Bible Reading Plan

2 Samuel 1

Chapter 1

David Learns of Saul's Death

¹ Now it came about after ^(C1)the death of Saul, when David had returned from ^(C2)the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David stayed two days in Ziklag.² And on the third day, behold, ^(C1)a man came from ^(F1)Saul's camp ^(C2)with his clothes torn and ^(F2)dust on his head. And it happened when he came to David, ^(C3)he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.³ Then David said to him, "From where do you come?" And he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel."⁴ David said to him, "^(C1)How did things go? Please tell me." And he said, "The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead; and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead."⁵ Then David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"⁶ The young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on ^(C1)Mount Gilboa, and behold, ^(C2)Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen had overtaken him.⁷ "When he looked behind himself, he saw me, and called to me. And I said, 'Here I am.'⁸ "Then he said to me, 'Who are you?' And I ^(F1)answered him, '^(C1)I am an Amalekite.'⁹ "And he said to me, 'Please stand next to me and finish me off, for ^(F1)agony has seized me because my ^(F2)life still lingers in me.'¹⁰ "So I stood next to him ^(C1)and finished him off, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And ^(C2)I took the crown which was on his head and the band which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord."

¹¹ Then ^(C1)David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him.¹² And they mourned and wept and ^(C1)fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.¹³ Then David said to the young man who informed him, "Where are you from?" And he ^(F1)answered, "^(C1)I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite."¹⁴ And David said to him, "How is it you were not afraid ^(C1)to reach out with your hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?"¹⁵ Then David called one of the young men and said, "Come forward, ^(F1)put him to death." ^(C1)So he struck him and he died.¹⁶ And David said to him, "^(F1)(C1)Your blood is on your head, because ^(C2)your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have finished off the LORD'S anointed.'"

David's Song of Mourning for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ Then David ^(C1)sang this song of mourning over Saul and his son Jonathan,¹⁸ and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the mourning song of the bow; behold, it is written in ^(C1)the Book of Jashar.

¹⁹ "^(F1)Your beauty, Israel, is ^(F2)slaughtered on your high places!
^(C1)How the mighty have fallen!

²⁰ "^(C1)Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
Or ^(C2)the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
The daughters of ^(C3)the uncircumcised will celebrate.

²¹ "^(C1)Mountains of Gilboa,
^(C2)May there be no dew nor rain on you, or fields of offerings!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
The shield of Saul, not ^(C3)anointed with oil.

²² "^(C1)From the blood of those ^(F1)slaughtered, from the fat of the mighty,
^(C2)The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return ^(F2)unstained.

²³ "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in ^(F1)life,
And in their deaths they were not separated;
^(C1)They were swifter than eagles,
^(C2)They were mightier than lions.

²⁴ "Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet, with jewelry,
Who put gold jewelry on your apparel.

²⁵ "^(C1)How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan is ^(F1)slaughtered on your high places.

²⁶ "I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
You have been ^(F1)a close friend to me.
^(C1)Your love for me was more wonderful
Than the love of women.

²⁷ "^(C1)How the mighty have fallen,
And ^(C2)the weapons of war have perished!"

Psalms 72

Chapter 72

The Reign of the Righteous King.

¹ Give the king ^(C1)Your judgments, God,
And ^(C2)Your righteousness to the king's son.

^2 (F1)May ^(F2)he ^(C1)judge Your people with righteousness
And ^(F3)(C2)Your afflicted with justice.

^3 (F1)May the mountains bring ^(F2)(C1)peace to the people,
And the hills, in righteousness.

^4 (F1)May he ^(C1)vindicate the ^(F2)afflicted of the people,
Save the children of the needy,
And crush the oppressor.

^5 (F1)May they fear You ^(C1)while the sun shines,
And ^(F2)as long as the moon shines, throughout all generations.

^6 (F1)May he come down ^(C1)like rain upon the mown grass,
Like ^(C2)showers that water the earth.

