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June 24 - Bible-in-a-Year
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2 Samuel 17
Chapter 17
Hushai's Counsel
1 Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose twelve thousand men and let me set out and pursue David tonight.2 "(C1)And I will (F1)attack him while he is weary and (F2)exhausted and startle him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then (C2)I will strike and kill the king when he is alone,3 and I will bring all the people back to you. (F1)The return of everyone depends on the man whom you are seeking; then all the people will be at (C1)peace."4 And the (F1)plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
5 Nevertheless, Absalom said, "Now call (C1)Hushai the Archite also, and let's hear what (F1)he has to say."6 When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom said to (F1)him, "Ahithophel has (F2)proposed this plan. Should we (F3)carry out his plan? If not, say so yourself."7 So Hushai said to Absalom, "(C1)This time the advice that Ahithophel has (F1)given is not good."8 Then Hushai said, "You yourself know your father and his men, that they are warriors and they are (F1)fierce, (C1)like a bear deprived of her cubs in the field. And your father is an (F2)expert in warfare, and he will not spend the night with the people.9 "Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the ravines, or in another place; and it will be that when he falls on them at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom!'10 "And even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, (C1)will completely despair; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men.11 "But I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, (C1)from Dan even to Beersheba, (C2)like the sand that is by the sea in abundance; and that (F1)you personally go into battle.12 "Then we will come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will (F1)fall on him (C1)just as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left.13 "And if he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will (C1)drag it into the (F1)valley until not even a pebble is found there."14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." For (C1)the LORD had ordained to foil the good advice of Ahithophel, in order for the LORD to bring disaster on Absalom.
Hushai's Warning Saves David
15 Then (C1)Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, "(F1)This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do, and (F1)this is what I have advised.16 "Now then, send a messenger quickly and tell David, saying, '(C1)Do not spend the night at the river crossing places of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be (F1)destroyed.'"17 (C1)Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at (C2)En-rogel, and a female servant would go and inform them, and they would go and inform King David, for they could not allow themselves to be seen entering the city.18 But a boy did see them, and he told Absalom; so the two of them left quickly and came to the house of a man (C1)in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down (F1)into it.19 And (C1)the woman (F1)took a cover and spread it over the well's mouth and scattered barley meal on it, so that nothing was known.20 Then Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And (C1)the woman said to them, "They have crossed the brook of water." And when they searched and did not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
21 It came about after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and reported to King David; and they said to David, "(C1)Set out and cross over the water quickly, because this is what Ahithophel has advised against you."22 Then David and all the people who were with him set out and crossed the Jordan; by (F1)dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.
23 Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been (F1)followed, he saddled his donkey and set out and went to his home, to (C1)his city, and (F2)(C2)set his house in order, and (C3)hanged himself; so he died and was buried in his father's grave.
24 Then David came to (C1)Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.25 Absalom put (C1)Amasa (F1)in command of the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was (F2)Ithra the Israelite, who (F3)had relations with Abigail the daughter of (C2)Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother.26 And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
27 Now when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi (C1)the son of Nahash from (C2)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, (C3)Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and (C4)Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim,28 brought (C1)beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, roasted seeds,29 honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him, (C1)to eat. For they said, "The people are hungry and exhausted and thirsty in the wilderness."
Daniel 11:1-19
Chapter 11
Conflicts to Come
1 "In the (C1)first year of Darius the Mede, (F1)I arose to be of (F2)assistance and a protection for him.2 "And now I will tell you the (C1)truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise (F1)in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, (F2)he will stir up the entire empire against the realm of (F3)(C2)Greece.3 "And a (C1)mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and (C2)do as he pleases.4 "But as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out (C1)toward the (C2)four (F1)points of the compass, though not to his own descendants, nor according to his authority which he wielded, because his sovereignty will be (C3)removed and given to others besides (F2)them.
5 "Then the (C1)king of the South will grow strong, (F1)along with one of his princes (F2)who will gain ascendancy over him and rule; his domain will be a great realm indeed.6 "And after some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the (C1)king of the North to reach an agreement. But she will not keep her (F1)position of power, nor will he remain with his (F2)power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who fathered her as well as he who supported her in those times.7 "But one of the (F1)descendants of her line will arise in his place, and he will come against their army and enter the (C1)fortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and prevail.8 "And he will also take into captivity to Egypt their (C1)gods with their cast metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and he on his part will (F1)refrain from attacking the king of the North for some years.9 "Then (F1)the latter will enter the realm of the king of the South, but will return to his own land.
10 "And his sons will mobilize and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and (C1)overflow and pass through, so that he may (F1)again wage war up to his fortress.11 "And the (C1)king of the South will be enraged and go out and fight (F1)with the king of the North. Then the latter will raise a great multitude, but that multitude will be handed over to (F2)the former.12 "When the multitude is carried away, his heart will (F1)be haughty, and he will cause tens of thousands to fall; yet he will not prevail.13 "For the king of the North will again raise a greater multitude than the former, and (F1)after an (C1)interval of some years he will (F2)press on with a great army and much equipment.
14 "Now in those times many will rise up against the king of the South; the violent ones among your people will also raise themselves up to fulfill the vision, but they will (F1)fall down.15 "Then the king of the North will come, pile up an (C1)assault ramp, and capture a well-fortified city; and the forces of the South will not stand their ground, not even (F1)their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand.16 "But he who comes against him will (C1)do as he pleases, and (C2)no one will be able to withstand him; he will also stay for a time in the (F1)(C3)Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand.17 "And he will (C1)set his (F1)mind on coming with the power of his entire kingdom, (F2)bringing with him (F3)a proposal of peace which he will put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it. But she will not take a stand for him or be (F4)on his side.18 "Then he will turn his face to the (C1)coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put a stop to his taunting against him; moreover, he will (C2)repay him for his taunting.19 "So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will (C1)stumble and fall and not be (C2)found.<
Mark 7:1-13
Chapter 7
Followers of Tradition
1 (C1)The Pharisees and some of the scribes (*)gathered to Him after they came (C2)from Jerusalem,2 and saw that some of His disciples were eating their bread with (F1)(C1)unholy hands, that is, unwashed.3 (For the Pharisees and all the other Jews do not eat unless they (F1)carefully wash their hands, thereby holding firmly to the (C1)tradition of the elders;4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they (F1)completely cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received as traditions to firmly hold, such as the (F2)washing of (C1)cups, pitchers, and copper pots.)5 And the Pharisees and the scribes (*)asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk in accordance with the (C1)tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with (F1)(C2)unholy hands?"6 But He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: '(C1)THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
7 '(C1)AND IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN.'
9 He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your (C1)tradition.10 "For Moses said, '(C1)HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, '(C2)THE ONE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS (F1)CERTAINLY TO BE PUT TO DEATH';11 but you say, 'If a person says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is (C1)Corban (that is, (F1)given to God),'12 you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother;13 thereby invalidating the word of God by your (C1)tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."<
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