Month: July 2019

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday July 3, 2019 (NIV)

2 Kings 22:3-23:30

Josiah Repairs the Temple

3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent the court secretary Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple,(A) saying, 4 “Go up to the high priest Hilkiah so that he may total up the silver brought into the Lord’s temple—the silver the doorkeepers have collected from the people.(B) 5 It is to be given to those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple. They in turn are to give it to the workmen in the Lord’s temple to repair the damage.(C) 6 They are to give it to the carpenters, builders, and masons to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the temple.(D) 7 But no accounting is to be required from them for the silver given to them since they work with integrity.”(E)

The Book of the Law Found

8 The high priest Hilkiah told the court secretary Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law(F) in the Lord’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.

9 Then the court secretary Shaphan went to the king and reported,[a] “Your servants have emptied out the silver that was found in the temple and have given it to those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple.” 10 Then the court secretary Shaphan told the king, “The priest Hilkiah has given me a book,” and Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.(G)

11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.(H) 12 Then he commanded the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam(I) son of Shaphan, Achbor(J) son of Micaiah, the court secretary Shaphan, and the king’s servant Asaiah: 13 “Go and inquire of the Lord for me, the people, and all Judah about the words in this book that has been found. For great is the Lord’s wrath that is kindled against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us.”(K)

Huldah’s Prophecy of Judgment

14 So(L) the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the prophetess(M) Huldah, wife of Shallum son of Tikvah,(N) son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District.(O) They spoke with her.

15 She said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Say to the man who sent you to me, 16 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, fulfilling[b] all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read,(P) 17 because they have abandoned me and burned incense to other gods in order to anger me with all the work of their hands. My wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.’(Q) 18 Say this to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord: ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: As for the words that you heard,(R) 19 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord(S) when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse,(T) and because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I myself have heard’—this is the Lord’s declaration. 20 ‘Therefore, I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace.(U) Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place.’”

Then they reported[c] to the king.

Covenant Renewal

23 So the king sent messengers,(V) and they gathered all the elders(W) of Judah and Jerusalem to him. 2 Then the king went to the Lord’s temple with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets—all the people from the youngest to the oldest. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant(X) that had been found in the Lord’s temple.(Y) 3 Next, the king stood by the pillar[d](Z) and made a covenant(AA) in the Lord’s presence to follow the Lord and to keep his commands, his decrees, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul(AB) in order to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book; all the people agreed to[e] the covenant.(AC)

Josiah’s Reforms

4 Then the king commanded the high priest Hilkiah(AD) and the priests of the second rank(AE) and the doorkeepers to bring out of the Lord’s sanctuary all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and all the stars in the sky.(AF) He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.(AG) 5 Then he did away with the idolatrous priests the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense at the high places(AH) in the cities of Judah and in the areas surrounding Jerusalem. They had burned incense to Baal, and to the sun, moon, constellations, and all the stars in the sky.(AI) 6 He brought out the Asherah pole(AJ) from the Lord’s temple to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. He burned it at the Kidron Valley,(AK) beat it to dust,(AL) and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.[f](AM) 7 He also tore down the houses of the male cult prostitutes(AN) that were in the Lord’s temple, in which the women were weaving tapestries[g] for Asherah.(AO)

8 Then Josiah brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and he defiled the high places(AP) from Geba(AQ) to Beer-sheba,(AR) where the priests had burned incense. He tore down the high places of the city gates at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city (on the left at the city gate). 9 The priests of the high places, however, did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem; instead, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.(AS)

10 He defiled Topheth,(AT) which is in Ben Hinnom Valley,(AU) so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire[h](AV) to Molech.(AW) 11 He did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They had been at the entrance of the Lord’s temple in the precincts by the chamber of Nathan-melech, the eunuch. He also burned the chariots of the sun.(AX)

12 The king tore down the altars that the kings of Judah had made on the roof(AY) of Ahaz’s upper chamber.(AZ) He also tore down the altars that Manasseh had made(BA) in the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple. Then he smashed them[i] there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley. 13 The king also defiled the high places that were across from Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Destruction, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth, the abhorrent idol of the Sidonians; for Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab; and for Milcom, the detestable idol of the Ammonites.(BB) 14 He broke the sacred pillars into pieces,(BC) cut down the Asherah poles,(BD) then filled their places with human bones.

15 He even tore down the altar at Bethel(BE) and the high place(BF) that had been made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. He burned the high place, crushed it to dust, and burned the Asherah.(BG) 16 As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mountain. He sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar.(BH) He defiled it according to the word of the Lord proclaimed by the man of God[j] who proclaimed these things.(BI) 17 Then he said, “What is this monument I see?”

The men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar at Bethel.”(BJ)

18 So he said, “Let him rest. Don’t let anyone disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.(BK)

19 Josiah also removed all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to anger the Lord.(BL) Josiah did the same things to them that he had done at Bethel. 20 He slaughtered on the altars all the priests of those high places,(BM) and he burned human bones on the altars.(BN) Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Passover Observed

21 The king commanded all the people, “Observe the Passover of the Lord your God as written in the book of the covenant.”(BO) 22 No such Passover had ever been observed from the time of the judges who judged Israel through the entire time of the kings of Israel and Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the Lord’s Passover was observed in Jerusalem.(BP)

Further Zeal for the Lord

24 In addition, Josiah eradicated the mediums, the spiritists,(BQ) household idols,(BR) images, and all the abhorrent things(BS) that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this in order to carry out the words of the law that were written in the book that the priest Hilkiah found in the Lord’s temple.(BT) 25 Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength(BU) according to all the law of Moses, and no one like him arose after him.(BV)

26 In spite of all that, the Lord did not turn from the fury of his intense burning anger, which burned against Judah because of all the affronts with which Manasseh had angered him.(BW) 27 For the Lord had said, “I will also remove Judah from my presence just as I have removed Israel.(BX) I will reject this city Jerusalem, that I have chosen, and the temple about which I said, ‘My name will be there.’”(BY)

Josiah’s Death

28 The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign,(BZ) along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. 29 During his reign, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt(CA) marched up to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went to confront him, and at Megiddo(CB) when Neco saw him he killed him. 30 From Megiddo his servants carried his dead body in a chariot, brought him into Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb.(CC) Then the common people[k] took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in place of his father.(CD)

Footnotes:

  1. 22:9 Lit and returned a word to the king and said
  2. 22:16 fulfilling supplied for clarity
  3. 22:20 Lit returned a word
  4. 23:3 2Ch 34:31 reads platform
  5. 23:3 Lit people took a stand in
  6. 23:6 Lit the sons of the people
  7. 23:7 Or clothing
  8. 23:10 Lit could make his son or daughter pass through the fire
  9. 23:12 Text emended; MT reads he ran from
  10. 23:16 LXX adds when Jeroboam stood by the altar of the feast. And he turned and raised his eyes to the tomb of the man of God
  11. 23:30 Lit the people of the land, also in v. 35

Cross references:

