Daily Bible Reading - Antioch Centre for the Nations

June 19 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:1 Kings 12:12-13:34Psalm 73:21-28Proverbs 16:3-4John 19:25-42 1 Kings 12:12-13:34Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.”&nbsp;13&nbsp;The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders,&nbsp;14&nbsp;he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged&nbsp;you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”&nbsp;15&nbsp;So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;to fulfill the word the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah&nbsp;the Shilonite.16&nbsp;When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What share&nbsp;do we have in David,&nbsp;what part in Jesse’s son? To your tents, O Israel!&nbsp;Look after your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home.&nbsp;17&nbsp;But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah,&nbsp;Rehoboam still ruled over them. 18&nbsp;King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death.&nbsp;King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem.&nbsp;19&nbsp;So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David&nbsp;to this day. 20&nbsp;When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David. 21&nbsp;When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men—to make war&nbsp;against the house of Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.22&nbsp;But this word of God came to Shemaiah&nbsp;the man of God:&nbsp;23&nbsp;“Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people,&nbsp;24&nbsp;‘This is what the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and went home again, as the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had ordered.Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan25&nbsp;Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem&nbsp;in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel. 26&nbsp;Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David.&nbsp;27&nbsp;If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;in Jerusalem,&nbsp;they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”28&nbsp;After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves.&nbsp;He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”&nbsp;29&nbsp;One he set up in Bethel,&nbsp;and the other in Dan.&nbsp;30&nbsp;And this thing became a sin;&nbsp;the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there. 31&nbsp;Jeroboam built shrines&nbsp;on high places and appointed priests&nbsp;from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites.&nbsp;32&nbsp;He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth&nbsp;month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made.&nbsp;33&nbsp;On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel.&nbsp;So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings. 1 Kings 13The Man of God From JudahBy the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;a man of God&nbsp;came from Judah to Bethel,&nbsp;as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering.&nbsp;2&nbsp;He cried out against the altar by the word of the&nbsp;Lord: “O altar, altar! This is what the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;says: ‘A son named Josiah&nbsp;will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places&nbsp;who now make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’”&nbsp;3&nbsp;That same day the man of God gave a sign:&nbsp;“This is the sign the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.”4&nbsp;When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back.&nbsp;5&nbsp;Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the&nbsp;Lord.6&nbsp;Then the king said to the man of God, “Intercede&nbsp;with the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before. 7&nbsp;The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift.” 8&nbsp;But the man of God answered the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions,&nbsp;I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here.&nbsp;9&nbsp;For I was commanded by the word of the&nbsp;Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’”&nbsp;10&nbsp;So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.11&nbsp;Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to the king.&nbsp;12&nbsp;Their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him which road the man of God from Judah had taken.&nbsp;13&nbsp;So he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it&nbsp;14&nbsp;and rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” “I am,” he replied.15&nbsp;So the prophet said to him, “Come home with me and eat.”16&nbsp;The man of God said, “I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread&nbsp;or drink water with you in this place.&nbsp;17&nbsp;I have been told by the word of the&nbsp;Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’” 18&nbsp;The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the&nbsp;Lord:&nbsp;‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying&nbsp;to him.)&nbsp;19&nbsp;So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.20&nbsp;While they were sitting at the table, the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;came to the old prophet who had brought him back.&nbsp;21&nbsp;He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;says: ‘You have defied&nbsp;the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and have not kept the command the&nbsp;Lord your God gave you.&nbsp;22&nbsp;You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers.’”23&nbsp;When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him.&nbsp;24&nbsp;As he went on his way, a lion&nbsp;met him on the road and killed him, and his body was thrown down on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it.&nbsp;25&nbsp;Some people who passed by saw the body thrown down there, with the lion standing beside the body, and they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.26&nbsp;When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who defied&nbsp;the word of the&nbsp;Lord. The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has given him over to the lion, which has mauled him and killed him, as the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had warned him.”27&nbsp;The prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me,” and they did so.&nbsp;28&nbsp;Then he went out and found the body thrown down on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had neither eaten the body nor mauled the donkey.&nbsp;29&nbsp;So the prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him.&nbsp;30&nbsp;Then he laid the body in his own tomb,&nbsp;and they mourned over him and said, “Oh, my brother!”31&nbsp;After burying him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones&nbsp;beside his bones. 32&nbsp;For the message he declared by the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places&nbsp;in the towns of Samaria&nbsp;will certainly come true.”33&nbsp;Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways,&nbsp;but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts&nbsp;of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places.&nbsp;34&nbsp;This was the sin&nbsp;of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction&nbsp;from the face of the earth. —————————-Psalm 73:21-2821&nbsp;When my heart was grieve&nbsp;and my spirit embittered,22&nbsp;I was senseless&nbsp;and ignorant; I was a brute beast&nbsp;before you.23&nbsp;Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.&nbsp;24&nbsp;You guide&nbsp;me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.25&nbsp;Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.&nbsp;26&nbsp;My flesh and my heart&nbsp;may fail, but God is the strength&nbsp;of my heart and my portion&nbsp;forever.27&nbsp;Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful&nbsp;to you.28&nbsp;But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.————————-Proverbs 16:3-43&nbsp;Commit to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.4&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;works out everything for his own ends&nbsp;— even the wicked for a day of disaster.—————————John 19:25-42Near the cross&nbsp;of Jesus stood his mother,&nbsp;his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.&nbsp;26&nbsp;When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved&nbsp;standing nearby, he said to his mother,&nbsp;“Dear woman, here is your son,”&nbsp;27&nbsp;and to the disciple,&nbsp;“Here is your mother.”&nbsp;From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.The Death of Jesus28&nbsp;Later, knowing that all was now completed,&nbsp;and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled,&nbsp;Jesus said,&nbsp;“I am thirsty.”&nbsp;29&nbsp;A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.&nbsp;30&nbsp;When he had received the drink, Jesus said,&nbsp;“It is finished.”&nbsp;With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.31&nbsp;Now it was the day of Preparation,&nbsp;and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses&nbsp;during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.&nbsp;32&nbsp;The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.&nbsp;33&nbsp;But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.&nbsp;34&nbsp;Instead, one of the soldiers pierced&nbsp;Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.&nbsp;35&nbsp;The man who saw it&nbsp;has given testimony, and his testimony is true.&nbsp;He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.&nbsp;36&nbsp;These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled:&nbsp;“Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37&nbsp;and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”The Burial of Jesus38&nbsp;Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away.&nbsp;39&nbsp;He was accompanied by Nicodemus,&nbsp;the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40&nbsp;Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen.&nbsp;This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.&nbsp;41&nbsp;At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.&nbsp;42&nbsp;Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation&nbsp;and since the tomb was nearby,&nbsp;they laid Jesus there. 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June 18 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:1 Kings 11:1-12:11Psalm 73:13-20Proverbs 16:1-2John 19:5-24 1 Kings 11:1-12:11Solomon’s WivesKing Solomon, however, loved many foreign women&nbsp;besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites,&nbsp;Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.&nbsp;2&nbsp;They were from nations about which the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry&nbsp;with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.&nbsp;3&nbsp;He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines,&nbsp;and his wives led him astray.&nbsp;4&nbsp;As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods,and his heart was not fully devoted&nbsp;to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;his God, as the heart of David his father had been.&nbsp;5&nbsp;He followed Ashtoreth&nbsp;the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.&nbsp;6&nbsp;So Solomon did evil&nbsp;in the eyes of the&nbsp;Lord; he did not follow the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;completely, as David his father had done.7&nbsp;On a hill east&nbsp;of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh&nbsp;the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech&nbsp;the detestable god of the Ammonites.&nbsp;8&nbsp;He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.9&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;the God of Israel, who had appeared&nbsp;to him twice.&nbsp;10&nbsp;Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods,&nbsp;Solomon did not keep the&nbsp;Lord’s command.&nbsp;11&nbsp;So the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees,&nbsp;which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear&nbsp;the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.&nbsp;12&nbsp;Nevertheless, for the sake of David&nbsp;your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.&nbsp;13&nbsp;Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe&nbsp;for the sake&nbsp;of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”Solomon’s Adversaries14&nbsp;Then the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;raised up against Solomon an adversary,&nbsp;Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.&nbsp;15&nbsp;Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom.&nbsp;17&nbsp;But Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father.&nbsp;18&nbsp;They set out from Midian and went to Paran.&nbsp;Then taking men from Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.19&nbsp;Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage.&nbsp;20&nbsp;The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There Genubath lived with Pharaoh’s own children.21&nbsp;While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.”22&nbsp;“What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?” Pharaoh asked.“Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but do let me go!”23&nbsp;And God raised up against Solomon another adversary,&nbsp;Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer&nbsp;king of Zobah.&nbsp;24&nbsp;He gathered men around him and became the leader of a band of rebels when David destroyed the forces of Zobah; the rebels went to Damascus,&nbsp;where they settled and took control.&nbsp;25&nbsp;Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram&nbsp;and was hostile toward Israel.Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon26&nbsp;Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled&nbsp;against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.27&nbsp;Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the supporting terraces and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David his father. 28&nbsp;Now Jeroboam was a man of standing,&nbsp;and when Solomon saw how well&nbsp;the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.29&nbsp;About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah&nbsp;the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country,&nbsp;30&nbsp;and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore&nbsp;it into twelve pieces.&nbsp;31&nbsp;Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord,&nbsp;the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear&nbsp;the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes.&nbsp;32&nbsp;But for the sake&nbsp;of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe.&nbsp;33&nbsp;I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped&nbsp;Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molech the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked&nbsp;in my ways, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my statutes and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did.34&nbsp;“‘But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who observed my commands and statutes.&nbsp;35&nbsp;I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes.&nbsp;36&nbsp;I will give one tribe&nbsp;to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp&nbsp;before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name.&nbsp;37&nbsp;However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule&nbsp;over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel.&nbsp;38&nbsp;If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right&nbsp;in my eyes by keeping my statutes&nbsp;and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty&nbsp;as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.&nbsp;39&nbsp;I will humble David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’”40&nbsp;Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled&nbsp;to Egypt, to Shishak&nbsp;the king, and stayed there until Solomon’s death.Solomon’s Death41&nbsp;As for the other events of Solomon’s reign—all he did and the wisdom he displayed—are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon?&nbsp;42&nbsp;Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.&nbsp;43&nbsp;Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam&nbsp;his son succeeded him as king.1 Kings 12Israel Rebels Against RehoboamRehoboam went to Shechem,&nbsp;for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king.&nbsp;2&nbsp;When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled&nbsp;from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt.&nbsp;3&nbsp;So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:&nbsp;4&nbsp;“Your father put a heavy yoke&nbsp;on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”5&nbsp;Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away. 6&nbsp;Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders&nbsp;who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked.7&nbsp;They replied, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer,&nbsp;they will always be your servants.”8&nbsp;But Rehoboam rejected&nbsp;the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.&nbsp;9&nbsp;He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”10&nbsp;The young men who had grown up with him replied, “Tell these people who have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter’—tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.&nbsp;11&nbsp;My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’”—————————Psalm 73:13-2013&nbsp;Surely in vain&nbsp;have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.&nbsp;14&nbsp;All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.15&nbsp;If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children.16&nbsp;When I tried to understand&nbsp;all this, it was oppressive to me17&nbsp;till I entered the sanctuary&nbsp;of God; then I understood their final destiny.18&nbsp;Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.&nbsp;19&nbsp;How suddenly&nbsp;are they destroyed, completely swept away&nbsp;by terrors!20&nbsp;As a dream&nbsp;when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.————————-Proverbs 16:1-21 To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;comes the reply of the tongue.2&nbsp;All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed&nbsp;by the&nbsp;Lord.————————-John 19:5-24When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe,&nbsp;Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6&nbsp;As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him.&nbsp;As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”7&nbsp;The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die,&nbsp;because he claimed to be the Son of God.”8&nbsp;When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid,&nbsp;9&nbsp;and he went back inside the palace.&nbsp;“Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.&nbsp;10&nbsp;“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”11&nbsp;Jesus answered,&nbsp;“You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.&nbsp;Therefore the one who handed me over to you&nbsp;is guilty of a greater sin.” 12&nbsp;From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king&nbsp;opposes Caesar.”13&nbsp;When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat&nbsp;at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic&nbsp;is Gabbatha).&nbsp;14&nbsp;It was the day of Preparation&nbsp;of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.“Here is your king,”&nbsp;Pilate said to the Jews.15&nbsp;But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.16&nbsp;Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.The CrucifixionSo the soldiers took charge of Jesus.&nbsp;17&nbsp;Carrying his own cross,&nbsp;he went out to the place of the Skull&nbsp;(which in Aramaic&nbsp;is called Golgotha).&nbsp;18&nbsp;Here they crucified him, and with him two others&nbsp;—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.19&nbsp;Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:&nbsp;Jesus of Nazareth,&nbsp;the king of the Jews.&nbsp;20&nbsp;Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city,&nbsp;and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.&nbsp;21&nbsp;The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”22&nbsp;Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”23&nbsp;When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24&nbsp;“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled&nbsp;which said,“They divided my garments among them&nbsp;and cast lots for my clothing.”So this is what the soldiers did. 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June 17 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:1 Kings 9:1-10:29Psalm 73:7-12Proverbs 15:32-33John 18:25-19:4 1 Kings 9:1-10:29The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;Appears to SolomonWhen Solomon had finished&nbsp;building the temple of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do,&nbsp;2&nbsp;the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.&nbsp;3&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;said to him:“I have heard&nbsp;the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name&nbsp;there forever. My eyes&nbsp;and my heart will always be there.4&nbsp;“As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart&nbsp;and uprightness, as David&nbsp;your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws,&nbsp;5&nbsp;I will establish&nbsp;your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail&nbsp;to have a man on the throne of Israel.’6&nbsp;“But if you or your sons turn away&nbsp;from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods&nbsp;and worship them,&nbsp;7&nbsp;then I will cut off Israel from the land&nbsp;I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name.Israel will then become a byword&nbsp;and an object of ridicule&nbsp;among all peoples.&nbsp;8&nbsp;And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled&nbsp;and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’&nbsp;9&nbsp;People will answer,&nbsp;‘Because they have forsaken&nbsp;the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;brought all this disaster&nbsp;on them.’”Solomon’s Other Activities10&nbsp;At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings—the temple of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and the royal palace—&nbsp;11&nbsp;King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and pine and gold&nbsp;he wanted.&nbsp;12&nbsp;But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them.&nbsp;13&nbsp;“What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?” he asked. And he called them the Land of Cabul, a name they have to this day.&nbsp;14&nbsp;Now Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.15&nbsp;Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted&nbsp;to build the&nbsp;Lord’s temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor,&nbsp;Megiddo and Gezer.&nbsp;16&nbsp;(Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter,&nbsp;Solomon’s wife.&nbsp;17&nbsp;And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon,&nbsp;18&nbsp;Baalath,&nbsp;and Tadmor in the desert, within his land,&nbsp;19&nbsp;as well as all his store cities&nbsp;and the towns for his chariots&nbsp;and for his horses—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.20&nbsp;All the people left from the Amorites, Hittites,&nbsp;Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites&nbsp;(these peoples were not Israelites),&nbsp;21&nbsp;that is, their descendants remaining in the land, whom the Israelites could not exterminate—these Solomon conscripted for his slave labor force,&nbsp;as it is to this day.&nbsp;22&nbsp;But Solomon did not make slaves&nbsp;of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers.&nbsp;23&nbsp;They were also the chief officials&nbsp;in charge of Solomon’s projects—550 officials supervising the men who did the work.24&nbsp;After Pharaoh’s daughter&nbsp;had come up from the City of David to the palace Solomon had built for her, he constructed the supporting terraces. 25&nbsp;Three&nbsp;times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;burning incense before the Lord&nbsp;along with them, and so fulfilled the temple obligations.26&nbsp;King Solomon also built ships&nbsp;at Ezion Geber,&nbsp;which is near Elath&nbsp;in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. 27&nbsp;And Hiram sent his men—sailors who knew the sea—to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s men.&nbsp;28&nbsp;They sailed to Ophir&nbsp;and brought back 420 talents of gold,&nbsp;which they delivered to King Solomon.1 Kings 10 The Queen of Sheba Visits SolomonWhen the queen of Sheba&nbsp;heard about the fame&nbsp;of Solomon and his relation to the name of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;she came to test him with hard questions.&nbsp;2&nbsp;Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan&nbsp;—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her.&nbsp;4&nbsp;When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built,&nbsp;5&nbsp;the food on his table,&nbsp;the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;she was overwhelmed.6&nbsp;She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.&nbsp;7&nbsp;But I did not believe&nbsp;these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth&nbsp;you have far exceeded the report I heard.&nbsp;8&nbsp;How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear&nbsp;your wisdom!&nbsp;9&nbsp;Praise&nbsp;be to the&nbsp;Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the&nbsp;Lord’s eternal love&nbsp;for Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice&nbsp;and righteousness.”10&nbsp;And she gave the king 120 talents of gold,&nbsp;large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11&nbsp;(Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir;&nbsp;and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones.&nbsp;12&nbsp;The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.) 13&nbsp;King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.Solomon’s Splendor14&nbsp;The weight of the gold&nbsp;that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, 15&nbsp;not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.16&nbsp;King Solomon made two hundred large shields&nbsp;of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of gold went into each shield.&nbsp;17&nbsp;He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.18&nbsp;Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold.&nbsp;19&nbsp;The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them.&nbsp;20&nbsp;Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.&nbsp;21&nbsp;All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.&nbsp;Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days.&nbsp;22&nbsp;The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships&nbsp;of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.23&nbsp;King Solomon was greater in riches&nbsp;and wisdom&nbsp;than all the other kings of the earth.&nbsp;24&nbsp;The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom&nbsp;God had put in his heart.&nbsp;25&nbsp;Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift&nbsp;—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. 26&nbsp;Solomon accumulated chariots and horses;&nbsp;he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.&nbsp;27&nbsp;The king made silver as common&nbsp;in Jerusalem as stones,&nbsp;and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig&nbsp;trees in the foothills.&nbsp;28&nbsp;Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.&nbsp;29&nbsp;They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites&nbsp;and of the Arameans.———————Psalm 73:7-127&nbsp;From their callous hearts&nbsp;comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.8&nbsp;They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance&nbsp;they threaten oppression.&nbsp;9&nbsp;Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.10&nbsp;Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.11&nbsp;They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”12&nbsp;This is what the wicked are like— always carefree,&nbsp;they increase in wealth.—————————Proverbs 15:32-3332&nbsp;He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.33&nbsp;The fear of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.—————————John 18:25-19:4Peter’s Second and Third DenialsAs Simon Peter stood warming himself,&nbsp;he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?”He denied it, saying, “I am not.”26&nbsp;One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off,&nbsp;challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?”&nbsp;27&nbsp;Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.Jesus Before Pilate28&nbsp;Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor.&nbsp;By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace;&nbsp;they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.&nbsp;29&nbsp;So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”30&nbsp;“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”31&nbsp;Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”“But we have no right to execute anyone,” the Jews objected.&nbsp;32&nbsp;This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die&nbsp;would be fulfilled.33&nbsp;Pilate then went back inside the palace,&nbsp;summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34&nbsp;“Is that your own idea,”&nbsp;Jesus asked,&nbsp;“or did others talk to you about me?”35&nbsp;“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” 36&nbsp;Jesus said,&nbsp;“My kingdom&nbsp;is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.&nbsp;But now my kingdom is from another place.”37&nbsp;“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered,&nbsp;“You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”38&nbsp;“What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.&nbsp;39&nbsp;But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”40&nbsp;They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.John 19Jesus Sentenced to Be CrucifiedThen Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.&nbsp;2&nbsp;The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe&nbsp;3&nbsp;and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”&nbsp;And they struck him in the face.4&nbsp;Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing him out&nbsp;to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > THE AUDIO BIBLE

June 16 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:1 Kings 8:1-66Psalm 73:1-6Proverbs 15:30-31John 18:1-24 1 Kings 8:1-66The Ark Brought to the TempleThen King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs&nbsp;of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.&nbsp;2&nbsp;All the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival&nbsp;in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.3&nbsp;When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests&nbsp;took up the ark,&nbsp;4&nbsp;and they brought up the ark of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and the Tent of Meeting&nbsp;and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites&nbsp;carried them up,&nbsp;5&nbsp;and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing&nbsp;so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.6&nbsp;The priests then brought the ark of the&nbsp;Lord’s covenant&nbsp;to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place,&nbsp;and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.&nbsp;7&nbsp;The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed&nbsp;the ark and its carrying poles.&nbsp;8&nbsp;These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.&nbsp;9&nbsp;There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets&nbsp;that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.10&nbsp;When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud&nbsp;filled the temple of the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;11&nbsp;And the priests could not perform their service&nbsp;because of the cloud, for the glory&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;filled his temple.12&nbsp;Then Solomon said, “The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;&nbsp;13&nbsp;I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”14&nbsp;While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed&nbsp;them.&nbsp;15&nbsp;Then he said: “Praise be to the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 16&nbsp;‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt,&nbsp;I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built for my Name&nbsp;to be there, but I have chosen&nbsp;David&nbsp;to rule my people Israel.’17&nbsp;“My father David had it in his heart&nbsp;to build a temple&nbsp;for the Name of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;the God of Israel.&nbsp;18&nbsp;But the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;said to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart.&nbsp;19&nbsp;Nevertheless, you&nbsp;are not the one to build the temple, but your son, who is your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’20&nbsp;“The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded&nbsp;David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;promised, and I have built&nbsp;the temple for the Name of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;the God of Israel.&nbsp;21&nbsp;I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the&nbsp;Lord that he made with our fathers when he brought them out of Egypt.”Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication22&nbsp;Then Solomon stood before the altar of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands&nbsp;toward heaven&nbsp;23&nbsp;and said: “O&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;God of Israel, there is no God like&nbsp;you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love&nbsp;with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.&nbsp;24&nbsp;You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.25&nbsp;“Now&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises&nbsp;you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.’&nbsp;26&nbsp;And now, O God of Israel, let your word that you promised&nbsp;your servant David my father come true.27&nbsp;“But will God really dwell&nbsp;on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven,&nbsp;cannot contain&nbsp;you. How much less this temple I have built!&nbsp;28&nbsp;Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, O&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.&nbsp;29&nbsp;May your eyes be open&nbsp;toward&nbsp;this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name&nbsp;shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.&nbsp;30&nbsp;Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray&nbsp;toward this place. Hear&nbsp;from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.31&nbsp;“When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath&nbsp;before your altar in this temple,&nbsp;32&nbsp;then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty, and so establish his innocence.33&nbsp;“When your people Israel have been defeated&nbsp;by an enemy because they have sinned&nbsp;against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple,&nbsp;34&nbsp;then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their fathers.35&nbsp;“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain&nbsp;because your people have sinned&nbsp;against you, and when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them,&nbsp;36&nbsp;then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach&nbsp;them the right way&nbsp;to live, and send rain&nbsp;on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.37&nbsp;“When famine&nbsp;or plague&nbsp;comes to the land, or blight&nbsp;or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers,&nbsp;or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come,&nbsp;38&nbsp;and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands&nbsp;toward this temple—&nbsp;39&nbsp;then hear&nbsp;from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive&nbsp;and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know&nbsp;his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men),&nbsp;40&nbsp;so that they will fear&nbsp;you all the time they live in the land&nbsp;you gave our fathers.41&nbsp;“As for the foreigner&nbsp;who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name—&nbsp;42&nbsp;for men will hear&nbsp;of your great name and your mighty hand&nbsp;and your outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,&nbsp;43&nbsp;then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know&nbsp;your name and fear&nbsp;you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.44&nbsp;“When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray&nbsp;to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name,&nbsp;45&nbsp;then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.46&nbsp;“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin&nbsp;—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive&nbsp;to his own land, far away or near;&nbsp;47&nbsp;and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead&nbsp;with you in the land of their conquerors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’;&nbsp;48&nbsp;and if they turn back&nbsp;to you with all their heart&nbsp;and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray&nbsp;to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple&nbsp;I have built for your Name;&nbsp;49&nbsp;then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.&nbsp;50&nbsp;And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy;&nbsp;51&nbsp;for they are your people and your inheritance,&nbsp;whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.52&nbsp;“May your eyes be open&nbsp;to your servant’s plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you. 53&nbsp;For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance,&nbsp;just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, O Sovereign&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;brought our fathers out of Egypt.”54&nbsp;When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;he rose from before the altar of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.&nbsp;55&nbsp;He stood and blessed&nbsp;the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:56&nbsp;“Praise be to the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;who has given rest&nbsp;to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises&nbsp;he gave through his servant Moses.&nbsp;57&nbsp;May the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake&nbsp;us.&nbsp;58&nbsp;May he turn our hearts&nbsp;to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers.&nbsp;59&nbsp;And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;be near to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need,&nbsp;60&nbsp;so that all the peoples&nbsp;of the earth may know that the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;is God and that there is no other.&nbsp;61&nbsp;But your hearts&nbsp;must be fully committed&nbsp;to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”The Dedication of the Temple62&nbsp;Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices&nbsp;before the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;63&nbsp;Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the&nbsp;Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated&nbsp;the temple of the&nbsp;Lord.64&nbsp;On that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fat&nbsp;of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar&nbsp;before the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings. 65&nbsp;So Solomon observed the festival&nbsp;at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath&nbsp;to the Wadi of Egypt.&nbsp;They celebrated it before the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all.&nbsp;66&nbsp;On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good&nbsp;things the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had done for his servant David and his people Israel.————————-Psalm 73:1-61&nbsp;Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.2&nbsp;But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.&nbsp;3&nbsp;For I envied&nbsp;the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.4&nbsp;They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.5&nbsp;They are free&nbsp;from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.6&nbsp;Therefore pride&nbsp;is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.—————————Proverbs 15:30-3130&nbsp;A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.31&nbsp;He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.—————————John 18:1-24Jesus ArrestedWhen he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley.&nbsp;On the other side there was an olive grove,&nbsp;and he and his disciples went into it.2&nbsp;Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.&nbsp;3&nbsp;So Judas came to the grove, guiding&nbsp;a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees.&nbsp;They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.4&nbsp;Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him,&nbsp;went out and asked them,&nbsp;“Who is it you want?”5&nbsp;“Jesus of Nazareth,”&nbsp;they replied.“I am he,”&nbsp;Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)&nbsp;6&nbsp;When Jesus said,&nbsp;“I am he,”&nbsp;they drew back and fell to the ground.7&nbsp;Again he asked them,&nbsp;“Who is it you want?”And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”8&nbsp;“I told you that I am he,”&nbsp;Jesus answered.&nbsp;“If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”&nbsp;9&nbsp;This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled:&nbsp;“I have not lost one of those you gave me.”10&nbsp;Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)11&nbsp;Jesus commanded Peter,&nbsp;“Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup&nbsp;the Father has given me?”Jesus Taken to Annas12&nbsp;Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials&nbsp;arrested Jesus. They bound him&nbsp;13&nbsp;and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,&nbsp;the high priest that year.&nbsp;14&nbsp;Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.Peter’s First Denial15&nbsp;Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest,&nbsp;he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard,&nbsp;16&nbsp;but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in. 17&nbsp;“You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter.He replied, “I am not.”18&nbsp;It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire&nbsp;they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself. The High Priest Questions Jesus19&nbsp;Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.20&nbsp;“I have spoken openly to the world,”&nbsp;Jesus replied.&nbsp;“I always taught in synagogues&nbsp;or at the temple,&nbsp;where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.&nbsp;21&nbsp;Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”22&nbsp;When Jesus said this, one of the officials&nbsp;nearby struck him in the face.&nbsp;“Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.23&nbsp;“If I said something wrong,”&nbsp;Jesus replied,&nbsp;“testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?”&nbsp;24&nbsp;Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas&nbsp;the high priest. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > THE AUDIO BIBLE

June 15 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:1 Kings 7:1-51Psalm 72:15-20Proverbs 15:28-29John 17:1-26 1 Kings 7:1-51Solomon Builds His PalaceIt took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.&nbsp;2&nbsp;He built the Palace&nbsp;of the Forest of Lebanon&nbsp;a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high, with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams.&nbsp;3&nbsp;It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns—forty-five beams, fifteen to a row.&nbsp;4&nbsp;Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other.&nbsp;5&nbsp;All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.6&nbsp;He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide. In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof. 7&nbsp;He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge,&nbsp;and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling. 8&nbsp;And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.9&nbsp;All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and trimmed with a saw on their inner and outer faces.&nbsp;10&nbsp;The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits and some eight. 11&nbsp;Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams.&nbsp;12&nbsp;The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses&nbsp;of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;with its portico.The Temple’s Furnishings13&nbsp;King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, 14&nbsp;whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was a man of Tyre and a craftsman in bronze. Huram was highly skilled&nbsp;and experienced in all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all&nbsp;the work assigned to him.15&nbsp;He cast two bronze pillars,&nbsp;each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits around, by line.&nbsp;16&nbsp;He also made two capitals&nbsp;of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits high.&nbsp;17&nbsp;A network of interwoven chains festooned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital.&nbsp;18&nbsp;He made pomegranates in two rows encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars. He did the same for each capital. 19&nbsp;The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits high.&nbsp;20&nbsp;On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates&nbsp;in rows all around.&nbsp;21&nbsp;He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz. 22&nbsp;The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars&nbsp;was completed.23&nbsp;He made the Sea&nbsp;of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line&nbsp;of thirty cubits to measure around it.&nbsp;24&nbsp;Below the rim, gourds encircled it—ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.25&nbsp;The Sea stood on twelve bulls,&nbsp;three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center.&nbsp;26&nbsp;It was a handbreadth in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.27&nbsp;He also made ten movable stands&nbsp;of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high. 28&nbsp;This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights.&nbsp;29&nbsp;On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim—and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work.&nbsp;30&nbsp;Each stand&nbsp;had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side.&nbsp;31&nbsp;On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half. Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round.&nbsp;32&nbsp;The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half.&nbsp;33&nbsp;The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.34&nbsp;Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. 35&nbsp;At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand.&nbsp;36&nbsp;He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around.&nbsp;37&nbsp;This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.38&nbsp;He then made ten bronze basins,&nbsp;each holding forty baths and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands.&nbsp;39&nbsp;He placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north. He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple.&nbsp;40&nbsp;He also made the basins and shovels and sprinkling bowls.So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the&nbsp;Lord: 41&nbsp;the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars; the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;42&nbsp;the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network, decorating the bowl-shaped capitals&nbsp;on top of the pillars); 43&nbsp;the ten stands with their ten basins; 44&nbsp;the Sea and the twelve bulls under it; 45&nbsp;the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.All these objects that Huram&nbsp;made for King Solomon for the temple of the&nbsp;Lord were of burnished bronze.&nbsp;46&nbsp;The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth&nbsp;and Zarethan.&nbsp;47&nbsp;Solomon left all these things unweighed,&nbsp;because there were so many;&nbsp;the weight of the bronze&nbsp;was not determined. 48&nbsp;Solomon also made all&nbsp;the furnishings that were in the&nbsp;Lord’s temple: the golden altar; the golden table&nbsp;on which was the bread of the Presence; 49&nbsp;the lampstands&nbsp;of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary); the gold floral work and lamps and tongs;50&nbsp;the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes&nbsp;and censers; and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple.51&nbsp;When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated&nbsp;—the silver and gold and the furnishings&nbsp;—and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.&nbsp;—————————-Psalm 72:15-2015&nbsp;Long may he live! May gold from Sheba&nbsp;be given him.May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Let grain&nbsp;abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway.Let its fruit&nbsp;flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.&nbsp;17&nbsp;May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun.All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.&nbsp;18&nbsp;Praise be to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.&nbsp;19&nbsp;Praise be to his glorious name&nbsp;forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory.&nbsp;Amen and Amen.&nbsp;20&nbsp;This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.—————————&nbsp;Proverbs 15:28-2928&nbsp;The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.29&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.—————————-John 17:1-26Jesus Prays for HimselfAfter Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven&nbsp;and prayed:“Father, the time has come.&nbsp;Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.&nbsp;2&nbsp;For you granted him authority over all people&nbsp;that he might give eternal life&nbsp;to all those you have given him.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Now this is eternal life: that they may know you,&nbsp;the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.&nbsp;4&nbsp;I have brought you glory&nbsp;on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.&nbsp;5&nbsp;And now, Father, glorify me&nbsp;in your presence with the glory I had with you&nbsp;before the world began.Jesus Prays for His Disciples6&nbsp;“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me&nbsp;out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7&nbsp;Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.&nbsp;8&nbsp;For I gave them the words you gave me&nbsp;and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you,&nbsp;and they believed that you sent me. 9&nbsp;I pray for them.&nbsp;I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me,&nbsp;for they are yours.&nbsp;10&nbsp;All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.&nbsp;And glory has come to me through them.&nbsp;11&nbsp;I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world,&nbsp;and I am coming to you.&nbsp;Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one&nbsp;as we are one.&nbsp;12&nbsp;While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost&nbsp;except the one doomed to destruction&nbsp;so that Scripture would be fulfilled.13&nbsp;“I am coming to you now,&nbsp;but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy&nbsp;within them.&nbsp;14&nbsp;I have given them your word and the world has hated them,&nbsp;for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.&nbsp;15&nbsp;My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.16&nbsp;They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.&nbsp;17&nbsp;Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.&nbsp;18&nbsp;As you sent me into the world,&nbsp;I have sent them into the world.&nbsp;19&nbsp;For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.Jesus Prays for All Believers20&nbsp;“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,&nbsp;21&nbsp;that all of them may be one,&nbsp;Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.&nbsp;May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.&nbsp;22&nbsp;I have given them the glory that you gave me,&nbsp;that they may be one as we are one:&nbsp;23&nbsp;I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me&nbsp;and have loved them&nbsp;even as you have loved me.24&nbsp;“Father, I want those you have given me&nbsp;to be with me where I am,&nbsp;and to see my glory,&nbsp;the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.25&nbsp;“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you,&nbsp;I know you, and they know that you have sent me.&nbsp;26&nbsp;I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them&nbsp;and that I myself may be in them.” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > THE AUDIO BIBLE

