The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday May 21, 2022 (NIV)

1 Samuel 29-31

Philistines Reject David

29 The Philistines(A) brought all their military units together at Aphek(B) while Israel was camped by the spring in Jezreel.(C) As the Philistine leaders were passing in review with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men(D) were passing in review behind them with Achish. Then the Philistine commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

Achish answered the Philistine commanders, “That is David, servant of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me a considerable period of time.[a] From the day he defected until today, I’ve found no fault with him.”(E)

The Philistine commanders, however, were enraged with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him.(F) He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the battle.(G) What better way could he ingratiate himself with his master than with the heads of our men? Isn’t this the David they sing about during their dances:

Saul has killed his thousands,
but David his tens of thousands?” (H)

So Achish summoned David and told him, “As the Lord lives, you are an honorable man. I think it is good[b] to have you fighting[c] in this unit with me, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until today.(I) But the leaders don’t think you are reliable. Now go back quietly and you won’t be doing anything the Philistine leaders think is wrong.”

“But what have I done?” (J) David replied to Achish. “From the first day I entered your service until today, what have you found against your servant to keep me from going to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

Achish answered David, “I’m convinced that you are as reliable as an angel of God.(K) But the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’(L) 10 So get up early in the morning, you and your masters’ servants who came with you.[d](M) When you’ve all gotten up early, go as soon as it’s light.” 11 So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

David’s Defeat of the Amalekites

30 David and his men(N) arrived in Ziklag(O) on the third day. The Amalekites(P) had raided the Negev and attacked and burned Ziklag. They also had kidnapped the women and everyone[e] in it from youngest to oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off(Q) as they went on their way.

When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped. David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives,(R) Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped. David was in an extremely difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him,(S) for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.(T)

David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.”(U) So Abiathar brought it to him, and David asked the Lord,(V) “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” (W)

The Lord replied to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.”(X)

So David and the six hundred men with him(Y) went. They came to the Wadi Besor, where some stayed behind.(Z) 10 David and four hundred of the men continued the pursuit, while two hundred stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor.

11 David’s men found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink. 12 Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived,(AA) for he hadn’t eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.

13 Then David said to him, “Who do you belong to? Where are you from?”

“I’m an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man,” he said. “My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago. 14 We raided the south country of the Cherethites,(AB) the territory of Judah, and the south country of Caleb,(AC) and we burned Ziklag.”(AD)

15 David then asked him, “Will you lead me to these raiders?”

He said, “Swear to me by God that you won’t kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them.”

16 So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder(AE) they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. 17 David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day.(AF) None of them escaped, except four hundred young men who got on camels and fled.(AG)

18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing of theirs was missing from the youngest to the oldest, including the sons and daughters, and all the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David got everything back.(AH) 20 He took all the flocks and herds, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, “This is David’s plunder!” (AI)

21 When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor,(AJ) they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them, 22 but all the corrupt and worthless men among those who had gone with David argued, “Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.”

23 But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the Lord has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us. 24 Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally.”(AK) 25 And it has been so from that day forward. David established this policy[f] as a law and an ordinance for Israel and it still continues today.

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you(AL) from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”(AM) 27 He sent gifts[g] to those in Bethel,(AN) in Ramoth of the Negev,(AO) and in Jattir;(AP) 28 to those in Aroer,(AQ) in Siphmoth,(AR) and in Eshtemoa;(AS) 29 to those in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites,(AT) and in the towns of the Kenites;(AU) 30 to those in Hormah,(AV) in Bor-ashan,(AW) and in Athach; 31 to those in Hebron,(AX) and to those in all the places where David and his men had roamed.(AY)

The Death of Saul and His Sons

31 The Philistines fought against Israel,(AZ) and Israel’s men fled from them and were killed on Mount Gilboa.(BA) The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and killed his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. When the battle intensified against Saul,(BB) the archers found him and severely wounded him.[h] Then Saul said to his armor-bearer,(BC) “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men(BD) will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer would not do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it.(BE) When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him. So on that day, Saul died together with his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men.

