Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are 2 Samuel 22:21–23:23; Acts 2:1-47; Psalm 122:1-9; and Proverbs 16:19-20. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.
2 Samuel 22:21-23:23 (Contemporary English Version)
21You are good to me, LORD,
because I do right,
and you reward me
because I am innocent.
22I do what you want
and never turn to do evil.
23I keep your laws in mind
and never turn away
from your teachings.
24I obey you completely
and guard against sin.
25You have been good to me
because I do right;
you have rewarded me
for being innocent
by your standards.
26You are always loyal
to your loyal people,
and you are faithful
to the faithful.
27With all who are sincere
you are sincere,
but you treat the unfaithful
as their deeds deserve.
28You rescue the humble,
but you look for ways
to put down the proud.
29Our LORD and God,
you are my lamp.
You turn darkness to light.
30You help me defeat armies
and capture cities.
31Your way is perfect, LORD,
and your word is correct.
You are a shield for those
who run to you for help.
32You alone are God!
Only you are a mighty rock. [a] 33You are my strong fortress,
and you set me free.
34You make my feet run as fast
as those of a deer,
and you help me stand
on the mountains.
35You teach my hands to fight
and my arms to use
a bow of bronze.
36You alone are my shield,
and by coming to help me,
you have made me famous.
37You clear the way for me,
and now I won't stumble.
38I kept chasing my enemies
until I caught them
and destroyed them.
39I destroyed them!
I stuck my sword
through my enemies,
and they were crushed
under my feet.
40You helped me win victories
and forced my attackers
to fall victim to me.
41You made my enemies run,
and I killed them.
42They cried out for help,
but no one saved them;
they called out to you,
but there was no answer.
43I ground them to dust,
and I squashed them
like mud in the streets.
44You rescued me
from my stubborn people
and made me the leader
of foreign nations,
who are now my slaves.
45They obey and come crawling.
46They have lost all courage
and from their fortresses
they come trembling.
47You are the living LORD!
I will praise you!
You are a mighty rock. [b] I will honor you
for keeping me safe.
48You took revenge for me,
and you put nations
in my power.
49You protected me
from violent enemies,
and you made me much greater
than all of them.
50I will praise you, LORD,
and I will honor you
among the nations.
51You give glorious victories
to your chosen king.
Your faithful love for David
and for his descendants
will never end.
because I do right,
and you reward me
because I am innocent.
22I do what you want
and never turn to do evil.
23I keep your laws in mind
and never turn away
from your teachings.
24I obey you completely
and guard against sin.
25You have been good to me
because I do right;
you have rewarded me
for being innocent
by your standards.
26You are always loyal
to your loyal people,
and you are faithful
to the faithful.
27With all who are sincere
you are sincere,
but you treat the unfaithful
as their deeds deserve.
28You rescue the humble,
but you look for ways
to put down the proud.
29Our LORD and God,
you are my lamp.
You turn darkness to light.
30You help me defeat armies
and capture cities.
31Your way is perfect, LORD,
and your word is correct.
You are a shield for those
who run to you for help.
32You alone are God!
Only you are a mighty rock. [a] 33You are my strong fortress,
and you set me free.
34You make my feet run as fast
as those of a deer,
and you help me stand
on the mountains.
35You teach my hands to fight
and my arms to use
a bow of bronze.
36You alone are my shield,
and by coming to help me,
you have made me famous.
37You clear the way for me,
and now I won't stumble.
38I kept chasing my enemies
until I caught them
and destroyed them.
39I destroyed them!
I stuck my sword
through my enemies,
and they were crushed
under my feet.
40You helped me win victories
and forced my attackers
to fall victim to me.
41You made my enemies run,
and I killed them.
42They cried out for help,
but no one saved them;
they called out to you,
but there was no answer.
43I ground them to dust,
and I squashed them
like mud in the streets.
44You rescued me
from my stubborn people
and made me the leader
of foreign nations,
who are now my slaves.
45They obey and come crawling.
46They have lost all courage
and from their fortresses
they come trembling.
