The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday June 30, 2018 (NIV)

2 Kings 17:1-18:12

King Hoshea of Israel

17 In Ahaz’s twelfth year as king of Judah, Hoshea, son of Elah, began to rule as king of Israel in Samaria. He ruled for nine years. He did what the Lord considered evil, but he didn’t do what the kings of Israel before him had done.

The Fall of Samaria

King Shalmaneser of Assyria defeated Hoshea, who became his servant and was required to make annual payments to him. The king of Assyria found Hoshea to be a traitor. (Hoshea had sent messengers to King Dais of Egypt and had stopped making annual payments to the king of Assyria.) So the king of Assyria arrested him and put him in prison. Then the king of Assyria attacked the entire country. He attacked Samaria and blockaded it for three years. In Hoshea’s ninth year as king of Israel, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and took the Israelites to Assyria as captives. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

The Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt and rescued them from the power of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). They worshiped other gods and lived by the customs of the nations that the Lord had forced out of the Israelites’ way. They also did what their kings wanted them to do. The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that weren’t right:

They built for themselves illegal places of worship in all of their cities, from the smallest watchtower to the largest fortified city.

10 They set up sacred stones and poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah on every high hill and under every large tree.

11 At all the illegal places of worship, they sacrificed in the same way as the nations that the Lord had removed from the land ahead of them.

They did evil things and made the Lord furious.

12 They served idols, although the Lord had said, “Never do this.”

13 The Lord had warned Israel and Judah through every kind of prophet and seer,[a] “Turn from your evil ways, and obey my commands and decrees as I commanded your ancestors in all my teachings, the commands I sent to you through my servants the prophets.” 14 But they refused to listen. They became as impossible to deal with as their ancestors who refused to trust the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees, the promise[b] he made to their ancestors, and the warnings he had given them. They went after worthless idols and became as worthless as the idols. They behaved like the nations around them, although the Lord had commanded them not to do that. 16 They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God:

They made two calves out of cast metal.

They made a pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah.

They prayed to the entire army of heaven.

They worshiped Baal.

17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters by burning them alive.

They practiced black magic and cast evil spells.

They sold themselves by doing what the Lord considered evil, and they made him furious.

18 The Lord became so angry with Israel that he removed them from his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left. 19 Even Judah didn’t obey the commands of the Lord their God but lived according to Israel’s customs. 20 So the Lord rejected all of Israel’s descendants, made them suffer, handed them over to those who looted their property, and finally turned away from Israel.

21 When he tore Israel away from the family of David, the people of Israel made Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) king. Jeroboam forced Israel away from the Lord and led them to commit a serious sin. 22 The Israelites followed all the sins Jeroboam committed and never turned away from them. 23 Finally, the Lord turned away from Israel as he had said he would through all his servants, the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their land to Assyria as captives, and they are still there today.

Assyria Brings Foreign People to Settle in Israel

24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its cities.

25 When they first came to live there, they didn’t worship the Lord. So the Lord sent lions to kill some of them. 26 Then someone said to the king of Assyria, “The people you took as captives and settled in the cities of Samaria don’t know the customs of the god of that country, so he sent lions. Now the lions are killing them because they don’t know the customs of the god of this country.”

27 The king of Assyria gave this command: “Bring one of the priests you captured from there. Let him go back to teach them the customs of the god of that country.” 28 So one of the priests who had been taken prisoner from Samaria went to live in Bethel. He taught them how to worship the Lord.

29 But each group that settled in Samaria continued to make its own gods. They put them at the illegal places of worship, which the people of Samaria had made. Each group did this in the cities where they lived:

30 The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth.

The people from Cuth made Nergal.

The people from Hamath made Ashima.

31 The people from Avva made Nibhaz and Tartak.

The people from Sepharvaim burned their children for Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

32 So while these people were worshiping the Lord, they also appointed all kinds of people to serve as priests for the shrines at their illegal places of worship. 33 They worshiped the Lord but also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had come.

34 Today they are still following their customs, as they’ve done from the beginning. They don’t fear the Lord or live by the decrees, customs, teachings, or commands that the Lord gave to the descendants of Jacob (whom he named Israel). 35 When the Lord made a promise to Israel, he commanded, “Never worship other gods, bow down to them, serve them, or sacrifice to them. 36 Instead, worship the Lord, who used his great power and a mighty arm to bring you out of Egypt. Bow down to the Lord, and sacrifice to him. 37 Faithfully obey the laws, rules, teachings, and commands that he wrote for you: ‘Never worship other gods. 38 Never forget the promise I made to you. Never worship other gods. 39 Instead, worship the Lord your God, and he will rescue you from your enemies.’”

40 The people of Israel had refused to listen and made up their own rules, as they had done from the beginning. 41 These other nations worshiped the Lord but also served their own idols. So did their children and their grandchildren. They still do whatever their ancestors did.

King Hezekiah of Judah(A)

18 King Hoshea, son of Elah, had been king in Israel for three years when King Hezekiah, son of Ahaz of Judah, began to rule as king. Hezekiah was 25 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abi, daughter of Zechariah.

He did what the Lord considered right, as his ancestor David had done. He got rid of the illegal places of worship, crushed the sacred stones, and cut down the poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. He even crushed the bronze snake that Moses had made because up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. They called it Nehushtan. Hezekiah trusted the Lord God of Israel. No king among all the kings of Judah was like Hezekiah. He was loyal to the Lord and never turned away from him. He obeyed the commands that the Lord had given through Moses, so the Lord was with him. He succeeded in everything he tried: He rebelled against the king of Assyria and wouldn’t serve him anymore. He conquered the Philistines from the smallest watchtower to the largest fortified city all the way to Gaza and its territory.

The Fall of Samaria

In Hezekiah’s fourth year as king (which was the seventh year in the reign of King Hoshea, son of Elah of Israel) King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked Samaria, blockaded it, 10 and captured it at the end of three years. Samaria was taken in Hezekiah’s sixth year as king (which was Hoshea’s ninth year as king of Israel). 11 The king of Assyria took the Israelites to Assyria as captives. He put them in Halah, along the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 12 This happened because they refused to obey the Lord their God and disregarded the conditions of the promise[c] he made to them. They refused to obey everything that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded.

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Kings 17:13 A seer is a prophet.
  2. 2 Kings 17:15 Or “covenant.”
  3. 2 Kings 18:12 Or “covenant.”

Cross references:

  1. 2 Kings 18:1 : 2 Chronicles 29:1–2
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Acts 20

20 When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, said goodbye, and left for Macedonia. He went through that region and spoke many words of encouragement to the people. Then he went to Greece and stayed there for three months.

Paul in Troas

When Paul was going to board a ship for Syria, he found out that the Jews were plotting to kill him. So he decided to go back through Macedonia. Sopater (son of Pyrrhus) from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia accompanied Paul. All these men went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas. After the Festival of Unleavened Bread, we boarded a ship at Philippi. Five days later we joined them in Troas and stayed there for seven days.

On Sunday we met to break bread. Paul was discussing Scripture with the people. Since he intended to leave the next day, he kept talking until midnight. (Many lamps were lit in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)

A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window. As Paul was talking on and on, Eutychus was gradually falling asleep. Finally, overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was dead when they picked him up. 10 Paul went to him, took him into his arms, and said, “Don’t worry! He’s alive!” 11 Then Eutychus went upstairs again, broke the bread, and ate. Paul talked with the people for a long time, until sunrise, and then left.

12 The people took the boy home. They were greatly relieved that he was alive.

Paul’s Trip to Miletus

13 We went ahead to the ship and sailed for the city of Assos. At Assos, we were going to pick up Paul. He had made these arrangements, since he had planned to walk overland to Assos. 14 When Paul met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to the city of Mitylene. 15 We sailed from there. On the following day we approached the island of Chios. The next day we went by the island of Samos, and on the next day we arrived at the city of Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, if that was possible.

Paul Meets with the Spiritual Leaders from Ephesus

17 From Miletus Paul sent messengers to the city of Ephesus and called the spiritual leaders[a] of the church to meet with him in Miletus. 18 When they were with him, he said to them, “You know how I spent all my time with you from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia. 19 I humbly served the Lord, often with tears in my eyes. I served the Lord during the difficult times I went through when the Jews plotted against me. 20 I didn’t avoid telling you anything that would help you, and I didn’t avoid teaching you publicly and from house to house. 21 I warned Jews and Greeks to change the way they think and act and to believe in our Lord Jesus.

22 “I am determined to go to Jerusalem now. I don’t know what will happen to me there. 23 However, the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that imprisonment and suffering are waiting for me. 24 But I don’t place any value on my own life. I want to finish the race I’m running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus—the mission of testifying to the Good News of God’s kindness.[b]

25 “Now I know that none of you whom I told about God’s kingdom will see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am not responsible for the spiritual death of any of you. 27 I didn’t avoid telling you the whole plan of God. 28 Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as bishops[c] to be shepherds for God’s church which he acquired with his own blood. 29 I know that fierce wolves will come to you after I leave, and they won’t spare the flock. 30 Some of your own men will come forward and say things that distort the truth. They will do this to lure disciples into following them. 31 So be alert! Remember that I instructed each of you for three years, day and night, at times with tears in my eyes.

32 “I am now entrusting you to God and to his message that tells how kind he is. That message can help you grow and can give you the inheritance that is shared by all of God’s holy people.

33 “I never wanted anyone’s silver, gold, or clothes. 34 You know that I worked to support myself and those who were with me. 35 I have given you an example that by working hard like this we should help the weak. We should remember the words that the Lord Jesus said, ‘Giving gifts is more satisfying than receiving them.’”

36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. 37 Everyone cried a lot as they put their arms around Paul and kissed him. 38 The thought of not seeing Paul again hurt them most of all. Then they took Paul to the ship.

Footnotes:

  1. Acts 20:17 Or “pastors,” or “elders.”
  2. Acts 20:24 Or “grace.”
  3. Acts 20:28 English equivalent difficult.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Psalm 148

Psalm 148

Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord from the heavens.
Praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels.
Praise him, his entire heavenly army.
Praise him, sun and moon.
Praise him, all shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heaven
and the water above the sky.
Let them praise the name of the Lord
because they were created by his command.
He set them in their places forever and ever.
He made it a law that no one can break.

Praise the Lord from the earth.
Praise him, large sea creatures and all the ocean depths,
lightning and hail,
snow and fog,
strong winds that obey his commands,
mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedar trees,
10 wild animals and all domestic animals,
crawling animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all its people,
officials and all judges on the earth,
12 young men and women,
old and young together.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord
because his name is high above all others.
His glory is above heaven and earth.
14 He has given his people a strong leader,[a]
someone praiseworthy for his faithful ones,
for the people of Israel, the people who are close to him.

Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 148:14 Or “given his people strength.”
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Proverbs 18:6-7

By talking, a fool gets into an argument,
and his mouth invites a beating.
A fool’s mouth is his ruin.
His lips are a trap to his soul.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

06/29/2018 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 15:1-16:20, Acts 19:13-41, Psalms 147:1-20, Proverbs 18:4-5

Today is the 29th day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today around the global camp fire as we take the next step and move forward on our adventure through the Scriptures this year. So, in the Old Testament we’re moving our way through the book of 2 Kings and we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday. And we’re reading from the God’s Word translation this week. 2 Kings, chapters 15 and 16 today.