June 14 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:1 Kings 5:1-6:38Psalm 72:8-14Proverbs 15:26-27John 16:5-33 1 Kings 5:1-6:38Preparations for Building the TempleWhen Hiram&nbsp;king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David.&nbsp;2&nbsp;Solomon sent back this message to Hiram: 3&nbsp;“You know that because of the wars&nbsp;waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build&nbsp;a temple for the Name of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;his God until the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;put his enemies under his feet.&nbsp;4&nbsp;But now the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;my God has given me rest&nbsp;on every side, and there is no adversary&nbsp;or disaster.&nbsp;5&nbsp;I intend, therefore, to build a temple&nbsp;for the Name of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;my God, as the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’6&nbsp;“So give orders that cedars&nbsp;of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.”7&nbsp;When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.” 8&nbsp;So Hiram sent word to Solomon: “I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and pine logs.&nbsp;9&nbsp;My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the sea&nbsp;, and I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food&nbsp;for my royal household.”10&nbsp;In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and pine logs he wanted,&nbsp;11&nbsp;and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food&nbsp;for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year.&nbsp;12&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord gave Solomon wisdom,&nbsp;just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.13&nbsp;King Solomon conscripted laborers&nbsp;from all Israel—thirty thousand men.&nbsp;14&nbsp;He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram&nbsp;was in charge of the forced labor.&nbsp;15&nbsp;Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stone cutters in the hills,&nbsp;16&nbsp;as well as thirty-three hundred foremen&nbsp;who supervised the project and directed the workmen.&nbsp;17&nbsp;At the king’s command they removed from the quarry&nbsp;large blocks of quality stone&nbsp;to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple.&nbsp;18&nbsp;The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram&nbsp;and the men of Gebal cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.&nbsp;1 Kings 6Solomon Builds the TempleIn the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month,&nbsp;he began to build the temple of the&nbsp;Lord.2&nbsp;The temple&nbsp;that King Solomon built for the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.3&nbsp;The portico&nbsp;at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits, and projected ten cubits from the front of the temple.&nbsp;4&nbsp;He made narrow clerestory windows&nbsp;in the temple.&nbsp;5&nbsp;Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms. 6&nbsp;The lowest floor was five cubits wide, the middle floor six cubits and the third floor seven. He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.7&nbsp;In building the temple, only blocks dressed&nbsp;at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool&nbsp;was heard at the temple site while it was being built. 8&nbsp;The entrance to the lowest floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third.&nbsp;9&nbsp;So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar&nbsp;planks.&nbsp;10&nbsp;And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.11&nbsp;The word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;came&nbsp;to Solomon:&nbsp;12&nbsp;“As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands&nbsp;and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise&nbsp;I gave to David your father.&nbsp;13&nbsp;And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”14&nbsp;So Solomon&nbsp;built the temple and completed&nbsp;it.&nbsp;15&nbsp;He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling,and covered the floor of the temple with planks of pine.&nbsp;16&nbsp;He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.&nbsp;17&nbsp;The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long.&nbsp;18&nbsp;The inside of the temple was cedar,&nbsp;carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.19&nbsp;He prepared the inner sanctuary&nbsp;within the temple to set the ark of the covenant&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;there.&nbsp;20&nbsp;The inner sanctuary&nbsp;was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.&nbsp;21&nbsp;Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold.&nbsp;22&nbsp;So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.23&nbsp;In the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim&nbsp;of olive wood, each ten cubits high.&nbsp;24&nbsp;One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits—ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip.&nbsp;25&nbsp;The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape.&nbsp;26&nbsp;The height of each cherub was ten cubits.&nbsp;27&nbsp;He placed the cherubim&nbsp;inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room.&nbsp;28&nbsp;He overlaid the cherubim with gold.29&nbsp;On the walls&nbsp;all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim,&nbsp;palm trees and open flowers.&nbsp;30&nbsp;He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.31&nbsp;For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood with five-sided jambs.&nbsp;32&nbsp;And on the two olive wood doors&nbsp;he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with beaten gold.&nbsp;33&nbsp;In the same way he made four-sided jambs of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall.&nbsp;34&nbsp;He also made two pine doors, each having two leaves that turned in sockets.&nbsp;35&nbsp;He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings. 36&nbsp;And he built the inner courtyard&nbsp;of three courses&nbsp;of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams. 37&nbsp;The foundation of the temple of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv.&nbsp;38&nbsp;In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details&nbsp;according to its specifications.&nbsp;He had spent seven years building it.————————-Psalm 72:8-148&nbsp;He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.9&nbsp;The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.10&nbsp;The kings of Tarshish&nbsp;and of distant shores will bring tribute to him;the kings of Sheba&nbsp;and Seba will present him gifts.&nbsp;11&nbsp;All kings will bow down&nbsp;to him and all nations will serve&nbsp;him.12&nbsp;For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.13&nbsp;He will take pity&nbsp;on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.14&nbsp;He will rescue&nbsp;them from oppression and violence, for precious&nbsp;is their blood in his sight.—————————-Proverbs 15:26-2726&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;detests the thoughts&nbsp;of the wicked, but those of the pure&nbsp;are pleasing to him.27&nbsp;A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live.—————————-John 16:5-33The Work of the Holy Spirit“Now I am going to him who sent me,&nbsp;yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’&nbsp;6&nbsp;Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7&nbsp;But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor&nbsp;will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.&nbsp;8&nbsp;When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:&nbsp;9&nbsp;in regard to sin,&nbsp;because men do not believe in me;&nbsp;10&nbsp;in regard to righteousness,&nbsp;because I am going to the Father,&nbsp;where you can see me no longer;&nbsp;11&nbsp;and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world&nbsp;now stands condemned.12&nbsp;“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.&nbsp;13&nbsp;But when he, the Spirit of truth,&nbsp;comes, he will guide you into all truth.&nbsp;He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.&nbsp;14&nbsp;He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.&nbsp;15&nbsp;All that belongs to the Father is mine.&nbsp;That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. 16&nbsp;“In a little while&nbsp;you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy17&nbsp;Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying,&nbsp;‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’&nbsp;and&nbsp;‘Because I am going to the Father’?”&nbsp;18&nbsp;They kept asking, “What does he mean by&nbsp;‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”19&nbsp;Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them,&nbsp;“Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’?&nbsp;20&nbsp;I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn&nbsp;while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.&nbsp;21&nbsp;A woman giving birth to a child has pain&nbsp;because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.&nbsp;22&nbsp;So with you: Now is your time of grief,&nbsp;but I will see you again&nbsp;and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.&nbsp;23&nbsp;In that day&nbsp;you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.&nbsp;24&nbsp;Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive,&nbsp;and your joy will be complete.25&nbsp;“Though I have been speaking figuratively,&nbsp;a time is coming&nbsp;when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26&nbsp;In that day you will ask in my name.&nbsp;I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.&nbsp;27&nbsp;No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me&nbsp;and have believed that I came from God.&nbsp;28&nbsp;I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” 29&nbsp;Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.&nbsp;30&nbsp;Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe&nbsp;that you came from God.” 31&nbsp;“You believe at last!” Jesus answered.&nbsp;32&nbsp;“But a time is coming,&nbsp;and has come, when you will be scattered,&nbsp;each to his own home. You will leave me all alone.&nbsp;Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33&nbsp;“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.&nbsp;In this world you will have trouble.&nbsp;But take heart! I have overcome&nbsp;the world.” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > THE AUDIO BIBLE