47You are the living LORD!
I will praise you!
You are a mighty rock. [b] I will honor you
for keeping me safe.
48You took revenge for me,
and you put nations
in my power.
49You protected me
from violent enemies,
and you made me much greater
than all of them.
50I will praise you, LORD,
and I will honor you
among the nations.
51You give glorious victories
to your chosen king.
Your faithful love for David
and for his descendants
will never end.
2 Samuel 23
David's Last Words
1These are the last words of David the son of Jesse.
The God of Jacob chose David
and made him a great king.
The Mighty God of Israel
loved him. [c] When God told him to speak,
David said:
2The Spirit of the LORD
has told me what to say.
3Our Mighty Rock, [d] the God of Jacob, told me,
"A ruler who obeys God
and does right
4is like the sunrise
on a cloudless day,
or like rain that sparkles
on the grass." [e] 5I have ruled this way,
and God will never break
his promise to me.
God's promise is complete
and unchanging;
he will always help me
and give me what I hope for.
6But evil people are pulled up
like thornbushes.
They are not dug up by hand,
7but with a sharp spear
and are burned on the spot.
The God of Jacob chose David
and made him a great king.
The Mighty God of Israel
loved him. [c] When God told him to speak,
David said:
2The Spirit of the LORD
has told me what to say.
3Our Mighty Rock, [d] the God of Jacob, told me,
"A ruler who obeys God
and does right
4is like the sunrise
on a cloudless day,
or like rain that sparkles
on the grass." [e] 5I have ruled this way,
and God will never break
his promise to me.
God's promise is complete
and unchanging;
he will always help me
and give me what I hope for.
6But evil people are pulled up
like thornbushes.
They are not dug up by hand,
7but with a sharp spear
and are burned on the spot.
The Three Warriors
(1 Chronicles 11.10-19)
8These are the names of David's warriors: Ishbosheth [f] the son of Hachmon [g] was the leader of the Three Warriors. [h] In one battle, he killed eight hundred men with his spear. [i] 9The next one of the Three Warriors was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite. One time when the Philistines were at war with Israel, he and David dared the Philistines to fight them. Every one of the Israelite soldiers turned and ran, 10except Eleazar. He killed Philistines until his hand was cramped, and he couldn't let go of his sword. When Eleazar finished, all the Israelite troops had to do was come back and take the enemies' weapons and armor. The LORD gave Israel a great victory that day.
11Next was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. One time the Philistines brought their army together to destroy a crop of peas growing in a field near Lehi. The rest of Israel's soldiers ran away from the Philistines, 12but Shammah stood in the middle of the field and killed the Philistines. The crops were saved, and the LORD gave Israel a great victory.
13One year at harvest time, the Three Warriors [j] went to meet David at Adullam Cave. [k] The Philistine army had set up camp in Rephaim Valley 14and had taken over Bethlehem. David was in his fortress, 15and he was very thirsty. He said, "I wish I had a drink from the well by the gate at Bethlehem." 16The Three Warriors [l] sneaked into the Philistine camp and got some water from the well near Bethlehem's gate. But after they brought the water back to David, he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as a sacrifice 17and said to the LORD, "I can't drink this water! It's like the blood of these men who risked their lives to get it for me." The Three Warriors did these brave deeds.
11Next was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. One time the Philistines brought their army together to destroy a crop of peas growing in a field near Lehi. The rest of Israel's soldiers ran away from the Philistines, 12but Shammah stood in the middle of the field and killed the Philistines. The crops were saved, and the LORD gave Israel a great victory.
13One year at harvest time, the Three Warriors [j] went to meet David at Adullam Cave. [k] The Philistine army had set up camp in Rephaim Valley 14and had taken over Bethlehem. David was in his fortress, 15and he was very thirsty. He said, "I wish I had a drink from the well by the gate at Bethlehem." 16The Three Warriors [l] sneaked into the Philistine camp and got some water from the well near Bethlehem's gate. But after they brought the water back to David, he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as a sacrifice 17and said to the LORD, "I can't drink this water! It's like the blood of these men who risked their lives to get it for me." The Three Warriors did these brave deeds.
