The Daily Audio Bible
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David Is Kind to Mephibosheth
9 Then David said, “Is there anyone left of the family of Saul, to whom I may show kindness because of Jonathan?” 2 Now there was a servant in Saul’s house whose name was Ziba. They called him to David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 The king said, “Is there not still someone of the family of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who cannot walk because of his feet.” 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” Ziba answered the king, “See, he is in the family of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent men to bring him from the family of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 6 Mephibosheth the son of Saul’s son Jonathan came to David and fell on his face to the ground in respect. David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” 7 David said to him, “Do not be afraid. For I will be sure to show kindness to you because of your father Jonathan. I will return to you all the land of your grandfather Saul. And you will eat at my table always.” 8 Again Mephibosheth put his face to the ground and said, “Who am I? Why should you care for a dead dog like me?”
9 Then the king called Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your owner’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants will grow food on the land for him. You will bring in the food so your owner’s grandson may eat. But Mephibosheth your owner’s grandson will always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all that my lord the king tells your servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house were Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table. Both his feet had been hurt and he could not walk.
David Wins over the Ammonites and Syrians
10 After this the king of the Ammonites died. His son Hanun became king in his place. 2 Then David said, “I will show kindness to Nahash’s son Hanun, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent some of his servants to comfort him in the loss of his father. But when David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites, 3 the Ammonite leaders said to their lord Hanun, “Do you think that David is honoring your father because he sent men to comfort you? Has he not sent his servants to you so they can spy out the city and destroy it?” 4 So Hanun took David’s servants and cut off half the hair from their faces. Then he cut off half their clothing, almost up to the belt, and sent them away. 5 When David heard about it, he sent men to meet them, for they were very ashamed. The king said, “Stay at Jericho until the hair grows again on your faces. Then return.”
6 Now when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become hated by David, they paid for the help of the Syrians of Beth-rehob and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers. And they paid for the help of the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and 12,000 men of Tob. 7 When David heard about it, he sent Joab and all the army of the powerful men. 8 The sons of Ammon came to the city gate and got ready for battle. And the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the field.
9 Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and behind him. So he chose all the best men of Israel and dressed them for battle against the Syrians. 10 He put the rest of the people under the rule of his brother Abishai. He dressed them for battle against the sons of Ammon. 11 Joab said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then help me. But if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12 Be strong. Let us show ourselves to have strength of heart because of our people and the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His eyes.” 13 So Joab and the people who were with him came near to battle against the Syrians, and they ran away from him. 14 When the sons of Ammon saw that the Syrians had run away, they ran away from Abishai and went into the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the sons of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.
15 When the Syrians saw that they had lost the battle against Israel, they gathered together. 16 Hadadezer sent men and brought out the Syrians who were on the other side of the Euphrates River, and they came to Helam. They were led by Shobach, the captain of Hadadezer’s army. 17 When it was told to David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Syrians dressed themselves for battle against David, and fought against him. 18 But the Syrians ran away from Israel. David killed 700 drivers of the Syrian war-wagons, and 40,000 horsemen. He killed Shobach, the captain of their army, who died there. 19 When all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had lost the battle against Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. The Syrians were afraid to help the sons of Ammon any more.
David and Bathsheba
11 The spring of the year was the time when kings went out to battle. At that time David sent Joab and his servants and all Israel. They destroyed the sons of Ammon and gathered the army around Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.
2 When evening came David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house. From the roof he saw a woman washing herself. The woman was very beautiful. 3 So David sent someone to ask about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Eliam’s daughter Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 David sent men and took her. When she came to him, he lay with her. After she had made herself clean again, she returned to her house. 5 She was going to have a baby, so she sent someone to tell David, “I am going to have a baby.”
6 Then David sent men to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the people were doing, and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and wash your feet.” And Uriah left the king’s house, and a gift from the king was sent to him. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David that Uriah did not go down to his house, David said to Uriah, “Have you not returned from traveling a long way? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The special box of the Lord, and Israel and Judah, are staying in tents. My lord Joab and the servants of my lord are staying in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also. Tomorrow I will let you go.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 David called him, and he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. In the evening Uriah went out to lie on his bed with his lord’s servants. He did not go down to his house.