^7 (F1)May the ^(C1)righteous flourish in his days,
As well as an ^(C2)abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.

⁸ May he also rule ^(C1)from sea to sea,
And from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

^9 (F1)May ^(C1)the nomads of the desert ^(C2)bow before him,
And his enemies ^(C3)lick the dust.

^10 (F1)May the kings of ^(C1)Tarshish and of the ^(F2)(C2)islands bring gifts;
May the kings of ^(C3)Sheba and ^(C4)Seba ^(C5)offer tributes.

^11 (F1)And may all ^(C1)kings bow down before him,
All ^(C2)nations serve him.

¹² For he will ^(C1)save the needy when he cries for help,
The ^(F1)afflicted also, and him who has no helper.

¹³ He will have ^(C1)compassion on the poor and needy,
And he will save the ^(F1)lives of the needy.

¹⁴ He will ^(F1)(C1)rescue their ^(F2)life from oppression and violence,
And their blood will be ^(C2)precious in his sight;

¹⁵ So may he live, and may the ^(C1)gold of Sheba be given to him;
And ^(F1)they are to pray for him continually;
^(F2)They are to bless him all day long.

¹⁶ May there be abundance of grain on the earth on top of the mountains;
Its fruit will wave like the cedars of ^(C1)Lebanon;
And may those from the city flourish like the ^(C2)vegetation of the earth.

¹⁷ May his ^(C1)name endure forever;
May his name produce descendants ^(F1)(C2)as long as the sun shines;
And may people ^(C3)wish blessings on themselves by him;
^(C4)May all nations call him blessed.

^18 (C1)Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
Who alone ^(C2)works wonders.

¹⁹ And blessed be His ^(C1)glorious name forever;
And may the whole ^(C2)earth be filled with His glory.
^(C3)Amen and Amen.

²⁰ The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

Romans 16

Chapter 16

Greetings and Love Expressed

¹ I ^(C1)recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a ^(F1)servant of the church which is at ^(C2)Cenchrea,² that you ^(C1)receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the ^(F1)(C2)saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, ^(F2)and of myself as well.

³ Greet ^(C1)Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers ^(C2)in ^(C3)Christ Jesus,⁴ who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles;⁵ also greet ^(C1)the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the ^(C2)first convert to Christ from ^(F1)(C3)Asia.⁶ Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.⁷ Greet Andronicus and ^(F1)Junia, my ^(C1)kinsfolk and my ^(C2)fellow prisoners, who are outstanding in the view of the apostles, who also ^(F2)were ^(C3)in Christ before me.⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.⁹ Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker ^(C1)in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.¹⁰ Greet Apelles, the approved ^(C1)in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.¹¹ Greet Herodion, my ^(C1)kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.¹² Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord.¹³ Greet ^(C1)Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters with them.¹⁵ Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all ^(C1)the ^(F1)saints who are with them.^16 (C1)Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

¹⁷ Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and ^(F1)hindrances ^(C1)contrary to the teaching which you learned, and ^(C2)turn away from them.¹⁸ For such people are ^(C1)slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of ^(C2)their own ^(F1)appetites; and by their ^(C3)smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.¹⁹ For the report of your obedience ^(C1)has reached everyone; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but ^(C2)I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil.

^20 (C1)The God of peace will soon crush ^(C2)Satan under your feet. ^(C3)The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

^21 (C1)Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, and so do ^(C2)Lucius, ^(C3)Jason, and ^(C4)Sosipater, my ^(C5)kinsmen.

²² I, Tertius, who have ^(C1)written this letter, greet you in the Lord.

^23 (C1)Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. ^(C2)Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, the brother.^(F1)

^25 (C1)Now to Him who is able to establish you ^(C2)according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of ^(C3)the mystery which has been kept secret for ^(C4)long ages past,²⁶ but now has been disclosed, and through ^(C1)the Scriptures of the prophets, in accordance with the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to ^(C2)obedience of faith;²⁷ to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, ^(C1)be the glory forever. Amen.