The Daily Audio Bible
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22 “‘You gave them kingdoms and peoples;
you even gave them extra land,
so that they took possession of the land of Sichon,
also the land of the king of Heshbon
and the land of ‘Og king of Bashan.
23 You made their children as numerous
as the countless stars in the sky.
“‘Then you brought them into the land
about which you had said to their fathers
that they should go in and take possession of it.
24 So the children went in and possessed the land,
as you subdued ahead of them
the Kena‘ani living in the land,
and handed them over to them,
along with their kings and the peoples of the land,
for them to do with as they wished.
25 They took fortified cities and fertile land,
possessed houses full of all kinds of good things,
dug-out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
fruit trees in plenty;
so they ate their fill and grew robust,
luxuriating in your great goodness.
26 “‘Yet they disobeyed and rebelled against you,
throwing your Torah behind their backs.
They killed your prophets for warning them
that they should return to you
and committed other gross provocations.
27 So you handed them over to the power
of their adversaries, who oppressed them.
Yet in the time of their trouble,
when they cried out to you,
you heard from heaven, and in keeping
with your great compassion,
you gave them saviors to save them
from the power of their adversaries.
28 But as soon as they had gotten some relief,
they went back to do evil before you.
So you left them in the power of their enemies,
who came down hard on them.
Yet when they returned and cried out to you,
you heard from heaven many times
and saved them, according to your compassion.
29 You warned them, in order to bring them back
to your Torah; yet they were arrogant.
They paid no attention to your mitzvot,
but sinned against your rulings,
which, if a person does them,
he will have life through them.
However, they stubbornly turned their shoulders,
stiffened their necks and refused to hear.
30 Many years you extended them mercy
and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets;
yet they would not listen.
Therefore you handed them over
to the peoples of the lands.
31 Even so, in your great compassion,
you didn’t completely destroy them;
nor did you abandon them,
for you are a compassionate and merciful God.
32 “‘Now therefore, our God,
great, mighty, fearsome God,
who keeps both covenant and grace:
let not all this suffering seem little to you
that has come on us, our kings, our leaders,
our cohanim, our prophets, our ancestors,
and on all your people,
from the times of the kings of Ashur
until this very day.
33 There is no question that you are just
in all that has come upon us;
for you have treated us fairly.
It is we who have acted wickedly.
34 Our kings, our leaders, our cohanim and ancestors
did not keep your Torah,
pay attention to your mitzvot
or heed the warnings you gave them.
35 Even when they ruled their own kingdom,
even when you prospered them greatly,
in the great, rich land you gave them,
they did not serve you;
nor did they turn from their wicked deeds.
36 “‘So here we are today, slaves.
Yes, in the land you gave our ancestors,
so that they could eat what it produces
and enjoy its good —
here we are in it, slaves!
37 Its rich yield now goes to the kings
you have set over us because of our sins;
they have power over our bodies,
they can do what they please to our livestock,
and we are in great distress!
10 (9:38) “‘In view of all this, we are making a binding covenant, putting it in writing and having it sealed by our leaders, our L’vi’im and our cohanim.’”
2 (1) On the sealed document were the names of: Nechemyah the Tirshata the son of Hakhalyah, Tzedekyah, 3 (2) S’rayah, ‘Azaryah, Yirmeyah, 4 (3) Pash’chur, Amaryah, Malkiyah, 5 (4) Hatush, Sh’vanyah, Malukh, 6 (5) Harim, M’remot, ‘Ovadyah, 7 (6) Dani’el, Ginton, Barukh, 8 (7) Meshulam, Aviyah, Miyamin, 9 (8) Ma‘azyah, Bilgai and Sh’ma‘yah. These were the cohanim.
10 (9) The L’vi’im were: Yeshua the son of Azanyah, Binui a descendant of Henadad, Kadmi’el, 11 (10) and their kinsmen Sh’vanyah, Hodiyah, K’lita, P’layah, Hanan, 12 (11) Mikha, Rechov, Hashavyah, 13 (12) Zakur, Sherevyah, Sh’vanyah, 14 (13) Hodiyah, Bani and B’ninu.
15 (14) The leaders of the people: Par‘osh, Pachat-Mo’av, ‘Eilam, Zatu, Bani, 16 (15) Buni, ‘Azgad, B’vai, 17 (16) Adoniyah, Bigvai, ‘Adin, 18 (17) Ater, Hizkiyah, ‘Azur, 19 (18) Hodiyah, Hashum, Betzai, 20 (19) Harif, ‘Anatot, Neivai, 21 (20) Magpi‘ash, Meshulam, Hezir, 22 (21) Mesheizav’el, Tzadok, Yadua, 23 (22) P’latyah, Hanan, ‘Anayah, 24 (23) Hoshea, Hananyah, Hashuv, 25 (24) HaLochesh, Pilcha, Shovek, 26 (25) Rechum, Hashavnah, Ma‘aseiyah, 27 (26) Achiyah, Hanan, ‘Anan, 28 (27) Malukh, Harim and Ba‘anah.
