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The Daily Audio Bible

This reading plan is provided by Brian Hardin from Daily Audio Bible.
Duration: 731 days

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Living Bible (TLB)
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2 Samuel 1:1-2:11

1-2 Saul was dead and David had returned to Ziklag after slaughtering the Amalekites. Three days later a man arrived from the Israeli army with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head as a sign of mourning. He fell to the ground before David in deep respect.

“Where do you come from?” David asked.

“From the Israeli army,” he replied.

“What happened?” David demanded. “Tell me how the battle went.”

And the man replied, “Our entire army fled. Thousands of men are dead and wounded on the field, and Saul and his son Jonathan have been killed.”

“How do you know they are dead?”

“Because I was on Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning against his spear with the enemy chariots closing in upon him. When he saw me he cried out for me to come to him.

“‘Who are you?’ he asked.

“‘An Amalekite,’ I replied.

“‘Come and put me out of my misery,’ he begged, ‘for I am in terrible pain but life lingers on.’

10 “So I killed him,[a] for I knew he couldn’t live. Then I took his crown and one of his bracelets to bring to you, my lord.”

11 David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow when they heard the news. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord’s people, and for the men of Israel who had died that day.

13 Then David said to the young man who had brought the news, “Where are you from?”

And he replied, “I am an Amalekite.”

14 “Why did you kill God’s chosen king?” David demanded.

15 Then he said to one of his young men, “Kill him!” So he ran him through with his sword and he died.

16 “You die self-condemned,” David said, “for you yourself confessed that you killed God’s appointed king.”

17-18 Then David composed a dirge for Saul and Jonathan and afterward commanded that it be sung throughout Israel. It is quoted here from the book Heroic Ballads.

19 O Israel, your pride and joy lies dead upon the hills;

Mighty heroes have fallen.

20 Don’t tell the Philistines, lest they rejoice.

Hide it from the cities of Gath and Ashkelon,

Lest the heathen nations laugh in triumph.

21 O Mount Gilboa,

Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,

Let no crops of grain grow on your slopes.[b]

For there the mighty Saul has died;

He is God’s appointed king no more.

22 Both Saul and Jonathan slew their strongest foes,

And did not return from battle empty-handed.

23 How much they were loved, how wonderful they were—

Both Saul and Jonathan!

They were together in life and in death.

They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

24 But now, O women of Israel, weep for Saul;

He enriched you

With fine clothing and gold ornaments.

25 These mighty heroes have fallen in the midst of the battle.

Jonathan is slain upon the hills.

26 How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan;

How much I loved you!

And your love for me was deeper

Than the love of women!

27 The mighty ones have fallen,

Stripped of their weapons, and dead.

David then asked the Lord, “Shall I move back to Judah?”

And the Lord replied, “Yes.”

“Which city shall I go to?”

And the Lord replied, “Hebron.”

So David and his wives—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel— and his men and their families all moved to Hebron. Then the leaders of Judah came to David and crowned him king of the Judean confederacy.

When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul, he sent them this message: “May the Lord bless you for being so loyal to your king and giving him a decent burial. May the Lord be loyal to you in return and reward you with many demonstrations of his love! And I too will be kind to you because of what you have done. And now I ask you to be my strong and loyal subjects, now that Saul is dead. Be like the tribe of Judah who have appointed me as their new king.”

But Abner, Saul’s commander-in-chief, had gone to Mahanaim to crown Saul’s son Ish-bosheth as king. His territory included Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, the tribe of Benjamin, and all the rest of Israel. 10-11 Ish-bosheth was forty years old at the time. He reigned in Mahanaim for two years; meanwhile, David was reigning in Hebron and was king of the Judean confederacy for seven and a half years.

John 12:20-50

20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to attend the Passover 21 paid a visit to Philip,[a] who was from Bethsaida, and said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.

23-24 Jesus replied that the time had come for him to return to his glory in heaven, and that “I must fall and die like a kernel of wheat that falls into the furrows of the earth. Unless I die I will be alone—a single seed. But my death will produce many new wheat kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 If you love your life down here—you will lose it. If you despise your life down here—you will exchange it for eternal glory.

26 “If these Greeks[b] want to be my disciples, tell them to come and follow me, for my servants must be where I am. And if they follow me, the Father will honor them. 27 Now my soul is deeply troubled. Shall I pray, ‘Father, save me from what lies ahead’? But that is the very reason why I came! 28 Father, bring glory and honor to your name.”

Then a voice spoke from heaven saying, “I have already done this, and I will do it again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some of them thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.

30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 The time of judgment for the world has come—and the time when Satan,[c] the prince of this world, shall be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up on the cross,[d] I will draw everyone to me.” 33 He said this to indicate how he was going to die.

34 “Die?” asked the crowd. “We understood that the Messiah would live forever and never die. Why are you saying he will die? What Messiah are you talking about?”

35 Jesus replied, “My light will shine out for you just a little while longer. Walk in it while you can, and go where you want to go before the darkness falls, for then it will be too late for you to find your way. 36 Make use of the Light while there is still time; then you will become light bearers.”[e]

After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.

37 But despite all the miracles he had done, most of the people would not believe he was the Messiah. 38 This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: “Lord, who will believe us? Who will accept God’s mighty miracles as proof?”[f] 39 But they couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said: 40 “God[g] has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they can neither see nor understand nor turn to me to heal them.” 41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he made this prediction, for he had seen a vision of the Messiah’s glory.

42 However, even many of the Jewish leaders believed him to be the Messiah but wouldn’t admit it to anyone because of their fear that the Pharisees would excommunicate them from the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are really trusting God. 45 For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer wander in the darkness. 47 If anyone hears me and doesn’t obey me, I am not his judge—for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. 48 But all who reject me and my message will be judged at the Day of Judgment by the truths I have spoken. 49 For these are not my own ideas, but I have told you what the Father said to tell you. 50 And I know his instructions lead to eternal life; so whatever he tells me to say, I say!”

Psalm 118:19-29

19 Open the gates of the Temple[a]—I will go in and give him my thanks. 20 Those gates are the way into the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there. 21 O Lord, thank you so much for answering my prayer and saving me.

22 The stone rejected by the builders has now become the capstone of the arch![b] 23 This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous to see! 24 This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 O Lord, please help us. Save us. Give us success. 26 Blessed is the one who is coming, the one sent by the Lord.[c] We bless you from the Temple.

27-28 Jehovah God is our light. I present to him my sacrifice upon the altar, for you are my God, and I shall give you this thanks and this praise. 29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is so good! For his loving-kindness is forever.

Proverbs 15:27-28

27 Dishonest money brings grief to all the family, but hating bribes brings happiness.[a]

28 A good man thinks before he speaks; the evil man pours out his evil words without a thought.

Living Bible (TLB)

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.