  1. 22:3 : 2Ch 34:8
  2. 22:4 : 2Kg 12:4,9-10
  3. 22:5 : 2Kg 12:5
  4. 22:6 : 2Kg 12:11-12
  5. 22:7 : 2Kg 12:15; 1Co 4:2
  6. 22:8 : Dt 31:24-26; 2Ch 34:14-15
  7. 22:10 : Dt 17:18-20
  8. 22:11 : Gn 37:34; Jos 7:6
  9. 22:12 : 2Kg 25:22; Jr 26:24
  10. 22:12 : 2Ch 34:20
  11. 22:13 : Dt 29:24-28; 31:17-18
  12. 22:14-20 : 2Ch 34:22-28
  13. 22:14 : Ex 15:20
  14. 22:14 : 2Ch 34:22
  15. 22:14 : Zph 1:10
  16. 22:16 : Dt 29:27; Dn 9:11-14
  17. 22:17 : Dt 29:25-26; 1Kg 9:9
  18. 22:18 : 2Ch 34:26
  19. 22:19 : 1Sm 24:5; 1Kg 21:29
  20. 22:19 : Dt 28:15; Jr 26:6
  21. 22:20 : 2Kg 20:19; 23:30
  22. 23:1 : 2Ch 34:29-32
  23. 23:1 : 2Kg 10:1
  24. 23:2 : Dt 31:10-13
  25. 23:2 : 2Kg 22:8
  26. 23:3 : 1Kg 7:15; 2Kg 11:14
  27. 23:3 : 2Kg 11:17
  28. 23:3 : Dt 6:4-6; 13:4
  29. 23:3 : Ex 24:3-8; Jos 24:14-28
  30. 23:4 : 2Kg 22:8,14
  31. 23:4 : 2Kg 25:18; Jr 35:4; 52:24
  32. 23:4 : 2Kg 21:3,7; 2Ch 33:3
  33. 23:4 : 2Kg 23:15
  34. 23:5 : 2Kg 16:4
  35. 23:5 : 2Kg 21:3
  36. 23:6 : 1Kg 14:15,23; 2Kg 18:4; 21:7
  37. 23:6 : 1Kg 15:13
  38. 23:6 : 2Kg 23:15
  39. 23:6 : 2Ch 34:4; Jr 26:23
  40. 23:7 : Dt 23:17; 1Kg 14:24; 15:12
  41. 23:7 : Ex 38:8; Ezk 16:16
  42. 23:8 : 2Kg 18:4
  43. 23:8 : Jos 21:17; 1Kg 15:22
  44. 23:8 : 1Sm 3:20
  45. 23:9 : Ezk 44:10-14
  46. 23:10 : Is 30:33; Jr 7:31-32
  47. 23:10 : Jos 15:8
  48. 23:10 : Lv 18:21; 20:2-5
  49. 23:10 : 1Kg 11:7; Jr 32:35
  50. 23:11 : Dt 4:19; Ezk 8:16
  51. 23:12 : Jr 19:13; Zph 1:4-5
  52. 23:12 : 2Kg 20:11
  53. 23:12 : 2Kg 21:5; 2Ch 33:5
  54. 23:13 : 1Kg 11:5-8
  55. 23:14 : Ex 23:24
  56. 23:14 : 2Kg 18:4
  57. 23:15 : 1Kg 13:1-3
  58. 23:15 : 1Kg 12:28-33
  59. 23:15 : 2Kg 23:6
  60. 23:16 : 2Ch 34:5
  61. 23:16 : 1Kg 13:2
  62. 23:17 : 1Kg 13:1,31-32
  63. 23:18 : 1Kg 13:29-31
  64. 23:19 : 2Ch 34:6-7
  65. 23:20 : 1Kg 12:31; 13:2
  66. 23:20 : 2Kg 10:25; 11:18; 2Ch 34:5
  67. 23:21 : Nm 9:1-14; Dt 16:1-8; 2Ch 35:1-6
  68. 23:22-23 : 2Ch 35:18-19
  69. 23:24 : Lv 19:31; 2Kg 21:6
  70. 23:24 : Gn 31:19
  71. 23:24 : Dt 7:26; 2Kg 16:3
  72. 23:24 : 2Kg 22:8; 23:2-3
  73. 23:25 : Dt 6:4-9; 2Kg 23:3
  74. 23:25 : 1Kg 3:12; 2Kg 18:5
  75. 23:26 : 2Kg 21:11-13; Jr 15:4
  76. 23:27 : 2Kg 18:11-12
  77. 23:27 : Dt 12:11; 1Kg 9:3; 2Kg 21:4
  78. 23:28-30 : 2Ch 35:20-27
  79. 23:29 : Jr 46:2
  80. 23:29 : Jdg 5:19
  81. 23:30 : 2Kg 9:28
  82. 23:30 : 2Ch 36:1
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Acts 21:37-22:16

Paul’s Defense before the Jerusalem Mob

37 As he was about to be brought into the barracks, Paul said to the commander, “Am I allowed to say something to you?”

He replied, “You know how to speak Greek? 38 Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led four thousand men of the Assassins into the wilderness?” (A)

39 Paul said, “I am a Jewish man from Tarsus of Cilicia,(B) a citizen of an important city. Now I ask you, let me speak to the people.”

40 After he had given permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When there was a great hush, he addressed them in Aramaic:[a](C)

22 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.” 2 When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic,[b] they became even quieter.(D) 3 He(E) continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel(F) according to the law of our ancestors. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.(G) 4 I persecuted this Way(H) to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail,(I) 5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.(J)

Paul’s Testimony

6 “As(K) I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

8 “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light,[c] but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.(L)

10 “I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’

“The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.’

11 “Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light,[d] I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus.(M) 12 Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who had a good reputation with all the Jews living there,(N) 13 came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed(O) you to know his will, to see(P) the Righteous One,(Q) and to hear the words from his mouth, 15 since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.(R) 16 And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins,(S) calling on his name.’(T)

Footnotes:

  1. 21:40 Or Hebrew
  2. 22:2 Or Hebrew
  3. 22:9 Other mss add and were afraid
  4. 22:11 Lit the glory of that light

Cross references:

  1. 21:38 : Mt 24:26; Ac 5:36
  2. 21:39 : Ac 9:11; 22:3
  3. 21:40 : Jn 5:2; Ac 12:17
  4. 22:1-2 : Ac 7:2; 21:40
  5. 22:3-16 : Ac 9:1-22; 26:9-18
  6. 22:3 : Dt 33:3; Ac 5:34; 9:11; 21:39; 2Co 11:22; Php 3:5
  7. 22:3 : Ac 26:5; Rm 10:2; Php 3:6
  8. 22:4 : Ac 9:2; 24:14,22
  9. 22:4 : Ac 8:3; 22:19-20; 26:10
  10. 22:5 : Lk 22:66; Ac 13:26; 1Tm 4:14
  11. 22:6-11 : Ac 9:3-8; 26:12-18
  12. 22:9 : Dn 10:7; Ac 9:7; 26:13
  13. 22:10-11 : Ac 9:8; 16:30
  14. 22:12 : Ac 9:10,17; 10:22
  15. 22:14 : Ac 3:13; 9:15; 26:16
  16. 22:14 : 1Co 9:1; 15:8
  17. 22:14 : Ac 3:14; 7:52
  18. 22:15 : Ac 23:11; 26:16
  19. 22:16 : Ac 2:38; 1Co 6:11; Heb 10:22
  20. 22:16 : Ac 9:14; Rm 10:13
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Psalm 1

Psalm 1

The Two Ways

1 How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked
or stand in the pathway with sinners
or sit in the company of mockers!(A)
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.(B)
3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams[a]
that bears its fruit in its season(C)
and whose leaf does not wither.(D)
Whatever he does prospers.(E)

4 The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.(F)
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,(G)
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,(H)
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.(I)

Footnotes:

  1. 1:3 Or beside irrigation channels

Cross references:

  1. 1:1 : Ps 26:4-5; Pr 4:14-15
  2. 1:2 : Jos 1:8; Ps 40:8; 119:14-16
  3. 1:3 : Rv 22:2
  4. 1:3 : Ps 92:12-14; Jr 17:8
  5. 1:3 : Dt 5:33
  6. 1:4 : Jb 21:18; Ps 35:5; Hs 13:3
  7. 1:5 : Ps 5:5; 9:16; 76:7; Jr 25:31
  8. 1:6 : Jb 34:21; Ps 37:18; Nah 1:7; Jn 10:14; 2Tm 2:19
  9. 1:6 : Pr 21:12; Jn 3:16
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Proverbs 18:11-12

11 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city;
in his imagination it is like a high wall.(A)

12 Before his downfall a person’s heart is proud,(B)
but humility comes before honor.(C)

Cross references:

  1. 18:11 : Pr 10:15
  2. 18:12 : Pr 16:18
  3. 18:12 : Pr 11:2; 15:33; 29:23
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

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07/02/2019 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 20:1-22:2, Acts 21:18-36, Psalms 150:1-6, Proverbs 18:9-10

