before David moved it to Jerusalem, and the Eternal blessed Obed-edom’s family in everything.

14 Hiram (king of Tyre) sent messengers to David with cedar trees, masons, and carpenters to build a royal palace, acknowledging Israel and David’s political influence in the region. ² Because of the expanding power of Israel, David realized the Eternal had selected him as king over Israel to provide for His people. ³ At Jerusalem he took more wives and fathered more children. ⁴ These were the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

⁸ When the Philistines heard about David’s ascension to the throne of all Israel, they prepared to attack him. But David heard about their movement and sent his troops to attack them. ⁹ As the Philistines raided the valley of Rephaim, ¹⁰ David asked for God’s guidance.

¹¹ David defeated the Philistines at Baal-perazim, so named because “God broke the enemies with my hand as rushing waters break through barriers.” ¹² The Philistines abandoned their gods there, so David ordered the idols to be burned.

¹³ The Philistines raided the valley again. ¹⁴ Again David asked for God’s counsel.

¹⁶ David obeyed God’s command, and he defeated the army of the Philistines from Gibeon to Gezer. ¹⁷ David was famous among his neighboring nations, and the Eternal made all other nations afraid of him.

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus the Anointed called by God to be His emissary^[a] and appointed to tell the good news ² of the things promised long ago by God, spoken by prophets, and recorded in the Holy Scriptures. ³ All of this good news is about His Son: who was (from a human perspective) born of David’s royal line ⁴ and ultimately designated to be the true Son of God with power upon His resurrection from the dead by the Spirit of holiness. I am speaking of Jesus, the Anointed One, our Lord.

⁵ And here’s what He’s done: He has graced us and sanctioned us as His emissaries^[b] whose mission is to spread the one true and obedient faith to all people in the name of Jesus. ⁶ This includes you: you have been called by Jesus, God’s Anointed.

⁷ To all those who are God’s beloved saints in Rome:

May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, surround you.

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus the Anointed for all of you because we are joined by faith as family, and your faith is spreading across the world. ^9-10 For I call God as my witness—whom I worship in my spirit and serve in making known the gospel—He alone knows how often I mention you in my prayers. I find myself constantly praying for you and hoping it’s in God’s will for me to be with you soon. ¹¹ I desperately want to see you so that I can share some gift of the Spirit to strengthen you. ¹² Plus I know that when we come together something beautiful will happen as we are encouraged by each other’s faith.

¹³ If, my brothers and sisters, you did not already know, my plans were set to meet you in Rome, but time and circumstances have forced every trip to be canceled until now. I have deeply desired to see some good fruit among you just as I have seen with so many non-Jewish believers. ¹⁴ You see, I am in tremendous debt to those of various nationalities, from non-Jews to barbarians, from the wisest of the wise to the idle wanderer. ¹⁵ So you can imagine how eager I am to join you and to teach the good news in the mighty and diverse city of Rome.

¹⁶ For I am not the least bit embarrassed about the gospel. I won’t shy away from it, because it is God’s power to save every person who believes: first the Jew, and then the non-Jew. ¹⁷ You see, in the good news, God’s restorative justice is revealed. And as we will see, it begins with and ends in faith. As the Scripture declares, “By faith the just will obtain life.”^[c]

11 Then the Israelites found David at Hebron and acknowledged him as their king.

³ So all the elders of Israel came to coronate their king at Hebron. David made a covenant with them that the Eternal One witnessed; and they anointed him king over Israel, as the Eternal had commanded them to do through the seer, Samuel.

⁴ Then David and his subjects traveled from Hebron to Jebus, which is now known as Jerusalem, where the Jebusites lived. ⁵ The Jebusites threatened David, “You shall not pass through these gates.” Nevertheless David captured the stronghold (Zion), now known as the city of David, and made it his capital.

Joab (a son of Zeruiah) won the challenge, attacking first and becoming a chief. ⁷ After the conquest David lived in Zion, so it became known as the “city of David.” ⁸ He fortified the city with earthen ramparts while Joab repaired the damages caused by the conquest. ⁹ David, along with the city, grew in power because the Eternal One, Commander of heavenly armies supported him.

¹⁰ These are leaders of the warriors whom David commanded. They and the citizens of Israel supported him in his rule, as the Eternal desired for Israel when He chose David as king. ¹¹ So what follows is an accounting of David’s great warriors. Jashobeam (son of a Hachmonite) was the chief of 30,^[b] the highest-ranking officers in David’s army. He slaughtered 300 men in one battle with his spear.

