The Daily Audio Bible
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David Becomes King
11 All Israel gathered to David at Hebron to say, “Look! We are your flesh and blood.[a] 2 Previously when Saul was king, you led Israel out to battle and back again. Besides, the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd my people Israel and be leader over my people Israel.’”
3 All the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. David made a covenant with them there in the presence of the Lord. They anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord from Samuel.
David Captures Jerusalem
4 David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). The Jebusites were living in that part of the land. 5 Those living in Jebus said to David, “You will not get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, which became the City of David. 6 David had said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first will become the head and commander.” Joab son of Zeruiah went up first and became the head. 7 David lived in the stronghold. That is why it is called the City of David. 8 He built up the city all around the stronghold, from the Millo[b] to the surrounding walls. Joab repaired the rest of the city.
9 David became greater and greater because the Lord of Armies was with him.
David’s Elite Warriors
10 These are the leaders of David’s elite warriors, who built up support for his kingdom throughout all Israel, in order to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.
11 This is the record of David’s elite warriors.
The Three
Jashobeam son of Hakmoni,[c] head of the Thirty,[d] wielded his spear against three hundred, who were killed at one time.
12 After him came Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite. He was in the group of three elite warriors. 13 He was with David at Pas Dammim, where there was a plot of land full of barley, when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. The people had been fleeing from the Philistines, 14 but they took their stand in the middle of that plot of land. They defended it and killed the Philistines. The Lord rescued them with a great victory.[e]
15 Three of the thirty leaders went down to David at the rock by the Cave of Adullam. The army of the Philistines was camping in the Valley of Rephaim. 16 While David was in the stronghold, the garrison of Philistines was in Bethlehem. 17 David expressed this desire: “Who will give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem inside the gate?” 18 The Three broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well[f] of Bethlehem inside the gate. They took it and brought it to David. However, David was not willing to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord. 19 He said, “I should be cursed by God if I did that. Shall I drink the blood of these men? They risked their lives to bring it to me.” He was not willing to drink it. The three elite warriors carried out these actions.
Other Heroes
20 Abishai, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Three. He wielded his spear against three hundred and killed them. His reputation equaled that of the Three.[g] 21 He was considered twice as great as the Group of Three. He became their commander. But he did not belong to the Group of Three.
22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a courageous man from Kabze’el, did great things. He struck down two Lions of God[h] from Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a cistern[i] on a snowy day. 23 He also killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. The Egyptian was holding a spear like a weaver’s beam. Benaiah went down to him with a staff, snatched the spear from the hand of the Egyptian, and killed him with his own spear. 24 Benaiah son of Jehoiada accomplished these feats. His reputation equaled that of the Three. 25 Among the Thirty he was considered great, but he did not belong to the Three. David placed him over his bodyguards.
26 These were the elite warriors of the armies:[j]
Asahel, the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
27 Shammoth the Harorite,[k]
Helez the Pelonite,
28 Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoan,
Abiezer from Anathoth,
29 Sibbekai[l] the Hushathite,
Ilai[m] the Ahohite,
30 Mahrai the Netophahite,
Heled son of Ba’anah the Netophahite,
31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of Benjamin,
Benaiah the Pirathonite,
32 Hurai[n] from the ravines of Ga’ash,
Abiel the Arbathite,
33 Azmaveth the Baharumite,
Eliahba the Sha’albonite,
34 the sons of Hashem the Gizonite,[o]
Jonathan son of Shageh the Hararite,
35 Ahiam son of Sakar the Hararite,
Eliphal son of Ur,[p]
36 Hepher the Mekerathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,
37 Hezro the Carmelite,
Na’arai son of Ezbai,
38 Joel, the brother of Nathan,[q]
Mibhar son of Hagri,
39 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Berothite, the armor bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
40 Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
41 Uriah the Hittite,
Zabad son of Ahlai,
42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites,
who had thirty men with him,
43 Hanan son of Ma’akah
and Joshaphat the Mithnite,
44 Uzzia the Ashterathite,
Shama and Jeiel, the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
45 Jediael son of Shimri,
and his brother Joha the Tizite,
46 Eliel the Mahavite
and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elna’am,
and Ithmah the Moabite,
47 Eliel and Obed and Ja’asiel the Mezobaite.
12 These are the men who came to David at Ziklag, when he was a fugitive from Saul son of Kish. They were among the warriors who helped him wage war.
2 Among them were relatives of Saul from Benjamin, who were able to use bow and arrow and to sling stones right-handed or left-handed.