Today is the 2nd day of July. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you. I guess we are through threshold and we are squarely in the month of July. We’re in the seventh month of the year and there’s no going back. There’s only going forward. And, so, that’s what we’ll do. We’ll continue taking steps forward as we move our way through the Scriptures. And just to kind of get a lay of the land, we have a couple of days left in the book of second Kings and then we will have completed first and second Kings and before this month is out we will have read the entirety of first Chronicles and gotten our way into second Chronicles and then in the New Testament for the month of August we will complete the book Acts and then begin to move our way through the book of Romans, which will be the first of Paul’s writings that we encounter. But that’s a bit over a week from now. So, let’s settle into where we are. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Today, second Kings chapter 20 verse 1 through 22 verse 2.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Acts, right, we first followed along with the apostle Peter then we got to know Saul who became Paul and we’ve been traveling on these missionary journeys with the apostle Paul who was instructed to go back to Jerusalem and we went along with him as he went port to port on his way back to Jerusalem, visiting with the believers who had nurtured. And pretty much they all told him the same thing, “don’t go back to Jerusalem. It’s gonna be bad news”. Of course, Paul was aware of this through the Holy Spirit’s counsel, He kind of had an idea of what was coming and yet he…it was important that he obey God, right, not the Council of everybody else. So, he went to Jerusalem. And that is what we got to experience today, Paul arriving back in Jerusalem. And the reason that I’m recapping again is because we are touching up against serious, serious, issues in the early church, issues that are still with us today, issues that will and should challenge us, issues that people are spouting off everywhere all of the time on a continual basis. And that is fundamentally this, “who gets to be a follower, a disciple of Jesus Christ? Who gets to do that? Who gets to be in?” So, let’s explore this. As we read in the book of Acts today, when Paul arrived back to Jerusalem and the church leaders met with him they essentially said, “look, thousands of Jewish people are now following the Lord Jesus Christ. They are following The Way. They have embraced the teachings of Jesus and found a more comprehensive way of obeying the Mosaic Law and living into their faith. But they are devout about their faith and they and we are hearing things coming back here to Jerusalem that you are out all over the world saying you don’t have to observe circumcision, you don’t have to obey the Mosaic law in order to follow Jesus.” So, two very different viewpoints and we’re gonna talk about this as we continue our way all the way through the New Testament because there’s no avoiding it if you’re looking for it. And the issues are so fundamental that they affect us until today. So, on one hand you have Jesus who is Jewish, who ministered under…inside…within the Jewish context. And, so, of course, Jewish people began to follow the Rabbi. They began to follow Jesus and obey His teachings and even put their faith in Him and believe in Him, but they never ever considered the idea that they would be leaving their Jewish heritage and faith. Jesus never called them to leave their Hebrew roots. And He said with his own mouth, “I didn’t come to abolish the law I came to fulfill the law.” So, that’s where they’re coming from. At the same time, the apostles, including Peter and obviously the apostle Paul is now become the apostle to the Gentiles, they saw with their own eyes, they witnessed in their own ministry the Holy Spirit coming upon Gentiles. They saw Jesus come into the lives of households who had never heard anything about Jesus or Judaism. So, I mean, this caused dissonance for them. This is something to figure out because on the one hand the Hebrew religion, Judaism had always been very exclusive. These were God’s chosen people. Like this is a very exclusive people with a very exclusive religion. And yet then this rabbi comes, so Jesus comes, the son of God comes, but they’re all…all of those things are what people are thinking about Jesus. Like not everyone is like, “oh…of the Virgin Mary…yeah…of course…He’s the son of God”. Like, some people dismissed Jesus completely outright. Some people believed He was a wise and beyond His years, rabbi. Other people were following Him because His teachings made more sense while other people were following Him because they believed He was the son of the living God, the Messiah, but they all recognize that He was Hebrew and that was the context that He was in. So, for the Holy Spirit to begin falling upon Gentiles the world over, like, this is kind of a problem because the exclusivity is going away and everyone is universally welcome into this new thing that God is doing in the world. So, for many, especially the Jewish people, this is really hard to wrap their minds around. And, so, the way that, for the most part they could reason this through, is that a Gentile would need to convert to Judaism and then begin to follow the rabbi, Jesus, the Messiah. And we watched an entire church counsel, the first church council, like, this was the first and big issue that they needed to have a meeting about. And they took the witness and they realized, “okay, we thought we understood one way. We can see that God is doing something different that we haven’t seen before. We can’t deny what God is doing among the Gentiles, but we can’t deny who Jesus was, and the context that he taught in.” Right? So, it becomes the central question, who gets to be in? Who gets to be a follower, a disciple of Jesus? Who gets to be saved. In other words, and as we will see, this was always a disagreement. So, when we get to the writings of Paul and as we start moving through the different letters that he is sending to specific churches we will notice that the argument was an intense one because people were coming in behind Paul and telling people, “Gentile or not, you gotta get circumcised. Gentile or not you basically have to become Hebrew and follow the Hebrew customs.” This caused a tremendous amount of confusion but also seriously, seriously, made Paul angry. So, there were these conflicts about who gets to walk with Jesus. And if we’re honest and we look throughout our world today, we’re still fighting the same battle. We certainly aren’t these days, for the most part, trying to get people to convert to Judaism in order to follow Jesus. As it turned out, and we’ll see why as this story continues, the Jewish people mostly abandoned the idea of Jesus the Messiah, the son of God, who died to take away the sins of the world. It largely, as time went on, became something that was predominantly Gentile. And that is the way of the world today. But we’re still arguing about who gets to be in and sort of creating these grids in our minds about how much tolerance we can take for a person who doesn’t believe the way that we do. Like, do we say, “well…you don’t believe the same theological points on the Trinity, so you must not be a Christian” or “you don’t see the doctrine of original sin the same way that I do so you must be going to hell.” On the one hand, we could say, “well…this kind of vigorous debate has always been a part of our faith journey and the story of our faith in Jesus.” And yet it was Jesus. Like, whether you’re Jew or Gentile, it was Jesus who told us that the world would know us by our love for one another. Our disdain and disregard and dislike for one another are what’s most easy to see in the world today. I mean, troll the Internet for five minutes and you can find it. Vigorous debates among believers who seem to be convinced that it is their job to inform other believers that they will be cast into outer darkness. It’s not helping. I’ve actually had many conversations with people who love to do that kind of debate. Ad they’re like, “well…we do this kind of debate, we do this vigorous kind of debate so that the world won’t be deceived by the inaccuracies of everybody else.” And I’m like, “the world doesn’t care at all what you have to say.” They don’t want any part of this.” Sometimes I wish, as believers, we were forced to have a bumper sticker on our car. You know how you’re driving along in their delivery trucks…it’s like or our school buses…like, “how’s my driving? If there’s a problem call 1-800, you know, 123-4567.” I wish we had all have those bumper stickers, maybe on our four heads even sometimes. “How am I loving? If there’s a problem, call 1-800-123-4567.” How would that go for you on any given day? Because you will be known by your love. At least if you believe in Jesus, if you believe the words of Jesus then we will be known as disciples of Jesus by our love for one another. The early church had to deal with these kinds of issues. It’s been a part of our story and yet Jesus couldn’t have been more clear about the posture of God’s kingdom and the importance of actually loving those around us. So, I don’t know if I can plant something in your mind, but I wish that when you wake up in the morning you would think, “how am I going to be known by my love today?” And when you put your head on your pillow at night and you’re saying your night night prayers, I wish you would think was I known by my love today?

Prayer:

Jesus, obviously as we read the stories of Your life and ministry You were known by Your love and You were known because You were true, there was nothing false in You. It seems like every day we’re like juggling the false and the true, right, the shadow and the light. We can even think that we’re shining the light when we’re actually spreading the darkness. We so easily forget the fact that we will be known by our love for one another. So, come Holy Spirit and help us be known today by our love in every way we. We ask this in Your name. We ask Holy Spirit that You would come because we don’t…we can’t navigate…we can’t do this on our own. Like, we forget. We don’t have the discipline, we get too angry, we get pulled in so many directions we forget. So, the next thing You know we find ourselves condemning one another instead of loving each other and we can get ourselves twisted so backward so quickly. Holy Spirit come, that we be known by our love. Love is the currency of Your kingdom, not being right, not dogma, not doctrine, not being the sheriff at the gate of who gets to be in and who doesn’t. You are the judge. You will be known by our love. Let us love today we ask in Your precious name. Amen.

Song:

We are one in the spirit we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they’ll know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday July 2, 2019 (NIV)

2 Kings 20:1-22:2

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

20 In those days(A) Hezekiah became terminally ill.(B) The prophet Isaiah(C) son of Amoz came and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Set your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”(D)

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall(E) and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Please, Lord, remember(F) how I have walked before you faithfully and wholeheartedly and have done what pleases you.”[a](G) And Hezekiah wept bitterly.(H)

4 Isaiah had not yet gone out of the inner courtyard when the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader(I) of my people, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer;(J) I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the Lord’s temple. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. I will rescue you and this city from the grasp of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”(K)

7 Then Isaiah said, “Bring a lump of pressed figs.” So they brought it and applied it to his infected skin, and he recovered.(L)

8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What is the sign(M) that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the Lord’s temple on the third day?”