¹² Second in command was Eleazar (son of Dodo the Ahohite), who was one of three notable warriors. ¹³ He fought alongside David in a barley field called Pasdammim when the people fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ Together they repelled the Philistines from the field, and the Eternal delivered them from the Philistines with a great victory.

¹⁵ Three other of the 30 chiefs pursued the Philistines to their camp in the valley of Rephaim (between Jerusalem and Bethlehem). These other chiefs waited with David in a rocky area of the cave of Adullam, west of Bethlehem. ¹⁶ While David was in his stronghold and the Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem, ¹⁷ the king was very thirsty.

¹⁸ The three warriors broke through the Philistine camp in the valley of Rephaim, drew water from the well of Bethlehem near the gate, and took it to David. In spite of his thirst, David would not drink it. Instead he poured it out as an offering to the Eternal One.

²⁰ Abshai, Joab’s brother and leader of these 30,^[c] slaughtered 300 men in one battle with his spear and made a notable name for himself. ²¹ Of the three in the second rank, Abshai was the most honored and became their commander, but he was never promoted to the highest rank.

²² Benaiah (son of Jehoiada, son of a warrior of Kabzeel) performed great deeds—he killed the two warriors of Moab, killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day, ²³ and killed a seven-foot-six-inch-tall Egyptian, who carried a curved spear (the size and shape of a weaver’s beam). Benaiah attacked this Egyptian with a club, stole the spear from the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with the same spear. ²⁴ Because of these great deeds, Benaiah (Jehoiada’s son) had a powerful reputation equal to that of the three mighty men. ²⁵ He was honored among the 30, but he did not achieve the status of the three. Because of Benaiah’s effectiveness in battle, David appointed him captain of the king’s guard.

²⁶ The warriors of the armies were Asahel (another brother of Joab), 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 of Gibeah the Benjaminite), 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 (son of Shagee the Hararite), ³⁵ Ahiam (son of Sacar the Hararite), Eliphal (son of Ur), ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai (son of Ezbai), ³⁸ Joel (brother of Nathan), Mibhar (son of Hagri), ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor bearer of Joab (son of Zeruiah), ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad (son of Ahlai), ⁴² Adina (son of Shiza, a Reubenite chief) and 30 with him, ⁴³ Hanan (son of Maacah), Joshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel (sons of Hotham the Aroerite), ⁴⁵ Jediael and Joha (sons of Shimri the Tizite), ⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah (sons of Elnaam), Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷ Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

12 After David fled from Saul (son of Kish) to the Philistine city of Ziklag, all the tribes of Israel sent warriors to support him in battles. ² There were especially skilled Benjaminite archers, able to sling stones and shoot arrows from their left hands^[d] or from their right hands. ³ Their chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite, Jeziel and Pelet (sons of Azmaveth), Beracah, Jehu the Anathothite, ⁴ and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior equal to and better than the 30. Then Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite, ⁵ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite, ⁶ Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam, the Korahites, ⁷ Joelah, and Zebadiah (son of Jeroham of Gedor).

⁸ While David was positioned in his wilderness stronghold, mighty Gadite warriors joined him in battle. They fought in wars with spears and shields, with the ferocity of lions and the speed and agility of gazelles. ⁹ Their chief was Ezer, then Obadiah, Eliab the third, ¹⁰ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, ¹¹ Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, ¹² Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbannai the eleventh. ¹⁴ They were captains of the army—the weakest of them was worth 100 soldiers, and the greatest of them was worth 1,000.

¹⁵ In the autumn, when the Jordan River overflows its banks, these men crossed the river and conquered its inhabitants, who then fled to the east and the west. ¹⁶ Some Benjaminites and Judahites then joined David’s army.

So David accepted them as warriors and made them captains of the guard.

28 We quickly learned that we were on the island of Malta. ² The Maltese people found us and were extraordinarily kind to us. They kindled a bonfire and welcomed us around it, which we greatly appreciated because it was raining and cold. ³ Paul was gathering firewood and helping build the fire. A viper had been hiding in some of the wood, and as it tried to escape the heat, it bit Paul on the hand. It sank its fangs in and wouldn’t let go. ⁴ The natives saw it dangling from his hand.

⁵ Paul simply shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶ The natives knew what to expect—rapid swelling followed by death—but when they waited a long time and saw that Paul suffered no ill effects of the bite, they changed their minds and concluded that he was a god.

⁷ The leading man of the island, Publius, owned large amounts of land near this beach. Publius received us and hosted us for three days. ⁸ Publius’s father was sick, bedridden with fever and dysentery. Paul visited the invalid and prayed for him, placing his hands on Publius’s father. The man was cured. ⁹ Soon people from all over the island who had diseases came, and they were cured as well.