The Thirty Warriors
(1 Chronicles 11.20-47)
18Joab's brother Abishai was the leader of the Thirty Warriors, [m] and in one battle he killed three hundred men with his spear. He was as famous as the Three Warriors 19and certainly just as famous as the rest of the Thirty Warriors. He was the commander of the Thirty Warriors, but he still did not become one of the Three Warriors. 20Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a brave man from Kabzeel who did some amazing things. He killed two of Moab's best fighters, [n] and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion. 21Another time, he killed an Egyptian, as big as a giant. [o] The Egyptian was armed with a spear, but Benaiah only had a club. Benaiah grabbed the spear from the Egyptian and killed him with it. 22-23Benaiah did these things. He never became one of the Three Warriors, but he was just as famous as they were and certainly just as famous as the rest of the Thirty Warriors. David made him the leader of his bodyguard.
Footnotes:- 2 Samuel 22:32 mighty rock: See the note at 22.2.
- 2 Samuel 22:47 mighty rock: See the note at 22.2.
- 2 Samuel 23:1 The Mighty. . . him: Or "He wrote Israel's favorite songs."
- 2 Samuel 23:3 Mighty Rock: See the note at 22.2.
- 2 Samuel 23:4 sparkles. . . grass: Or "makes the grass grow."
- 2 Samuel 23:8 Ishbosheth: Hebrew "Josheb Bashebeth," which seems to be another spelling of Ishbosheth. See the note at 2.8, although this is a different Ishbosheth.
- 2 Samuel 23:8 the son of Hachmon: Or "the Tahchemonite" (see 1 Chronicles 11.11).
- 2 Samuel 23:8 the Three Warriors: The most honored group of warriors. They may have been part of the Thirty Warriors. "Three" and "thirty" are spelled almost the same in Hebrew, so there is some confusion in the manuscripts as to which group is being talked about in some places in the following lists.
- 2 Samuel 23:8 with. . . spear: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text (see 1 Chronicles 11.11).
- 2 Samuel 23:13 the Three Warriors: Or "three warriors." Hebrew "three of the thirty most important."
- 2 Samuel 23:13 Adullam Cave: This may have happened during the time that David was an outlaw (see 1 Samuel 22.1-6).
- 2 Samuel 23:16 the Three Warriors: Or "three warriors."
- 2 Samuel 23:18 the Thirty Warriors: The second most honored group of warriors. They may have also been officers in the army (see the note at 23.8).
- 2 Samuel 23:20 Moab's best fighters: Or "big lions in Moab;" one ancient translation "sons of Ariel from Moab."
- 2 Samuel 23:21 Egyptian. . . giant: First Chronicles 11.23; in this verse the Hebrew text has "good-looking Egyptian."
Footnotes:
- 2 Samuel 22:32 mighty rock: See the note at 22.2.
- 2 Samuel 22:47 mighty rock: See the note at 22.2.
- 2 Samuel 23:1 The Mighty. . . him: Or "He wrote Israel's favorite songs."
- 2 Samuel 23:3 Mighty Rock: See the note at 22.2.
- 2 Samuel 23:4 sparkles. . . grass: Or "makes the grass grow."
- 2 Samuel 23:8 Ishbosheth: Hebrew "Josheb Bashebeth," which seems to be another spelling of Ishbosheth. See the note at 2.8, although this is a different Ishbosheth.
- 2 Samuel 23:8 the son of Hachmon: Or "the Tahchemonite" (see 1 Chronicles 11.11).
- 2 Samuel 23:8 the Three Warriors: The most honored group of warriors. They may have been part of the Thirty Warriors. "Three" and "thirty" are spelled almost the same in Hebrew, so there is some confusion in the manuscripts as to which group is being talked about in some places in the following lists.
- 2 Samuel 23:8 with. . . spear: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text (see 1 Chronicles 11.11).
- 2 Samuel 23:13 the Three Warriors: Or "three warriors." Hebrew "three of the thirty most important."