9 Isaiah said, “This is the sign(N) to you from the Lord that he will do what he has promised: Should the shadow go ahead ten steps or go back ten steps?”

10 Then Hezekiah answered, “It’s easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. No, let the shadow go back ten steps.” 11 So the prophet Isaiah called out to the Lord, and he brought the shadow[b] back the ten steps it had descended on the stairway of Ahaz.[c](O)

Hezekiah’s Folly

12 At that time(P) Merodach-baladan[d] son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah since he heard that he had been sick. 13 Hezekiah listened to the letters and showed the envoys his whole treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil—and his armory, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his palace and in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.(Q)

14 Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “Where did these men come from and what did they say to you?”

Hezekiah replied, “They came from a distant country, from Babylon.”

15 Isaiah asked, “What have they seen in your palace?”

Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything in my palace. There isn’t anything in my treasuries that I didn’t show them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 ‘Look, the days are coming when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until today will be carried off to Babylon; nothing will be left,’(R) says the Lord. 18 ‘Some of your descendants—who come from you, whom you father—will be taken away,(S) and they will become eunuchs[e] in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”(T)

19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good,”(U) for he thought: Why not, if there will be peace and security during my lifetime?

Hezekiah’s Death

20 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign, along with all his might and how he made the pool(V) and the tunnel and brought water into the city,(W) are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(X) 21 Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and his son Manasseh became king in his place.(Y)

Judah’s King Manasseh

21 Manasseh(Z) was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.(AA) 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight,(AB) imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.(AC) 3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed(AD) and reestablished the altars for Baal. He made an Asherah,(AE) as King Ahab of Israel had done;(AF) he also bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky(AG) and served them. 4 He built altars in the Lord’s temple,(AH) where the Lord had said, “Jerusalem is where I will put my name.”(AI) 5 He built altars to all the stars in the sky(AJ) in both courtyards of the Lord’s temple.(AK) 6 He sacrificed his son in the fire,[f](AL) practiced witchcraft and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists.(AM) He did a huge amount of evil in the Lord’s sight, angering him.(AN)

7 Manasseh set up the carved image of Asherah, which he made, in the temple that the Lord had spoken about to David and his son Solomon: “I will establish my name forever in this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.(AO) 8 I will never again cause the feet of the Israelites to wander from the land I gave to their ancestors if only they will be careful to do all I have commanded them—the whole law that my servant Moses commanded them.”(AP) 9 But they did not listen; Manasseh caused them to stray so that they did worse evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.(AQ)

10 The Lord said through his servants the prophets, 11 “Since King Manasseh of Judah has committed all these detestable acts(AR)—worse evil than the Amorites(AS) who preceded him had done—and by means of his idols has also caused Judah to sin, 12 this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I am about to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will shudder.[g](AT) 13 I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used on Samaria and the mason’s level used on the house of Ahab,(AU) and I will wipe(AV) Jerusalem clean as one wipes a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will abandon the remnant(AW) of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies, 15 because they have done what is evil in my sight and have angered me from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until today.’”(AX)

16 Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem with it from one end to another.(AY) This was in addition to his sin that he caused Judah to commit, so that they did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.

Manasseh’s Death

17 The rest(AZ) of the events of Manasseh’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and the sin that he committed, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(BA) 18 Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his own house, the garden of Uzza. His son Amon became king in his place.

Judah’s King Amon

19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king,(BB) and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father Manasseh had done.(BC) 21 He walked in all the ways his father had walked; he served the idols his father had served, and he bowed in worship to them.(BD) 22 He abandoned the Lord God of his ancestors(BE) and did not walk in the ways of the Lord.(BF)

23 Amon’s servants conspired against him and put the king to death in his own house.(BG) 24 The common people[h] killed(BH) all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah(BI) king in his place.

25 The rest of the events of Amon’s reign, along with his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. 26 He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.

Judah’s King Josiah

22 Josiah(BJ) was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.(BK) 2 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in all the ways of his ancestor David;(BL) he did not turn to the right or the left.(BM)

Footnotes:

  1. 20:3 Lit what is good in your eyes
  2. 20:11 Lit shadow on the steps
  3. 20:11 Tg, Vg; DSS read on the steps of Ahaz’s roof chamber; Is 38:8
  4. 20:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg, some Vg mss, Is 39:1; other Hb mss read Berodach-baladan
  5. 20:18 Or court officials
  6. 21:6 Lit He made his son pass through the fire
  7. 21:12 Lit about it, his two ears will tingle; Hb obscure
  8. 21:24 Lit The people of the land

Cross references:

  1. 20:1-11 : Is 38:1-8
  2. 20:1 : 2Ch 32:24
  3. 20:1 : Is 1:1; 2:1
  4. 20:1 : 2Sm 17:23
  5. 20:2 : 1Kg 21:4
  6. 20:3 : Neh 5:19; 13:14,22,31
  7. 20:3 : 2Kg 18:3-6
  8. 20:3 : 2Sm 12:21-22
  9. 20:5 : 1Sm 9:16; 10:1
  10. 20:5 : Ps 39:12
  11. 20:6 : 2Kg 19:34
  12. 20:7 : Is 38:21
  13. 20:8 : Jdg 6:17,37,39
  14. 20:9 : Is 38:7
  15. 20:11 : Jos 10:12-14; Is 38:8
  16. 20:12-19 : Is 39:1-8
  17. 20:13 : 2Ch 32:27
  18. 20:17 : 2Kg 24:13; 2Ch 36:10
  19. 20:18 : 2Kg 24:12; 2Ch 33:11
  20. 20:18 : Dn 1:3-7,11
  21. 20:19 : 1Sm 3:18; 2Kg 22:20
  22. 20:20 : Neh 3:16; Is 7:3
  23. 20:20 : 2Ch 32:30
  24. 20:20 : 2Kg 16:19
  25. 20:20-21 : 2Ch 32:32-33
  26. 21:1-9 : 2Ch 33:1-9
  27. 21:1 : Is 62:4
  28. 21:2 : 2Kg 20:16; Jr 15:4
  29. 21:2 : 2Kg 16:3
  30. 21:3 : 2Kg 18:4; 2Ch 31:1
  31. 21:3 : 2Kg 23:26
  32. 21:3 : 1Kg 16:32-33
  33. 21:3 : 2Kg 17:16; 23:5
  34. 21:4 : 2Kg 16:10-16
  35. 21:4 : Dt 12:11,14; 1Kg 11:13
  36. 21:5 : 2Kg 23:4-5
  37. 21:5 : 1Kg 7:12; 2Kg 23:12
  38. 21:6 : Lv 18:21; 2Kg 16:3; 2Ch 28:3
  39. 21:6 : Lv 19:26,31; Dt 18:10-12; 2Kg 23:24
  40. 21:6 : 2Kg 23:26
  41. 21:7 : Dt 12:5; 1Kg 11:32
  42. 21:8 : 2Sm 7:10; 1Kg 9:1-9
  43. 21:9 : 1Kg 14:9
  44. 21:11 : 2Kg 21:2; 24:3-4
  45. 21:11 : Gn 15:16; 1Kg 21:16
  46. 21:12 : 1Sm 3:11; Jr 19:3
  47. 21:13 : Is 34:11; Am 7:7-8
  48. 21:13 : 2Kg 23:27
  49. 21:14 : 2Kg 19:4; Jr 6:9
  50. 21:15 : Ex 32:22; Jr 25:7
  51. 21:16 : 2Kg 24:4
  52. 21:17-18 : 2Ch 33:18-20
  53. 21:17 : 2Kg 20:20
  54. 21:19-24 : 2Ch 33:21-25
  55. 21:20 : 2Kg 21:2-7,11,16
  56. 21:21 : 2Kg 16:2
  57. 21:22 : 1Kg 11:33
  58. 21:22 : 2Kg 22:17
  59. 21:23 : 2Kg 12:20; 14:19
  60. 21:24 : 2Kg 14:5
  61. 21:24 : 2Kg 22:1
  62. 22:1-2 : 2Ch 34:1-2
  63. 22:1 : Jos 15:39
  64. 22:2 : 1Kg 14:8
  65. 22:2 : Dt 5:32; Jos 1:7
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Acts 21:18-36