^10-11 We stayed on Malta for the next three months and were treated with great honor. When spring arrived, we prepared to continue our journey on a ship that had wintered there—an Alexandrian vessel with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead. The Maltese people showed us a final kindness as we departed: they came with all the provisions we needed for our journey and put them on board.

¹² We set sail from Malta and stopped first at Syracuse. After three days, ¹³ we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. We waited there a day, and then a south wind sprang up and sped us to Puteoli. ¹⁴ We found some believers there, and they invited us to stay with them for seven days. Then we reached Rome. ¹⁵ The believers from Rome heard we were coming, so they traveled out to meet us at the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns. Paul thanked God and felt encouraged to see them. ¹⁶ Once inside the city, Paul lived under house arrest by himself, with only one soldier to guard him.

¹⁷ Three days after his arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders.

²³ They scheduled a day to meet again, and a large number came to his lodging. From morning until evening, he explained his message to them—giving his account of the kingdom of God, trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets’ writings. ²⁴ Some were convinced, but others refused to believe.

[²⁹ Then the local Jewish leaders left Paul to discuss all he had told them.]^[b]

³⁰ For two full years, he lived there in Rome, paying all his own expenses, receiving all who came to him. ³¹ With great confidence and with no hindrance, he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the ultimate authority—the Lord Jesus, God’s Anointed, the Liberating King.

Psalm 9^[a]

For the worship leader. A song of David to the tune “Death of a Son.”^[b]

9 All the tribes of Israel were recorded in the book of the kings of Israel; then Judah was exiled to Babylon for their unfaithfulness to God.

² At the end of our exile, the first people who returned to their cities were Israelites, Levites, the priests and the temple servants.

³ Some people from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem: ⁴ Uthai the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, son of Perez, son of Judah. ⁵ From the Shilonites were Asaiah (the firstborn) and his sons. ⁶ From the Zerahites were Jeuel and 690 relatives. ⁷ From the Benjaminites were Sallu (son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, son of Hassenuah), ⁸ Ibneiah (son of Jeroham), Elah (son of Uzzi, son of Michri), Meshullam (son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah), ⁹ and 956 relatives. All these were leaders of their clans.

¹⁰ From the priests were Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jachin, ¹¹ Azariah (son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub—the chief officer of the temple), ¹² Adaiah (son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah), Maasai (son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer), ¹³ and their chiefs. These men totaled 1,760 workers in the temple. These were all talented men fit for service in the temple.

¹⁴ The Levites who returned included Shemaiah (son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Merari), ¹⁵ Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, Mattaniah (son of Mica, son of Zichri, son of Asaph), ¹⁶ Obadiah (son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun), and Berechiah (son of Asa, son of Elkanah). They lived among the Netophathites.^[a]

^17-18 The gatekeepers, who guarded the entrances and performed other daily chores, were Shallum (stationed at the king’s gate in the east), Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives. ¹⁹ These were the gatekeepers for the congregation tent and monitored activities there (as their fathers had ruled the camp of the Eternal One as keepers of the entrance): Shallum (son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah) and his fellow Korahites. ²⁰ Phinehas (son of Eleazar) ruled them previously, and the Eternal was with him. ²¹ Zechariah (son of Meshelemiah) was gatekeeper at the entrance of the congregation tent. ²² All the men who were gatekeepers numbered 212. They were recorded in the local genealogies and were chosen by King David and the seer Samuel.

²³ They and their sons guarded the gates of the temple and the congregation tent. ²⁴ The gatekeepers were stationed on all sides: to the north, south, east, and west. ²⁵ Their relatives joined the gatekeepers once per week to keep them company. ²⁶ The four chief gatekeepers (who were Levites) had the important task of controlling the chambers and treasuries in the temple. ²⁷ Because guarding was their primary task, they spent their nights watching the temple and opened it each morning. ²⁸ Others were in charge of the vessels of service; the vessels were counted as they were brought into and taken out of the temple. ²⁹ Still others were in charge of the sanctuary’s furniture and utensils, and of the flour, wine, oil, frankincense, and spices. ³⁰ Some of the sons of the priests mixed these spices. ³¹ Mattithiah (a Levite and the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite) was responsible for things baked in pans for offerings. ³² Some of their Kohathite relatives baked the unleavened bread used as showbread every sabbath. ³³ These are the singers, the chiefs of the Levites during their own generations, who lived in the chambers of the temple in Jerusalem free from other service because they worked day and night. ³⁴ All these men were the chiefs of the Levites during their own generations, and they all lived in Jerusalem.