June 13 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:1 Kings 3:1-4:34Psalm 72:1-7Proverbs 15:24-25John 15:11-16:4 1 Kings 3:1-4:34Solomon Asks for WisdomSolomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married&nbsp;his daughter.&nbsp;He brought her to the City of David&nbsp;until he finished building his palace&nbsp;and the temple of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;and the wall around Jerusalem.&nbsp;2&nbsp;The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places,&nbsp;because a temple had not yet been built for the Name&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Solomon showed his love&nbsp;for the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;by walking&nbsp;according to the statutes&nbsp;of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.4&nbsp;The king went to Gibeon&nbsp;to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.&nbsp;5&nbsp;At Gibeon the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;appeared&nbsp;to Solomon during the night in a dream,and God said, “Ask&nbsp;for whatever you want me to give you.”6&nbsp;Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son&nbsp;to sit on his throne this very day.7&nbsp;“Now, O&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.&nbsp;8&nbsp;Your servant is here among the people you have chosen,&nbsp;a great people, too numerous to count or number.&nbsp;9&nbsp;So give your servant a discerning&nbsp;heart to govern your people and to distinguish&nbsp;between right and wrong. For who is able&nbsp;to govern this great people of yours?”10&nbsp;The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.&nbsp;11&nbsp;So God said to him, “Since you have asked&nbsp;for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment&nbsp;in administering justice,&nbsp;12&nbsp;I will do what you have asked.&nbsp;I will give you a wise&nbsp;and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.&nbsp;13&nbsp;Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor&nbsp;—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal&nbsp;among kings.&nbsp;14&nbsp;And if you walk&nbsp;in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15&nbsp;Then Solomon awoke&nbsp;—and he realized it had been a dream.He returned to Jerusalem, stood be fore the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings&nbsp;and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast&nbsp;for all his court.A Wise Ruling16&nbsp;Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.&nbsp;17&nbsp;One of them said, “My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me.&nbsp;18&nbsp;The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.19&nbsp;“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him.&nbsp;20&nbsp;So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.&nbsp;21&nbsp;The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”22&nbsp;The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.23&nbsp;The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”24&nbsp;Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king.&nbsp;25&nbsp;He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”26&nbsp;The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion&nbsp;for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”27&nbsp;Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”28&nbsp;When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom&nbsp;from God to administer justice.1 Kings 4Solomon’s Officials and GovernorsSo King Solomon ruled over all Israel.&nbsp;2&nbsp;And these were his chief officials:Azariah&nbsp;son of Zadok—the priest;3&nbsp;Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;Jehoshaphat&nbsp;son of Ahilud—recorder;4&nbsp;Benaiah&nbsp;son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;Zadok&nbsp;and Abiathar—priests;5&nbsp;Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district officers;Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and personal adviser to the king;6&nbsp;Ahishar—in charge of the palace;Adoniram&nbsp;son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.7&nbsp;Solomon also had twelve district governors&nbsp;over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year.&nbsp;8&nbsp;These are their names:Ben-Hur—in the hill country&nbsp;of Ephraim;9&nbsp;Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim,&nbsp;Beth Shemesh&nbsp;and Elon Bethhanan;10&nbsp;Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Socoh&nbsp;and all the land of Hepher&nbsp;were his);11&nbsp;Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);12&nbsp;Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan&nbsp;next to Zarethan&nbsp;below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah&nbsp;across to Jokmeam;13&nbsp;Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair&nbsp;son of Manasseh in Gilead&nbsp;were his, as well as the district of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities&nbsp;with bronze gate bars);14&nbsp;Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;15&nbsp;Ahimaaz&nbsp;—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);16&nbsp;Baana son of Hushai&nbsp;—in Asher and in Aloth;17&nbsp;Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;18&nbsp;Shimei&nbsp;son of Ela—in Benjamin;19&nbsp;Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon&nbsp;king of the Amorites and the country of Og&nbsp;king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.Solomon’s Daily Provisions20&nbsp;The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand&nbsp;on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.&nbsp;21&nbsp;And Solomon ruled&nbsp;over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.&nbsp;These countries brought tribute&nbsp;and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.22&nbsp;Solomon’s daily provisions&nbsp;were thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal,&nbsp;23&nbsp;ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.&nbsp;24&nbsp;For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the River, from Tiphsah&nbsp;to Gaza, and had peace&nbsp;on all sides. 25&nbsp;During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,&nbsp;lived in safety,&nbsp;each man under his own vine and fig tree.26&nbsp;Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses,&nbsp;and twelve thousand horses.27&nbsp;The district officers,&nbsp;each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking.&nbsp;28&nbsp;They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.Solomon’s Wisdom29&nbsp;God gave Solomon wisdom&nbsp;and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.&nbsp;30&nbsp;Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East,&nbsp;and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.&nbsp;31&nbsp;He was wiser&nbsp;than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.&nbsp;32&nbsp;He spoke three thousand proverbs&nbsp;and his songs&nbsp;numbered a thousand and five.&nbsp;33&nbsp;He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop&nbsp;that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.&nbsp;34&nbsp;Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings&nbsp;of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.—————————-Psalm 72:1-71&nbsp;Endow the king with your justice,&nbsp;O God, the royal son with your righteousness.2&nbsp;He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.3&nbsp;The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.4&nbsp;He will defend the afflicted&nbsp;among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.5&nbsp;He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.&nbsp;6&nbsp;He will be like rain&nbsp;falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.7&nbsp;In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.——————————Proverbs 15:24-2524&nbsp;The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave.25&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;tears down the proud man’s house but he keeps the widow’s boundaries intact.—————————-John 15:11-16:4I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.&nbsp;12&nbsp;My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.&nbsp;13&nbsp;Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.&nbsp;14&nbsp;You are my friends&nbsp;if you do what I command.&nbsp;15&nbsp;I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.&nbsp;16&nbsp;You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you&nbsp;to go and bear fruit&nbsp;—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.&nbsp;17&nbsp;This is my command: Love each other.The World Hates the Disciples18&nbsp;“If the world hates you,&nbsp;keep in mind that it hated me first.&nbsp;19&nbsp;If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you&nbsp;out of the world. That is why the world hates you.&nbsp;20&nbsp;Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.&nbsp;If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.&nbsp;21&nbsp;They will treat you this way because of my name,&nbsp;for they do not know the One who sent me.&nbsp;22&nbsp;If I had not come and spoken to them,&nbsp;they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.&nbsp;23&nbsp;He who hates me hates my Father as well.&nbsp;24&nbsp;If I had not done among them what no one else did,&nbsp;they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.&nbsp;25&nbsp;But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law:&nbsp;‘They hated me without reason.’26&nbsp;“When the Counselor&nbsp;comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,&nbsp;the Spirit of truth&nbsp;who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.&nbsp;27&nbsp;And you also must testify,&nbsp;for you have been with me from the beginning.John 16“All this&nbsp;I have told you so that you will not go astray.&nbsp;2&nbsp;They will put you out of the synagogue;&nbsp;in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.&nbsp;3&nbsp;They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.&nbsp;4&nbsp;I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember&nbsp;that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > THE AUDIO BIBLE

June 12 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:1 Kings 2:1-46Psalm 71:17-24Proverbs 15:22-23John 14:22-15:10 1 Kings 2:1-46David’s Charge to SolomonWhen the time drew near for David to die,&nbsp;he gave a charge to Solomon his son.2&nbsp;“I am about to go the way of all the earth,”&nbsp;he said. “So be strong,&nbsp;show yourself a man,&nbsp;3&nbsp;and observe&nbsp;what the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper&nbsp;in all you do and wherever you go,&nbsp;4&nbsp;and that the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;may keep his promise&nbsp;to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully&nbsp;before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’5&nbsp;“Now you yourself know what Joab&nbsp;son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner&nbsp;son of Ner and Amasa&nbsp;son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.&nbsp;6&nbsp;Deal with him according to your wisdom,&nbsp;but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.7&nbsp;“But show kindness&nbsp;to the sons of Barzillai&nbsp;of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table.&nbsp;They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom. 8&nbsp;“And remember, you have with you Shimei&nbsp;son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim.&nbsp;When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore&nbsp;to him by the&nbsp;Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’&nbsp;9&nbsp;But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom;&nbsp;you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”10&nbsp;Then David rested with his fathers and was buried&nbsp;in the City of David.&nbsp;11&nbsp;He had reigned&nbsp;forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.&nbsp;12&nbsp;So Solomon sat on the throne&nbsp;of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.Solomon’s Throne Established13&nbsp;Now Adonijah,&nbsp;the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?” He answered, “Yes, peacefully.”&nbsp;14&nbsp;Then he added, “I have something to say to you.”“You may say it,” she replied.15&nbsp;“As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.” “You may make it,” she said.17&nbsp;So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag&nbsp;the Shunammite as my wife.” 18&nbsp;“Very well,” Bathsheba replied, “I will speak to the king for you.” 19&nbsp;When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother,&nbsp;and she sat down at his right hand. 20&nbsp;“I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.”The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.”21&nbsp;So she said, “Let Abishag&nbsp;the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”22&nbsp;King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag&nbsp;the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother&nbsp;—yes, for him and for Abiathar&nbsp;the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!” 23&nbsp;Then King Solomon swore by the&nbsp;Lord: “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,&nbsp;if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request!&nbsp;24&nbsp;And now, as surely as the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;lives—he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised&nbsp;—Adonijah shall be put to death today!”&nbsp;25&nbsp;So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiahson of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.26&nbsp;To Abiathar&nbsp;the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth.&nbsp;You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark&nbsp;of the Sovereign&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.”