Commentary:

Alright. So, in the book of 2 Kings, you know, we are working our way rapidly, sometimes just a paragraph on a king, which represents an entire reign. Some of these rains are very short. Some of them are lifetime reigns between Israel and Judah’s Kings. What we’re watching in the north in Israel is a continual deterioration. Like, they’re not trying to follow any lines of succession and keep a society together. It’s like, somebody becomes king and they become a target almost. Somebody comes and tries to find a way to assassinate them and then they take over the throne, which is simply eroding the society. And it will come to complete ruin. In Judah, we do have back-and-forth but the Kings are usually following the traditions of their father and holding as a high example, David’s reign, but not all is well with them either. We read of King Ahaz of Judah today, who sacrificed his own child, which according to the Bible, was one of the reasons God displaced the people who were there before the Israelites. So, we can see we’re heading in the wrong direction.

Then, in the book of Acts today, we’re in the city of Ephesus. A riot is breaking out because the gospel that Paul is preaching has potential impact on certain segments of the economy. And that segment in specific has to do with the Temple of Artemis, where pilgrims from all around the region who worship Artemis come to Ephesus on pilgrimage. So, the tourism industry, the trinket industry, the idol industry, this is all being effected and that will stir up a ruckus in Ephesus. So, once again, we see an example of the gospel coming into a region and causing great disruption because spiritual freedom overturns false constructs and disrupts much. It does the same in our own world and in our own lives. Freedom invites us to walk out of bondage. But when bondage is all you’ve ever known it seems normal. And, so, walking into freedom feels disruptive. We saw this all throughout Jesus ministry. We see this all throughout the book of Acts in the ministries of Peter and Paul and it is the same today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for the ability to look back, way back, thousands of years, thousands and thousands of years and see that the story continues forward in the heart of people. It’s just like ours. And, so, we invite Your Holy Spirit to come, plant the words of the Scriptures in our lives today. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

Man, tomorrow’s the last day of June. One week from tomorrow, one week from tomorrow is the Daily Audio Bible long walk, a day that we set aside every July 7th and go for a walk. It’s that simple. Go somewhere beautiful. Go for a long walk with God in the center of the year looking back at what He’s spoken through His word and what He’s brought us through to get us to this point and resetting, looking for His counsel and guidance about what the next six months of this year are to look like and to just enjoy fellowship, just having unhurried, uninterrupted time with God somewhere beautiful. So, make plans for that on the seventh. Wherever you go, take a picture or shoot a little video or something. Post that back to the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page, which is facebook.com/dailyaudiobible and then we have this collective long walk happening all over the world and we get to look into the beauty of where we are because we’re all over the world. So, we get to look into the beauty of whatever picture you took. We get to look at that and enjoy your long walk. So, make plans for that on the 7th July.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that it dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link. It’s on the homepage. Thank you for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996. Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning DABbers. This is Walta, A Burning Bush That Will Not Be Devoured For The Glory Of Our God And King. I just heard a prayer request from a man of God whose mother is in hospice and his son is in recovery. He has returned home. I think his name is Tom. My brother, I just want you to know that everything we go through, God uses it for His glory. A year ago I was in your situation, in fact, months ago. My son is still in recovery. Unfortunately, my mother’s passed. I’m saying this to let you know that God who has brought me through will bring you through. And the words of encouragement that God gave me regarding my son has been this. I have been given a responsibility to love and care for God’s son. Your son is God’s son and you are just the one that God has trusted to love him through whatever he is battling, whatever he is going through. Do not give up praying for him every single day. And Father God, I pray for Tom’s son right now. And God, I pray that you will release him from whatever bondage the enemy has placed on him. God I pray for all our kids who have been put in bondage by addiction. We command those genes chains to be loosed right now in the name of Jesus. And Father God, we give you the glory. And I pray for strength and energy for Tom and for all of us in this situation. Help him to love his aging parents. Help him to be there and consistently pray for them during their last moments knowing that You will never leave them or forsake them God. You are there with them in their last days and You are there with our kids. And we thank you Jesus that we can do nothing God. You are there and You are taking care of them. We love You Lord. My brother, take courage in Jesus’ name.

Hello DABbers. My name is Denise. I am a first time caller. I’m asking for prayer for marriages in general, myself, my marriage included. It seems as if we are trying to make it just with the daily grind and forget to put our marriages ahead of work. So, I just ask that you would pray for marriages in general. I pray that God would restore and renew each and every marriage and that He would become the foundation. I just thank you…and…

Good morning Daily Audio Bible. This is Cory M. from Jacksonville Florida. I wanted to respond to Alyssa from Texas and her cry concerning overcoming promiscuity and other things where she said that she’s stepping outside of God’s will. Sister, I just want to encourage you to focus on God’s grace. You know, the word tells us that the grace of God teaches us to __ on godliness and __ . And, so focus on that. Don’t focus so much on your behavior. Focus on adoring God. Focus on reading the word. Focus on confessing the word, that, you know, you are a new creature. Focus on those kinds of things. Yes, of course, you know, confess your sin and repent. That’s fine. But don’t…don’t focus on how…you know…the sin…don’t focus there. Put your focus on God’s grace because He’s abundantly able to transform you. You cannot change yourself. Right? You have to have the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. And then secondly, I would like to have you all be praying for me. I will be heading to Uganda July 22nd to minister in __ and I would appreciate your prayers. Thank you so much. I so enjoy this community. I’ve been walking and doing this with you all for about seven years. I don’t call often but I do hear your prayers and I join you in prayer. So, friendship, loyalty, and love in Jesus. Bye-bye.

Good morning brothers and sisters of the Daily Audio Bible family. Today is Wednesday, June 27th and I’m calling to pray for Not Shaken, her son Brian and his two girls. Father God, we lift this family up. You, Father God, know what they need and You Father God fight our battles. I pray that Not Shaken continues to just put everything at your feet Jesus because You have a plan. And Father God, in Psalm 138, it was said that, though I walk in the midst of trouble You will revive me, You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemy and Your right hand will save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. Your mercy endures forever. Do not forsake the works of your hand. So, Not Shaken, the Lord will perfect that which concerns you. And that which concerns you is your son Brian and your two granddaughters. I just pray Father God…and I don’t know why…I guess it’s just human nature that the people that love us the most also can just hate us the most. He just really hates himself, probably, and just is projecting that on you. I agree, it’s great that you have the girls there so you can give them some sense of normalcy. I don’t know what the answer is but I know who does. As Pelham said, let’s refer you and continue to refer you. I know You are Lord and referring to the one who made you perfectly and the one who made Brian. Father God, You can do all things and we just lift up Brian to You, Your beloved son, who You fearfully and wonderfully made. You reveal Yourself to him, remove the blindness that he has. The devil wants him to stay the way he is but we know that You are greater and You can do all things. We lift up Brian so that You will change His heart. Holy Spirit, just come upon him and reveal Yourself to him so that all the glory may be to you and the girls may see that their father is completely changed be…

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday June 29, 2018 (NIV)

2 Kings 15-16

King Azariah of Judah(A)

15 In Jeroboam’s twenty-seventh year as king of Israel, Amaziah’s son Azariah[a] began to rule as king of Judah. He was 16 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.

He did what the Lord considered right, as his father Amaziah had done. But the illegal places of worship were still not torn down. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at these worship sites.

Azariah’s Skin Disease(B)

The Lord inflicted the king with a skin disease that lasted until the day the king died. So the king lived in a separate house. The king’s son Jotham was in charge of the palace and governed the country.

Isn’t everything else about Azariah—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? Azariah lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Jotham succeeded him as king.

King Zechariah of Israel Rules for Six Months

In Azariah’s thirty-eighth year as king of Judah, Jeroboam’s son Zechariah was king of Israel in Samaria for six months. He did what the Lord considered evil, as his ancestors had done. He didn’t turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) led Israel to commit. 10 Shallum, son of Jabesh, plotted against Zechariah, attacked him at Kabal Am, killed him, and succeeded him as king. 11 Everything else about Zechariah is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 12 It happened exactly as the Lord had told Jehu: “Four generations of your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel.”

King Shallum of Israel Rules for One Month

13 Shallum, son of Jabesh, became king in Azariah’s thirty-ninth year as king of Judah. Shallum ruled for an entire month in Samaria. 14 Then Menahem, son of Gadi, came from Tirzah to Samaria, attacked Shallum (son of Jabesh), killed him, and succeeded him as king. 15 Everything else about Shallum—all about his conspiracy—is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 16 Then Menahem attacked Tiphsah, everyone there, and its territory. Because the city didn’t open its gates for him, he attacked it and ripped open all its pregnant women.

King Menahem of Israel

17 In Azariah’s thirty-ninth year as king of Judah, Menahem, son of Gadi, began to rule as king of Israel. He ruled for 10 years in Samaria. 18 He did what the Lord considered evil. During his entire life he never turned away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) led Israel to commit.

19 King Pul of Assyria came to attack the country. So Menahem gave Pul 75,000 pounds of silver to gain his support and help strengthen his hold on the kingdom. 20 Menahem raised the money from all the wealthy men in Israel. Each gave 20 ounces of silver for the king of Assyria. Then the king of Assyria left the country. 21 Isn’t everything else about Menahem—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 22 Menahem lay down in death with his ancestors, and his son Pekahiah succeeded him as king.

King Pekahiah of Israel

23 In Azariah’s fiftieth year as king of Judah, Menahem’s son Pekahiah began to rule. Pekahiah was king of Israel in Samaria for two years. 24 He did what the Lord considered evil. He didn’t turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) led Israel to commit. 25 His officer Pekah, son of Remaliah, plotted against him. With 50 men from Gilead, Pekah attacked Pekahiah, Argob, and Arieh in the fortress of the royal palace in Samaria. Pekah killed him and succeeded him as king. 26 Everything else about Pekahiah—everything he did—is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.

King Pekah of Israel

27 In Azariah’s fifty-second year as king of Judah, Pekah, son of Remaliah, began to rule Israel in Samaria. He ruled for 20 years. 28 He did what the Lord considered evil. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) led Israel to commit. 29 In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and the entire territory of Naphtali. He also took the people away to Assyria as captives. 30 Hoshea, son of Elah, plotted against Pekah, son of Remaliah. Hoshea attacked him and killed him. Hoshea began to rule as king in his place in the twentieth year that Azariah, son of Jotham, was king of Judah. 31 Everything else about Pekah—everything he did—is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.

King Jotham of Judah(C)

32 In the second year that King Pekah, son of Remaliah, ruled Israel, Jotham, son of Azariah, began to rule as king of Judah. 33 He was 25 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha, daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what the Lord considered right, as his father Azariah had done. 35 But the illegal places of worship were not torn down. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at these worship sites. Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Lord’s temple. 36 Isn’t everything else about Jotham—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?

37 In those days the Lord began to use King Rezin of Aram and Pekah, son of Remaliah, to attack Judah. 38 Jotham lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz succeeded him as king.

King Ahaz of Judah(D)

16 Pekah, son of Remaliah, was in his seventeenth year as king of Israel when King Ahaz, son of Jotham, began to rule as king of Judah. Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 26 years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do what the Lord his God considered right, as his ancestor David had done. He followed the example of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son by burning him alive. Sacrificing children was one of the disgusting things done by the nations that the Lord had forced out of the Israelites’ way. He offered sacrifices and burned incense as an offering at the illegal worship sites, which were on hills and under every large tree.

Then King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah, son of Remaliah of Israel, came to wage war against Jerusalem. They blockaded Ahaz but couldn’t get him to fight. At that time King Rezin of Aram drove the Judeans out of Elath and gave it back to Edom.[b] The Edomites came to Elath and still live there today.

Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria to say, “I’m your servant, your son. Come and save me from the kings of Aram and Israel who are attacking me.” Ahaz took the silver and gold he found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasury in the royal palace and sent them to the king of Assyria as a present.

The king of Assyria listened to him and attacked Damascus. He captured it, took the people to Kir as captives, and killed Rezin.

10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria. He saw an altar there in Damascus. So King Ahaz sent the priest Urijah a model of the altar and a set of detailed plans. 11 Urijah built an altar exactly like the model King Ahaz sent from Damascus. He finished it before Ahaz returned home from Damascus.

12 When the king came from Damascus, he saw the altar. The king approached the altar and went up to it. 13 He sacrificed his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his wine offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offering on the altar. 14 But he moved the bronze altar dedicated to the Lord. It had been in front of the temple between his altar and the Lord’s temple. Ahaz put it on the north side of his altar. 15 King Ahaz gave this command to the priest Urijah: “On this great altar you must burn the morning burnt offerings and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offerings and grain offerings, and the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and wine offerings of all the people of the land. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt offerings and other sacrifices on it. I will use the bronze altar for prayer.” 16 The priest Urijah did what King Ahaz had commanded.

17 King Ahaz cut off the side panels of the bronze stands used in the temple and removed the basin from each of them. He took the bronze pool down from the bronze bulls that were under it and set it on a stone base. 18 Ahaz removed the covered walkway used on the day of rest—a holy day. This walkway had been built in the temple. He also removed the outer entrance for the king from the Lord’s temple. He did this to please the king of Assyria. 19 Isn’t everything else about Ahaz—the things he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? 20 Ahaz lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Kings 15:1 In the Masoretic Text this king of Judah is also called Uzziah.
  2. 2 Kings 16:6 Masoretic Text “Aram.” (The Hebrew words for “Aram” and “Edom” are nearly identical.)
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Acts 19:13-41

13 Some Jews used to travel from place to place and force evil spirits out of people. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to force evil spirits out of those who were possessed. These Jews would say, “I order you to come out in the name of Jesus, whom Paul talks about.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

15 But the evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I’m acquainted with Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man possessed by the evil spirit attacked them. He beat them up so badly that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.

17 All the Jews and Greeks living in the city of Ephesus heard about this. All of them were filled with awe for the name of the Lord Jesus and began to speak very highly about it. 18 Many believers openly admitted their involvement with magical spells and told all the details. 19 Many of those who were involved in the occult gathered their books and burned them in front of everyone. They added up the cost of these books and found that they were worth 50,000 silver coins. 20 In this powerful way the word of the Lord was spreading and gaining strength.

21 After all these things had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem by traveling through Macedonia and Greece. He said, “After I have been there, I must see Rome.” 22 So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed longer in the province of Asia.

A Riot in Ephesus

23 During that time a serious disturbance concerning the way of Christ broke out in the city of Ephesus.

24 Demetrius, a silversmith, was in the business of making silver models of the temple of Artemis. His business brought a huge profit for the men who worked for him. 25 He called a meeting of his workers and others who did similar work. Demetrius said, “Men, you know that we’re earning a good income from this business, 26 and you see and hear what this man Paul has done. He has won over a large crowd that follows him not only in Ephesus but also throughout the province of Asia. He tells people that gods made by humans are not gods. 27 There’s a danger that people will discredit our line of work, and there’s a danger that people will think that the temple of the great goddess Artemis is nothing. Then she whom all Asia and the rest of the world worship will be robbed of her glory.”

28 When Demetrius’ workers and the others heard this, they became furious and began shouting, “Artemis of the Ephesians is great!” 29 The confusion spread throughout the city, and the people had one thought in mind as they rushed into the theater. They grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who traveled with Paul, and they dragged the two men into the theater with them.

30 Paul wanted to go into the crowd, but his disciples wouldn’t let him. 31 Even some officials who were from the province of Asia and who were Paul’s friends sent messengers to urge him not to risk going into the theater.

32 Some people shouted one thing while others shouted something else. The crowd was confused. Most of the people didn’t even know why they had come together. 33 Some people concluded that Alexander was the cause, so the Jews pushed him to the front. Alexander motioned with his hand to quiet the people because he wanted to defend himself in front of them. 34 But when they recognized that Alexander was a Jew, everyone started to shout in unison, “Artemis of the Ephesians is great!” They kept doing this for about two hours.

35 The city clerk finally quieted the crowd. Then he said, “Citizens of Ephesus, everyone knows that this city of the Ephesians is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis. Everyone knows that Ephesus is the keeper of the statue that fell down from Zeus. 36 No one can deny this. So you have to be quiet and not do anything foolish. 37 The men you brought here don’t rob temples or insult our goddess. 38 If Demetrius and the men who work for him have a legal complaint against anyone, we have special days and officials to hold court. That’s where they should bring charges against each other. 39 If you want anything else, you must settle the matter in a legal assembly. 40 At this moment we run the risk of being accused of rioting today for no reason. We won’t be able to explain this mob.” 41 After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.[a]

Footnotes:

  1. Acts 19:41 Acts 19:41 in English Bibles is Acts 19:40b in the Greek Bible.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Psalm 147

Psalm 147

Hallelujah!

It is good to sing psalms to our God.
It is pleasant to sing his praise beautifully.

The Lord is the builder of Jerusalem.
He is the one who gathers the outcasts of Israel together.
He is the healer of the brokenhearted.
He is the one who bandages their wounds.
He determines the number of stars.
He gives each one a name.
Our Lord is great, and his power is great.
There is no limit to his understanding.
The Lord gives relief to those who are oppressed.
He brings wicked people down to the ground.

Sing to the Lord a song of thanksgiving.
Make music to our God with a lyre.
He covers the sky with clouds.
He provides rain for the ground.
He makes grass grow on the mountains.
He is the one who gives food to animals
and to young ravens when they call out.
10 He finds no joy in strong horses,
nor is he pleased by brave soldiers.
11 The Lord is pleased with those who fear him,
with those who wait with hope for his mercy.

12 Praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Praise your God, Zion!
13 He makes the bars across your gates strong.
He blesses the children within you.
14 He is the one who brings peace to your borders
and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.
15 He is the one who sends his promise throughout the earth.
His word travels with great speed.
16 He is the one who sends snow like wool
and scatters frost like ashes.
17 He is the one who throws his hailstones like breadcrumbs.
Who can withstand his chilling blast?
18 He sends out his word and melts his hailstones.
He makes wind blow and water flow.
19 He speaks his word to Jacob,
his laws and judicial decisions to Israel.
20 He has done nothing like this for any other nation.
The other nations do not know the decisions he has handed down.

Hallelujah!

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Proverbs 18:4-5

The words of a person’s mouth are like deep waters.
The fountain of wisdom is an overflowing stream.
It is not good to be partial toward a wicked person,
thereby depriving an innocent person of justice.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

06/28/2018 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 13:1-14:29, Acts 18:22-19:12, Psalms 146:1-10, Proverbs 18:2-3

Today is the 28th day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today. As we prepare to take the next step forward. And we’ve taken quite a few steps and they have led us to this point and we’ll keep taking steps until we get all the way to the end of the year and the end of the Bible. We’re reading from the God’s word translation this week. And the next step is the one after the last step. So, we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday. Second Kings chapter 13 and 14.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for the thread that it has become in our lives, the constant that is in our days, leading us, directing us, transforming us, and counseling us. And we take the Council that we found in the Proverbs today, not to just talk to hear ourselves talk, not to just have an opinion about everything, that that is actually foolish. Come Holy Spirit into that. Help us to be people that are thoughtful before we speak. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

And it’s the Daily Audio Bible long walk that’s coming up on the calendar. That’s next. And that takes place on 7th of July, which is a week from this Saturday. And it’s a day…it’s just little tradition we have around here. We’ve been doing it for over a decade now. Every 7th of July we just all go somewhere beautiful. All of us who can carve out a few hours or a whole day to go for a long walk to disrupt the normal flow of things and go somewhere beautiful and just listen, listen to nature, talk to God, be uninterrupted, be unhurried, and be unhurried in his response, listening, walking with him. And we do this, obviously, individually, because we’re all over the world but what makes this a community experience is that we just say, wherever you go, whatever you do, capture it, capture it for yourself by taking a picture or little video or whatever. And you can post that back to the daily Audio Bible Facebook page, facebook.com/dailyaudiobible, and then we get to participate by just looking into these little windows, these little pictures that we’ve taken and be in each other’s long walk. And it’s a beautiful thing. So, make plans for that on the 7th of July. It’s a Saturday this year. It’s not obviously always a Saturday, but this year it is, which makes it simpler for our schedules. So, plan to participate in the Daily Audio Bible long walk this year. If you’ve done it for years, then you’re looking forward to it as I am. If this is your first year even considering it, then, well, think about it. What good would it do for your soul to take a day out of your crazy schedule and walk with God? What might that mean to your inner life, where the anxieties may be mounting? What would it be to release all of that, talk at all through with God? So, that’s the Daily Audio Bible long walk.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible in the mission that we share around this global campfire to bring the spoken word of God to anyone who will listen to it anywhere that they are any time of day or night. If that brings life and good news into your life, then thank you for your partnership. There’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey, what’s up everybody? It’s Miguel from Santa Rosa. Psalm 94:9 says, He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He formed the eye, does he not see? This word has been placed on my heart over the past several community prayer lines as I hear so many prayers come in, such a variety of things that we are all struggling with. And I believe that one of the biggest lies that can be placed out there from the enemy is a lie that your alone, that nobody hears you, especially for those that call in a prayer request and don’t necessarily hear somebody call in to pray for them. I want to encourage you. You are heard. You are heard and not just by people but by God. He who planted your very ear, does He not hear you? He who formed your eyes, does He not see you?. See, you are not alone. You are heard. Your prayers are heard and I can’t pretend like I know every single struggle out there, that I know what it’s like to walk through what you’re walking through, but we’re created by the same God. He loves you and He hears you and there will come a day when every effect of sin is wiped away, every pain, every suffering. Be blessed brother and sister. You are heard. You are seen. You are loved.

Hi everyone. It’s Karen in St. Louis. Bridget, my sister in New York, I am just grieving with you. I just heard your phone call. I’m gonna to pray. Father God, gosh, we live in such a broken, broken world and I just sometimes…sometimes I just pray come quickly, come quickly Jesus. Lord, I just want to lift up Bridget and her daughter to you and her whole family and this little two-year-old that is left behind Father God. I just pray that you are ministering angels would be about them, that they would sense the prayers of the saints lifting them up, that they would be buoyed and lifted up high on Eagles wings above all of this. I pray against sending PTSG for Bridget’s daughter. I pray that this would draw her closer to you Lord, that she would cling tightly to you, that she would walk with the Lord because you are the Father…

This is Candace from Oregon calling in for Pelham who is the parent with Molly and husband of Molly. Thank you for calling. Thank you for crying out to us but more importantly to Jesus. There is just nothing, well, very few things in life that are more satisfying than marriage. And you know that but now you know, of course, and have also known that there is very few things that are this difficult. And marriage is…it’s impossible except by the Holy Spirit, the power of our Lord. And it was His idea that He alone can make it happen. So…we’re…please family…come around Pelham with me and let’s pray. Let’s pray for a miracle. Lord thank You for our brother. Thank You that he knows that when he’s at his most desperate point he needs to look to You, that You are his hope and his salvation and You are Molly’s hope and salvation and their child as well. And I pray Lord that You will break all the ploys of the enemy, that You will break these things down in the name of Jesus, that Your love will come into this situation in the most beautiful unexpected ways. Please Lord, we know that just when it looks impossible…it is impossible for any one of us…You alone, you alone can take any two people and translate between them. Sometimes we feel like we’re speaking a foreign language we try to talk to each other. Holy Spirit, come and translate. Help them to actually hear each other. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.