18 The following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.(A) 19 After greeting them, he reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.(B)

20 When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous(C) for the law. 21 But they have been informed about you—that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to live according to our customs.(D) 22 So what is to be done?[a] They will certainly hear that you’ve come. 23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay for them to get their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that what they were told about you amounts to nothing, but that you yourself are also careful about observing the law.(E) 25 With regard to the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter containing our decision that[b] they should keep themselves from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

The Riot in the Temple

26 So the next day, Paul took the men, having purified himself along with them, and entered the temple, announcing the completion of the purification days when the offering would be made for each of them.(F) 27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd, and seized him,(G) 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place. What’s more, he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”(H) 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.(I)

30 The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.(J)

31 As they were trying to kill him, word went up to the commander of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in chaos. 32 Taking along soldiers and centurions, he immediately ran down to them. Seeing the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander approached, took him into custody, and ordered him to be bound with two chains.(K) He asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd were shouting one thing and some another. Since he was not able to get reliable information because of the uproar, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks.(L) 35 When Paul got to the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, 36 for the mass of people followed, yelling, “Get rid of him!” (M)

Footnotes:

  1. 21:22 Other mss add A multitude has to come together, since
  2. 21:25 Other mss add they should observe no such thing, except that

Cross references:

  1. 21:18 : Ac 11:30; 12:17; 15:13
  2. 21:19 : Ac 1:17; 14:27; Rm 15:18-19
  3. 21:20 : Ac 22:3; Rm 10:12; Gl 1:14
  4. 21:21 : Ac 6:14; 15:19-20; 21:28; 1Co 7:18
  5. 21:24 : Jn 11:55; Ac 18:18; 21:26; 24:18
  6. 21:26 : Nm 6:13; Ac 24:18
  7. 21:27 : Ac 24:18; 26:21
  8. 21:28 : Mt 24:15; Ac 24:6
  9. 21:29 : Ac 18:19; 20:4
  10. 21:30 : 2Kg 11:15; Ac 16:19; 26:21
  11. 21:33 : Ac 12:6; 20:23; 21:11; Eph 6:20; 2Tm 1:16; 2:9
  12. 21:34 : Ac 19:32; 23:10
  13. 21:36 : Lk 23:18; Jn 19:15; Ac 22:22
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Psalm 150

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord

1 Hallelujah!
Praise God in his sanctuary.
Praise him in his mighty expanse.(A)
2 Praise him for his powerful acts;(B)
praise him for his abundant greatness.(C)

3 Praise him with trumpet blast;(D)
praise him with harp and lyre.(E)
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;(F)
praise him with strings and flute.(G)
5 Praise him with resounding cymbals;
praise him with clashing cymbals.(H)

6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.(I)
Hallelujah!

Cross references:

  1. 150:1 : Gn 1:6; Ps 11:4; 19:1
  2. 150:2 : Ps 145:12
  3. 150:2 : Dt 3:24
  4. 150:3 : Ps 98:6
  5. 150:3 : Ps 33:2
  6. 150:4 : Ps 149:3
  7. 150:4 : Jb 21:12; Ps 45:8
  8. 150:5 : 2Sm 6:5; 1Ch 13:8
  9. 150:6 : Ps 145:21
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Proverbs 18:9-10

9 The one who is lazy in his work
is brother to a vandal.[a](A)

10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;(B)
the righteous run to it and are protected.[b](C)

Footnotes:

  1. 18:9 Lit master of destruction
  2. 18:10 Lit raised high

Cross references:

  1. 18:9 : Pr 28:24
  2. 18:10 : Ps 18:2; 61:3; 91:2; 144:2
  3. 18:10 : Pr 29:25
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

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07/01/2019 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 18:13-19:37, Acts 21:1-17, Psalms 149:1-9, Proverbs 18:8

Today is the 1st day of July. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is a pleasure and a joy, it is an honor to be here with you as we step ourselves into the seventh month of the year. Today is the 182nd day of the year. And, so, we’re one hundred eight days into our journey together and what a journey it’s been. We have been everywhere together in the first six months. We’ve been all the way from the creation of the world, all the way through the stories in the Gospels of Jesus. We’re in the book of Acts now learning of the early church, but we have wandered in the wilderness, we have traveled with Joseph, we have traveled with Moses, we’ve traveled with Abraham, we’ve moved through the time of the judges, we’ve moved through the times of the Kings and spent plenty of time with Israel’s first King Saul and second King David. That’s just scratching the surface. And look at all that God has spoken to us directly into our own spirits and directly into our own lives about our postures and our motives. The Bible is amazing because it’s alive and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and it can penetrate within us to the point where soul and spirit divide. That…I’m not sure exactly where that is but that’s deep because that’s where our identity is. God is speaking to and transforming our identity, which is one of the big themes of the Bible that we’ve seen, right? The children of Israel were slaves. Their identity needed to be changed. The wilderness was used to change their identity from slave to chosen. And perhaps the exact same thing is happening within us. So, here we are launching ourselves into the brand-new seventh month of the year, the month of July and launching ourselves into the back half of the year. And we’ll do that by picking up where we left off yesterday because that’s what we do. Step-by-step day by day we go all the way around the sun and make a revolution around the sun and that’s called a year on planet Earth. But day by day we make a revolution through the Bible, which makes a revolution and in our lives. So, here we go. Second Kings chapter 18 verse 13 through 19 verse 37 and we’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week.

Commentary:

Okay. So, a few things to point out, a couple things we need to touch on. So, yesterday in our reading from a second Kings we witnessed the destruction, the end of the northern kingdom of Israel. So, those 10 tribes that were Israel, they’ve been hauled in exile and displaced all over the Assyrian Empire and they disappear from history at this point as cohesive tribes, like never see them again. We also see that the Assyrian Empire who conquered the northern kingdom of Israel had its sights set on also simultaneously conquering the southern kingdom of Judah and actually was succeeding because fortified city after fortified city was falling. And, so, the scene that we saw today where king Sennacherib sends his envoys to Jerusalem. This was coming from the city of Lachish. The ruins of Lachish still exist today. That can be seen in the Promised Land films, but this one would’ve been just like the second fortified city only to Jerusalem and it fell. So, the king of Assyria is at a conquered city, Lachish, sending envoys to Jerusalem which is the last city to conquer, taunting and threatening them. And we read the story. King Hezekiah goes before the Lord, and Lord delivers Judah. So, as we go into the second half of the year we go into the second half of the year without 10 of the tribes, they’ve been conquered, and we only have Judah remaining.

And as we mentioned yesterday and saw more today, Paul is on his way back to Jerusalem, the city where he started this journey, right? This guy who affirmed and witnessed the stoning of Stephen in Jerusalem. Once he found Jesus the Jewish people wanted him dead just like he wanted all the other Christians dead and he’s been moving around the empire sharing the good news, but he’s on his way back to Jerusalem and we’re seeing that at every stop he’s stopping and visiting with people that he had brought to the Lord and established churches and their all telling him he shouldn’t go to Jerusalem and he’s saying, “yeah, I know. Like, I have to go to Jerusalem because the Holy Spirit told me to go to Jerusalem, but I know. I know that imprisonment and shackles are in front of me and maybe even death. I don’t know but I have to go.” And, so that’s where we find Paul and that’s the story that we will enter into as we continue into the second half of the year.