When the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and on the other side of the Jordan saw that Israel’s men had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. So the Philistines came and settled in them.

The next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa. They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news(BF) in the temples of their idols(BG) and among the people. 10 Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths(BH) and hung his body(BI) on the wall of Beth-shan.(BJ)

11 When the residents of Jabesh-gilead(BK) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their brave men(BL) set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.(BM) 13 Afterward, they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree(BN) in Jabesh(BO) and fasted seven days.

Footnotes:

  1. 29:3 Hb obscure
  2. 29:6 Lit It was good in my eyes
  3. 29:6 Lit you going out and coming in
  4. 29:10 LXX adds and go to the place I appointed you to. Don’t take this evil matter to heart, for you are good before me.
  5. 30:2 LXX; MT omits and everyone
  6. 30:25 this policy supplied for clarity
  7. 30:27 He sent gifts supplied for clarity
  8. 31:3 LXX reads and he was wounded under the ribs
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

John 11:55-12:19

55 Now the Jewish Passover(A) was near, and many went up to Jerusalem(B) from the country to purify themselves before the Passover. 56 They were looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple,(C) “What do you think? He won’t come to the festival,(D) will he?” 57 The chief priests(E) and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it so that they could arrest him.

The Anointing at Bethany

12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany(F) where Lazarus[a] was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead.(G) So(H) they gave a dinner for him there; Martha(I) was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair.(J) So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot(K) (who was about to betray him), said, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii[b](L) and given to the poor?” He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief.(M) He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.

Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial.(N) For you always have the poor with you,(O) but you do not always have me.”

The Decision to Kill Lazarus

Then a large crowd of the Jews learned he was there. They came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, the one he had raised from the dead.(P) 10 But the chief priests had decided to kill Lazarus also, 11 because he was the reason many of the Jews were deserting them[c] and believing in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

12 The(Q) next day, when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took palm branches(R) and went out to meet him. They kept shouting:

“Hosanna!(S)
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord[d](T) —the King of Israel!” (U)

14 Jesus found a young donkey(V) and sat on it, just as it is written:

15 Do not be afraid,(W)
Daughter Zion. Look, your King is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt.[e](X)

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first. However, when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him(Y) and that they had done these things to him.

17 Meanwhile, the crowd, which had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb(Z) and raised him from the dead, continued to testify.[f] 18 This is also why the crowd met him, because they heard he had done this sign. 19 Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You see? You’ve accomplished nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!” (AA)

Footnotes:

  1. 12:1 Other mss read Lazarus who died
  2. 12:5 A denarius = one day’s wage
  3. 12:11 Lit going away
  4. 12:13 Ps 118:25–26
  5. 12:15 Zch 9:9
  6. 12:17 Other mss read Meanwhile the crowd, which had been with him, continued to testify that he had called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 118:1-18

Psalm 118

Thanksgiving for Victory

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(A)
Let Israel say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(B)
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(C)
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”(D)

I called to the Lord in distress;(E)
the Lord answered me
and put me in a spacious place.[a](F)
The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?(G)
The Lord is my helper;
therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.(H)

It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humanity.(I)
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in nobles.(J)

10 All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.(K)
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.(L)
12 They surrounded me like bees;(M)
they were extinguished like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.(N)
13 They[b] pushed me hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.(O)
14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.(P)

15 There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!(Q)
16 The Lord’s right hand is raised.
The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!” (R)
17 I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.(S)
18 The Lord disciplined me severely
but did not give me over to death.(T)

Footnotes:

  1. 118:5 Or answered me with freedom
  2. 118:13 Lit You
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 15:24-26

24 For the prudent the path of life leads upward,
so that he may avoid going down to Sheol.

25 The Lord tears apart the house of the proud,
but he protects the widow’s territory.(A)

26 The Lord detests the plans of the one who is evil,
but pleasant words are pure.(B)

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.