2 Samuel 6


Peril in Moving the Ark

aNow David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to 1aBaale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the bName, the very name of the Lord of hosts who cis 2enthroned above the cherubim. 3 They 1placed the ark of God on aa new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. 4 So athey brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. 5 Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel awere celebrating before the Lord bwith all kinds of instruments made of 1fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals.
6 But when they came to the athreshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah breached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it.
7 And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and aGod struck him down there for 1his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. 8 David became angry because 1of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, and that place is called 2Perez-uzzah to this day. 9 So aDavid was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 And David was unwilling to move the ark of the Lord into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of aObed-edom the Gittite. 11 Thus the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord ablessed Obed-edom and all his household.

The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” aDavid went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into bthe city of David with gladness.
13 And so it was, that when the abearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an box and a fatling. 14 And aDavid was dancing before the Lord with all his might, and David was 1bwearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.
16 Then it happened as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David that aMichal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

17 So they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it ain its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and bDavid offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
18 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offering, ahe blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. 19 Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed each to his house.
20 But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! aHe uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the bfoolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!”
21 So David said to Michal, “aIt was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished.” 23 Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

1 Chronicles 13


Peril in Transporting the Ark

Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, even with every leader.
2 David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is from the Lord our God, let us send everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they may meet with us; 3 and let us bring back the ark of our God to us, afor we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” 4 Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
5 aSo David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath, bto bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
6 aDavid and all Israel went up to bBaalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the Lord cwho is enthroned above the cherubim, where His name is called. 7 They 1carried the ark of God on a new cart from athe house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 8 David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, aeven with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals and with trumpets.
9 When they came to athe threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it.
10 The anger of the Lord burned against Uzza, so He struck him down abecause he put out his hand to the ark; band he died there before God. 11 Then David became angry because 1of the Lord’s outburst against Uzza; and he called that place 2Perez-uzza to this day. 12 David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” 13 So David did not take the ark with him to the city of David, but took it aside ato the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 14 Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months; and athe Lord blessed the family of Obed-edom with all that he had.

Psalm 60


Lament over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.

For the choir director; according to 1Shushan Eduth. A 2Mikhtam of David, to teach; 3when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

O God, aYou have rejected us. You have 4bbroken us;
You have been cangry; O, drestore us.

2
You have made the 1aland quake, You have split it open;
bHeal its breaches, for it totters.

3
You have 1amade Your people experience hardship;
You have given us 2wine to bdrink that makes us stagger.

4
You have given a abanner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. 1Selah.

5
aThat Your bbeloved may be delivered,
cSave with Your right hand, and answer 1us!


6
God has spoken in His 1aholiness:
“I will exult, I will portion out bShechem and measure out the valley of cSuccoth.

7
aGilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
bEphraim also is the 1helmet of My head;
Judah is My 2cscepter.

8
aMoab is My washbowl;
Over bEdom I shall throw My shoe;
Shout loud, O cPhilistia, because of Me!”


9
Who will bring me into the besieged city?
Who 1will lead me to Edom?

10
Have not You Yourself, O God, arejected us?
And bwill You not go forth with our armies, O God?

11
O give us help against the adversary,
For adeliverance 1by man is in vain.

12
1Through God we shall ado valiantly,
And it is He who will btread down our adversaries.

Acts 23


Paul before the Council

Paul, looking intently at athe 1Council, said, “bBrethren, cI have 2lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.”
2 The high priest aAnanias commanded those standing beside him bto strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, ayou whitewashed wall! Do you bsit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” 4 But the bystanders said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘aYou shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”
6 But perceiving that one group were aSadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in bthe 1Council, “cBrethren, dI am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for ethe hope and resurrection of the dead!”
7 As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For athe Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 And there occurred a great uproar; and some of athe scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, “bWe find nothing wrong with this man; csuppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 And as a great dissension was developing, the 1commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into athe barracks.
11 But on athe night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, bTake courage; for cas you have dsolemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”

A Conspiracy to Kill Paul

12 When it was day, athe Jews formed a 1conspiracy and bbound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
13 There were more than forty who formed this plot. 14 They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have abound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore, you 1and athe 2Council notify the 3commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case by a more thorough investigation; and we for our part are ready to slay him before he comes near the place.
16 But the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, 1and he came and entered athe barracks and told Paul.
17 Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Lead this young man to the 1commander, for he has something to report to him.” 18 So he took him and led him to the 1commander and *said, “Paul athe prisoner called me to him and asked me to lead this young man to you since he has something to tell you.” 19 The 1commander took him by the hand and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?” 20 And he said, “aThe Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to bthe 1Council, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. 21 So do not 1listen to them, for more than forty of them are alying in wait for him who have bbound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they slay him; and now they are ready and waiting for the promise from you.” 22 So the 1commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.”

Paul Moved to Caesarea

23 And he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready by 1the third hour of the night to proceed to aCaesarea, 2with seventy horsemen and two hundred 3spearmen.”
24 They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to aFelix the governor. 25 And he wrote a letter having this form:
26
“Claudius Lysias, to the amost excellent governor Felix, bgreetings.

27
“When this man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be slain by them, aI came up to them with the troops and rescued him, bhaving learned that he was a Roman.

28
“And awanting to ascertain the charge for which they were accusing him, I bbrought him down to their 1cCouncil;

29
and I found him to be accused over aquestions about their Law, but 1under bno accusation deserving death or 2imprisonment.

30
“When I was ainformed that there would be ba plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing chis accusers to 1bring charges against him before you.”

31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.
32 But the next day, leaving athe horsemen to go on with him, they returned to bthe barracks. 33 When these had come to aCaesarea and delivered the letter to bthe governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34 When he had read it, he asked from what aprovince he was, and when he learned that bhe was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing after your aaccusers arrive also,” giving orders for him to be bkept in Herod’s 1Praetorium.
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