29 (28) The rest of the people, the cohanim, the L’vi’im, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Torah of God, along with their wives, sons and daughters, everyone capable of knowing and understanding, 30 (29) joined their kinsmen and their leaders in swearing an oath, accompanied by a curse [in case of noncompliance], as follows:
“We will live by God’s Torah, given by Moshe the servant of God, and will perform and obey all the mitzvot, rulings and laws of Adonai our Lord.
31 (30) “We will not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land or take their daughters as wives for our sons.
32 (31) “If the peoples of the lands bring merchandise or food to sell on Shabbat, we will not buy from them on Shabbat or on a holy day.
“We will forego [planting and harvesting our fields] during the seventh year and collecting debts then.
33 (32) “We will impose on ourselves a yearly tax of one-third of a shekel [one-seventh of an ounce of silver] for the service of the house of our God, 34 (33) for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering, for [the offerings] on Shabbat, on Rosh-Hodesh, at the designated times and at other holy times, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Isra’el, and for all the work connected with the house of our God.
35 (34) “We, the cohanim, the L’vi’im and the people, will cast lots in connection with the wood offering, so that it will be brought to the house of our God according to our fathers’ clans, at specified times, year by year, and then be burned on the altar of Adonai our God, as prescribed in the Torah.
36 (35) “Every year we will bring the firstfruits of our land and the firstfruits of all fruit from every kind of tree to the house of Adonai. 37 (36) “We will also bring the firstborn of our sons and of our livestock, as prescribed in the Torah, and the firstborn of our herds and flocks, to the house of our God, to the cohanim ministering in the house of our God.
38 (37) “We will bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every kind of tree, wine and olive oil to the cohanim in the storerooms of the house of our God, along with the tenths from our land for the L’vi’im; since they, the L’vi’im, take the tenths in all the cities where we farm. 39 (38) The cohen the descendant of Aharon is to be with the L’vi’im when the L’vi’im take tenths. The L’vi’im will bring the tenth of the tenth to the house of our God, to the storerooms for supplies.
19 For although I am a free man, not bound to do anyone’s bidding, I have made myself a slave to all in order to win as many people as possible. 20 That is, with Jews, what I did was put myself in the position of a Jew, in order to win Jews. With people in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah, I put myself in the position of someone under such legalism, in order to win those under this legalism, even though I myself am not in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah. 21 With those who live outside the framework of Torah, I put myself in the position of someone outside the Torah in order to win those outside the Torah — although I myself am not outside the framework of God’s Torah but within the framework of Torah as upheld by the Messiah. 22 With the “weak” I became “weak,” in order to win the “weak.” With all kinds of people I have become all kinds of things, so that in all kinds of circumstances I might save at least some of them.
23 But I do it all because of the rewards promised by the Good News, so that I may share in them along with the others who come to trust. 24 Don’t you know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one wins the prize? So then, run to win! 25 Now every athlete in training submits himself to strict discipline, and he does it just to win a laurel wreath that will soon wither away. But we do it to win a crown that will last forever. 26 Accordingly, I don’t run aimlessly but straight for the finish line; I don’t shadow-box but try to make every punch count. 27 I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that, after proclaiming the Good News to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
10 For, brothers, I don’t want you to miss the significance of what happened to our fathers. All of them were guided by the pillar of cloud, and they all passed through the sea, 2 and in connection with the cloud and with the sea they all immersed themselves into Moshe, 3 also they all ate the same food from the Spirit, 4 and they all drank the same drink from the Spirit — for they drank from a Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was the Messiah. 5 Yet with the majority of them God was not pleased, so their bodies were strewn across the desert.
6 Now these things took place as prefigurative historical events, warning us not to set our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were — as the Tanakh puts it, “The people sat down to eat and drink, then got up to indulge in revelry.”[a] 8 And let us not engage in sexual immorality, as some of them did, with the consequence that 23,000 died in a single day. 9 And let us not put the Messiah to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes. 10 And don’t grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the Destroying Angel.
11 These things happened to them as prefigurative historical events, and they were written down as a warning to us who are living in the acharit-hayamim. 12 Therefore, let anyone who thinks he is standing up be careful not to fall! 13 No temptation has seized you beyond what people normally experience, and God can be trusted not to allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. On the contrary, along with the temptation he will also provide the way out, so that you will be able to endure.
34 (0) By David, when he pretended to be insane before Avimelekh, who then drove him away; so he left:
2 (1) I will bless Adonai at all times;
his praise will always be in my mouth.
3 (2) When I boast, it will be about Adonai;
the humble will hear of it and be glad.
4 (3) Proclaim with me the greatness of Adonai;
let us exalt his name together.
5 (4) I sought Adonai, and he answered me;
he rescued me from everything I feared.
6 (5) They looked to him and grew radiant;
their faces will never blush for shame.
7 (6) This poor man cried; Adonai heard
and saved him from all his troubles.
8 (7) The angel of Adonai, who encamps
around those who fear him, delivers them.
9 (8) Taste, and see that Adonai is good.
How blessed are those who take refuge in him!
10 (9) Fear Adonai, you holy ones of his,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
13 Whoever stops up his ears at the cry of the poor
will himself cry, but not be answered.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.