The Daily Audio Bible
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19 Also after this, Nahash, the king of the children of Ammon, died. And his son reigned in his place.
2 And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” And David sent messengers to comfort him for his father. So, the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon, to Hanun, to comfort him.
3 And the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, “Did you think that David honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you to search, to seek and to spy out the land?”
4 Therefore, Hanun took David’s servants and shaved them and cut their garments in half to the buttocks and sent them away.
5 And some went and told David about the men. And he sent to meet them (for the men were very ashamed). And the king said, “Remain in Jericho until your beards have grown. Then return.”
6 When the children of Ammon saw that they stank in the sight of David, they sent Hanun and the children of Ammon a thousand talents of silver, to hire chariots and horsemen for themselves out of Aram Naharaim, and out of Aram Maacah, and out of Zobah.
7 And they hired thirty-two thousand chariots for themselves and the king of Maacah and his people, who had come and camped before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to the battle.
8 And when David heard it, he sent Joab and the whole army of the valiant men.
9 And the children of Ammon came out and set themselves in battle formation at the gate of the city. And the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.
10 When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him, in front and behind, he chose from all the choice of Israel and set himself in formation to meet the Aramites.
11 And he delivered the rest of the people into the hand of Abishai, his brother. And they put themselves in formation against the children of Ammon.
12 And he said, “If Aram is too strong for me, then you shall help me. And if the children of Ammon prevail against you, then I will help you.
13 “Be strong! And let us show ourselves valiant for our people, and for the cities of our God! And let the LORD do that which is good in His own sight.”
14 So Joab and the people who were with him came near the Aramites, to do battle. And they fled before him.
15 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Aramites fled, they also fled before Abishai, his brother, and entered into the city. So, Joab came to Jerusalem.
16 And when the Aramites saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and caused the Aramites who were beyond the river to come forth. And Shophach, the captain of the army of Hadadezer, went before them.
17 And when it was told to David, he gathered all Israel and went over Jordan and came to them and put himself in formation against them. And when David had put himself in battle formation to meet the Aramites, they fought with him.
18 But the Aramites fled before Israel. And David destroyed seven thousand chariots and forty thousand footmen of the Aramites and killed Shophach, the captain of the army.
19 And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they fell before Israel, they made peace with David, and served him. And the Aramites would no longer help the children of Ammon.
20 And after the year had expired, in the time that kings go out to battle, Joab carried out the strength of the army and destroyed the country of the children of Ammon and came and besieged Rabbah (though David remained in Jerusalem). And Joab struck Rabbah and destroyed it.
2 Then David took the crown of their king from off his head and found it to be the weight of a talent of gold, with precious stones in it. And it was set on David’s head. And he brought away a large amount of plunder from the city.
3 And he carried away the people who were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. David did so with all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people came back to Jerusalem.
4 And also after this, there arose war with the Philistines at Gezer. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai, of the children of Haraphah, and they were subdued.
5 And there was yet another battle with the Philistines. And Elhanan, the son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.
6 And yet again, there was a battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature. And he had six fingers and toes (twenty-four in all), and was also the son of Haraphah.
7 And when he reviled Israel, Jonathan, the son of Shimea, David’s brother killed him.
8 These were born to Haraphah at Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hands of his servants.
21 And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to count Israel.
2 Therefore, David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, “Go. Count Israel from Beersheba to Dan and bring it to me, so that I may know the number of them.”
3 And Joab answered, “May the LORD increase His people a hundred times as many as they are, O my lord the king! But, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of offense to Israel?”
4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. And Joab departed and went through all Israel and returned to Jerusalem.
5 And Joab gave the number and sum of the people to David. And all Israel numbered one million one hundred thousand men who drew sword. And Judah numbered four hundred seventy thousand men who drew sword.
6 But he did not count the Levites and Benjamin among them; for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.
7 And God was displeased with this thing. Therefore, He struck Israel.
8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing. But now, I pray, remove the iniquity of Your servant. For I have acted very foolishly.”
9 And the LORD spoke to Gad, David’s Seer, saying,
10 “Go and tell David, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I offer you three things. Choose one of them, so that I may do it for you.”’”