- 2 Samuel 23:13 Adullam Cave: This may have happened during the time that David was an outlaw (see 1 Samuel 22.1-6).
- 2 Samuel 23:16 the Three Warriors: Or "three warriors."
- 2 Samuel 23:18 the Thirty Warriors: The second most honored group of warriors. They may have also been officers in the army (see the note at 23.8).
- 2 Samuel 23:20 Moab's best fighters: Or "big lions in Moab;" one ancient translation "sons of Ariel from Moab."
- 2 Samuel 23:21 Egyptian. . . giant: First Chronicles 11.23; in this verse the Hebrew text has "good-looking Egyptian."
Acts 2:1-47 (Contemporary English Version)
Acts 2
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
1On the day of Pentecost [a] all the Lord's followers were together in one place. 2Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. 3Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. 4The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak. 5Many religious Jews from every country in the world were living in Jerusalem. 6And when they heard this noise, a crowd gathered. But they were surprised, because they were hearing everything in their own languages. 7They were excited and amazed, and said: Don't all these who are speaking come from Galilee? 8Then why do we hear them speaking our very own languages?9Some of us are from Parthia, Media, and Elam. Others are from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, parts of Libya near Cyrene, Rome, 11Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others of us have chosen to be Jews. Yet we all hear them using our own languages to tell the wonderful things God has done.12Everyone was excited and confused. Some of them even kept asking each other, "What does all this mean?"
13Others made fun of the Lord's followers and said, "They are drunk."
Peter Speaks to the Crowd
14Peter stood with the eleven apostles and spoke in a loud and clear voice to the crowd: Friends and everyone else living in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I have to say! 15You are wrong to think that these people are drunk. After all, it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16But this is what God had the prophet Joel say,17"When the last days come,
I will give my Spirit
to everyone.
Your sons and daughters
will prophesy.
Your young men
will see visions,
and your old men
will have dreams.
18In those days I will give
my Spirit to my servants,
both men and women,
and they will prophesy.
19I will work miracles
in the sky above
and wonders
on the earth below.
There will be blood and fire
and clouds of smoke.
20The sun will turn dark,
and the moon
will be as red as blood
before the great
and wonderful day
of the Lord appears.
21Then the Lord
will save everyone
who asks for his help."
22Now, listen to what I have to say about Jesus from Nazareth. God proved that he sent Jesus to you by having him work miracles, wonders, and signs. All of you know this. 23God had already planned and decided that Jesus would be handed over to you. So you took him and had evil men put him to death on a cross. 24But God set him free from death and raised him to life. Death could not hold him in its power. 25What David said are really the words of Jesus,
"I always see the Lord
near me,
and I will not be afraid
with him at my right side.
26Because of this,
my heart will be glad,
my words will be joyful,
and I will live in hope.
27The Lord won't leave me
in the grave.
I am his holy one,
and he won't let
my body decay.
28He has shown me
the path to life,
and he makes me glad
by being near me."
29My friends, it is right for me to speak to you about our ancestor David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is still here. 30But David was a prophet, and he knew that God had made a promise he would not break. He had told David that someone from his own family would someday be king.
31David knew this would happen, and so he told us that Christ would be raised to life. He said that God would not leave him in the grave or let his body decay. 32All of us can tell you that God has raised Jesus to life!
33Jesus was taken up to sit at the right side [b] of God, and he was given the Holy Spirit, just as the Father had promised. Jesus is also the one who has given the Spirit to us, and that is what you are now seeing and hearing. 34David didn't go up to heaven. So he wasn't talking about himself when he said, "The Lord told my Lord to sit at his right side, 35until he made my Lord's enemies into a footstool for him." 36Everyone in Israel should then know for certain that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ, even though you put him to death on a cross.
37When the people heard this, they were very upset. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Friends, what shall we do?"
38Peter said, "Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is for you and your children. It is for everyone our Lord God will choose, no matter where they live."