And then as we enter into this brand-new month and this back half of the year we have some striking words from the book from the book of Proverbs. “A gossips words are like choice food.” Okay. So, gossip is like a currency, it’s like information currency. It’s a secret currency that we carry around. We witness things, we hear things, we see things, and then we don’t hold onto them in confidence. We then go and use the currency to make ourselves look more like we’re in the know and we share it with other people. Like, we talk about people behind their backs and they don’t have the benefit of being there to tell the story correctly or to defend themselves or whatever, to be a part of the conversation. And, so, we’re kind of consuming them behind their back to each other and it’s dark and it’s a community killer because along with gossip…like you get a tasty morsel of gossip and you call up your friend or you meet for coffee and you’re gonna lay out the story and share the gossip, you’re gonna have to make up a bunch of stuff along the way, right? You heard this little bit of information and you’re gonna have to say, “so, I think what’s happening here is…” And then you’ve gotta give your interpretation of it when you are not involved, and you do not know what you’re talking about. Gossip gives us little portions of information that we then flesh out with assumptions and we create false realities about people. And if you’ve been on the receiving end of this before, if you’ve been gossiped about you know how destructive it can be because we are peddling half-truths and made-up things. We are carrying falseness around and infecting our communities like cancer with this stuff. So, you have to listen to the proverb and wonder if it matters to you. “A gossips words are like choice food that goes down into one’s innermost being.” Do you want all that stuff down in your innermost being? Because that’s what you’re doing when you listen to it. That’s what you’re peddling when you offer it, poison that goes down to one’s innermost being. So, let’s think about that as we move through this new week and as we move into this new month and as we move into the second half of the year.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite You into that. We often find ourselves sharing things we shouldn’t be sharing, telling things we shouldn’t be telling, filling in blanks we have no business filling in because we don’t know what we’re talking about and consuming each other. And this is not helpful to Your body. It’s like cancer in Your body. So, Holy Spirit come. Help us to understand the power of our words and the power that rests behind our teeth to make those words. And may we bring light and life and good news through our words this day and every day. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

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

So, this coming Sunday, the most immediate thing that’s going on around here. This coming Sunday is the 7th of July and the 7th of July is kind of our own little Daily Audio Bible holiday that we have together. It’s the day we do the Daily Audio Bible long walk and this has been a tradition over a decade now. It’s a day that wherever you are, no matter where you are, this doesn’t have to be all that complicated. You can go somewhere as close as next-door. Like, just go for walk down your sidewalk. Wherever you find beautiful, that’s where you want to go. Whether you drive for hours, or whether you just go for a walk, it’s a long walk with God. It’s a day set aside to truly honestly rest in Him. Like, to truly take everything off of our plates altogether. This happens on a Sunday, this coming Sunday. So, this happens on the weekend, which will make it a little easier scheduling wise, but take everything off your plates, every obligation, like it can wait for a day, especially when it’s a day that your giving to God, where you really are going to rest in Him. You’re going to go somewhere beautiful and hear life happening all around you. I mean, if you go to a local park, if you go somewhere and sit down and just start listening, you realize that life is exploding everywhere. It’s all around us and we’re missing it. I mean, you spend 10 minutes just listening to nature and you realize I’m missing a lot because I’m running, running, running, running running, but I don’t know why. I’m accumulating, accumulating, accumulating, but I don’t know why exactly, it’s just that everybody else is. But what if you slow the world out enough to hear your heart beat again? What if you had a day that there was no agenda other than to say everything, everything, everything in your heart to God and to let Him say everything He’s been waiting to say back to you for the longest of times? But you’re just so busy and when conversation happens with Him it’s one-sided, it’s you, you’re doing all talking. What if you had space to listen? That’s what the Daily Audio Bible long walk is about and that is one wonderful way of resetting and moving into the second half of the year. So, make plans for that this Sunday. It’s very individual. It’s a solitary endeavor but it’s also a community event because we’re doing it together at the same time on the same day. So, wherever you go just take a picture, take a video, post it back to Daily Audio Bible’s Facebook page, which is facebook.com/dailyaaudiobible and then we just watch it all unfold. We see the beauty of the earth all around the world all in one day. It’s magnificent. So, that’s coming up this Sunday. Make plans for that.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link on the homepage. Thank you profoundly for your partnership as we are here in the thick of the summer now. Thank you for your partnership. So, the link is on the homepage. If you’re using the 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 is it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Sacrifices his only Son to save our sins. And Jesus hanging on the cross for our sins. The gift of the Holy Spirit. And my heart is full of joy today, hence the smile. What I did want to share is even though my heart is full of love and am lifted up by the Holy Spirit, the world we live in would tell me otherwise because I can share that my life is not perfect and far from it. I have a prodigal son who has not spoken to me or any type of communication going on for years now, grandbabies I have not seen. And the world would tell me otherwise, that I should just be broken, but thank God, thank God for His grace and His mercy and His love that keeps me lifted. So, I wanted to share that family, that we’re all…we all have something that the world will tell us that we should be broken. Hang on to the promise of Jesus and He will see us through. You can think back if you have something in your life that He has lifted you, He has pulled you up, why would He not do that again for your family? I’m keeping my eyes on Christ and I’m praying for each one of you as it’s been every day. Thank you. Amen.

Hello DAB family this is Joyful Noise from Southern California. I’m calling in…haven’t called in for quite some time but I do listen or __ listen every single day and if I don’t I try to pay catch up. Isn’t this the most amazing ministry? So, if this ministry has blessed you in any way…like, if you’re listening in as a new listener or…I don’t know that about the Lord and are becoming closer to Him and even understanding like His purpose in your life and His purpose for the world and the universe and even from the beginning, you know, if you’ve been hanging out with us since January 1st, from Genesis onward then kudos. That is awesome! Hang in there. This is my…I think…seventh year through the Bible with Brian and the community. And it is actually amazing how it’s grown me as a Christian and as a community member, as a mom, as a wife, as everything. So, hang in there. And then also, if this ministry blesses you, consider blessing the ministry back, through prayer certainly but also through, you know, your financial contribution. If you think about it this is __ but there’s never a day where I wake up and go, “I wonder if they recorded the…nope for sure, they did it.” Even when Brian’s traveling or the families traveling. Even when…I’m sure…I’m they have birthday parties and, you know, they’ve got stuff in life just like us, but they make it a priority. So, and the team of people. It’s not just Brian of course, it’s a team of people that make this happen in the background. So, consider supporting them. Look. It’s just a thought. Maybe pray about it. So, I’m calling in today to ask all of you to lift up my friend who is an amazing young man, he’s 16 years old, he’s the youngest of our three kids and we really thought until this last fall, whew, we’ve skated…whew we skated this one. We are not going through those tough teen…” Oh no. It came out. And probably as a result of learning disabilities and since he was in about fifth grade just really feeling stupid even though we’re getting accommodations, even though we’re helping him even though we’re trying to convey to him how to, you know, God has a plan for him and you know…

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is Jay from Nashville Tennessee. All right, so I wanted to just shoot out a praise report real quick to just thank God for this promotion that I’ve gotten. I went from technician level to engineer level at my job. So, I mean, I’m just, I’m overwhelmed. So, those of you who are in positions that you don’t want to be in or you feel like there beneath you or you feel like you should be doing something different, you know, I started working for this company six years ago and my job was to take out the trash. That was my job. And for six months I did that as effectively, as efficiently, and as professionally as I possibly could all the while praying to God and believing that whatever he had for me that’s what I would do. And today I am an engineer in the same company and, you know, God has just blessed me because…I didn’t want to…but I humbled myself and I did what I had to do. So, let that be a lesson or at least an example to you because I know that there are a lot of people that are not working where they want to work, or they don’t like where they work, or they don’t like what they do. That could very well be an opportunity for you to relax and enjoy the simplicity of a job that really isn’t super complicated. And you can take that time to pray and be with God while you’re at work. I can’t tell you how many times I put my headphones in and listened to sermons, listened to Brian and, you know, just listened to God’s music and just put that time for him. So, I encourage you to find time throughout your day to do that with Jesus. Love you guys. Bye.

