the Third Week after Easter
Click to donate today!
Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
April 8 - Straight Thru the Bible
niv
2 Samuel 22:35-24:17
Chapter 22
35 He trains my hands(bf) for battle;
my arms can bend a bow(bg) of bronze.
36 You make your saving help my shield;(bh)
your help has made[i] me great.
37 You provide a broad path(bi) for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
38 "I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
39 I crushed(bj) them completely, and they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
40 You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.(bk)
41 You made my enemies turn their backs(bl) in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
42 They cried for help,(bm) but there was no one to save them—(bn)
to the
Lord
, but he did not answer.(bo)
43 I beat them as fine as the dust(bp) of the earth;
I pounded and trampled(bq) them like mud(br) in the streets.
44 "You have delivered(bs) me from the attacks of the peoples;
you have preserved(bt) me as the head of nations.
People(bu) I did not know now serve me,
45
foreigners cower(bv) before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.(bw)
46 They all lose heart;
they come trembling[j](bx) from their strongholds.
47 "The
Lord
lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted(by) be my God, the Rock, my Savior!(bz)
48 He is the God who avenges(ca) me,(cb)
who puts the nations under me,
49
who sets me free from my enemies.(cc)
You exalted me(cd) above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
50 Therefore I will praise you,
Lord
, among the nations;
I will sing the praises(ce) of your name.(cf)
51 "He gives his king great victories;(cg)
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,(ch)
to David(ci) and his descendants forever."(cj)
Chapter 23
David's Last Words
1 These are the last words of David:
"The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,
the utterance of the man exalted(a) by the Most High,
the man anointed(b) by the God of Jacob,
the hero of Israel's songs:
2 "The Spirit(c) of the
Lord
spoke through me;
his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock(d) of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,(e)
when he rules in the fear(f) of God,(g)
4 he is like the light(h) of morning(i) at sunrise(j)
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain(k)
that brings grass from the earth.'
5 "If my house were not right with God,
surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,(l)
arranged and secured in every part;
surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
and grant me my every desire.
6 But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,(m)
which are not gathered with the hand.
7 Whoever touches thorns
uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;
they are burned up where they lie."
David's Mighty Warriors(n)
8 These are the names of David's mighty warriors:(o)
Josheb-Basshebeth,[a](p) a Tahkemonite,[b] was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed[c] in one encounter.
9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai(q) the Ahohite.(r) As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim[d] for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.
11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam,(s) while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.(t) 14 At that time David was in the stronghold,(u) and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.(v) 15 David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!" 16 So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured(w) it out before the Lord . 17 "Far be it from me, Lord , to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood(x) of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.
18 Abishai(y) the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three.[e] He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 19 Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them.
20 Benaiah(z) son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel,(aa) performed great exploits. He struck down Moab's two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
24 Among the Thirty were:
Asahel(ab) the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
25 Shammah the Harodite,(ac)
Elika the Harodite,
26 Helez(ad) the Paltite,
Ira(ae) son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,
27 Abiezer(af) from Anathoth,(ag)
Sibbekai[f] the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite,
Maharai(ah) the Netophathite,(ai)
29 Heled[g](aj) son of Baanah the Netophathite,
Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah(ak) in Benjamin,
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite,(al)
Hiddai[h] from the ravines of Gaash,(am)
31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite,
Azmaveth the Barhumite,(an)
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
the sons of Jashen,
Jonathan 33 son of[i] Shammah the Hararite,
Ahiam son of Sharar[j] the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite,(ao)
Eliam(ap) son of Ahithophel(aq) the Gilonite,
35 Hezro the Carmelite,(ar)
Paarai the Arbite,
36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah,(as)
the son of Hagri,[k]
37 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite,(at) the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite,(au)
Gareb the Ithrite
39 and Uriah(av) the Hittite.
There were thirty-seven in all.
Chapter 24
David Enrolls the Fighting Men(a)
1 Again(b) the anger of the Lord burned against Israel,(c) and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of(d) Israel and Judah."
2 So the king said to Joab(e) and the army commanders[a] with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba(f) and enroll(g) the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are."
3 But Joab(h) replied to the king, "May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over,(i) and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?"
4 The king's word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.
5 After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer,(j) south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.(k) 6 They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.(l) 7 Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre(m) and all the towns of the Hivites(n) and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba(o) in the Negev(p) of Judah.
8 After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.(q)
10 David was conscience-stricken(r) after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord , "I have sinned(s) greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord , I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.(t)"
11 Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad(u) the prophet, David's seer:(v) 12 "Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.'"
13 So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come on you three[b] years of famine(w) in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague(x) in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me."
14 David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord , for his mercy(y) is great; but do not let me fall into human hands."
15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.(z) 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented(aa) concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the Lord (ab) was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord , "I have sinned; I, the shepherd,[c] have done wrong. These are but sheep.(ac) What have they done?(ad) Let your hand fall on me and my family."(ae)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