40Peter told them many other things as well. Then he said, "I beg you to save yourselves from what will happen to all these evil people." 41On that day about three thousand believed his message and were baptized. 42They spent their time learning from the apostles, and they were like family to each other. They also broke bread [c] and prayed together.
Life among the Lord's Followers
43Everyone was amazed by the many miracles and wonders that the apostles worked. 44All the Lord's followers often met together, and they shared everything they had. 45They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever needed it. 46Day after day they met together in the temple. They broke bread [d] together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely, 47while praising God. Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved.Footnotes:
- Acts 2:1 Pentecost: A Jewish festival that came fifty days after Passover and celebrated the wheat harvest. Jews later celebrated Pentecost as the time when they were given the Law of Moses.
- Acts 2:33 right side: The place of honor and power.
- Acts 2:42 broke bread: They ate together and celebrated the Lord's Supper.
- Acts 2:46 The time of prayer: Many of the Jewish people prayed in their homes at regular times each day (see Daniel
Psalm 122:1-9 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 122
(A song by David for worship.)
A Song of Praise
1It made me glad to hear them say,
"Let's go to the house
of the LORD!"
2Jerusalem, we are standing
inside your gates.
3Jerusalem, what a strong
and beautiful city you are!
4Every tribe of the LORD
obeys him
and comes to you
to praise his name.
5David's royal throne is here
where justice rules.
6Jerusalem, we pray
that you will have peace,
and that all will go well
for those who love you.
7May there be peace
inside your city walls
and in your palaces.
8Because of my friends
and my relatives,
I will pray for peace.
9And because of the house
of the LORD our God,
I will work for your good.
"Let's go to the house
of the LORD!"
2Jerusalem, we are standing
inside your gates.
3Jerusalem, what a strong
and beautiful city you are!
4Every tribe of the LORD
obeys him
and comes to you
to praise his name.
5David's royal throne is here
where justice rules.
6Jerusalem, we pray
that you will have peace,
and that all will go well
for those who love you.
7May there be peace
inside your city walls
and in your palaces.
8Because of my friends
and my relatives,
I will pray for peace.
9And because of the house
of the LORD our God,
I will work for your good.
Proverbs 16:19-20 (Contemporary English Version)
19You are better off
to be humble and poor
than to get rich
from what you take by force.
20If you know what you're doing, [a] you will prosper.
God blesses everyone
who trusts him.
Footnotes:- Proverbs 16:20 know what. . . doing: Or " do what you're taught."
to be humble and poor
than to get rich
from what you take by force.
20If you know what you're doing, [a] you will prosper.
God blesses everyone
who trusts him.
Footnotes:
- Proverbs 16:20 know what. . . doing: Or " do what you're taught."
Thought for the Day
“Your power is great, and your glory is seen everywhere in heaven and on earth. You are king of the entire world,” (1 Chronicles 29:11 - Contemporary English Version) Our God is perfect in his freedom and his power. And even though that's spectacular, what may be even greater is that he's also perfect in his love and his mercy.
Quote for the Day
The author of The Art of Dramatic Writing, Lajos Egri wrote, “Immortality. We all want to be remembered: We want to do things that will make people say, ‘Isn't he wonderful?’”
A Joke for Today
There’s this old priest who got sick of all the people in his parish who kept confessing to adultery. One Sunday, in the pulpit, he said, “If I hear that word one more time, I’ll quit!”
Everyone liked him, so they came up with a code word. Someone who had committed adultery would say they had “fallen.” This seemed to satisfy the old priest and things went well, until the priest died at a ripe old age.
About a week after the new priest arrived, he visited the mayor of the town and seemed very concerned. The priest said, “You have to do something about the roads and sidewalks in town. When people come into the confessional, they keep talking about having fallen.”
The mayor started to laugh, realizing that no one had told the new priest about the code word. Before the mayor could explain, the priest shook an accusing finger at the mayor and said, “I don’t know what you’re laughing about, your own wife fell three times this week already, and your daughter fell twice!”
A Prayer Request
As Christians, we can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Below is the need that we're laying before God today.
That we focus on containing COVID-19.
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