The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday July 14, 2020 (NIV)

Worship and the Ark

³⁷ So he^[a] left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to minister before the ark regularly as each day required,^{[b] 38} and he left Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brothers. And Obed-Edom, the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah were gatekeepers. ³⁹ And he left Zadok the priest and his brothers the priests before the tabernacle of Yahweh at the high place which was at Gibeon ⁴⁰ to offer burnt offerings regularly to Yahweh on the altar of burnt offering, morning and evening, according to all that was written in the law of Yahweh that he commanded concerning Israel. ⁴¹ And with them were Heman and Jeduthun and the remainder of those chosen, who were designated by name to give thanks to Yahweh, for his loyal love is everlasting. ⁴² And Heman and Jeduthun with them had trumpets and cymbals for making music, along with instruments for the song of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were at the gate. ⁴³ Then all the people went each to his house, and David turned to bless his household.

Yahweh’s Covenant with David

17 And as David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I live in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under tent curtains.” ² And Nathan said to David, “Whatever is in your heart, do, for God is with you.”

³ And it happened that same night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and say to David my servant, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “You are not to build a house for me to live in, ⁵ for I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought out Israel unto this day. I have been from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle. ⁶ In every place I have moved about, did I say one word with the judges of Israel I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, ‘Why have you not built for me a house of cedar?’”’ ⁷ So now, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over my people Israel, ⁸ and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut down your enemies from before you and will make a name for you, like the name of the great ones on the earth. ⁹ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them,^[c] and they^[d] shall dwell in their^[e] place and be in anguish no longer. And wicked men will no longer wear them down as before, ¹⁰ from the day that I commanded judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue your enemies, and I declare to you that Yahweh will build for you a house.^{[f] 11} And it shall be that when your days are fulfilled to go and sleep with your ancestors,^[g] then I will raise up your seed after you, who will be one of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He himself will build for me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I myself will be a father to him, and he himself will be a son to me. And I will not remove my steadfast love from him as I took it away from whoever was before you. ¹⁴ And I will establish him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.”’” ¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this revelation, thus did Nathan speak to David.

David’s Prayer

¹⁶ Then King David went and sat before Yahweh and said, “Who am I, O Yahweh God, and what is my house that you have brought me thus far? ¹⁷ And this was a small matter in your eyes, O God. And you have spoken concerning the house of your servant for a long time and have shown me future generations to come,^[h] O Yahweh God. ¹⁸ What more^[i] can David do to you for honoring your servant? Now you know your servant. ¹⁹ O Yahweh, for the sake of your servant and according to your heart you have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things. ²⁰ O Yahweh, there is none like you, and there is no God except you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²¹ And who is like your people Israel, the one nation upon earth whom God went to redeem for himself, to establish for you a reputation^[j] for great and awesome things, to drive out nations from before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt? ²² And you made your people Israel an everlasting nation for yourself. And you, O Yahweh, became their God. ²³ So now, O Yahweh, let the word that you spoke to your servant and to his house be established forever, that you might do what you have spoken. ²⁴ And let your name be established and be magnified forever, saying, ‘Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God, and may the house of David your servant be established before you.’ ²⁵ For you, my God, have informed^[k] your servant that you will build a house for him. Therefore, your servant has found courage to pray before you. ²⁶ So now, O Yahweh, you yourself are God, and you have spoken to your servant this good thing. ²⁷ And now may you begin to bless the house of your servant to continue forever^[l] before you, for you, O Yahweh, have blessed. And it will be blessed forever.”

David’s Victory over His Enemies

18 And it happened that after David struck the Philistines and subdued them, he captured Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines. ² And he struck Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David, bearing tribute. ³ And David struck Hadadezer, king of Zobah-Hamath, as he set up his monument at the Euphrates River. ⁴ And David captured from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left one hundred of them to remain for chariots. ⁵ And when the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah-Hamath, David struck down twenty-two thousand men of Aram. ⁶ Then David set up garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to David, bearing tribute. And Yahweh delivered David wherever he went. ⁷ And David took small round shields of gold that were upon the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David captured very much bronze. Solomon made the bronze sea with it along with the columns and objects of bronze.

⁹ And when Tou the king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer the king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent Hadoram his son to King David to ask him for peace and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Tou had been at war^[m] with Hadadezer. And he brought with him all the objects of gold, silver, and bronze. ¹¹ King David dedicated these also to Yahweh, along with the silver and gold that he had taken from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the sons of Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek.

¹² And Abishai son of Zeruiah defeated eighteen thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt. ¹³ And he put garrisons in Edom, and all Edom became servants to David. And Yahweh delivered David wherever he went.

David’s Administration

¹⁴ So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice^[n] and righteousness to all his people. ¹⁵ And Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder. ¹⁶ And Zadok son of Ahitub and Abimelech son of Abiathar were priests, and Shavsha was secretary. ¹⁷ And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Pelethites. And the sons of David were chief officials under the hand of the king.

The Righteous and Impartial Judgment of God

2 Therefore you are without excuse, O man, every one of you who passes judgment. For in that which you pass judgment on someone else, you condemn yourself, for you who are passing judgment are doing the same things. ² Now we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who do such things. ³ But do you think this, O man who passes judgment on those who do such things, and who does the same things, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you despise the wealth of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵ But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, ⁶ who will reward each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who, by perseverance in good work, seek glory and honor and immortality, eternal life, ⁸ but to those who act from selfish ambition and who disobey the truth, but who obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. ⁹ There will be affliction and distress for every human being^[a] who does evil, of the Jew first and of the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and to the Greek. ¹¹ For there is no partiality with God.

¹² For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³ For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous.^{[b] 14} For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, these, although they^[c] do not have the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ who show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts one after another accusing or even defending them ¹⁶ on the day when God judges the secret things of people, according to my gospel, through^[d] Christ Jesus.

Jews also Condemned by the Law

¹⁷ But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God ¹⁸ and know his will and approve the things that are superior, because you^[e] are instructed by the law, ¹⁹ and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of those in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth in the law. ²¹ Therefore, the one who teaches someone else, do you not teach yourself? The one who preaches not to steal, do you steal? ²² The one who says not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The one who abhors idols, do you rob temples? ²³ Who boast in the law, by the transgression of the law you dishonor God!^{[f] 24} For just as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”^[g]