The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday May 16, 2023 (NIV)

⁵ And David went out ^(A)and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

Saul's Jealousy of David

⁶ As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, ^(B)the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.^{[a] 7} And the women ^(C)sang to one another as they celebrated,

⁸ And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but ^(E)the kingdom?” ⁹ And Saul eyed David from that day on.

¹⁰ The next day ^(F)a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and ^(G)he raved within his house while David was ^(H)playing the lyre, as he did day by day. ^(I)Saul had his spear in his hand. ¹¹ And Saul ^(J)hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.

^12 (K)Saul was afraid of David because ^(L)the Lord was with him ^(M)but had departed from Saul. ¹³ So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. ^(N)And he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴ And David ^(O)had success in all his undertakings, ^(P)for the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ And when Saul saw that ^(Q)he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. ^16 (R)But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

David Marries Michal

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is ^(S)my elder daughter Merab. ^(T)I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me ^(U)and fight the Lord's battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, ^(V)but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ¹⁸ And David said to Saul, ^(W)“Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹ But at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to ^(X)Adriel the ^(Y)Meholathite for a wife.

²⁰ Now ^(Z)Saul's daughter Michal ^(AA)loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ²¹ Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may ^(AB)be a snare for him ^(AC)and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time,^{[b] (AD)}“You shall now be my son-in-law.” ²² And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king's son-in-law.’” ²³ And Saul's servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, ^(AE)“Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?” ²⁴ And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” ²⁵ Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no ^(AF)bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ^(AG)that he may be avenged of the king's enemies.’” ^(AH)Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶ And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. ^(AI)Before the time had expired, ²⁷ David arose and went, ^(AJ)along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. ^(AK)And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. ²⁸ But when Saul saw and knew that ^(AL)the Lord was with David, ^(AM)and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, ²⁹ Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually.

^30 (AN)Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out ^(AO)David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

Saul Tries to Kill David

19 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. ^(AP)But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. ² And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. ³ And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” ⁴ And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king ^(AQ)sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. ⁵ For ^(AR)he took his life in his hand ^(AS)and he struck down the Philistine, ^(AT)and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against ^(AU)innocent blood by killing David without cause?” ⁶ And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, ^(AV)“As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” ⁷ And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence ^(AW)as before.

⁸ And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. ^9 (AX)Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. ^(AY)And David was playing the lyre. ^10 (AZ)And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

^11 (BA)Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” ^12 (BB)So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. ¹³ Michal took ^(BC)an image^[c] and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. ¹⁴ And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” ¹⁵ Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” ¹⁶ And when the messengers came in, behold, ^(BD)the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head. ¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. ^(BE)Why should I kill you?’”

¹⁸ Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at ^(BF)Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. ¹⁹ And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” ²⁰ Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, ^(BG)the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, ^(BH)and they also prophesied. ²¹ When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, ^(BI)and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, ^(BJ)and they also prophesied. ²² Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in ^(BK)Ramah.” ²³ And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. ^(BL)And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ^24 (BM)And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, ^(BN)“Is Saul also among the prophets?”

The Truth Will Set You Free

³¹ So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ^(A)“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³² and you will ^(B)know the truth, and the truth ^(C)will set you free.” ³³ They answered him, ^(D)“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(E)everyone who practices sin is a slave^[a] to sin. ^35 (F)The slave does not remain in the house forever; ^(G)the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet ^(H)you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. ^38 (I)I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard ^(J)from your father.”

You Are of Your Father the Devil

³⁹ They answered him, ^(K)“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, ^(L)“If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, ⁴⁰ but now ^(M)you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth ^(N)that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹ You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, ^(O)“We were not born of sexual immorality. We have ^(P)one Father—even God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, ^(Q)“If God were your Father, you would love me, for ^(R)I came from God and ^(S)I am here. ^(T)I came not of my own accord, but ^(U)he sent me. ^43 (V)Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot ^(W)bear to hear my word. ^44 (X)You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. ^(Y)He was a murderer from the beginning, and ^(Z)does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. ^(AA)When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ^47 (AB)Whoever is of God hears the words of God. ^(AC)The reason why you do not hear them is that ^(AD)you are not of God.”

Before Abraham Was, I Am

⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and ^(AE)have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but ^(AF)I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ Yet ^(AG)I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ Truly, truly, ^(AH)I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never ^(AI)see death.” ⁵² The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! ^(AJ)Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet ^(AK)you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never ^(AL)taste death.’ ^53 (AM)Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, ^(AN)“If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. ^(AO)It is my Father who glorifies me, ^(AP)of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’^{[b] 55} But ^(AQ)you have not known him. ^(AR)I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be ^(AS)a liar ^(AT)like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. ^56 (AU)Your father Abraham ^(AV)rejoiced ^(AW)that he would see my day. ^(AX)He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”^{[c] 58} Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, ^(AY)I am.” ⁵⁹ So ^(AZ)they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

The Righteous Will Never Be Moved