The Daily Audio Bible
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14 ¶ So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land had rest ten years.
2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God,
3 for he took away the altars of the strange gods and the high places and broke down the images and cut down the groves
4 and commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and they fulfilled the law and the commandments.
5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images, and the kingdom had rest before him.
6 And he built fenced cities in Judah, for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years because the LORD had given him rest.
7 Therefore, he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities and make about them walls and towers, gates, and bars, now that the land is ours; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side. So they built and were prospered.
8 And Asa had an army of men that bore shields and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and eighty thousand; all these were mighty men of valour.
9 ¶ And there came out against them Zerah, the Ethiopian, with a host of a thousand thousand and three hundred chariots and came unto Mareshah.
10 Then Asa went out against him, and they ordered the battle in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with those that have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; do not let man prevail against thee.
12 So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar, and the Ethiopians were overthrown until there were none left alive, for they were destroyed before the LORD and before his host, and they carried away very much spoil.
14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came upon them; and they spoiled all the cities, for there was exceeding much spoil in them.
15 They smote also the booths of livestock and carried away sheep and camels in abundance and returned to Jerusalem.
15 ¶ And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Oded;
2 and he went out to meet Asa and said unto him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 For many days Israel has been without the true God, and without a priest and without a teacher and without law,
4 but when they in their trouble turned unto the LORD God of Israel and sought him, he was found of them.
5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great destruction upon all the inhabitants of the lands.
6 And one Gentile destroyed the other, and one city the other; for God discomforted them with all adversity.
7 Be ye strong, therefore, and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.
8 ¶ And when Asa heard the words and prophecy of Oded, the prophet, he was comforted and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin and out of the cities which he had taken in Mount Ephraim and repaired the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.
9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon, for many of Israel had gone over to him, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And they offered unto the LORD the same day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 that whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 And they swore unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting and with trumpets and with shofar.
15 And all those of Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them; and the LORD gave them rest round about.
16 And also concerning Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa cut down her idol and stamped it and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
17 But with all this the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless, the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated, silver and gold and vessels.
19 And there was no more war until the year thirty-five of the reign of Asa.
16 ¶ In the year thirty-six of the reign of Asa, Baasha, king of Israel, came up against Judah and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let no one go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah.
2 Then Asa brought out the silver and the gold out of the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent unto Benhadad, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,
3 There is a covenant between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father; behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha, king of Israel, that he may depart from me.
4 And Benhadad hearkened unto King Asa and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they smote Ijon and Dan and Abelmaim and all the store cities of Naphtali.
5 And when Baasha heard it, he left off building of Ramah and let his work cease.
6 Then Asa, the king, took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timber thereof, with which Baasha was building, and he built Geba and Mizpah with it.
7 ¶ And at that time Hanani, the seer, came to Asa, king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore, the host of the king of Syria has escaped out of thy hands.
8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thy hand.
9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly, for from now on thou shalt have wars.
10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer and put him in the prison house, for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa killed some of the people at the same time.
11 And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12 And Asa in the year thirty-nine of his reign was diseased from his feet up; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers and died in the year forty-one of his reign.
14 And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and aromas prepared by the apothecaries’ art; and they made a very great burning for him.
9 ¶ I say the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and continual pain in my heart.
3 For I could wish that myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren, those who are my kinsmen according to the flesh,
4 who are Israelites, to whom pertains the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises,
5 whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh is the Christ, who is God over all things, blessed for all the ages. Amen.
6 ¶ Not as though the word of God has been deficient. For not all the descendants of Israel are Israelites;
7 neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are all sons, but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8 That is, Those who are sons of the flesh, these are not the sons of God; but those who are sons of the promise are counted in the generation.
9 For the word of the promise is this, At this time I will come, and Sara shall have a son.
10 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac
11 (for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand: not of works, but of him that calls),
12 it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 ¶ What shall we say then? Is there injustice in God? No, in no wise.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that has mercy.
17 For the scripture saith of Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore he has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and he hardens whom he will.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why does he become angry? For who shall resist his will?
20 Rather, O man, who art thou to reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Has not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much meekness the vessels of wrath, prepared for death,
23 and making known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared unto glory?
24 Even us, whom he has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles!
To the Overcomer, A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows the work of his hands.
2 One day provides a word for the next day, and one night declares wisdom unto the next night.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoices as a strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heavens, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7 ¶ The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the rights of the LORD are true, they are all just.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy slave warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy slave also from pride and arrogance; let them not have dominion over me; then I shall be perfect, and I shall be innocent of the great rebellion.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
20 ¶ Wine makes a mocker, and beer a reveler, and whoever errs concerning them shall never be wise.
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