&nbsp;27&nbsp;So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;fulfilling&nbsp;the word the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.28&nbsp;When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and took hold of the horns&nbsp;of the altar.&nbsp;29&nbsp;King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and was beside the altar.Then Solomon ordered Benaiah&nbsp;son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!” 30&nbsp;So Benaiah entered the tent&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!&nbsp;’”But he answered, “No, I will die here.” Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”31&nbsp;Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my father’s house of the guilt of the innocent blood&nbsp;that Joab shed.&nbsp;32&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;will repay&nbsp;him for the blood he shed,&nbsp;because without the knowledge of my father David he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa&nbsp;son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better&nbsp;men and more upright than he.&nbsp;33&nbsp;May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the&nbsp;Lord’s peace forever.”34&nbsp;So Benaiah&nbsp;son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab&nbsp;and killed him, and he was buried on his own land in the desert. 35&nbsp;The king put Benaiah&nbsp;son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok&nbsp;the priest. 36&nbsp;Then the king sent for Shimei&nbsp;and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. 37&nbsp;The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley,&nbsp;you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”38&nbsp;Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time. 39&nbsp;But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish&nbsp;son of Maacah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.”&nbsp;40&nbsp;At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath. 41&nbsp;When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,&nbsp;42&nbsp;the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and warn&nbsp;you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’&nbsp;43&nbsp;Why then did you not keep your oath to the&nbsp;Lordand obey the command I gave you?”44&nbsp;The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong&nbsp;you did to my father David. Now the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;will repay you for your wrongdoing.&nbsp;45&nbsp;But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure&nbsp;before the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;forever.” 46&nbsp;Then the king gave the order to Benaiah&nbsp;son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei&nbsp;down and killed him. The kingdom was now firmly established&nbsp;in Solomon’s hands.————————— Psalm 71:17-2417&nbsp;Since my youth, O God, you have taught&nbsp;me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.&nbsp;18&nbsp;Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God,till I declare your power&nbsp;to the next generation,&nbsp;your might to all who are to come.19&nbsp;Your righteousness reaches to the skies,&nbsp;O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?&nbsp; 20&nbsp;Though you have made me see troubles,&nbsp;many and bitter, you will restore&nbsp;my life again;from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. 21&nbsp;You will increase my honor and comfort&nbsp;me once again.22&nbsp;I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God;I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.&nbsp;23&nbsp;My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I, whom you have redeemed.&nbsp;24&nbsp;My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long,&nbsp;for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion. —————————Proverbs 15:22-2322&nbsp;Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers&nbsp;they succeed.23&nbsp;A man finds joy in giving an apt reply&nbsp;— and how good is a timely word!————————--John 14:22-15:10Then Judas&nbsp;(not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23&nbsp;Jesus replied,&nbsp;“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.&nbsp;My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.&nbsp;24&nbsp;He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.25&nbsp;“All this I have spoken while still with you.&nbsp;26&nbsp;But the Counselor,&nbsp;the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,&nbsp;will teach you all things&nbsp;and will remind you of everything I have said to you.&nbsp;27&nbsp;Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.&nbsp;I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled&nbsp;and do not be afraid.28&nbsp;“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’&nbsp;If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father,&nbsp;for the Father is greater than I.&nbsp;29&nbsp;I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.&nbsp;30&nbsp;I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world&nbsp;is coming. He has no hold on me,&nbsp;31&nbsp;but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.“Come now; let us leave.John 15The Vine and the Branches“I am&nbsp;the true vine,&nbsp;and my Father is the gardener.&nbsp;2&nbsp;He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,&nbsp;while every branch that does bear fruit&nbsp;he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.&nbsp;3&nbsp;You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.&nbsp;4&nbsp;Remain in me, and I will remain in you.&nbsp;No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.5&nbsp;“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit;&nbsp;apart from me you can do nothing.&nbsp;6&nbsp;If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.&nbsp;7&nbsp;If you remain in me&nbsp;and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.&nbsp;8&nbsp;This is to my Father’s glory,&nbsp;that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.9&nbsp;“As the Father has loved me,&nbsp;so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.&nbsp;10&nbsp;If you obey my commands,&nbsp;you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/audio-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > THE AUDIO BIBLE

June 11 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:1 Kings 1:1-53Psalm 71:9-16Proverbs 15:20-21John 14:1-21 1 Kings 1:1-53Adonijah Sets Himself Up as KingWhen King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him.&nbsp;2&nbsp;So his servants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to attend the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”3&nbsp;Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found Abishag,&nbsp;a Shunammite,&nbsp;and brought her to the king.&nbsp;4&nbsp;The girl was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no intimate relations with her.5&nbsp;Now Adonijah,&nbsp;whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots&nbsp;and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him.&nbsp;6&nbsp;(His father had never interfered&nbsp;with him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)7&nbsp;Adonijah conferred with Joab&nbsp;son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar&nbsp;the priest, and they gave him their support.&nbsp;8&nbsp;But Zadok&nbsp;the priest, Benaiah&nbsp;son of Jehoiada, Nathan&nbsp;the prophet, Shimei&nbsp;and Rei and David’s special guard&nbsp;did not join Adonijah.9&nbsp;Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel.&nbsp;He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons,&nbsp;and all the men of Judah who were royal officials,&nbsp;10&nbsp;but he did not invite&nbsp;Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.11&nbsp;Then Nathan asked Bathsheba,&nbsp;Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah,&nbsp;the son of Haggith, has become king without our lord David’s knowing it?&nbsp;12&nbsp;Now then, let me advise&nbsp;you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.&nbsp;13&nbsp;Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear&nbsp;to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’&nbsp;14&nbsp;While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and confirm what you have said.”15&nbsp;So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag&nbsp;the Shunammite was attending him.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Bathsheba bowed low and knelt before the king.“What is it you want?” the king asked.17&nbsp;She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore&nbsp;to me your servant by the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’&nbsp;18&nbsp;But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it.&nbsp;19&nbsp;He has sacrificed&nbsp;great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant.&nbsp;20&nbsp;My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.&nbsp;21&nbsp;Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest&nbsp;with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.”22&nbsp;While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.&nbsp;23&nbsp;And they told the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.24&nbsp;Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25&nbsp;Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’&nbsp;26&nbsp;But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. 27&nbsp;Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”David Makes Solomon King28&nbsp;Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 29&nbsp;The king then took an oath: “As surely as the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble,&nbsp;30&nbsp;I will surely carry out today what I swore&nbsp;to you by the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”31&nbsp;Then Bathsheba bowed low with her face to the ground and, kneeling before the king, said, “May my lord King David live forever!” 32&nbsp;King David said, “Call in Zadok&nbsp;the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king,&nbsp;33&nbsp;he said to them: “Take your lord’s servants with you and set Solomon my son on my own mule&nbsp;and take him down to Gihon.&nbsp;34&nbsp;There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint&nbsp;him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet&nbsp;and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35&nbsp;Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”36&nbsp;Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;the God of my lord the king, so declare it.&nbsp;37&nbsp;As the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;was with my lord the king, so may he be with&nbsp;Solomon to make his throne even greater&nbsp;than the throne of my lord King David!”38&nbsp;So Zadok&nbsp;the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites&nbsp;and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David’s mule and escorted him to Gihon.&nbsp;39&nbsp;Zadok the priest took the horn of oil&nbsp;from the sacred tent&nbsp;and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet&nbsp;and all the people shouted,&nbsp;“Long live King Solomon!”&nbsp;40&nbsp;And all the people went up after him, playing flutesand rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.41&nbsp;Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they were finishing their feast. On hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked, “What’s the meaning of all the noise in the city?”42&nbsp;Even as he was speaking, Jonathan&nbsp;son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news.”43&nbsp;“Not at all!” Jonathan answered. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king.&nbsp;44&nbsp;The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king’s mule,&nbsp;45&nbsp;and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds&nbsp;with it. That’s the noise you hear.&nbsp;46&nbsp;Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat&nbsp;on the royal throne.&nbsp;47&nbsp;Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his throne greater&nbsp;than yours!’ And the king bowed in worship on his bed&nbsp;48&nbsp;and said, ‘Praise be to the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor&nbsp;on my throne today.’”49&nbsp;At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed.&nbsp;50&nbsp;But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns&nbsp;of the altar.&nbsp;51&nbsp;Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”52&nbsp;Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be a worthy man, not a hair&nbsp;of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.”&nbsp;53&nbsp;Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, “Go to your home.”————————— Psalm 71:9-169&nbsp;Do not cast&nbsp;me away when I am old; do not forsake&nbsp;me when my strength is gone.10&nbsp;For my enemies&nbsp;speak against me; those who wait to kill&nbsp;me conspire&nbsp;together.11&nbsp;They say, “God has forsaken&nbsp;him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue&nbsp;him.”12&nbsp;Be not far&nbsp;from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help&nbsp;me.13&nbsp;May my accusers&nbsp;perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace.14&nbsp;But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.15&nbsp;My mouth will tell&nbsp;of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. 