DAB family. I want to pray for Keisha. Lord, Keisha reached out to You through the community because she’s been feeling alone, she is concerned about her weight that she gained, and depression and said that she had a generational curse of depression. She’s concerned about her marriage and many other things. And Lord I just ask you to reach into your daughter’s heart and let her know without a doubt that she is loved by You and speak to her in a way that only she can understand so she can know he is not alone and never alone, that when the Lord Jesus died on the cross, all curses were broken and that the evil one cannot lay his hand on us and that her mind can be freed to realize who she completely is in Your eyes, the only eyes the count. Keisha is a princess. She is royalty Lord. And one day her outsides will match her insides and she will shine like the stars of heaven Lord. Until then Lord, purify her mind, purify her heart and give her peace and let her know that she is loved beyond the green and You are making her into something more beautiful that could ever be described. We thank You Lord that You do the same with all of us. Speak to us sister Keisha in a special way. In Jesus name.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday June 28, 2018 (NIV)

2 Kings 13-14

King Jehoahaz of Israel

13 Ahaziah’s son King Joash of Judah was in his twenty-third year as king of Judah when Jehoahaz,[a] son of Jehu, began to rule in Samaria as king of Israel. He ruled for 17 years. He did what the Lord considered evil. He continued to commit the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) led Israel to commit. He never gave up committing those sins. So the Lord became angry with Israel and put it at the mercy of King Hazael of Aram and Hazael’s son Benhadad as long as they lived.

Then Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord heard him because he saw how the Aramean king was oppressing Israel. So the Lord gave the Israelites someone to save them, and they were freed from Aram’s power. They were able to live in their homes again as they had done before. But they didn’t turn away from the sins that Jeroboam and his dynasty led Israel to commit. They continued to commit those sins. In addition, the pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah remained standing in Samaria.

Jehoahaz had no army left except for 50 horses, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers because the king of Aram had destroyed the rest. He had made them like dust that people trample. Isn’t everything else about Jehoahaz—everything he did, his heroic acts—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? Jehoahaz lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoash[b] ruled as king in his place.

King Jehoash of Israel

10 In Joash’s thirty-seventh year as king of Judah, Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash began to rule Israel in Samaria. He ruled for 16 years. 11 He did what the Lord considered evil and never gave up committing the sins that Jeroboam led Israel to commit. He continued to commit them. 12 Isn’t everything else about Jehoash—everything he did, his heroic acts when he fought against King Amaziah of Judah—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 13 Jehoash lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with the kings of Israel in Samaria. Then Jeroboam claimed the throne.

The Death of Elisha

14 Elisha became fatally ill. King Jehoash of Israel visited him, cried over him, and said, “Master! Master! Israel’s chariot and horses!”

15 Elisha told him, “Get a bow and some arrows.” So he got a bow and some arrows. 16 Then Elisha told the king of Israel, “Take the bow in your hand.” So the king picked up the bow. Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. 17 Elisha said, “Open the window that faces east.” So the king opened it. “Shoot,” Elisha said, and the king shot. Then Elisha said, “That is the arrow of the Lord’s victory, the arrow of victory against Aram. You will completely defeat the Arameans at Aphek.” 18 Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows.” So the king took them. “Stomp on them,” he told the king of Israel. The king stomped three times and stopped.

19 Then the man of God became angry with him. “You should have stomped five or six times!” he said. “Then you would have completely defeated the Arameans. But now you will only defeat the Arameans three times.”

20 Elisha died and was buried. Moabite raiding parties used to invade the country in the spring. 21 One day some people who were burying a man saw one of these raiding parties. So they quickly put the man into Elisha’s tomb. But when the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came back to life and stood up.

22 King Hazael of Aram oppressed Israel as long as Jehoahaz ruled. 23 But the Lord was kind and merciful to the Israelites because of his promise[c] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He didn’t want to destroy the Israelites, and even now he hasn’t turned away from them.

24 King Hazael of Aram died, and his son Benhadad succeeded him as king. 25 Then Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, reconquered the cities that Benhadad had taken from his father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Benhadad three times and recovered those cities of Israel.

King Amaziah of Judah(A)

14 Jehoahaz’s son King Jehoash was in his second year as king of Israel when King Amaziah, son of Joash of Judah, began to rule. Amaziah was 25 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem.

He did what the Lord considered right, but not exactly what his ancestor David had done. He did everything his father Joash had done. But the illegal places of worship were still not torn down. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at these worship sites.

As soon as he had a firm control over the kingdom, he executed the officials who had killed his father, the former king. But he didn’t execute their children. He obeyed the Lord’s command written in the Book of Moses’ Teachings: “Parents must never be put to death for the crimes of their children, and children must never be put to death for the crimes of their parents. Each person must be put to death for his own crime.”

Amaziah killed 10,000 Edomites in the Dead Sea region and took the city of Sela in battle. He gave it the name Joktheel, which is still its name today.

King Amaziah’s Defeat and Death(B)

Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz and grandson of Jehu of Israel, to declare war on Israel.

King Jehoash of Israel sent this message to King Amaziah of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon. It said, ‘Let your daughter marry my son,’ but a wild animal from Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle. 10 You certainly defeated Edom, and now you have become arrogant. Enjoy your fame, but stay home. Why must you invite disaster and your own defeat and take Judah with you?”

11 But Amaziah wouldn’t listen. So King Jehoash of Israel attacked, and King Amaziah of Judah met him in battle at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 12 Israel defeated the army of Judah, and the Judeans fled to their homes. 13 King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah, son of Joash and grandson of Ahaziah of Judah, at Beth Shemesh and went to Jerusalem. He tore down a 600-foot section of the wall around Jerusalem from Ephraim Gate to Corner Gate. 14 He took all the gold, silver, and all the utensils he found in the Lord’s temple and in the royal palace treasury. He also took hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

15 Isn’t everything else about Jehoash—what he did, his heroic acts when he fought against King Amaziah of Judah—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 16 Jehoash lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with the kings of Israel in Samaria. His son Jeroboam succeeded him as king.

17 Joash’s son King Amaziah of Judah lived 15 years after the death of Jehoahaz’s son King Jehoash of Israel. 18 Isn’t everything else about Amaziah written in the official records of the kings of Judah? 19 Conspirators in Jerusalem plotted against him, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent men to Lachish after him and killed him there. 20 They brought him back by horse, and he was buried in Jerusalem, in the City of David, with his ancestors.

21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 22 Azariah rebuilt Elath and returned it to Judah after King Amaziah lay down in death with his ancestors.

King Jeroboam II of Israel

23 Joash’s son Amaziah was in his fifteenth year as king of Judah when Jehoash’s son King Jeroboam of Israel began to rule in Samaria. Jeroboam ruled for 41 years. 24 He did what the Lord considered evil. He didn’t turn away from any of the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) led Israel to commit.

25 He restored Israel’s boundaries from the border of Hamath to the Dead Sea as the Lord God of Israel predicted through his servant Jonah, the prophet from Gath Hepher and the son of Amittai. 26 The Lord did this because he saw how bitterly everyone in Israel was suffering. No slave or free person could help Israel. 27 Since the Lord had said he was not going to wipe out Israel’s name completely, he saved them through Jeroboam, son of Jehoash.

28 Isn’t everything else about Jeroboam—everything he did, his heroic acts when he fought, how he recovered Damascus and Hamath for Israel[d]—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 29 Jeroboam lay down in death with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah succeeded him as king.

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Kings 13:1 In the Masoretic Text this king of Israel is also called Joahaz, a shorter form of Jehoahaz.
  2. 2 Kings 13:9 In the Masoretic Text this king of Israel is also called Joash, a shorter form of Jehoash.
  3. 2 Kings 13:23 Or “covenant.”
  4. 2 Kings 14:28 Syriac; Masoretic Text “for Judah in Israel.”
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Acts 18:23-19:12

23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia, where he strengthened the faith of all the disciples.

Apollos Tells Others about Jesus

24 A Jew named Apollos, who had been born in Alexandria, arrived in the city of Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker and knew how to use the Scriptures in a powerful way. 25 He had been instructed in the Lord’s way and spoke enthusiastically. He accurately taught about Jesus but knew only about the baptism John performed. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home with them and explained God’s way to him more accurately.

27 When Apollos wanted to travel to Greece, the believers in Ephesus encouraged him. They wrote to the disciples in Greece to tell them to welcome him. When he arrived in Greece, God’s kindness[a] enabled him to help the believers a great deal. 28 In public Apollos helped them by clearly showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah and that the Jews were wrong.

Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior provinces to get to the city of Ephesus. He met some disciples in Ephesus and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”

They answered him, “No, we’ve never even heard of the Holy Spirit.”

Paul asked them, “What kind of baptism did you have?”

They answered, “John’s baptism.”

Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.[b] John told people to believe in Jesus, who was coming later.”

After they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came to them, and they began to talk in other languages and to speak what God had revealed. About twelve men were in the group.

For three months Paul would go into the synagogue and speak boldly. He had discussions with people to convince them about God’s kingdom. But when some people became stubborn, refused to believe, and had nothing good to say in front of the crowd about the way of Christ, he left them. He took his disciples and held daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

11 God worked unusual miracles through Paul. 12 People would take handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul’s skin to those who were sick. Their sicknesses would be cured, and evil spirits would leave them.

Footnotes:

  1. Acts 18:27 Or “grace.”
  2. Acts 19:4 “Repentance” is turning to God with a complete change in the way a person thinks and acts.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Psalm 146

Psalm 146

Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord, my soul!
I want to praise the Lord throughout my life.
I want to make music to praise my God as long as I live.

Do not trust influential people,
mortals who cannot help you.
When they breathe their last breath, they return to the ground.
On that day their plans come to an end.
Blessed are those who receive help from the God of Jacob.
Their hope rests on the Lord their God,
who made heaven, earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
The Lord remains faithful forever.
He brings about justice for those who are oppressed.
He gives food to those who are hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free.
The Lord gives sight to blind people.
The Lord straightens the backs of those who are bent over.
The Lord loves righteous people.
The Lord protects foreigners.
The Lord gives relief to orphans and widows.
But he keeps wicked people from reaching their goal.
10 The Lord rules as king forever.
Zion, your God rules throughout every generation.

Hallelujah!

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Proverbs 18:2-3

A fool does not find joy in understanding
but only in expressing his own opinion.