11 So Gad came to David, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Take for yourself
12 ‘either three years of famine or three months to be destroyed before your adversaries with the sword of your enemies taking you, or else the sword of the LORD and pestilence for three days in the land, so that the Angel of the LORD may destroy throughout all the territories of Israel.’ Now, therefore, consider what word I shall bring back to Him who sent me.”
13 And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me now fall into the hand of the LORD. For His mercies are exceedingly great. And let me not fall into the hand of man.”
14 So, the LORD sent a pestilence in Israel. And seventy thousand men of Israel fell.
15 And God sent the Angel into Jerusalem, to destroy it. And as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and relented of the misery, and said to the Angel that destroyed, “It is enough now. Let your hand cease.” Then the Angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 And David lifted up his eyes and saw the Angel of the LORD stand between the Earth and the sky, with his sword drawn in his hand and stretched out toward Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
17 And David said to God, “Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Is it not also I who has sinned and has committed evil” But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, I pray, let Your Hand be on me and on my father’s House, and not on Your people, to their destruction.”
18 Then the Angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and set up an Altar to the LORD in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 So David went up according to the saying of Gad which he had spoken in the Name of the LORD.
20 And Ornan turned around and saw the Angel. And his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan threshed wheat.
21 And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out of the threshing floor and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
22 And David said to Ornan, “Give me the space of your threshing floor, so that I may build an Altar in it to the LORD. Give it to me for sufficient money, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”
23 Then Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself. And let my lord the king do that which seems good to him. Lo, I give you oxen for Burnt Offerings and threshing instruments for wood and wheat for Meat Offering. I give it all.”
24 And King David said to Ornan, “Not so. But I will buy it for sufficient money. For I will not take that which is yours for the LORD, nor offer Burnt Offerings without cost.”
25 So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for that place.
26 And David built an Altar to the LORD there and offered Burnt Offerings, and Peace Offerings and called upon the LORD. And He answered him by fire from Heaven, upon the Altar of Burnt Offering.
27 And after the LORD had spoken to the Angel, he put away his sword, back into its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that the LORD had heard him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
29 But the Tabernacle of the LORD which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the Altar of Burnt Offering, were in the high place at Gibeon at that time.
30 And David could not go before it to ask counsel at God. For he was afraid of the sword of the Angel of the LORD.
25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the Law. But if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision is made uncircumcision.
26 Therefore, if the uncircumcised keep the ordinances of the Law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?
27 And shall not the naturally uncircumcised (if he keeps the Law) condemn those who, being under the letter and circumcision, are transgressors of the Law?
28 For no one is a Jew outwardly. Nor is circumcision outward, in the flesh.
29 But he is a Jew who is one within. And circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit (not in the letter) whose praise is not from man, but from God.
3 What, then, is the advantage of the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?
2 Much in every way! Firstly, because indeed the oracles of God were entrusted to them.
3 For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4 Absolutely not! Indeed, let God be true, and every man a liar! As it is written, “That you might be justified in your words, and overcome when you are judged.”
5 Now, if our unrighteousness exhibits the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous in punishing? (I speak as a man.)
6 Absolutely not! Or else, how shall God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God has abounded more through my lie, unto His Glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?
8 Rather, why not say (as we are slanderously accused of saying, and as some affirm that we say) “Let us do evil, that good may come?” Their damnation is just.
11 In the LORD I put my trust. How, then, can you say to my soul, “Flee to your mountain as a bird”?
2 For lo, the wicked bend their bow and make ready their arrows upon the string, so that they may secretly shoot at those who are upright in heart.
3 For if the foundations are cast down, what can the righteous do?
4 The LORD is in His Holy palace. The LORD’s throne is in the sky. His eyes behold. His eyelids try the children of men.
5 The LORD will try the righteous. But the wicked, and he who loves iniquity, His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and stormy tempest. This is the portion of their cup.
7 For the righteous LORD loves righteousness. His face beholds the just. To him who excels upon the eight tune: A Psalm of David.
10 Pleasure is not fitting for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
11 The discretion of man defers his anger. And his glory is to overlook an offense.
12 The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion. But his favor is like the dew upon the grass.
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