3 Their leader was Ahiezer along with Joash, sons of Shema’ah the Gibeathite,
Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth,
Berakah and Jehu the Anathothite,
4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a powerful warrior among the Thirty and over the Thirty,
Jeremiah and Jahaziel and Johanan and Jozabad the Gederathite,[r]
5 Eluzai and Jerimoth and Bealiah
and Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite,
6 Elkanah, Ishiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korathites,
7 Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
8 Some men from Gad defected and went to David at the stronghold in the wilderness. They were powerful warriors, military men, skilled for war with shield and spear, with faces like lions and with speed like gazelles on the mountains.
9 Ezer the head, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,
10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
13 Jeremiah the tenth, and Makbannai the eleventh.
14 These men from Gad were leaders of the army. The less capable were leaders for a hundred, the more capable for a thousand.[s] 15 These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month[t] when it was overflowing all its banks. They forced those living in the valleys to the east and the west to flee.
16 Men also came from Benjamin and Judah to David at the stronghold. 17 David went out to meet with them and said to them, “If you have come to me with peaceful intentions to help me, my heart will be one with yours. But if you come to betray me to my enemies, even though there is no violence in my hands, the God of our fathers will see and judge.”
18 A spirit[u] came upon[v] Amazai, head of the Thirty. He said, “We are yours, David, and we are with you, son of Jesse. Peace, peace to you, and peace to those helping you, for your God helps you.” David received them and made them leaders of the troops.
Safe on Malta
28 Once we were safely on shore, we learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The natives showed us extraordinary kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all, because it had started to rain and was cold.
3 As Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and laid it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the natives saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he escaped from the sea, Justice[a] has not allowed him to live.”
5 However, Paul shook the snake off into the fire and was not harmed. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited for a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
7 In the nearby vicinity was an estate that belonged to a man named Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as his guests for three days. 8 The father of Publius happened to be sick in bed, suffering from a fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, prayed, laid his hands on him, and healed him.
9 After that happened, others on the island who were sick also came and were healed. 10 They honored us in many ways, and when we were going to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.
On to Rome
11 After three months, we set sail in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island. Its figurehead was the Twin Brothers.[b] 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we sailed up the coast and arrived at Rhegium. After one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers[c] and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers there heard the news about us and came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and was encouraged.
God’s Witness Reaches Rome
16 When we entered Rome,[d] Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier who guarded him. 17 Three days later, Paul called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Gentlemen, brothers, although I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was handed over as a prisoner from Jerusalem to the Romans. 18 After they interrogated me, they wanted to release me, because there were no grounds for the death penalty in my case. 19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—not that I had any charge to bring against my own people. 20 That is why I asked to see you and speak to you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
21 They said to him, “We have not received any letters about you from Judea, and none of the brothers who came here has reported or said anything evil about you. 22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, because we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.”
23 They set a day to meet with Paul, and even more of them came to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and testified about the kingdom of God. He also tried to convince them about Jesus, both from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others continued in their unbelief.
25 They were arguing with one another and began to leave after Paul made this one statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your[e] fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
26 Go to this people and say,
You will keep hearing and yet never understand;
you will keep seeing and yet never perceive.
27 For the heart of this people has grown dull,
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and turn, and I would heal them.[f]
28 “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation from God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”[g]
30 For two whole years Paul stayed in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to visit him. 31 He was preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without anyone stopping him.
Psalm 9
Praise for God’s Righteous Judgment
Heading
For the choir director. According to “The Death of the Son.”[a] A psalm by David.
Praise for God’s Righteous Judgment
1 I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart.
I will tell about all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you.
I will make music to your name, O Most High.
Judgment Against David’s Enemies
3 When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish from your presence,
4 for you have upheld my rights and my cause.
You sat on the throne, judging righteously.
5 You have rebuked the nations,
and you made the wicked perish.
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 As for the enemy, their destruction is complete and final.
You have uprooted cities.
Memory of them has perished with them.
Judgment Against the Whole World
7 The Lord is seated forever.
He has established his throne for judgment.
8 The Lord himself will judge the world in righteousness.
He will judge the peoples with fairness.
9 The Lord will be a refuge for those who have been crushed,
a refuge for times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Closing Praise and Final Appeal
11 Make music for the Lord, who is seated in Zion.
Proclaim his deeds among the peoples.
12 Yes, he who avenges bloodshed remembers them.
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
19 Better to be a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one with perverse lips who is a fool.
2 Zeal without knowledge is certainly not good,
and a person who acts hastily sins.[a]
3 A person’s own foolishness undermines his way,
but his heart rages against the Lord.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.