Good morning everyone. This is a Christie from Kentucky. I wanted to pray for us of our friends. Daniel Johnson Junior, congratulations on your 24th wedding anniversary on 6/17. I wanted to pray for Slave of Jesus to let you know brother that I’m praying for your work situation. Also praying for Natalie as you go into your inpatient treatment for your anorexia. Praying for you sweet child, for you and your family. Also, I am praying for Victoria Soldier to ask the Lord to bless her with as many blessings as that she gives to all of us. We love you so much Victoria Soldier. Also praying for Christie in Korea for your husband who you say is agnostic. Christ’s Child in New Zealand, I’m praying for your brother who is in a bad relationship and Vera in California, praying for your precious daughter Michelle as she goes through her surgery, which should be done by now. Praying for a good outcome for that and that her Lupus is at bay. We ask for complete healing and restoration on your precious daughter’s body. Not Shaken, I’m praying for your son who is in jail. Also, for your daughter who needs forgiveness from family members, but especially from her daddy. Also praying for you Jerry in Maryland, thinking about what you said about your long walk and I was thinking, just a suggestion, but Jerry, why don’t you take your beautiful wife with you on that long walk? Just pull away from all the noise and confusion of the everyday trials and maybe while you’re on that walk you can share the significance of what it means and maybe have a heart-to-heart talk with her. You are the leader of the household and we just pray for you Jerry. All right everyone. I just want to thank you all for continued prayers. We are healing. We still have a king-sized hole in our house and our heart from the loss of our dog. And today I will go pick up the remains. So, continued prayers are appreciated, and I love you guys so much. Have a blessed and lovely day today.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday July 1, 2019 (NIV)

2 Kings 18:13-19:37

Sennacherib’s Invasion

13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Assyria’s King Sennacherib attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.(A) 14 So King Hezekiah of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish:(B) “I have done wrong;(C) withdraw from me. Whatever you demand from me, I will pay.” The king of Assyria demanded eleven tons[a] of silver and one ton[b] of gold from King Hezekiah of Judah. 15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace.

16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the Lord’s sanctuary and from the doorposts he had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.(D)

17 Then the king of Assyria sent the field marshal,(E) the chief of staff, and his royal spokesman, along with a massive army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.(F) They advanced and came to Jerusalem, and[c] they took their position by the aqueduct of the upper pool, by the road to the Launderer’s Field.(G) 18 They called for the king, but Eliakim(H) son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebnah(I) the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came out to them.(J)

The Royal Spokesman’s Speech

19 Then(K) the royal spokesman said to them, “Tell Hezekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: ‘What are you relying on?[d](L) 20 You think mere words are strategy and strength for war. Who are you now relying on so that you have rebelled against me?(M) 21 Now look, you are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff(N) that will pierce the hand of anyone who grabs it and leans on it.(O) This is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. 22 Suppose you say to me, “We rely on the Lord our God.” Isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed,(P) saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem”?’

23 “So now, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria. I’ll give you two thousand horses if you’re able to supply riders for them! 24 How then can you drive back a single officer(Q) among the least of my master’s servants? How can you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25 Now, have I attacked this place to destroy it without the Lord’s approval?(R) The Lord said to me, ‘Attack this land and destroy it.’”

26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah said to the royal spokesman, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(S) since we understand it. Don’t speak with us in Hebrew[e] within earshot of the people on the wall.”

27 But the royal spokesman said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to your master and to you? Hasn’t he also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, destined with you to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?” (T)

28 The royal spokesman stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 29 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah deceive(U) you; he can’t rescue you from my power.(V) 30 Don’t let Hezekiah persuade you to rely on the Lord by saying, “Certainly the Lord will rescue us! This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.”’(W)

31 “Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Make peace[f] with me and surrender to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and his own fig tree,(X) and each may drink water from his own cistern 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey(Y)—so that you may live(Z) and not die. But don’t listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “The Lord will rescue us.” 33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever rescued(AA) his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?[g] Have they rescued Samaria from my power?(AB) 35 Who among all the gods of the lands has rescued his land from my power? So will the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” (AC)

36 But the people kept silent; they did not answer him at all, for the king’s command was, “Don’t answer him.” 37 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian,(AD) came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn(AE) and reported to him the words of the royal spokesman.

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Counsel

19 When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth,(AF) and went into the Lord’s temple.(AG) 2 He sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary,(AH) and the leading priests, who were wearing sackcloth,(AI) to the prophet Isaiah(AJ) son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, for children have come to the point of birth,(AK) but there is no strength to deliver them. 4 Perhaps the Lord your God(AL) will hear(AM) all the words of the royal spokesman, whom his master the king of Assyria sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke(AN) him for the words that the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the surviving remnant.’”(AO)

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah, 6 who said to them, “Tell your master, ‘The Lord says this: Don’t be afraid(AP) because of the words you have heard, with which the king of Assyria’s attendants(AQ) have blasphemed(AR) me. 7 I am about to put a spirit in him, and he will hear a rumor and return to his own land,(AS) where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’”(AT)

Sennacherib’s Departing Threat

8 When(AU) the royal spokesman heard that the king of Assyria had pulled out of Lachish,(AV) he left and found him fighting against Libnah.(AW) 9 The king had heard concerning King Tirhakah of Cush, “Look, he has set out to fight against you.” So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Say this to King Hezekiah of Judah: ‘Don’t let your God, on whom you rely,(AX) deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.(AY) 11 Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries: They completely destroyed them. Will you be rescued? 12 Did the gods of the nations(AZ) that my predecessors destroyed rescue them—nations such as Gozan,(BA) Haran,(BB) Rezeph, and the Edenites(BC) in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of[h] Sepharvaim, Hena, or Ivvah?’” (BD)

Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 Hezekiah took(BE) the letter(BF) from the messengers’ hands, read it, then went up to the Lord’s temple, and spread it out before the Lord.(BG) 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord:

Lord God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,(BH) you are God—you alone—of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.(BI) 16 Listen closely, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see.(BJ) Hear the words that Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God.(BK) 17 Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands.(BL) 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but made by human hands—wood and stone.(BM) So they have destroyed them. 19 Now, Lord our God, please save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are God—you alone.(BN)

God’s Answer through Isaiah

20 Then(BO) Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “The Lord, the God of Israel says, ‘I have heard your prayer(BP) to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria.’(BQ) 21 This is the word the Lord has spoken against him:

Virgin Daughter Zion(BR)
despises you and scorns you;
Daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head behind your back.(BS)
22 Who is it you mocked and blasphemed?(BT)
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride?
Against the Holy One of Israel!(BU)
23 You have mocked the Lord[i] through[j] your messengers.(BV)
You have said, ‘With my many chariots(BW)
I have gone up to the heights of the mountains,
to the far recesses of Lebanon.
I cut down its tallest cedars,
its choice cypress trees.
I came to its farthest outpost,
its densest forest.
24 I dug wells
and drank water in foreign lands.
I dried up all the streams of Egypt(BX)
with the soles of my feet.’

25 Have you not heard?(BY)
I designed it long ago;
I planned it in days gone by.
I have now brought it to pass,(BZ)
and you have crushed fortified cities
into piles of rubble.
26 Their inhabitants have become powerless,
dismayed, and ashamed.
They are plants of the field,
tender grass,
grass on the rooftops,(CA)
blasted by the east wind.[k]

27 But I know your sitting down,(CB)
your going out and your coming in,
and your raging against me.
28 Because your raging against me
and your arrogance have reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose(CC)
and my bit in your mouth;
I will make you go back
the way you came.

29 “This will be the sign(CD) for you: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what grows from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 30 The surviving remnant(CE) of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For a remnant will go out from Jerusalem, and survivors, from Mount Zion.(CF) The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.(CG)

32 Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
He will not enter this city,
shoot an arrow here,
come before it with a shield,
or build up a siege ramp against it.(CH)
33 He will go back
the way he came,
and he will not enter this city.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

34 I will defend this city and rescue it
for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.”(CI)

Defeat and Death of Sennacherib

35 That night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!(CJ) 36 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and left. He returned home and lived in Nineveh.(CK)

37 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech(CL) and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat.(CM) Then his son Esar-haddon(CN) became king in his place.

