Day 166 of 365

2 Sam 21:1–22:51

21:1 There was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, "It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Gibeonites."

21:2 The king called the Gibeonites, and said to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn to them: and Saul sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah);

21:3 and David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?"

21:4 The Gibeonites said to him, "It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul, or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel." He said, "Whatever you say, that will I do for you."

21:5 They said to the king, "The man who consumed us, and who devised against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel,

21:6 let seven men of his sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them up to the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord." The king said, "I will give them."

21:7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

21:8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

21:9 He delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before the Lord, and all seven of them fell together. They were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of barley harvest.

21:10 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water was poured on them from the sky. She allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day, nor the animals of the field by night.

21:11 It was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

21:12 David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, in the day that the Philistines killed Saul in Gilboa;

21:13 and he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son: and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged.

21:14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. After that God was entreated for the land.

21:15 The Philistines had war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. David grew faint;

21:16 and Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being armed with a new sword, thought to have slain David.

21:17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall go no more out with us to battle, that you do not quench the lamp of Israel."

21:18 It came to pass after this, that there was again war with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was of the sons of the giant.

21:19 There was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite's brother, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

21:20 There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

21:21 When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, killed him.

21:22 These four were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

22:1 David spoke to the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

22:2 and he said, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;

22:3 God, my rock, in him I will take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge. My savior, you save me from violence.

22:4 I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from my enemies.

22:5 For the waves of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

22:6 The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death caught me.

22:7 In my distress I called on the Lord. Yes, I called to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry came into his ears.

22:8 Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.

22:9 Smoke went up out of his nostrils. Fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.

22:10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.

22:11 He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he was seen on the wings of the wind.

22:12 He made darkness pavilions around himself: gathering of waters, and thick clouds of the skies.

22:13 At the brightness before him, coals of fire were kindled.

22:14 The Lord thundered from heaven. The Most High uttered his voice.

22:15 He sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and confused them.

22:16 Then the channels of the sea appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare by the rebuke of the Lord, At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

22:17 He sent from on high and he took me. He drew me out of many waters.

22:18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.

22:19 They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.

22:20 He also brought me out into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

22:21 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness. He rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands.

22:22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22:23 For all his ordinances were before me. As for his statutes, I did not depart from them.

22:24 I was also perfect toward him. I kept myself from my iniquity.

22:25 Therefore the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in his eyesight.

22:26 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man you will show yourself perfect.

22:27 With the pure you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

22:28 You will save the afflicted people, But your eyes are on the proud, that you may bring them down.

22:29 For you are my lamp, Lord. The Lord will light up my darkness.

22:30 For by you, I run against a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.

22:31 As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tested. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

22:32 For who is God, besides the Lord? Who is a rock, besides our God?

22:33 God is my strong fortress. He makes my way perfect.

22:34 He makes his feet like hinds' feet, and sets me on my high places.

22:35 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of brass.

22:36 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your gentleness has made me great.

22:37 You have enlarged my steps under me. My feet have not slipped.

22:38 I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them. I did not turn again until they were consumed.

22:39 I have consumed them, and struck them through, so that they can't arise. Yes, they have fallen under my feet.

22:40 For you have armed me with strength for the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

22:41 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.

22:42 They looked, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

22:43 Then I beat them as small as the dust of the earth. I crushed them as the mire of the streets, and spread them abroad.

22:44 You also have delivered me from the strivings of my people. You have kept me to be the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known will serve me.

22:45 The foreigners will submit themselves to me. As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me.

22:46 The foreigners will fade away, and will come trembling out of their close places.

22:47 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock! Exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,

22:48 even the God who executes vengeance for me, who brings down peoples under me,

22:49 who brings me away from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.

22:50 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the nations. Will sing praises to your name.

22:51 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, forevermore."

Acts 1:1–11

1 The first account I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,

2 until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

3 To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God's Kingdom.

4 Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, "Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me.

5 For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."

9 When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10 While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing,

11 who also said, "You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky."

Eccl 7:1–13

1 A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one's birth.

2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

7 Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.

8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9 Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.

10 Do not say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For you do not ask wisely about this.

11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.

12 For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

13 Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight, which he has made crooked?