When wickedness comes, contempt also comes,
and insult comes along with disgrace.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

06/27/2018 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 10:32-12:21, Acts 18:1-21, Psalms 145:1-21, Proverbs 18:1

Today is the 27th day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today as we take the final steps of the month of June and the next step in our adventure through the Scriptures this year. We’re reading from the book of 2 Kings in our Old Testament reading and we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday. 2 Kings 10:32-12:21. We’re reading from the God’s Word translation this week.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Acts, we are clearly following the Apostle Paul at this point. We began the book of Acts following the Apostle Peter and then it transitions and we follow the Apostle Paul on his missionary journeys. And so we’re traveling around with Paul as new churches are being planted and we’re seeing that they’re being opposed and Paul is being opposed pretty much wherever he goes. Probably because of the way that he operates. He’ll go into a town and go to a synagogue and be among the Jewish people and share the story. Usually that causes great disruption and some people are on board and some people are not on board. And then those who are not on board really stir up trouble, which leads to lots of persecution for Paul and lots of being on the run. He’s in Corinth in our reading today where he spent a year and a half and kind of did the same thing but then finally got thrown out of the synagogue and just moved next door. Just moved next door and set up shop and continued to speak the word about Jesus, the good news, the gospel. And it just gives us such a glimpse into the times when the gospel first began to be taught. And we will continue to follow this story all the way back to Jerusalem where things will take a change. And Paul’s ministry will actually become more influential and powerful in some very counter-intuitive ways.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for all of the lives that are represented in it, all of the choices that were made, all of the roads that were chosen. We thank You for Your Holy Spirit’s guidance on the roads that we are choosing and the paths that we are walking down. And we pray along with the Psalmist today we will highly praise You God, the king. We will bless Your name forever and ever. We will bless You every day. May we be a blessing to You today Lord. We will praise Your name forever and ever. You are great. You should be highly praised. Your greatness is unsearchable. And yet You love us as children. So, come Holy Spirit into this day. May we bless You. May Your heart be glad and smile as we move through this day together. In Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, it’s where you find out what’s up, going on.

And the next thing up on the calendar is coming up soon. It’s July 7th, which is a week from this Saturday. And that is the day of the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk, an annual tradition that we have around here in the family. It’s a day that we set aside to go for a walk with God. I’ve been talking about it for a few days, so we kind of have the understanding. Just go out into beauty and go out with God. Give yourself space to say everything that you have needed to say for a long time. And leave space to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide and direct and respond. And take your phone or take a camera or something. Take a picture, a little video wherever it is that you go, wherever you do your long walk. Post that back up to the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page, which is facebook.com/dailyaudiobible. And then we’ll enjoy each other’s long walk. We’ll have these little windows into each other’s lives and hear from each other what the Lord was speaking, what you’re sensing, what the day was like for you. So, make plans for that. The 7th of July. I’ve got my plans. I look forward to the re-set every year. And those of you who’ve been around for a long time, I hope you do to. So, plan for that. July 7th.

If you wanna partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link. It’s on the homepage. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey everybody. This is Pelham from Cahaba Heights. It’s the tiny little city inside of Birmingham that I live in, a little hamlet of Cahaba Heights. I’m calling today because today’s show the day that Ozzie J. in Japan. And you experienced a 6.1 earthquake. And five people died at the epicenter. And I want you to know, my thoughts are with you. I’m honored to hear from you. You’re doing an amazing thing Ozzie. I’m praying for you. I’m honored to pray for you. Michael from North Georgia and Sandy, your wife is sick and she’s coughing up blood clots. She’s in North Georgia right now you said. This was on the 23rd. If she’s still there, she’s still there and she’s right where she supposed to be. The cardiologist doesn’t agree with the lung doctor. Let’s take this thing up to another physician. You asked. I hear you. I know a better physician. I know the one that gave those doctors the ability to argue with each other over what’s wrong. He’s the physician. So, I’m going to pray that he does what he knows…

I am Jonah and I am Daniel
I am Thomas, Job, Laban and Nathaniel
I am Peter I am Paul I am a fitful ship I’m __ and Saul
I am all of the above yet I’m still uniquely me
Struggling every day to be the best that I can be
And just like all the above-mentioned men
Full of power and purpose but struggling within
Every blade of grass is different just like every leaf on every tree
Your uniquely you and I’m uniquely me
Yet in many ways all of us are the same
Trying to get to heaven on the strength of Jesus’ name
And every single one of us was created in God’s image
He gave us all the measure of faith and every day we scrimmage
Fighting hard to do what is right
Surrounded by darkness seeking the light
And sometimes were weak and sometimes were strong
Sometimes where right and sometimes wrong
But we still have to struggle every day to do what is right
God’s word and the spirit will strengthen us when we fight the good fight
All of us want to hear well done when we’ve finished the race
That’s when we come to the realization that it was only by grace
Blessed assurance Jesus is mine
If you just hold on tightly to that one thought everything else will be fine

blindony1016@gmail.com. I’d like to give a shout out to Sherlock and Dean S. Hope you’re both doing well. Know you’re in my prayers every day. And once again thank you Brian for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flown’ y’all. All right. Bye-bye.

Good morning DAB family. It’s Sunday morning. I don’t even know what today is, June something. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is for Keisha. Keisha you broke my heart the other day. First of all, I too am proud of you that you called because the evil one wanted to keep you down and keep you away from other believers praying for you and encouraging you. My daughter has the self-esteem problem. Even in her separation from her husband now she has voiced that to me. I was in my 30s or early 40s when I realized that God made me who I am. God is not surprised at the struggles that I have. God is not surprised when I gain weight or lose weight. He’s not surprised when I am so depressed that I don’t want to talk to anyone, but He made us perfect. Psalm 139 his mine. I own it. It’s mine. And I pray that you find a verse that speaks to you so clearly that every time you hear it or every time you have a thought that that first comes to mind. Father God, I pray this for her and for anyone else that is in that same struggle. In Jesus’ precious name and by His power, by His stripes we are healed. Amen.

Hello. This is Not Shaken. I had just left prayer not too long ago and it was so long that every time in the past I’ve ever left a prayer I’ve always felt like I put it out there and that was good and that was done but I did not…there’s no way to tell anyone how awful this is. And it’s so hard to, in the first place, to have my son Brian here and the hate that he puts out toward me in particular. And all we do is help. We, for the sake of his daughters, we clean up after him in his room, their room that they share. And he just treats…I can’t say anything without him screaming vile profanity at me. And on the other hand I’m feeling so grateful that we do have his children and I just…there aren’t enough words to say what’s going on here. And he just need help. He needs to do what God wants to do for the sake of his girls __. Please pray for us. And I just…I have so much to say and I can’t come up with words. Thank you for your prayers.

06/26/2018 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 9:15b-10:31, Acts 17:1-34, Psalms 144:1-15, Proverbs 17:27-28

Today is the 26th day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. And it’s a pleasure and an honor as it is every day to step in here around the global campfire and step in out of everything else that’s going on and allow God’s word to speak over us as we spend time taking the next step forward. So, we’re reading from the God’s Word translation this week. 2 Kings 9:14-10:31.

Commentary:

Alright. So, we can see quite a bit of chaos happening as we move through the generations of the kings in 2 Kings. And there’s always a lot of chaos every time there’s an overthrow of a kingdom. So, that’s essentially what we keep seeing happening. A king may be on a throne and he may have his progeny all set up to create a dynasty, but someone overthrows all of that and that’s what we saw happen today. And this is from Ahab’s line. And you remember this story. Ahab had this very, very tumultuous relationship with Elijah. And there was famine in the land and then there was a showdown on the top of Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal, who Jezebel was loyal to and she was married to the king. But we’re a little bit further in the story. Ahab’s gone. Jezebel’s kind of the queen mother and Jehu shows up on the scene. And there was a prophecy after Jezebel had killed Naboth to get that vineyard for Ahab, right? We just read all this a few days ago. So, things were not going to end well for Ahab, for the house of Ahab, or for Jezebel. And we saw the completion of that today. And all of this took place in the city of Jezreel, which is a bit south east of Samaria, which was the capital city of Israel at that time. The ruins of Jezreel still exist today, although it’s not like a major excavation site, interpretive site. You can go there, but a lot of its still under the ground. We have filmed there. It’s kind of at the base of Mount Gilboa where King Saul was killed. Also in the region where Gideon choose his three hundred person army back in the book of Judges. So, these places are real and a lot of them can be seen in the Promised Land films that we talk about every time we come to one of these places, Jezreel being one of these places. And quite a grisly story we encountered today happened in Jezreel.

We get to the book of Acts and we are on a mission with the Apostle Paul and we’re moving from city to city to city. And again, it’s one of these situations where we look at the book of Acts often with rose colored glasses and say it was a harmonious, beautiful powerful time of the planting of the church, but as we read of this time, we see it’s got plenty of controversy, plenty of conflict and everywhere that the gospel goes it stirs up a ruckus. So, Paul is moving around. He comes to a city called Thessalonica today where a church is planted fairly quickly, but under persecution. And it remains under persecution and Paul has to be spirited out of town and goes to another town and eventually things get stirred up and then he goes to another town. He has to keep staying with people as long as he can until it gets too dangerous for him to stay alive and then he has to move on. And so that is how so many of these churches were planted. And this church that we saw planted in Thessalonica today, we’ll get to know them a little bit better because Paul will write a couple of letters to them that are also preserved in the New Testament. So, we’ll get to talk about some of these churches in more detail as we get to the letters of Paul. But we can see that Paul isn’t on an extended world tour holiday vacation. He’s not on the Pauline speaking tour where thousands of people are coming to hear what he has to say and paying good money for it. It’s not that. He’s going into a town, he’s from Jerusalem, he’s a Pharisee. So, he can go into a synagogue and get a voice and he begins to teach about Jesus. And some people freak out and get mad, some people wanna know more and some people believe and then it kind of goes from there until a church becomes established with whatever time that they have among the people. But had it not been for these pioneers like the Apostle Paul, like the early apostles, like the early church and then the next generation and the church fathers, we wouldn’t be here. This wouldn’t have been passed down. This is how it spread though. This is how it happened. We’re bearing witness to that in the book of Acts.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word and how we can be enmeshed in stories that are a thousand years apart, that can be thousands of years old. And showing us relevant, needed things for our hearts and spirits and lives today. We thank you for this gift of your word. And we invite your Holy Spirit to continue to speak to us and to continue to plant the Scriptures in our hearts and lives. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, it’s where you find out what’s up, going on around here.

And it’s the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk that’s coming up next on the calendar. It’s a week from Saturday. The 7th of July. And this has become a tradition. We’ve been doing this for more than a decade now, every July 7. As a community, we circle it on the calendar, get as much of that day open as possible, go somewhere beautiful whether near or far to where we are and go for a long walk. Doesn’t have to be a power walk, doesn’t have to be fast. It can be a long stroll. It’s just a long walk. It’s a living metaphor for our lives and what every day should look like. This is just a time that we’ve consecrated, right? It’s just we’ve set it aside for this. And we just go out into nature, allow a change of scenery to be a positive disruption. To allow nature to be beautiful and observed and enjoyed. All of God’s creation that is so exquisite. And to walk. And to talk. Talk over what’s been going on. All those things that even if we talk to God about them, that they’re quick. It’s rushed. We’re too busy. We’re too over scheduled. And so we don’t really have time. Everything always feels frantic. What if we just set out a few hours to actually go for a walk and have that full talk where everything that keeps piling up we finally get to say? We finally get to talk over, think over, invite the Holy Spirit into, allow God to speak back. I mean, we’ve been so busy that maybe we can’t find as much time as we want to spend with God. Imagine how that is for him. There may be many things he’s wanted to say, we just don’t have time to listen. This is that time. Just go. There’s no rules about it. Just go somewhere beautiful and disrupt yourself enough to get out of the routine, go for a long walk. Say it all. Listen back. Review what you’ve learned in the Scriptures this year at the half way point and invite the Holy Spirit to aim you in the direction that you should go in the second half of this year. That’s what this is all about. And so it’s a solitary thing. You do it by yourself. But you won’t be doing it by yourself. They’ll be thousands of us around the world walking and doing the same thing. So, take a camera or something. Shoot a picture wherever you go. Take a little video. You can post that back to the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page facebook.com/dailyaudiobible. And then we get the beauty of enjoying each other’s long walks. We can just look for a quick moment at a picture or a little video and get a little window into each other’s lives and it’s a beautiful thing. So, make plans for that. That’s the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk. July 7th. A week from this Saturday.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link that’s on the homepage. I thank you profoundly and humbly for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 37174. And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, there are a number of numbers that you can use depending on where you are in the world. If you are in the Americas, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial. If you’re in the UK or Europe, 44-20-3608-8078 is the number. If you are in Australia or the lands down under, hopefully you’re keeping warm, as it’s in the wintertime, which is so weird cause it’s so hot here in the summertime. Anyway, if you are in Australia the number is 61-3-8820-545.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. Let’s pray. Father, you are holy, holy, holy. We pray you keep guard over our lips so that we may not fail in keeping your name holy. Your kingdom come is our hearts desire. Your will be done in our lives is the reason we live. I ponder heaven and long for it here. Thank you for the word for it guides us how to pray not our will but yours. Thank you Jesus for your work on the cross granting everyone who trusts in you for forgiveness of sins before a holy and just judge. We live in your grace to abide in you by your word. Protect us from the evil one and help us stay clear of temptations. Holy Spirit, empower us to be bold witnesses for you just for today, the power to be bold and love like Jesus never shrinking back from your truth for your word is truth. Blessed be the name of our God forever and ever. The wisdom and might are His and He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings and raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with Him for His dominion is an everlasting dominion and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are repeated as nothing. He does according to His will in the Army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth no one can restrain His hand for sake of him. What have you done? Empower us today. Holy Spirit come. Thank you Jesus. Amen.