14 In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by Uriah. 15 He had written in the letter, “Put Uriah in the front of the hardest battle and come away from him, so that he may be killed.” 16 So while Joab was watching the city, he sent Uriah to the place where he knew there were soldiers with strength of heart. 17 The men of the city went out and fought against Joab. Some of David’s servants were killed. And Uriah the Hittite died also. 18 Then Joab sent a man with news to David to tell him all about the war. 19 Joab told the man, “When you have finished telling the king all about the war, 20 the king might become angry. He might say to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw a grinding stone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ Then you should say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”
22 So the man left and came to David. He told him all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The man said to David, “The men were winning the fight against us. They came out against us in the field. But we drove them back as far as the city gate. 24 Then they shot arrows at your servants from the wall. So some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” 25 Then David said to the man, “Tell Joab, ‘Do not let this thing trouble you. For the sword kills one as well as another. Make your battle against the city stronger and destroy it.’ Comfort him with these words.”
26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she was filled with sorrow for him. 27 When the time of sorrow was finished, David sent men and brought her to his house. She became his wife, and gave birth to his son. But what David had done was sinful in the eyes of the Lord.
The Vine and the Branches
15 “I am the true Vine. My Father is the One Who cares for the Vine. 2 He takes away any branch in Me that does not give fruit. Any branch that gives fruit, He cuts it back so it will give more fruit. 3 You are made clean by the words I have spoken to you. 4 Get your life from Me and I will live in you. No branch can give fruit by itself. It has to get life from the vine. You are able to give fruit only when you have life from Me. 5 I am the Vine and you are the branches. Get your life from Me. Then I will live in you and you will give much fruit. You can do nothing without Me.
6 “If anyone does not get his life from Me, he is cut off like a branch and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you get your life from Me and My Words live in you, ask whatever you want. It will be done for you.
8 “When you give much fruit, My Father is honored. This shows you are My followers. 9 I have loved you just as My Father has loved Me. Stay in My love. 10 If you obey My teaching, you will live in My love. In this way, I have obeyed My Father’s teaching and live in His love. 11 I have told you these things so My joy may be in you and your joy may be full.
The Christian with Other Christians
12 “This is what I tell you to do: Love each other just as I have loved you. 13 No one can have greater love than to give his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I tell you. 15 I do not call you servants that I own anymore. A servant does not know what his owner is doing. I call you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from My Father. 16 You have not chosen Me, I have chosen you. I have set you apart for the work of bringing in fruit. Your fruit should last. And whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you.
The Christian and the World
17 “This is what I tell you to do: Love each other. 18 If the world hates you, you know it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. You do not belong to the world. I have chosen you out of the world and the world hates you. 20 Remember I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his owner.’ If they made it very hard for Me, they will make it very hard for you also. If they obeyed My teachings, they will obey your teachings also. 21 They will do all these things to you because you belong to Me. They do not know My Father Who sent Me.
22 “I have come and have spoken to them so they are guilty of sin. But now they have no reason to give for keeping their sin any longer. 23 Whoever hates Me, hates My Father also. 24 I have done things among them which no one else has done so they are guilty of sin. But now they have seen these things and have hated Me and My Father. 25 This happened as their Law said it would happen, ‘They hated Me without a reason.’
26 “The Helper (Holy Spirit) will tell about Me when He comes. I will send Him to you from the Father. He is the Spirit of Truth and comes from the Father. 27 You will also tell of Me because you have been with Me from the beginning.
49 Remember Your Word to Your servant, for You have given me hope. 50 Your Word has given me new life. This is my comfort in my suffering. 51 The proud always laugh at me, but I do not turn away from Your Law. 52 I have remembered Your Law from a long time ago, O Lord, and I am comforted. 53 Burning anger comes upon me because of the sinful who turn away from Your Law. 54 Your Laws are my songs in whatever house I stay. 55 I remember Your name in the night, O Lord, and I have kept Your Law. 56 It has become my way to obey Your Law.
57 The Lord is my share. I have promised to obey Your Word. 58 I begged for Your favor with all my heart. Show me Your love because of Your Word. 59 I thought about my ways and turned my steps to Your Law. 60 I hurried and did not wait to obey Your Law. 61 The ropes of the sinful are all around me, but I have not forgotten Your Law. 62 I will rise late in the night to give thanks to You because Your Law is right and good. 63 I am a friend to all who fear You and of those who keep Your Law. 64 The earth is full of Your loving-kindness, O Lord. Teach me Your Law.
16 The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the thoughts of the heart.
3 Trust your work to the Lord, and your plans will work out well.
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