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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
June 17 - Bible-in-a-Year
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2 Samuel 7-8
Chapter 7
David Plans to Build a Temple
1 (C1)Now it came about, when the king lived in his house, and the LORD had given him rest on every side from all his enemies,2 that the king said to (C1)Nathan the prophet, "See now, I live in (C2)a house of cedar, but the ark of God (C3)remains within the tent."3 Nathan said to the king, "(C1)Go, do all that is in your mind, for the LORD is with you."
4 But in the same night, the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,5 "Go and say to My servant David, 'This is what the LORD says: "(C1)Should you build Me a house for My dwelling?6 "For (C1)I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; rather, I have been moving about (C2)in a tent, that is, in a dwelling place.7 "(C1)Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, (C2)whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?'"'
God's Covenant with David
8 "Now then, this is what you shall say to My servant David: 'This is what the LORD of armies says: "(C1)I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, (C2)to be leader over My people Israel.9 "And (C1)I have been with you wherever you have gone, and (C2)have eliminated all your enemies from you; I will also make a great name for you, like the names of the great men who (F1)are on the earth.10 "And I will establish a place for My people Israel, and (C1)will plant them, so that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, (C2)nor will (F1)malicious people oppress them anymore as previously,11 even (C1)from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and (C2)I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also declares to you that (C3)the LORD will make a house for you.12 "(C1)When your days are finished and you (F1)(C2)lie down with your fathers, (C3)I will raise up your (F2)descendant after you, who will come from (F3)you, and I will establish his kingdom.13 "(C1)He shall build a house for My name, and (C2)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.14 "(C1)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; (C2)when he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and with strokes of sons of mankind,15 but My favor shall not depart from him, (C1)as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from you.16 "(C1)Your house and your kingdom shall endure before (F1)Me forever; your throne shall be established forever."'"17 In accordance with all these words and all of this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.David's Prayer
18 Then David the king came in and sat before the LORD, and he said, "(C1)Who am I, Lord (F1)GOD, and who are the members of my household, that You have brought me this far?19 "And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, Lord GOD, (C1)for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant regarding the distant future. And (C2)this is the (F1)custom of mankind, Lord GOD.20 "Again what more can David say to You? For (C1)You know Your servant, Lord GOD!21 "(C1)For the sake of Your word, and according to Your heart, You have done all this greatness, to let Your servant know.22 "For this reason (C1)You are great, Lord GOD; for (C2)there is no one like You, and there is no God except You, (C3)according to all that we have heard with our ears.23 "And (C1)what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, and to make a name for Himself, and (C2)to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, (F1)because of (C3)Your people whom (C4)You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from other nations and their gods?24 "For (C1)You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and (C2)You, LORD, have become their God.25 "Now then, LORD God, the word that You have spoken about Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do just as You have spoken,26 (C1)so that Your name may be great forever, by saying, 'The LORD of armies is God over Israel'; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You.27 "For You, LORD of armies, God of Israel, have (F1)given a revelation to Your servant, saying, '(C1)I will build you a house'; therefore Your servant has found (F2)courage to pray this prayer to You.28 "Now then, Lord GOD, You are God, and (C1)Your words are truth; and You have (F1)promised this good thing to Your servant.29 "And now, may (F1)it please You to bless the house of Your servant, so that it may continue forever before You. For You, Lord GOD, have spoken; and (F2)(C1)with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever."
Chapter 8
David's Triumphs
1 Now it happened afterward that David (F1)defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and David took (F2)control of the chief city from the hand of the Philistines.
2 (C1)And he (F1)defeated (C2)Moab, and measured them with the line, making them lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and a full line to keep alive. And (C3)the Moabites became servants to David, (C4)bringing tribute.
3 Then David (F1)defeated (C1)Hadadezer, the son of Rehob king of Zobah, as (C2)he went to restore his (F2)power at the Euphrates River.4 And David captured from him (F1)1,700 horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers; and David (C1)hamstrung almost all the chariot horses, but left enough of them for a hundred chariots.5 When (C1)the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David (F1)killed twenty-two thousand men among the Arameans.6 Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus, and (C1)the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And (C2)the LORD helped David wherever he went.7 David took the shields of gold which were (F1)carried by the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.8 And from (F1)Betah and (C1)Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a very large amount of bronze.
9 Now when Toi king of (C1)Hamath heard that David had (F1)defeated the whole army of Hadadezer,10 Toi sent his son (F1)Joram to King David to (F2)greet him and bless him, because he had fought Hadadezer and (F3)defeated him; for Hadadezer (F4)had been at war with Toi. And (F5)Joram brought with him articles of silver, gold, and bronze.11 King David also (C1)consecrated these gifts to the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had consecrated from all the nations which he had subdued:12 from (F1)Aram, (C1)Moab, (C2)the sons of Ammon, (C3)the Philistines, (C4)Amalek, and from the spoils of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 So (C1)David made a name for himself when he returned from (F1)killing eighteen thousand (F2)Arameans in (C2)the Valley of Salt.14 He also put garrisons in Edom. In all Edom he put garrisons, and (C1)all the Edomites became servants to David. And (C2)the LORD helped David wherever he went.
15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David (F1)administered justice and righteousness for all his people.16 (C1)Joab the son of Zeruiah was commander over the army, and (C2)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was (C3)secretary.17 (C1)Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were (C2)priests, and Seraiah was (C3)scribe.18 (C1)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada (F1)was over the (C2)Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were (F2)(C3)chief ministers.
