Navigating Grief

Daily Reading Plan With Christian Mael (December)

Worship Initiative | Advent Sundays

A Pretty Big Deal by Megan Marshman

[Deeply Rooted] Stand Strong

Moving Toward Each Other in the Middle of a Divisive World

Vote With Vision: Praying God’s Will Over Elections

Thanksgiving in Times of Need

Giving Thanks in Every Season

A Love Worth Sharing | Advent Sunday Devotional Series

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1CH">
 <div class="chapter ch10" data-usfm="1CH.10">
 <div class="label">10</div><div class="s1">Saul Takes His Life</div><div class="p"> 1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him.</div><div class="p"> 4Saul said to his armor-bearer, &#8220;Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and abuse me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. 6So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.</div><div class="p"> 7When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.</div><div class="p"> 8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people. 10They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.</div><div class="p"> 11When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.</div><div class="p"> 13Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1CH">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="1CH.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">David Becomes King Over Israel</div><div class="p"> 1All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, &#8220;We are your own flesh and blood. 2In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord your God said to you, &#8216;You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.</div><div class="s1">David Conquers Jerusalem</div><div class="p"> 4David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). The Jebusites who lived there 5said to David, &#8220;You will not get in here.&#8221; Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion&#8212;which is the City of David.</div><div class="p"> 6David had said, &#8220;Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become commander in chief.&#8221; Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and so he received the command.</div><div class="p"> 7David then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the City of David. 8He built up the city around it, from the terraces#11:8 Or the Millo to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city. 9And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord Almighty was with him.</div><div class="s1">David&#8217;s Mighty Warriors</div><div class="p"> 10These were the chiefs of David&#8217;s mighty warriors&#8212;they, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the Lord had promised&#8212; 11this is the list of David&#8217;s mighty warriors:</div><div class="p">Jashobeam,#11:11 Possibly a variant of Jashob-Baal a Hakmonite, was chief of the officers#11:11 Or Thirty; some Septuagint manuscripts Three (see also 2 Samuel 23:8); he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.</div><div class="p"> 12Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty warriors. 13He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines. 14But they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.</div><div class="p"> 15Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 17David longed for water and said, &#8220;Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!&#8221; 18So the Three 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 it out to the Lord. 19&#8220;God forbid that I should do this!&#8221; he said. &#8220;Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?&#8221; Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it.</div><div class="p">Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.</div><div class="p"> 20Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 21He was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he was not included among them.</div><div class="p"> 22Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab&#8217;s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 23And he struck down an Egyptian who was five cubits#11:23 That is, about 7 feet 6 inches or about 2.3 meters tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver&#8217;s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian&#8217;s hand and killed him with his own spear. 24Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 25He 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.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="li1"> 26The mighty warriors were:</div><div class="li2">Asahel the brother of Joab,</div><div class="li2">Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,</div><div class="li2"> 27Shammoth the Harorite,</div><div class="li2">Helez the Pelonite,</div><div class="li2"> 28Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,</div><div class="li2">Abiezer from Anathoth,</div><div class="li2"> 29Sibbekai the Hushathite,</div><div class="li2">Ilai the Ahohite,</div><div class="li2"> 30Maharai the Netophathite,</div><div class="li2">Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,</div><div class="li2"> 31Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin,</div><div class="li2">Benaiah the Pirathonite,</div><div class="li2"> 32Hurai from the ravines of Gaash,</div><div class="li2">Abiel the Arbathite,</div><div class="li2"> 33Azmaveth the Baharumite,</div><div class="li2">Eliahba the Shaalbonite,</div><div class="li2"> 34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite,</div><div class="li2">Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,</div><div class="li2"> 35Ahiam son of Sakar the Hararite,</div><div class="li2">Eliphal son of Ur,</div><div class="li2"> 36Hepher the Mekerathite,</div><div class="li2">Ahijah the Pelonite,</div><div class="li2"> 37Hezro the Carmelite,</div><div class="li2">Naarai son of Ezbai,</div><div class="li2"> 38Joel the brother of Nathan,</div><div class="li2">Mibhar son of Hagri,</div><div class="li2"> 39Zelek the Ammonite,</div><div class="li2">Naharai the Berothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,</div><div class="li2"> 40Ira the Ithrite,</div><div class="li2">Gareb the Ithrite,</div><div class="li2"> 41Uriah the Hittite,</div><div class="li2">Zabad son of Ahlai,</div><div class="li2"> 42Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,</div><div class="li2"> 43Hanan son of Maakah,</div><div class="li2">Joshaphat the Mithnite,</div><div class="li2"> 44Uzzia the Ashterathite,</div><div class="li2">Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,</div><div class="li2"> 45Jediael son of Shimri,</div><div class="li2">his brother Joha the Tizite,</div><div class="li2"> 46Eliel the Mahavite,</div><div class="li2">Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam,</div><div class="li2">Ithmah the Moabite,</div><div class="li2"> 47Eliel, Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1CH">
 <div class="chapter ch13" data-usfm="1CH.13">