Hi DAB family. I’m just calling today with a praise report and a prayer request. I’m standing right now in the same spot that a year ago my son was driving a vehicle that flipped over and was crushed and he and his two…people that were in the car with him, they were unscathed. They got out with just a few scratches to the amazement of everyone including the police and the first responders. Everyone said that the hand of God was with them. As I stand in this area, I see where there are still pieces of glass from the windshield when it crushed. I can still find that here in this area on this corner. And, so, I just want to give praise to God that he miraculously saved my son and his two companions. He was 18 at the time he’s 19 now. And my prayer request is that God would reveal himself to him as to what He’s got in store for him and why he was saved from such tremendous harm or most likely death that day. Thank you all. I love you.

Hi family. This is Shannon from Salem Oregon. I would love for you to be praying for my husband Brett and me this week. We leave on Sunday, June 24th and we’ll be flying to Chicago. We’ll be there for a couple days for a conference. And this is a chance for my husband to network with people in evangelistic ministry and share with them the software that he’s been helping develop these last couple years to help them follow up with new believers that come to Christ at these evangelistic events. It’s really important that he’s able to make good connections and that people can start using this software. So, I’d appreciate your prayers for that, for God’s favor and for His open doors. After that conference Brett and I will be flying to Pennsylvania where Brett will be a speaker and I will be a music artist for big festival there. And that’s the first time we’ve ever been on the lineup for the festival. So, it’s a really exciting time for us and I would just so appreciate it if you would pray for God’s favor and His protection and His power on us, that the things that we say, the connections we make with people, the things that I sing and play, that the Lord would be in all of that and would use us as His mouth pieces to touch hearts and draw people to Himself. I’d also appreciate your continued prayers for my family members who are not yet walking with the Lord. And I just so appreciate you, family and am so thankful to have you praying and giving us extra support this week as we are excited and nervous and knowing that where walking into some big opportunities. And just pray that…

[singing] I need you, you need me, where all a part of God’s body. Stand with me. Agree with me. Agree with me. We are all a part of God’s body. It is His will that every need to be supplied. You are important to me. I need you to survive. You are important to me. I need you to survive. I pray for you. You pray for me. I love you. I need you to survive. I won’t harm you with words from my mouth. I love you. I need you to survive. It is His will that every need be supplied. You are important to me. I need you to survive. You are important to me. I need you to survive. [singing ends]. __ up in prayers. I love you guys. Jenny from Arizona.

Hi. My name is Melissa from Texas and I want to thank Brian, Jill, and the Hardin family and the DAB team for building this community. I want to call for prayer and to repent of my sins. I’m 26 and am very blessed and although I did not grow up with my father in my life, I have a wonderful family and life. And I know the promises that God has for me and I want to be a good and faithful and obedient servant. And God has blessed me tremendously. And sometimes my actions and thoughts seem to scoff at the sacrifice that Jesus made in dying the cross for my sins. And I have a bad habit of promiscuous behavior and I struggle with sobriety and self-worth and loving myself and depression sometimes and anxiety. And I know that God can and will heal me, but my actions and behavior and thoughts have to change. So, I wanted to ask for you to pray for me to have the courage to quit the destructive behaviors in my life and fully let God into every part of my world, even the things I’m afraid of letting go of. Thank you. I love you all. And I pray for you every day.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday June 27, 2018 (NIV)

2 Kings 10:32-12:21

32 So in those days the Lord began to take away some of Israel’s territory. Hazael defeated Jehu’s army throughout Israel’s territory 33 east of the Jordan River: the entire region of Gilead (the territory belonging to Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh) from Aroer, which is near the Arnon River, to Gilead and Bashan.

34 Isn’t everything else about Jehu—everything he did, all his heroic acts—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 35 Jehu lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz succeeded him as king. 36 Jehu ruled as king of Israel in Samaria for 28 years.

The Priest Jehoiada Opposes Queen Athaliah(A)

11 When Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, saw that her son was dead, she began to destroy the entire royal family. But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Ahaziah’s son Joash. She saved him from being killed with the king’s other sons, and in a bedroom she hid him and his nurse from Athaliah. So Joash wasn’t killed but was hidden with her in the Lord’s temple for six years while Athaliah ruled the country.

In the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, Jehoiada sent for the company commanders of the Carites and the guards and had them come to him in the Lord’s temple. He made an agreement with them, put them under oath in the Lord’s temple, and showed them the king’s son. He ordered them, “This is what you must do: One third of you, those who are on duty on the day of rest—a holy day, must guard the royal palace. Another third must be at Sur Gate. And another third must be at the gate behind the guards. You will guard the king’s residence. [a] Then your two groups who normally go off duty on the day of rest—a holy day, must guard the king at the Lord’s temple. Surround the king. Each man should have his weapons in his hand. Kill anyone who tries to break through your ranks. Stay with the king wherever he goes.”

The company commanders did as the priest Jehoiada had ordered them. Each commander took his men who were coming on duty on the day of rest—a holy day, as well as those who were about to go off duty and came to the priest Jehoiada. 10 He gave the commanders the spears and the shields that had belonged to King David but were now in the Lord’s temple. 11 The guards stood with their weapons in their hands. They were stationed around the king and around the altar and the temple (from the south side to the north side of the temple). 12 Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, gave him the crown and the religious instructions, and made him king by anointing him. As the guards clapped their hands, they said, “Long live the king!”

13 When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the other people, she went into the Lord’s temple, where the people were. 14 She looked, and the king was standing by the pillar according to custom. The commanders and the trumpeters were by his side. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. As Athaliah tore her clothes in distress, she cried, “Treason, treason!”

15 Then the priest Jehoiada ordered the company commanders who were in charge of the army, “Take her out of the temple. Use your sword to kill anyone who follows her.” (The priest had said, “She must not be killed in the Lord’s temple.”) 16 So they arrested her as she came to the street where the horses enter the royal palace, and there she was killed.

17 Jehoiada made a promise to the Lord on behalf of the king and his people that they would be the Lord’s people. He made other promises between the king and the people. 18 Then all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed Baal’s altars and his statues and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.

Next, the priest appointed officials to be in charge of the Lord’s temple. 19 He took the company commanders of the Carites and the guards and all the people of the land, and they brought the king from the Lord’s temple. They went down the street that goes through Guards’ Gate to the royal palace. Then Joash sat on the royal throne. 20 All the people of the land were celebrating. But the city was quiet because they had killed Athaliah with a sword at the royal palace.[b]

King Joash of Judah(B)

21 Joash[c] was seven years old when he began to rule.

12 [d]Joash began to rule in Jehu’s seventh year as king of Israel, and he ruled for 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. Joash did what the Lord considered right, as long as the priest Jehoiada instructed him. But the illegal places of worship weren’t torn down. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at these worship sites.

Joash told the priests, “Collect all the holy contributions that are brought into the Lord’s temple—the money each person is currently required to bring and all the money brought voluntarily to the Lord’s temple. Each of the priests should receive it from the donors and use it to make repairs on the temple where they are needed.”

But by Joash’s twenty-third year as king, the priests still had not repaired the temple. So King Joash called for Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage in the temple? Don’t take any more money from the donors for your own use. Instead, use it to make repairs on the temple.” The priests agreed neither to receive money from the people for personal use nor to be responsible for repairing the temple.

Then the priest Jehoiada took a box, drilled a hole in its lid, and put it at the right side of the altar as one comes into the Lord’s temple. The priests who guarded the entrance put the money that was brought to the Lord’s temple in the box. 10 Whenever they saw a lot of money in the box, the king’s scribe and the chief priest would collect and count the money that was donated in the Lord’s temple. 11 Then they would give the money that had been weighed to the men who had been appointed to work on the Lord’s temple. They used it to pay the carpenters, builders, 12 masons, and stonecutters. They also used it to buy wood and cut stones to make repairs on the Lord’s temple and to buy anything else that they needed for the temple repairs. 13 But no silver bowls, snuffers, dishes, trumpets, or any other gold and silver utensils were made for the Lord’s temple with the money that was brought. 14 Instead, the money was given to the workmen, and they used it to repair the temple. 15 They didn’t require the men who were entrusted with the money for the workers to give an account, because they were honest people. 16 The money from the guilt offerings and the offerings for sin was not brought into the Lord’s temple. It belonged to the priests.

17 At this time King Hazael of Aram fought against Gath and conquered it. He was also determined to attack Jerusalem. 18 So King Joash of Judah took all the gifts his ancestors Kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah of Judah, had dedicated to the Lord, the things he had dedicated to the Lord, and all the gold that could be found in the storerooms of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He sent these things to King Hazael of Aram, who called off the attack on Jerusalem.

King Joash Is Assassinated(C)

19 Isn’t everything else about Joash—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? 20 His own officials plotted against him and killed him at Beth Millo on the road that goes down to Silla. 21 Joash’s officials Jozacar, son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of Shomer, executed him. They buried him with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Kings 11:7 Hebrew meaning uncertain.
  2. 2 Kings 11:20 2 Kings 11:21 in English Bibles is 2 Kings 12:1 in the Hebrew Bible.
  3. 2 Kings 11:21 In the Masoretic Text this king of Judah is also called Jehoash, a longer form of Joash.
  4. 2 Kings 12:1 2 Kings 12:1–21 in English Bibles is 2 Kings 12:2–22 in the Hebrew Bible.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Acts 18:1-22

Paul in Corinth

18 After this, Paul left Athens and went to the city of Corinth. In Corinth he met a Jewish man named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. Aquila had been born in Pontus, and they had recently come from Italy because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them, and because they made tents for a living as he did, he stayed with them and they worked together.

On every day of rest—a holy day, Paul would discuss Scripture in the synagogue. He tried to win over Jews and Greeks who had converted to Judaism. But when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his time to teaching God’s word. He assured the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah. But they opposed him and insulted him. So Paul shook the dust from his clothes and told them, “You’re responsible for your own death. I’m innocent. From now on I’m going to people who are not Jewish.”

