The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday July 12, 2020 (NIV)

¹⁹ And some Manassites deserted to David when he came with the Philistines to the battle against Saul, but he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines sent him away upon counsel, saying, “He will desert to his master Saul at the cost of our heads.” ²⁰ When he went to Ziklag some Manassites deserted to him: Adnah, Jehozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, heads of the thousands that were for Manasseh. ²¹ And they themselves helped David against the troops, for all of them were mighty men of strength and were commanders in the army. ²² Day in and day out^[a] they came to David to help him until there was a great army, like the army of God.

²³ And these are the numbers of the chiefs of those prepared for the army who came to David at Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him according to the word of Yahweh. ²⁴ The sons of Judah bearing shield and spear: six thousand eight hundred armed troops. ²⁵ From the men of Simeon, mighty warriors of strength for war: seven thousand one hundred. ²⁶ From the Levites: four thousand six hundred. ²⁷ Jehoiada the chief officer of the house of Aaron, and with him, three thousand seven hundred. ²⁸ And Zadok, a young man, a mighty warrior of strength, and the house of his father: twenty-two commanders. ²⁹ From the men of Benjamin, kinsmen of Saul, three thousand, and even still^[b] the majority of them remained loyal^[c] to the house of Saul. ³⁰ And from the men of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred mighty warriors of strength, famous men in the house of their fathers. ³¹ And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand who were designated by name to come to make David king. ³² And from the men of Issachar: men who were skilled in understanding the times^[d] to know what Israel should do. Their chiefs were two hundred, and all their kinsmen were under their command. ³³ From Zebulun, those who went out armed, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war: fifty thousand to help David with singleness of purpose.^{[e] 34} From Naphtali: one thousand commanders; and those with them with shield and spear: thirty-seven thousand. ³⁵ From the Danites, those equipped for battle: twenty-eight thousand six hundred. ³⁶ And from Asher, those who went out armed and prepared for battle: forty thousand. ³⁷ And from beyond the Jordan, from the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all their weapons of war for battle: one hundred and twenty thousand. ³⁸ All these were men of war arrayed in battle line with a whole heart.^[f] They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel had one heart to make David king. ³⁹ And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen were prepared for them. ⁴⁰ And also their relatives, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen—provisions of flour, cakes of figs, raisin cakes, wine and oil, cattle and sheep in abundance, for there was great joy in Israel.

The Ark of the Covenant Brought from Kiriath-Jearim

13 And David consulted with the commanders of thousands and hundreds, with every leader. ² And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you^[g] and before Yahweh our God, let us send word abroad^[h] to our brothers who remain in all the land of Israel and to the priests and Levites with them in the cities with their pasturelands that they might be gathered to us. ³ Then let us bring around the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” ⁴ And all the assembly agreed to do so, for the word was pleasing in the eyes of all the people.

⁵ And David summoned all Israel from Shihor of Egypt up to Lebo-Hamath to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-Jearim. ⁶ And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, Kiriath-Jearim of Judah, to bring up from there the ark of Yahweh God who is enthroned between the cherubim, which is called the name. ⁷ And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio were driving the cart.

⁸ Now David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their strength, and with songs, lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. ⁹ And when they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzza reached out his hand to hold the ark because the cattle had stumbled. ¹⁰ And Yahweh was angry^[i] with Uzza, and he struck him down because he reached his hand upon the ark. And he died there before God. ¹¹ And David was angry^[j] because Yahweh had broken out in wrath against Uzza. And that place is called Perez Uzza unto this day. ¹² And David feared God on that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” ¹³ So David did not move the ark to himself into the city of David but diverted it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹⁴ And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And Yahweh blessed the household of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

David’s Wives and Children

14 And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David and cedar trees, masons,^[k] and carpenters^[l] to build a house for him. ² And David knew that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel. ³ And David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters. ⁴ Now these are the names of the children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

⁸ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard and went out from before them. ⁹ Now the Philistines came and carried out a raid in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰ Then David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you put them into my hand?” And Yahweh said to him, “Go up. I will put them into your hand.” ¹¹ And he went up to Baal-Perazim, and David struck them there. And David said, “God has burst out against my enemies by my hand like waters burst out.” Therefore they will call the name of this place Baal-Perazim. ¹² And they abandoned their gods there. And David commanded, and they were burnt with fire. ¹³ Then the Philistines carried out another raid^[m] in the valley. ¹⁴ Then David inquired again of God. And God said to him, “You shall not go up after them. Go around from before them and come against them the opposite way of the balsam trees. ¹⁵ And it shall be that when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out into battle, for God goes out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ¹⁶ And David did as God commanded him, and they struck the camp of the Philistines from Gibeon to Gezer. ¹⁷ And the fame of David went out through all the lands. And Yahweh put the fear of him upon all the nations.

Greeting

1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was born a descendant^[a] of David according to the flesh, ⁴ who was declared Son of God in power according to the Holy Spirit^[b] by the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles^[c] on behalf of his name, ⁶ among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. ⁷ To all those in Rome who are loved by God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul Wants to Visit Rome

⁸ First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed in the whole world. ⁹ For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I make mention of you, ¹⁰ always asking in my prayers if somehow now at last I may succeed to come to you in the will of God. ¹¹ For I desire to see you, in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, in order to strengthen you, ¹² that is, to be encouraged together with you through our mutual faith^[d], both yours and mine. ¹³ Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that often I intended to come to you, and was prevented until now, in order that I might have some fruit among you also, just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.^{[e] 14} I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ Thus I am eager^[f] to proclaim the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

The Gospel’s Power for Salvation

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it is written, “But the one who is righteous by faith will live.”^[g]