 <div class="label">13</div><div class="s1">Bringing Back the Ark</div><div class="p"> 1David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, &#8220;If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. 3Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of#13:3 Or we neglected it#13:3 Or him during the reign of Saul.&#8221; 4The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.</div><div class="p"> 5So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. 6David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who is enthroned between the cherubim&#8212;the ark that is called by the Name.</div><div class="p"> 7They moved the ark of God from Abinadab&#8217;s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. 8David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets.</div><div class="p"> 9When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10The Lord&#8217;s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.</div><div class="p"> 11Then David was angry because the Lord&#8217;s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.#13:11 Perez Uzzah means outbreak against Uzzah.</div><div class="p"> 12David was afraid of God that day and asked, &#8220;How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?&#8221; 13He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1CH">
 <div class="chapter ch17" data-usfm="1CH.17">
 <div class="label">17</div><div class="s1">God&#8217;s Promise to David</div><div class="p"> 1After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, &#8220;Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2Nathan replied to David, &#8220;Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:</div><div class="pm"> 4&#8220;Go and tell my servant David, &#8216;This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. 5I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. 6Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders#17:6 Traditionally judges; also in verse 10 whom I commanded to shepherd my people, &#8220;Why have you not built me a house of cedar?&#8221;&#8198;&#8217;</div><div class="pm"> 7&#8220;Now then, tell my servant David, &#8216;This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 8I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. 9And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 10and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.</div><div class="pm">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you: 11When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. 14I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.</div><div class="s1">David&#8217;s Prayer</div><div class="p"> 16Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.</div><div class="pm"> 18&#8220;What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, 19Lord. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.</div><div class="pm"> 20&#8220;There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 21And who is like your people Israel&#8212;the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.</div><div class="pm"> 23&#8220;And now, Lord, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, 24so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, &#8216;The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel&#8217;s God!&#8217; And the house of your servant David will be established before you.</div><div class="pm"> 25&#8220;You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. 26You, Lord, are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. 27Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Lord, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="1CH.18">
 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">David&#8217;s Victories</div><div class="p"> 1In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines.</div><div class="p"> 2David also defeated the Moabites, and they became subject to him and brought him tribute.</div><div class="p"> 3Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah, in the vicinity of Hamath, when he went to set up his monument at#18:3 Or to restore his control over the Euphrates River. 4David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.</div><div class="p"> 5When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. 6He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought him tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.</div><div class="p"> 7David took the gold shields carried by the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8From Tebah#18:8 Hebrew Tibhath, a variant of Tebah and Kun, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, David took a great quantity of bronze, which Solomon used to make the bronze Sea, the pillars and various bronze articles.</div><div class="p"> 9When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold, of silver and of bronze.</div><div class="p"> 11King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek.</div><div class="p"> 12Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.</div><div class="s1">David&#8217;s Officials</div><div class="p"> 14David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. 15Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 16Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek#18:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 2 Samuel 8:17); most Hebrew manuscripts Abimelek son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary; 17Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David&#8217;s sons were chief officials at the king&#8217;s side.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1CH">
 <div class="chapter ch28" data-usfm="1CH.28">
 <div class="label">28</div><div class="s1">David&#8217;s Plans for the Temple</div><div class="p"> 1David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the warriors and all the brave fighting men.</div><div class="p"> 2King David rose to his feet and said: &#8220;Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. 3But God said to me, &#8216;You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 4&#8220;Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father&#8217;s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. 5Of all my sons&#8212;and the Lord has given me many&#8212;he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 6He said to me: &#8216;Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 12He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. 13He gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service. 14He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used in various kinds of service, and the weight of silver for all the silver articles to be used in various kinds of service: 15the weight of gold for the gold lampstands and their lamps, with the weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand; 16the weight of gold for each table for consecrated bread; the weight of silver for the silver tables; 17the weight of pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls and pitchers; the weight of gold for each gold dish; the weight of silver for each silver dish; 18and the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave him the plan for the chariot, that is, the cherubim of gold that spread their wings and overshadow the ark of the covenant of the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 19&#8220;All this,&#8221; David said, &#8220;I have in writing as a result of the Lord&#8217;s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20David also said to Solomon his son, &#8220;Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. 21The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.&#8221;</div>
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