Then he left the synagogue and went to the home of a man named Titius Justus, who was a convert to Judaism. His house was next door to the synagogue. The synagogue leader Crispus and his whole family believed in the Lord. Many Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Don’t be afraid to speak out! Don’t be silent! 10 I’m with you. No one will attack you or harm you. I have many people in this city.”

11 Paul lived in Corinth for a year and a half and taught God’s word to them.

12 While Gallio was governor of Greece, the Jews had one thought in mind. They attacked Paul and brought him to court. 13 They said, “This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are against Moses’ Teachings.”

14 Paul was about to answer when Gallio said to the Jews, “If there were some kind of misdemeanor or crime involved, reason would demand that I put up with you Jews. 15 But since you’re disputing words, names, and your own teachings, you’ll have to take care of that yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge who gets involved in those things.” 16 So Gallio had them forced out of his court.

17 Then all the governor’s officers took Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio couldn’t have cared less.

Paul’s Return Trip to Antioch

18 After staying in Corinth quite a while longer, Paul left for Ephesus. Priscilla and Aquila went with him. In the city of Cenchrea, Aquila had his hair cut, since he had taken a vow. From Cenchrea they took a boat headed for Syria 19 and arrived in the city of Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. Paul went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. 20 The Jews asked him to stay longer, but he refused. 21 As he left, he told them, “I’ll come back to visit you if God wants me to.”

Paul took a boat from Ephesus 22 and arrived in the city of Caesarea. He went to Jerusalem, greeted the church, and went back to the city of Antioch.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Psalm 145

I will highly praise you, my God, the king.
I will bless your name forever and ever.
I will bless you every day.
I will praise your name forever and ever.

The Lord is great, and he should be highly praised.
His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation will praise your deeds to the next.
Each generation will talk about your mighty acts.
I will think about the glorious honor of your majesty
and the miraculous things you have done.
People will talk about the power of your terrifying deeds,
and I will tell about your greatness.
They will announce what they remember of your great goodness,
and they will joyfully sing about your righteousness.
The Lord is merciful, compassionate, patient,
and always ready to forgive.
The Lord is good to everyone
and has compassion for everything that he has made.
10 Everything that you have made will give thanks to you, O Lord,
and your faithful ones will praise you.
11 Everyone will talk about the glory of your kingdom
and will tell the descendants of Adam about your might
12 in order to make known your mighty deeds
and the glorious honor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
Your empire endures throughout every generation.

14 The Lord supports everyone who falls.
He straightens the backs of those who are bent over.
15 The eyes of all creatures look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand,
and you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is fair in all his ways
and faithful in everything he does.
18 The Lord is near to everyone who prays to him,
to every faithful person who prays to him.
19 He fills the needs of those who fear him.
He hears their cries for help and saves them.
20 The Lord protects everyone who loves him,
but he will destroy all wicked people.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all living creatures will praise his holy name
forever and ever.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Proverbs 18:1

A loner is out to get what he wants for himself.
He opposes all sound reasoning.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday June 26, 2018 (NIV)

2 Kings 9:14-10:31

Jehu Kills King Joram, King Ahaziah, and Queen Jezebel(A)

14 So Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi, plotted against Joram. (Joram and all Israel were guarding Ramoth Gilead against King Hazael of Aram. 15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received while fighting King Hazael of Aram.)

Then Jehu said, “If you want me to be king, don’t let anyone escape from the city to take the news to Jezreel.” 16 So Jehu got on his chariot and drove to Jezreel because Joram was lying in bed there. (King Ahaziah of Judah had come to see Joram.)

17 The watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops coming. He said, “I see some troops.”

So Joram said, “Take a chariot driver, send him to meet them, and ask, ‘Is everything alright?’”

18 So a chariot driver rode off, met Jehu, and said, “The king asks, ‘Is everything alright?’”

Jehu replied, “Why should that matter to you? Follow me.”

So the watchman announced, “The messenger you sent has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”

19 Then Joram sent out a second driver. When he came to them, he said, “The king asks, ‘Is everything alright?’”

Jehu replied, “Why should that matter to you? Follow me.”

20 So the watchman announced, “He has reached them, but he isn’t coming back. The troop’s leader is driving like a lunatic, like Jehu, grandson of Nimshi.”

21 “Hitch the horses to the chariot,” Joram ordered. When that was done, King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went to meet Jehu, each in his own chariot. They found him in the field that belonged to Naboth from Jezreel.

22 When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Is everything alright, Jehu?”

Jehu answered, “How can everything be alright as long as your mother continues her idolatry and witchcraft?”

23 As Joram turned his chariot around and tried to flee, he said to Ahaziah, “It’s a trap, Ahaziah!” 24 But Jehu took his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow came out of his chest, and he slumped over in his chariot.

25 Then Jehu said to his attendant Bidkar, “Take him away, and throw him into the field that belonged to Naboth from Jezreel. Remember when you and I were driving our chariots behind his father Ahab? The Lord revealed this prophecy about him: 26 ‘Just as I saw the blood of Naboth and his sons yesterday, I will pay you back in this field,’ declares the Lord. Now take him and throw him into the field as the Lord predicted.”

27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled on the road leading to Beth Haggan. Jehu pursued him and ordered, “Shoot him down in his chariot.” They shot him at Gur Pass, which is near Ibleam. Ahaziah continued to flee until he got to Megiddo, where he died. 28 His servants brought him in a chariot to Jerusalem. They buried him in a tomb with his ancestors in the City of David. 29 (Ahaziah had become king of Judah in the eleventh year that Joram, Ahab’s son, was king of Israel.)

30 When Jehu arrived in Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it. She put on eye shadow, fixed her hair, and looked out of a second-story window. 31 When Jehu entered the gateway, she asked, “Is everything alright, Zimri, murderer of your master?”

32 Looking up at the window, he asked, “Is anyone on my side? Anyone?” Then two or three eunuchs looked out at him.

33 He said, “Throw her down.” They threw her down, and some of her blood splattered on the wall and the horses. The horses trampled her.

34 He went inside, ate, and drank. Then he said, “Take care of this woman who had a curse on her. After all, she was a king’s daughter.” 35 But when they went out to bury her, they couldn’t find any of her body except her skull, feet, and hands. 36 They came back and told him.

Jehu said, “The Lord spoke through his servant Elijah from Tishbe. He said, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body inside the walls of Jezreel. 37 Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the ground in the fields surrounding Jezreel so that no one will be able to say that this is Jezebel.’”

Jehu Kills King Ahab’s and King Ahaziah’s Heirs

10 Ahab had 70 male heirs in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters to the officials of Jezreel, the respected leaders, and the guardians of Ahab’s descendants in Samaria. The letters read, “Your master’s heirs are with you, and you have chariots, horses, fortified cities, and weapons. As soon as this letter reaches you, choose the best and most honest of your master’s heirs, and put him on Ahab’s throne. Fight for your master’s family.”

But they panicked. They said, “If two kings couldn’t stand up to him, how can we stand up to him?” So the official in charge of the palace, the mayor of the city, the respected leaders, and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: “We are your servants. We’ll do everything you tell us. We won’t make anyone king. Do what you think is best.”

So he wrote them a second letter. It read, “If you are on my side and ready to listen to me, bring the heads of your master’s heirs to me in Jezreel about this time tomorrow.”

The 70 male heirs were staying with the city’s most powerful men. These men had raised them. When the letter came to the men, they slaughtered all 70 heirs. They put the heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. A messenger told him, “They’ve brought the heads of the king’s heirs.”

Jehu said, “Put them in two piles at the entrance to the gateway until morning.” In the morning he stood there. He told the people, “You are innocent. I plotted against my master and killed him. But who killed all these men? 10 You can be sure that the Lord’s word spoken about Ahab’s family will be fulfilled. The Lord will do what he said through his servant Elijah.”

11 Jehu also killed every member of Ahab’s household who was left in Jezreel: all the most powerful men, friends, and priests. Not one of them was left.

12 Then Jehu left for Samaria. When he came to Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 13 he found some relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. “Who are you?” he asked.

They answered, “We’re Ahaziah’s relatives. We’ve come to greet the families of the king and the queen mother.”

14 Jehu ordered, “Capture them!”

Jehu’s men captured and slaughtered 42 of them at a cistern near Beth Eked. They didn’t leave any survivors.

15 When he left that place, he met Jehonadab, son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Are you as loyal to me as I am to you?”

“I am,” Jehonadab answered.

So Jehu said, “If you are, give me your hand.”

When he gave Jehu his hand, Jehu helped him up into the chariot. 16 Jehu said, “Come with me. See how devoted I am to the Lord.” So he had Jehonadab ride on his chariot. 17 When they arrived in Samaria, Jehu killed the rest of Ahab’s family, every member who was left in Samaria. He wiped them out, as the Lord had told Elijah.

Jehu Kills Baal’s Prophets

18 Then Jehu brought all the people together. He said, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot. 19 Summon all the prophets, servants, and priests of Baal. Make sure no one is missing because I have a great sacrifice to offer Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.” (Jehu was deceiving them. He actually wanted to destroy those who worshiped Baal.)

20 Jehu said, “Call a holy assembly to honor Baal.” So they did. 21 Jehu sent messengers to all the Israelites. All the worshipers of Baal came, and there wasn’t one who didn’t come. They went into the temple of Baal and filled it from one end to the other.

22 Then Jehu told the man in charge of the priests’ robes, “Bring out the robes for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them. 23 Jehu and Jehonadab, son of Rechab, went into the temple of Baal and said to the worshipers of Baal, “Make sure that there are no worshipers of the Lord here with you. Only the worshipers of Baal should be here.” 24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. But Jehu had stationed 80 of his men outside. He said to them, “If any of the people I’m putting in your hands escape, you will pay for their lives with yours.”

25 When the burnt offerings had been made, Jehu said to the guards and attendants, “Kill them. Don’t let anyone get away.” So they used swords to kill the Baal worshipers and threw out the bodies until the guards and attendants came to the stronghold in the temple of Baal. 26 Then they brought out the large sacred stone of the temple of Baal and burned it. 27 They destroyed the sacred stone of Baal and the temple of Baal and made it into a latrine. It is still a latrine today.

28 So Jehu got rid of Baal worship throughout Israel. 29 But Jehu did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) led Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan.

30 The Lord said to Jehu, “You did what I consider right, and you did it well. You did everything I wanted done to Ahab’s family. That is why four generations of your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel.”

31 But Jehu didn’t wholeheartedly obey the teachings of the Lord God of Israel. He didn’t turn away from the sins that Jeroboam led Israel to commit.

Cross references:

  1. 2 Kings 9:14 : 2 Chronicles 22:7–9
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Acts 17

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

17 Paul and Silas traveled through the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to the city of Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue. As usual, Paul went into the synagogue. On three consecutive days of rest—a holy day, he had discussions about Scripture with the synagogue members. He explained and showed them that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and come back to life, and that Jesus, the person he talked about, was this Messiah.

Some of the Jews were persuaded to join Paul and Silas, especially a large group of Greeks who had converted to Judaism and the wives of many prominent men.

Then the Jews became jealous. They took some low-class characters who hung around the public square, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason’s home and searched it for Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. When they didn’t find Paul and Silas, they dragged Jason and some other believers in front of the city officials. They shouted, “Those men who have made trouble all over the world are now here in Thessalonica, and Jason has welcomed them as his guests. All of them oppose the emperor’s decrees by saying that there is another king, whose name is Jesus.”