Footnotes:

  1. 18:14 Lit 300 talents
  2. 18:14 Lit 30 talents
  3. 18:17 LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads and came and
  4. 18:19 Lit ‘What is this trust which you trust
  5. 18:26 Lit Judahite, also in v. 28
  6. 18:31 Lit a blessing
  7. 18:34 Some LXX mss, Old Lat read Sepharvaim? Where are the gods of the land of Samaria?
  8. 19:13 Or king of Lair,
  9. 19:23 Many mss read Lord
  10. 19:23 Lit by the hand of
  11. 19:26 DSS; MT reads blasted before standing grain; Is 37:27

Cross references:

  1. 18:13 : 2Ch 32:1; Is 36:1
  2. 18:14 : 2Kg 19:8
  3. 18:14 : Is 24:5; 33:8
  4. 18:15-16 : 2Kg 12:18; 16:8; 2Ch 16:2
  5. 18:17 : Is 20:1
  6. 18:17 : 2Ch 32:9
  7. 18:17 : 2Kg 20:20; Is 7:3
  8. 18:18 : 2Kg 19:2; Is 22:20
  9. 18:18 : Is 22:15
  10. 18:17-18 : Is 36:2-3
  11. 18:19-37 : Is 36:4-22
  12. 18:19 : 2Kg 18:5; 2Ch 32:10
  13. 18:20 : 2Kg 18:7
  14. 18:21 : Is 30:2-3,7
  15. 18:21 : Ezk 29:6-7
  16. 18:22 : 2Kg 18:4; 2Ch 31:1; 32:11-12
  17. 18:24 : Is 10:8
  18. 18:25 : 2Kg 19:6,22; 24:3; 2Ch 35:21
  19. 18:26 : Ezr 4:7; Dn 2:4
  20. 18:26-27 : Is 36:11-12
  21. 18:29 : 2Kg 19:10
  22. 18:29 : 2Ch 32:15
  23. 18:30 : 2Ch 32:18
  24. 18:31 : 1Kg 4:25
  25. 18:32 : Dt 8:7-9; 11:12
  26. 18:32 : Dt 30:19
  27. 18:33 : 2Kg 19:12; Is 10:10-11
  28. 18:34 : 2Kg 17:24; 19:13
  29. 18:35 : 2Ch 32:14; Ps 2:1-4; Dn 3:15
  30. 18:37 : 2Kg 18:26; 19:2
  31. 18:37 : 2Kg 6:30; Is 33:7
  32. 19:1 : 1Kg 21:27; 2Kg 18:37; Ps 69:11
  33. 19:1 : 2Ch 32:20; Is 37:1
  34. 19:2 : 2Kg 18:26,37
  35. 19:2 : 2Sm 3:31
  36. 19:2 : Is 1:1; 2:1
  37. 19:3 : Hs 13:13
  38. 19:4 : 1Sm 17:26; 2Kg 18:35
  39. 19:4 : Jos 14:12; 2Sm 16:12
  40. 19:4 : Ps 50:21
  41. 19:4 : 2Kg 19:30; Is 1:9
  42. 19:6 : Is 37:6
  43. 19:6 : 2Kg 18:17
  44. 19:6 : 2Kg 18:22-25,30,35
  45. 19:7 : 2Kg 7:6
  46. 19:7 : 2Kg 19:35-37
  47. 19:8-13 : Is 37:8-13
  48. 19:8 : 2Kg 18:14
  49. 19:8 : Jos 10:29
  50. 19:10 : 2Kg 18:5
  51. 19:10 : 2Kg 18:29-30
  52. 19:12 : 2Kg 18:33,35
  53. 19:12 : 2Kg 17:6
  54. 19:12 : Gn 11:31
  55. 19:12 : Is 37:12
  56. 19:13 : 2Kg 18:34
  57. 19:14-19 : Is 37:14-20
  58. 19:14 : 2Kg 5:7
  59. 19:14 : Is 37:14
  60. 19:15 : Ex 25:22
  61. 19:15 : Gn 1:1; 2Kg 5:15; Is 44:6
  62. 19:16 : Dn 9:18
  63. 19:16 : 2Kg 19:4; Ps 31:2; Is 37:17
  64. 19:17 : 2Kg 18:34
  65. 19:18 : Is 44:9-20; Jr 10:3-5; Ac 17:29
  66. 19:19 : 1Kg 8:42-43; Is 43:10-11
  67. 19:20-34 : Is 37:21-35
  68. 19:20 : 2Kg 20:5
  69. 19:20 : Is 37:21
  70. 19:21 : Jr 14:17; Lm 2:13
  71. 19:21 : Ps 22:7-8; 109:25; Mt 27:39
  72. 19:22 : 2Kg 19:4,6
  73. 19:22 : Is 5:24; 30:11-15; Jr 51:5
  74. 19:23 : 2Kg 18:17; 19:4
  75. 19:23 : Ps 20:7; Jr 50:37
  76. 19:24 : Is 19:6
  77. 19:25 : Is 40:21; 45:7
  78. 19:25 : Is 10:5
  79. 19:26 : Ps 129:6
  80. 19:27 : Ps 139:1-2
  81. 19:28 : Ezk 19:9; 29:4; 38:4
  82. 19:29 : Ex 3:14; 2Kg 20:8-9; Is 7:14
  83. 19:30 : 2Kg 19:4; 2Ch 32:22-23
  84. 19:31 : Is 10:20
  85. 19:31 : Is 9:7
  86. 19:32 : Is 8:7-10
  87. 19:34 : 1Kg 11:12-13; 2Kg 20:6; Is 31:5
  88. 19:35 : 2Ch 32:21; Is 37:36
  89. 19:36 : Jnh 1:2
  90. 19:37 : 2Kg 17:31
  91. 19:37 : Gn 8:4; Jr 51:27
  92. 19:37 : Gn 10:11; Ezr 4:2
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Acts 21:1-17

Warnings on the Journey to Jerusalem

21 After(A) we tore ourselves away from them, we set sail straight for Cos, the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we boarded and set sail. 3 After we sighted Cyprus, passing to the south of it,[a] we sailed on to Syria and arrived at Tyre, since the ship was to unload its cargo there. 4 We sought out the disciples and stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.(B) 5 When our time had come to an end, we left to continue our journey, while all of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach to pray, 6 we said farewell to one another and boarded the ship, and they returned home.

7 When we completed our voyage[b] from Tyre, we reached Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day.(C) 8 The next day we left and came to Caesarea, where we entered the house of Philip(D) the evangelist,(E) who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him. 9 This man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.(F)

10 After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him over to the Gentiles.’”(G) 12 When we heard this, both we and the local people pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”(H)

14 Since he would not be persuaded, we said no more except, “The Lord’s will be done.”(I)

Conflict over the Gentile Mission

15 After this we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us and brought us to Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to stay.(J)

17 When we reached Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters welcomed us warmly.(K)

Footnotes:

  1. 21:3 Lit leaving it on the left
  2. 21:7 Or As we continued our voyage

Cross references:

  1. 21:1 : Ac 16:10-11
  2. 21:4 : Ac 11:26; 20:23; 21:11
  3. 21:7 : Jn 21:23; Ac 12:20
  4. 21:8 : Ac 6:5; 8:5
  5. 21:8 : Eph 4:11; 2Tm 4:5
  6. 21:9 : Lk 2:36; Ac 2:7; 13:1; 1Co 11:5
  7. 21:11 : 1Kg 22:11; Jr 13:1-11; Mt 20:19; Ac 20:23; 21:33
  8. 21:13 : Ac 5:41; 9:16; 20:24
  9. 21:14 : Mt 6:10; Lk 22:42
  10. 21:16 : Ac 8:40; 21:3-4
  11. 21:17 : Ac 15:4; 21:7
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Psalm 149

Psalm 149

Praise for God’s Triumph

1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the Lord a new song,(A)
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.(B)
2 Let Israel celebrate its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.(C)
3 Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with tambourine and lyre.(D)
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;(E)
he adorns the humble with salvation.(F)
5 Let the faithful celebrate in triumphal glory;
let them shout for joy on their beds.(G)

6 Let the exaltation of God be in their mouths[a]
and a double-edged sword in their hands,(H)
7 inflicting vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,(I)
8 binding their kings with chains
and their dignitaries with iron shackles,(J)
9 carrying out the judgment decreed against them.
This honor is for all his faithful people.(K)
Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

  1. 149:6 Lit throat

Cross references:

  1. 149:1 : Ps 33:3
  2. 149:1 : Ps 35:18; 89:5
  3. 149:2 : Ps 95:6; Zch 9:9
  4. 149:3 : Ps 30:11; 81:2
  5. 149:4 : Ps 147:11; Rm 8:8; 1Co 1:21
  6. 149:4 : Ps 35:27; Is 61:3
  7. 149:5 : Jb 35:10; Ps 132:16
  8. 149:6 : Ps 66:17; Heb 4:12
  9. 149:7 : Ezk 25:16-17; Mc 5:15
  10. 149:8 : Jb 36:8
  11. 149:9 : Ps 148:14; Ezk 28:26
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Proverbs 18:8

8 A gossip’s words are like choice food
that goes down to one’s innermost being.[a](A)

Footnotes:

  1. 18:8 Lit to the chambers of the belly

Cross references:

  1. 18:8 : Pr 26:22
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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