The Daily Audio Bible
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24 Joab’s brother Asahel was among the thirty. Then there was Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, 27 Abiezer the Anathothite, and Mebunnai the Hushathite. 28 There was Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, 29 Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, and Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin. 30 There was Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the rivers of Gaash, 31 Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, and Jonathan. 33 There was Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite, 34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel of Gilo, 35 Hezro the Carmelite, and Paarai the Arbite. 36 There was Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the one who carried the battle clothes of Joab the son of Zeruiah. 38 And there was Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.
David Numbers Israel and Judah
24 Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. He moved David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab the captain of the army who was with him, “Go through all the families of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba. Number the people, so I may know how many there are.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are. And may it be while the eyes of my lord the king still see. But why does my lord the king find this thing pleasing?” 4 But the king’s word was stronger than Joab and the captains of the army. So Joab and the army leaders went out from the king to number the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and stopped at Aroer, on the south side of the city in the center of the valley of Gad. And they went on to Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi. They came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. 7 They came to the strong place of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. And they went out to the south of Judah, to Beersheba. 8 When they had gone through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem. They had traveled nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the number of the people to the king. There were 800,000 strong men in Israel who used the sword, and 500,000 men of Judah.
David’s Sin
10 David’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So he said to the Lord, “I have sinned. But now I beg you, O Lord. Take away the sin of Your servant, for I have acted like a fool.” 11 When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to Gad, the one who spoke for God to David. The Lord said, 12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I give you three things to choose from. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.”’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said, “Will you have seven years without food in your land? Or will you run from those who hate you for three months, while they come after you? Or will there be disease in your land for three days? Now think about it. Decide what answer I should return to Him Who sent me.” 14 David said to Gad, “I am in much trouble. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His loving-kindness is great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
15 So the Lord sent a disease upon Israel from the morning until the time given. And 70,000 men died, from Dan to Beersheba. 16 The angel put out his hand to destroy Jerusalem. But the Lord had pity on them because of their trouble. He said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Do no more!” The angel of the Lord was by the grain-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 When David saw the angel who was killing the people, he said to the Lord, “See, it is I who have sinned. It is I who have done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? I beg You, let Your hand be against me and my father’s family.”
18 Then Gad came to David and said, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the grain-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at Gad’s word, just as the Lord had told him. 20 Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him. And he went out and put his face to the ground in front of the king. 21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David answered, “To buy the grain-floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord. Then the disease may be kept away from the people.” 22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever is good in his eyes, and make a gift of it. Look, there are the bulls for the burnt gift. The tools for cleaning the grain, and the cross-pieces the bulls wear to pull loads, can be used for the wood. 23 Araunah gives all this to the king.” And Araunah said, “May the Lord your God be pleased with your gift.” 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, I will buy it from you for a price. I will not give burnt gifts to the Lord my God which I do not pay for.” So David bought the grain-floor and the bulls for fifty pieces of silver. 25 And David built an altar there to the Lord. He gave burnt gifts and peace gifts. So the Lord listened to the prayers for the land, and stopped the disease in Israel.
Peter and John Heal a Man at the Gate of the House of God
3 Peter and John were going to the house of God about three o’clock. It was the time for prayer. 2 Each day a certain man was carried to the Beautiful Gate of the house of God. This man had never been able to walk. He was there begging for money from those who were going in. 3 He asked Peter and John for money when he saw them going in. 4 Peter and John looked at him. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The man who could not walk looked at them. He thought he would get something from them. 6 Peter said, “I have no money, but what I have I will give you! In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” 7 Peter took the man by the right hand and lifted him up. At once his feet and the bones in his legs became strong. 8 He jumped up on his feet and walked. Then he went into the house of God with them. He gave thanks to God as he walked.
9 All the people saw him walking and giving thanks to God. 10 They knew it was the man who had been sitting and begging at the Beautiful Gate. They were surprised he was walking. 11 The man who was healed held on to Peter and John. All the people who were surprised gathered together around them in a place called Solomon’s Porch.
Peter Preaches the Second Time
12 When Peter saw this, he said to them, “Jewish men, why are you surprised at this? Why do you look at us as if we had made this man walk by our own power or holy lives? 13 The God of our fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, has done this. He has honored His Son Jesus. He is the One you handed over to Pilate. You turned your backs on Him after Pilate had decided to let Him go free. 14 But you turned your backs against the Holy and Right One. Then you asked for a man who had killed someone to go free. 15 You killed the very One Who made all life. But God raised Him from the dead. We saw Him alive. 16 You see and know this man here. He has been made strong through faith in Jesus’ name. Yes, it is faith in Christ that has made this man well and strong. This man is standing here in front of you all.
17 “Brothers, I know you and your leaders did this without knowing what you were doing. 18 In this way, God did what He said He would do through all the early preachers. He said that Christ must suffer many hard things. 19 But you must be sorry for your sins and turn from them. You must turn to God and have your sins taken away. Then many times your soul will receive new strength from the Lord. 20 He will send Jesus back to the world. He is the Christ Who long ago was chosen for you. 21 But for awhile He must stay in heaven until the time when all things are made right. God said these things would happen through His holy early preachers.
22 “Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up from among your brothers One Who speaks for God, as He raised me. You must listen to everything He says. 23 Everyone among the people who will not listen to that One Who speaks for God will be put to death.’ (A) 24 All the early preachers who have spoken from Samuel until now have told of these days. 25 You are of the family of the early preachers and of the promise that God made with our early fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘All the families of the earth will receive God’s favor through your children.’ 26 God has raised up His Son Jesus and has sent Him to you first to give God’s favor to each of you who will turn away from his sinful ways.”
A Prayer for the Lord’s Help
123 I lift up my eyes to You, O You Whose throne is in the heavens. 2 See, the eyes of servants look to the hand of their owner. The eyes of a woman servant look to the hand of her owner. So our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He shows us loving-kindness.
3 Show loving-kindness to us, O Lord. Show loving-kindness to us. For we have had our fill of hate. 4 The proud have laughed at us too long. We have had more than enough of their hate.
21 The wise in heart will be called understanding. And to speak in a pleasing way helps people know what you say is right.
22 Understanding is a well of life to him who has it, but to speak strong words to fools is of no use.
23 The heart of the wise has power over his mouth and adds learning to his lips.
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