The crowd and the officials were upset when they heard this. But after they had made Jason and the others post bond, they let them go.

10 Immediately when night came, the believers sent Paul and Silas to the city of Berea.

Paul and Silas in Berea

When Paul and Silas arrived in the city of Berea, they entered the synagogue. 11 The people of Berea were more open-minded than the people of Thessalonica. They were very willing to receive God’s message, and every day they carefully examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true. 12 Many of them became believers, and quite a number of them were prominent Greek men and women.

13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica found out that Paul was also spreading God’s word in Berea, they went there to upset and confuse the people. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the seacoast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea.

Paul in Athens

15 The men who escorted Paul took him all the way to the city of Athens. When the men left Athens, they took instructions back to Silas and Timothy to join Paul as soon as possible.

16 While Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, he saw that the city had statues of false gods everywhere. This upset him. 17 He held discussions in the synagogue with Jews and converts to Judaism. He also held discussions every day in the public square with anyone who happened to be there. 18 Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers had discussions with him. Some asked, “What is this babbling fool trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be speaking about foreign gods.” The philosophers said these things because Paul was telling the Good News about Jesus and saying that people would come back to life.

19 Then they brought Paul to the city court, the Areopagus, and asked, “Could you tell us these new ideas that you’re teaching? 20 Some of the things you say sound strange to us. So we would like to know what they mean.”

21 Everyone who lived in Athens looked for opportunities to tell or hear something new and unusual.

22 Paul stood in the middle of the court and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious. 23 As I was going through your city and looking closely at the objects you worship, I noticed an altar with this written on it: ‘To an unknown god.’ I’m telling you about the unknown god you worship. 24 The God who made the universe and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn’t live in shrines made by humans, 25 and he isn’t served by humans as if he needed anything. He gives everyone life, breath, and everything they have. 26 From one man he has made every nation of humanity to live all over the earth. He has given them the seasons of the year and the boundaries within which to live. 27 He has done this so that they would look for God, somehow reach for him, and find him. In fact, he is never far from any one of us. 28 Certainly, we live, move, and exist because of him. As some of your poets have said, ‘We are God’s children.’ 29 So if we are God’s children, we shouldn’t think that the divine being is like an image made from gold, silver, or stone, an image that is the product of human imagination and skill.

30 “God overlooked the times when people didn’t know any better. But now he commands everyone everywhere to turn to him and change the way they think and act. 31 He has set a day when he is going to judge the world with justice, and he will use a man he has appointed to do this. God has given proof to everyone that he will do this by bringing that man back to life.”

32 When the people of the court heard that a person had come back to life, some began joking about it, while others said, “We’ll hear you talk about this some other time.”

33 With this response, Paul left the court. 34 Some men joined him and became believers. With them were Dionysius, who was a member of the court, and a woman named Damaris, and some other people.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Psalm 144

Thank the Lord, my rock,
who trained my hands to fight
and my fingers to do battle,
my merciful one, my fortress,
my stronghold, and my savior,
my shield, the one in whom I take refuge,
and the one who brings people under my authority.

O Lord, what are humans that you should care about them?
What are mere mortals that you should think about them?
Humans are like a breath of air.
Their life span is like a fleeting shadow.

O Lord, bend your heaven low, and come down.
Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
Hurl bolts of lightning, and scatter them.
Shoot your arrows, and throw them into confusion.
Stretch out your hands from above.
Snatch me, and rescue me from raging waters
and from foreigners’ hands.
Their mouths speak lies.
Their right hands take false pledges.

O God, I will sing a new song to you.
I will sing a psalm to you on a ten-stringed harp.
10 You are the one who gives victory to kings.
You are the one who snatches your servant David
away from a deadly sword.
11 Snatch me, and rescue me from foreigners’ hands.
Their mouths speak lies.
Their right hands take false pledges.

12 May our sons be like full-grown, young plants.
May our daughters be like stately columns
that adorn the corners of a palace.
13 May our barns be filled with all kinds of crops.
May our sheep give birth to thousands of lambs,
tens of thousands in our fields.
14 May our cattle have many calves.[a]

May no one break in, and may no one be dragged out.
May there be no cries of distress in our streets.

15 Blessed are the people who have these blessings!
Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

Psalm 145[b]

A song of praise by David.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 144:14 Hebrew meaning of this verse uncertain.
  2. Psalm 144:15 Psalm 145 is a poem in Hebrew alphabetical order.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Proverbs 17:27-28

27 Whoever has knowledge controls his words,
and a person who has understanding is even-tempered.

28 Even a stubborn fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent.
He is considered intelligent if he keeps his lips sealed.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

06/25/2018 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 8:1-9:15a, Acts 16:16-40, Psalms 143:1-12, Proverbs 17:26

Today is the 25th day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. And it’s great to be here for another day and another step forward as we continue to make our way through the Scriptures. This week were reading from the God’s Word translation. And, of course, we’re picking up where we left off yesterday. 2 Kings 8:1- 9:13 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your Word and its presence in our lives and the way that it speaks to us each and every day. We thank You for Your presence, Your Holy Spirit’s guidance leading us forward in our lives every day. You have loved us well and equipped us well. And so we have one more ask, that You would help us live into this today because we are incapable, on our own, of navigating pretty much anything. We need You and we’ll never stop needing You. And we keep running to You because we see our own deficits. And we’re pretty clear that by brute force we will never make ourselves righteous before You, and that was never the plan. You have given us the gift of being grafted into Your family and made holy and righteous before You through Jesus and we will never not need You. And what is overwhelming is that this does not annoy You. You want us to come to You. And so we do come and say, Holy Spirit, well up from within us and guide us today. Every step that we take and every thought, every word that we speak. We need Your presence in all of these things. Come, Jesus, we pray. In Your precious name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, it’s where you find out what’s up, going on around here.

And, so, the thing that’s coming up is the 7th of July. And, so, that’s a Saturday. And it’s a week from this Saturday. It’s the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk. Our 11th annual Daily Audio Bible Long Walk. Little tradition we have in the community here where we set aside a day in the middle of the year, always on the 7th of July, and go for a long walk with God. And reset for the second half of the year. So, a wonderful opportunity to get out into nature, find somewhere beautiful, just drink it all in, enjoy what silence actually sounds like. It’s amazing when you go somewhere beautiful and find a serene place and then just stop and listen. It’s amazing. God is speaking through his creation all of the time. And it’s exquisite and it’s for us to enjoy. That just leads us into his presence and we go for a long walk. The kind of walk you go on when you’ve fallen in love where you’re just talking to each other and looking back over the time, like from the beginning of the year and looking forward to the second half of the year and inviting the Holy Spirit’s counsel. That’s what the long walk is. So you do this by yourself, you can do this with your family or friends or spouse or whatever, but you do this by yourself. And wherever it is that you go, whatever beauty it is that you find yourself in, take a picture or shoot a little video or something, post that back to the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page, which is facebook.com/dailyaudiobible. And what we have at the end of the 7th of July and into the 8th of July is windows. (We just go) through all of these windows into each other’s lives and actually drink in the beauty from other places and just see that we’re not alone. It’s a beautiful thing. So, make plans for that. The Daily Audio Bible Long Walk, 7th of July.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link. It’s on the homepage. I thank you profoundly for your partnership as we’re in the summertime. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. It’s going to be a great week. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for here is tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi. Hi. This message is for our dear sister Keisha. Keisha, God sees your faithfulness. He hasn’t forgotten your pain. He loves you so, so much. He wants you to know that you can go to Him with anything you’re facing with confidence because he’s gracious and you are his child. He wants you to know that you are blessed and not cursed, blessed and a highly favored. You are the head and not the tail. You’re the apple of his eye. You’re a princess, holy and chosen and He’s promised not to leave you alone. Dear sister, please don’t feel ashamed to reach out for help. We’re one family united in Christ. So, if one of us hurts we all do. And thank you so, so much for encouraging us and lifting us up in prayer even in this time of need. I’m reminded of second Corinthians 1:3-4, which say, praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort that we ourselves receive from God. So, I would just like to pray not for you. Lord, we bring our sister Keisha before You and we speak her name. Your praise is ever on her lips Father. She precious to you. We pray that Your Holy Spirit would comfort her and encourage her. Please surround her with people who walk with her and support. We pray that Your Holy Spirit would counsel her with Your everlasting wisdom as she seeks after you. Please direct her path Lord. Lord, You are the God who restores and we pray for healing and restoration in our dear sisters Spirit, mind, and body and in relationships and any other area of her life where Your healing touch is needed. In Jesus matchless name we pray. Amen. So, Keisha, we love you. We’re praying for you. And just take care of yourself for now. All right. God bless.

Hey DAB family. This is Tom from New Jersey. I haven’t really called in in a long time but I’m…I’m desperately needing prayers right now. I have two situations going on in my life. My son is doing very well. He’s in recovery but, you know, I’m going through all the wondering and anxiety with that. He just moved back home and, you know, I have faith that it will work out. He believes in God and he’s working the program but of course there is always anxiety with that. The second thing is that my mom took a…she’s ill and took a sudden downturn and she’s in hospice and I’m her only care provider other than the aids and the nurses that Medicare provides. So, I have a lot of faith in God but lately I feel like I’m been attacked. I’m almost a nightmare here. So, I’d really appreciate any prayers that I could get from you guys. Thanks Brian and Jill for putting this together. It’s a really great thing. All right. Take care. Thanks. Bye.

Brian, this is Angel. Thanks so much for your program. This is my first time. There was a gentleman by the name of Joseph who just called in and his dog Blue is sick. And I have three dogs and I really got touched. And I pray that his dog is healed in the name of Jesus. I love you all. Thank you for every single one of you who call and share. We really appreciate everything. And God hears prayers. So, be encouraged. God bless you.

Morning DABbers. This is Jill the protector. It’s June 21, 2018 about 730 in the morning. Heading to the jobsite. Heard the DAB prayers this morning and just want to thank blind Tony for thinking about me brother. I appreciate that a whole lot. Just still keep the DAB on my mind and still listening to the DAB. There was a period here recently were my phone was messed up and I didn’t get to hear it. So, I got a catch back up on those old episodes. But anyhow, we’re doing pretty well. My daughter Madison, she’s doing a little better. She is on some meds now and she’s just going through life day by day trying to get connected. Her therapist is trying to get her into some college courses and things like that. So, I’m just praying that the Spirit of God returns to her again or that she allows the Spirit of God to return to her instead of rejecting it in a sin and just allows her talents to come back to her in be used for godly use. She does want to do interpretive painting, her drawing at our church services. She mentioned it to our pastor. So, I’m praying that might work through and help her. So, but anyhow, that’s it on my end. Just praying for all the other DABbers and just love you all. You all have a blessed day.

My name is Bridget. I‘m a first time caller. I started listening to the Daily Audio Bible this year thanks to a friend. I just have a prayer request for my family. My daughter’s boyfriend was shot in front of her. We live in New York City. He was shot in front of her and he pretty much died in her hands. And I just need prayer for my whole family especially for my daughter. She’s only 21. He left behind a two-year-old. I just need prayer for my daughter, for my family, more for my daughter than anything, because she still a baby and, you know, she knows Jesus but she hasn’t walked, you know, it’s just hard, it’s not easy. So, she understands who Jesus is but, you know, she doesn’t live it, yet. I’m believing she is and I’m just praying for God to take this and turn it around like He does. So, please, just pray for my daughter, for her mind, for her heart, and for my family during this difficult time. Thank you.