³⁵ Jeiel (the leader of Gibeon) lived in Gibeon with his wife Maacah. ³⁶ Their firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, ³⁷ Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. ³⁸ Mikloth fathered Shimeam. These lived with their relatives in Jerusalem, across from their other relatives. ³⁹ Ner fathered Kish, whose son was Saul (father of Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal). ⁴⁰ Jonathan’s son was Merib-baal, and Merib-baal’s son was Micah. ⁴¹ Micah fathered Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz. ⁴² Ahaz’s son was Jarah, who fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri fathered Moza, ⁴³ whose lineage descended four generations: Binea, Rephaiah, Eleasah, and Azel. ⁴⁴ Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan.

10 At the end of Saul’s reign as king of Israel, the Philistines attacked Israel. The Israelites fled from the Philistines and were killed on Mount Gilboa. ² As the Philistines tracked Saul and his sons, they killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua. ³ The fighting was heavy around Saul. Their archers caught up with Saul and wounded him.

But the armor bearer was afraid to kill his king, so Saul committed suicide, falling on his own sword. ⁵ When the armor bearer saw Saul’s body, he also committed suicide, falling on his own sword. ⁶ It was at this battle that Saul, his three sons, and his household were annihilated.

⁷ When the Israelites remaining in the valley realized their kinsmen had fled and Saul and his sons were dead, they also left their cities and fled. The conquering Philistines then inhabited these conquered cities of Israel. ⁸ The next day, when the Philistines returned to the battlefield to rob the dead, they found Saul and his sons slain on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ So the Philistines stripped Saul and sent his head and armor throughout Philistia, announcing their victory to their gods and to the people. ¹⁰ They put Saul’s armor in their gods’ temples and mounted his head in the temple of Dagon.

¹¹ When Jabesh-gilead heard how the Philistines desecrated Saul’s remains, ¹² the heroic men buried the bodies of their king and his sons under the oak tree in Jabesh and fasted for seven days.

^13-14 Because Saul disobeyed the Eternal One and trusted in the counsel of a medium instead, he died at the Eternal’s hand; and the Eternal gave the kingdom to the great king David, son of Jesse.

²¹ On top of all of this, the crew had been unable to eat anything because of the turmoil. Paul saw the crew had reached a critical moment. He gathered them.

^27-28 Imagine what happened: It’s the 14th night of our nightmare voyage; we’re being driven by the storm somewhere in the Adriatic Sea. It’s about midnight, and the sailors are taking soundings, fearing we might run aground. “Twenty fathoms,” somebody calls out in the darkness, then a little later, “Fifteen fathoms.” We’re nearing land! ²⁹ But hope quickly gives way to a new fear. At any moment in this darkness, they realize, we could be smashed onto unseen rocks. So they drop four anchors from the stern and pray for first light.

³⁰ Then some of the crew decide to make a run for it on their own. They say they need to let out more anchors from the bow, and this will require lowering the ship’s lifeboat. They actually plan to abandon us; we realize what’s going on. ³¹ Paul quickly speaks to the officer and soldiers.

³² So the soldiers intervene, cut away the lifeboat, and let it drift away. ^{33, 37} We wait. Just before dawn, Paul again gathers everyone on the ship—all 276 of us. He urges everyone to eat and encourages us not to lose hope.^[a]

³⁵ Then Paul takes a loaf of bread and gives thanks to God in front of all of them. He breaks it, takes a piece, and begins to eat. ³⁶ A fresh surge of courage seems to fill their hearts as they also begin to eat. ³⁸ After satisfying their hunger, the crew lightens the ship by throwing the remaining wheat overboard. ³⁹ Day finally breaks. They survey the coastline and don’t recognize it, but they do notice a bay with a beach—the best place to try to run ashore.

⁴⁰ So they cut the anchor ropes, untie the steering oars, hoist the foresail to the wind, and make for the beach. ⁴¹ But then there’s a horrible sound, and we realize we’ve struck a reef; the bow is jammed solid, and the waves are smashing the stern to pieces. ⁴² The soldiers start talking about killing the prisoners so they won’t swim away and escape; ⁴³ but the officer wants to save Paul, so he stops them. He tells those who can swim to jump overboard and swim to the shore, ⁴⁴ and those who can’t, he tells to hold on to planks and other pieces of the ship when it breaks apart. Some hours later, we reassemble on the beach, each one safe and sound.

Psalm 8

For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by the harp.^[a]