Daniel 4
Chapter 4
The King Acknowledges God
1 (F1)Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and populations of all (F2)languages who live in all the earth: "May your (F3)(C1)peace be great!2 "I am pleased to declare the signs and miracles that the (C1)Most High God has done for me.
3 "How great are His (C1)signs
And how mighty are His miracles!
His (C2)kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And His dominion is from generation to generation.
The Vision of a Great Tree
4 "(F1)I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and (C1)happy in my palace.5 "I saw a (C1)dream and it startled me; and these appearances as I lay on my bed and the (C2)visions (F1)in my mind kept alarming me.6 "So I gave orders to (C1)bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, so that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.7 "Then the (C1)soothsayer priests, the sorcerers, the (F1)Chaldeans, and the diviners came in and I related the dream (F2)to them, but they could not make its (C2)interpretation known to me.8 "But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is (C1)Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is (F1)(C2)a spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream (F2)to him, saying,9 'Belteshazzar, (C1)chief of the soothsayer priests, since I know that (C2)a spirit of the holy gods is in you and (C3)no secret baffles you, (C4)tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.
10 'Now these were the (C1)visions (F1)in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a (C2)tree in the middle of the (F2)earth and its height was great.
11 'The tree grew large and became strong
And its height (C1)reached to the sky,
And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.
12 'Its foliage was (C1)beautiful and its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The (C2)animals of the field (F1)found (C3)shade under it,
And the (C4)birds of the sky lived in its branches,
And all (F2)living creatures fed from it.
13 'I was looking in the (C1)visions (F1)in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, (C2)an angelic watcher, a (C3)holy one, descended from heaven.
14 'He shouted out and spoke as follows:
"(C1)Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Shake off its foliage and scatter its fruit;
Let the (C2)animals flee from under it
And the birds from its branches.
15 "Yet (C1)leave the stump (F1)with its roots in the ground,
But with a band of iron and bronze around it
In the new grass of the field;
And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
And let (F2)him share with the animals in the grass of the earth.
16 "Let his (F1)mind change from that of a human
And let an animal's (F1)mind be given to him,
And let (C1)seven (F2)periods of time pass over him.
17 "This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers,
And the decision is a command of the holy ones,
In order that the living may (C1)know
That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind,
And (C2)He grants it to whomever He wishes
And sets over it the (C3)lowliest of people."
Daniel Interprets the Vision
19 "Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his (C1)thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, 'Belteshazzar, do not (C2)let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar replied, '(C3)My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you, and its interpretation to (C4)your adversaries!20 'The (C1)tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth,21 and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the animals of the field lived and in whose branches the birds of the sky settled—22 it is (C1)you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your (F1)majesty has become great and reached to the sky, and your (C2)dominion to the end of the earth.23 'And in that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, "(C1)Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump (F1)with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let (F2)him share with the animals of the field until (C2)seven (F3)periods of time pass over him,"24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has (C1)come upon my lord the king:25 that you be (C1)driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the animals of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven (F1)periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the (C2)Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and (C3)bestows it on whomever He wishes.26 'And in that it was commanded to (C1)leave the stump (F1)with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will (F2)remain as yours after you recognize that it is (C2)Heaven that rules.27 'Therefore, O king, may my (C1)advice be pleasing to you: (C2)wipe away your sin by doing righteousness, and your wrongdoings by (C3)showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a (C4)prolonging of your prosperity.'
The Vision Fulfilled
28 "All of this (C1)happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.29 "(C1)Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon.30 "The king began speaking and was saying, 'Is this not Babylon the (C1)great, which I myself have built as a royal (F1)residence by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?'31 "While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice (F1)came from heaven, saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: (F2)sovereignty has been removed from you,32 and (C1)you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the animals of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and (C2)seven (F1)periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the (C3)Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.'33 "Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was (C1)driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
34 "But at the end of (F1)that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my (F2)reason returned to me, and I blessed the (C1)Most High and praised and honored (C2)Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an (C3)everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
35 "(C1)All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account,
But (C2)He does according to His will among the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And (C3)no one can (F1)fend off His hand
Or say to Him, '(C4)What have You done?'
Mark 3:20-35
Chapter 3
20 And He (*)came (F1)(C1)home, and the (C2)crowd (*)gathered again, (C3)to such an extent that they could not even eat (F2)a meal.21 And when (C1)His own (F1)people heard about this, they came out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "(C2)He has lost His senses."22 The scribes who came down (C1)from Jerusalem were saying, "He (F1)is possessed by (F2)(C2)Beelzebul," and "(C3)He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."23 (C1)And so He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in (C2)parables: "How can (C3)Satan cast out Satan?24 "And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.25 "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.26 "And if (C1)Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but (F1)he is finished!27 "(C1)But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
28 "(C1)Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit;29 but (C1)whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"—30 because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
31 (C1)Then His mother and His brothers (*)came, and while standing outside they sent word to Him, calling for Him.32 And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they (*)said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You."33 Answering them, He (*)said, "Who are My mother and My brothers?"34 And looking around at those who were sitting around Him, He (*)said, "(C1)Here are My mother and My brothers!35 "For whoever (C1)does the will of God, this is My brother, and sister, and mother."
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995,2020 by The Lockman Foundation