16&nbsp;I will come and proclaim your mighty acts,&nbsp;O Sovereign&nbsp;Lord; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.—————————Proverbs 15:20-2120&nbsp;A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.21&nbsp;Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.—————————-John 14:1-21Jesus Comforts His Disciples“Do not let your hearts be troubled.&nbsp;Trust&nbsp;in God;&nbsp;trust also in me.&nbsp;2&nbsp;In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there&nbsp;to prepare a place for you.&nbsp;3&nbsp;And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back&nbsp;and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.&nbsp;4&nbsp;You know the way to the place where I am going.”Jesus the Way to the Father5&nbsp;Thomas&nbsp;said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”6&nbsp;Jesus answered,&nbsp;“I am&nbsp;the way&nbsp;and the truth&nbsp;and the life.&nbsp;No one comes to the Father except through me.&nbsp;7&nbsp;If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.&nbsp;From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”8&nbsp;Philip&nbsp;said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”9&nbsp;Jesus answered:&nbsp;“Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.&nbsp;How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?&nbsp;10&nbsp;Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?The words I say to you are not just my own.&nbsp;Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.&nbsp;11&nbsp;Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.&nbsp;12&nbsp;I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith&nbsp;in me will do what I have been doing.&nbsp;He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.&nbsp;13&nbsp;And I will do whatever you ask&nbsp;in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.&nbsp;14&nbsp;You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit15&nbsp;“If you love me, you will obey what I command.&nbsp;16&nbsp;And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor&nbsp;to be with you forever—&nbsp;17&nbsp;the Spirit of truth.&nbsp;The world cannot accept him,&nbsp;because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.&nbsp;18&nbsp;I will not leave you as orphans;&nbsp;I will come to you.&nbsp;19&nbsp;Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.&nbsp;Because I live, you also will live.&nbsp;20&nbsp;On that day&nbsp;you will realize that I am in my Father,&nbsp;and you are in me, and I am in you.&nbsp;21&nbsp;Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.&nbsp;He who loves me will be loved by my Father,&nbsp;and I too will love him and show myself to him.” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/audio-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > THE AUDIO BIBLE

June 10 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:2 Samuel 23:8-24:25Psalm 71:1-8Proverbs 15:18-19John 13:12-38 2 Samuel 23:8-24:25David’s Mighty MenThese are the names of David’s mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.9&nbsp;Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai&nbsp;the Ahohite.&nbsp;As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated,&nbsp;10&nbsp;but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.11&nbsp;Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them.&nbsp;12&nbsp;But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;brought about a great victory.13&nbsp;During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam,&nbsp;while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.&nbsp;14&nbsp;At that time David was in the stronghold,&nbsp;and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.&nbsp;15&nbsp;David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”&nbsp;16&nbsp;So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured&nbsp;it out before the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;17&nbsp;“Far be it from me, O&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood&nbsp;of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.Such were the exploits of the three mighty men. 18&nbsp;Abishai&nbsp;the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three.&nbsp;19&nbsp;Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them.20&nbsp;Benaiah&nbsp;son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel,&nbsp;who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.&nbsp;21&nbsp;And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.&nbsp;22&nbsp;Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men.&nbsp;23&nbsp;He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard. 24&nbsp;Among the Thirty were: Asahel&nbsp;the brother of Joab,Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,25&nbsp;Shammah the Harodite,Elika the Harodite,26&nbsp;Helez&nbsp;the Paltite,Ira&nbsp;son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,27&nbsp;Abiezer&nbsp;from Anathoth,Mebunnai the Hushathite,28&nbsp;Zalmon the Ahohite,Maharai&nbsp;the Netophathite,29&nbsp;Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah&nbsp;in Benjamin,30&nbsp;Benaiah the Pirathonite,Hiddai from the ravines of Gaash,31&nbsp;Abi-Albon the Arbathite,Azmaveth the Barhumite,32&nbsp;Eliahba the Shaalbonite,the sons of Jashen,Jonathan&nbsp;33&nbsp;son of Shammah the Hararite,Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,34&nbsp;Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite,Eliam&nbsp;son of Ahithophel&nbsp;the Gilonite,35&nbsp;Hezro the Carmelite,Paarai the Arbite,36&nbsp;Igal son of Nathan from Zobah,the son of Hagri,37&nbsp;Zelek the Ammonite,Naharai the Beerothite,&nbsp;the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,38&nbsp;Ira the Ithrite,Gareb the Ithrite39&nbsp;and Uriah&nbsp;the Hittite.There were thirty-seven in all.2 Samuel 24David Counts the Fighting MenAgain&nbsp;the anger of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;burned against Israel,&nbsp;and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of&nbsp;Israel and Judah.” 2&nbsp;So the king said to Joab&nbsp;and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba&nbsp;and enroll&nbsp;the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.” 3&nbsp;But Joab&nbsp;replied to the king, “May the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;your God multiply the troops a hundred times over,&nbsp;and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”4&nbsp;The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel. 5&nbsp;After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer,&nbsp;south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.&nbsp;6&nbsp;They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.&nbsp;7&nbsp;Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre&nbsp;and all the towns of the Hivites&nbsp;and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba&nbsp;in the Negev&nbsp;of Judah.8&nbsp;After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9&nbsp;Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.10&nbsp;David was conscience-stricken&nbsp;after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;“I have sinned&nbsp;greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord,&nbsp;I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.&nbsp;” 11&nbsp;Before David got up the next morning, the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had come to Gad&nbsp;the prophet, David’s seer:&nbsp;12&nbsp;“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the&nbsp;Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”13&nbsp;So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come upon you three years of famine&nbsp;in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague&nbsp;in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”14&nbsp;David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;for his mercy&nbsp;is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”15&nbsp;So the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.&nbsp;16&nbsp;When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;was grieved&nbsp;because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.17&nbsp;When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;“I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep.&nbsp;What have they done?&nbsp;Let your hand fall upon me and my family.”David Builds an Altar18&nbsp;On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;on the threshing floor of Araunah&nbsp;the Jebusite.”&nbsp;19&nbsp;So David went up, as the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had commanded through Gad.&nbsp;20&nbsp;When Araunah looked and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.21&nbsp;Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;that the plague on the people may be stopped.”22&nbsp;Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen&nbsp;for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.&nbsp;23&nbsp;O king, Araunah gives&nbsp;all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;your God accept you.”24&nbsp;But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.&nbsp;25&nbsp;David built an altar&nbsp;to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;answered prayer&nbsp;in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.————————— Psalm 71:1-81&nbsp;In you, O&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.&nbsp;2&nbsp;Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear&nbsp;to me and save me.3&nbsp;Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go;give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.&nbsp;4&nbsp;Deliver&nbsp;me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.5&nbsp;For you have been my hope,&nbsp;O Sovereign&nbsp;Lord, my confidence&nbsp;since my youth.6&nbsp;From birth&nbsp;I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise&nbsp;you.7&nbsp;I have become like a portent&nbsp;to many, but you are my strong refuge.&nbsp;8&nbsp;My mouth&nbsp;is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor&nbsp;all day long.——————————Proverbs 15:18-1918&nbsp;A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.19&nbsp;The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.————————-John 13:12-38When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place.&nbsp;“Do you understand what I have done for you?”&nbsp;he asked them.&nbsp;13&nbsp;“You call me ‘Teacher’&nbsp;and ‘Lord,’&nbsp;and rightly so, for that is what I am.&nbsp;14&nbsp;Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.&nbsp;15&nbsp;I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.&nbsp;16&nbsp;I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master,&nbsp;nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.&nbsp;17&nbsp;Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.Jesus Predicts His Betrayal18&nbsp;“I am not referring to all of you;&nbsp;I know those I have chosen.&nbsp;But this is to fulfill the scripture:&nbsp;‘He who shares my bread&nbsp;has lifted up his heel&nbsp;against me.’ 19&nbsp;“I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe&nbsp;that I am He.&nbsp;20&nbsp;I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” 21&nbsp;After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit&nbsp;and testified,&nbsp;“I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.” 22&nbsp;His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.&nbsp;23&nbsp;One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved,&nbsp;was reclining next to him.&nbsp;24&nbsp;Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” 25&nbsp;Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 26&nbsp;Jesus answered,&nbsp;“It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.”&nbsp;Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot,&nbsp;son of Simon.&nbsp;27&nbsp;As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.“What you are about to do, do quickly,”&nbsp;Jesus told him,&nbsp;28&nbsp;but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him.&nbsp;29&nbsp;Since Judas had charge of the money,&nbsp;some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast,&nbsp;or to give something to the poor.&nbsp;30&nbsp;As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial31&nbsp;When he was gone, Jesus said,&nbsp;“Now is the Son of Man&nbsp;glorified&nbsp;and God is glorified in him.&nbsp;32&nbsp;If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself,&nbsp;and will glorify him at once. 33&nbsp;“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. 34&nbsp;“A new command&nbsp;I give you: Love one another.&nbsp;As I have loved you, so you must love one another.&nbsp;35&nbsp;By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 36&nbsp;Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied,&nbsp;“Where I am going, you cannot follow now,&nbsp;but you will follow later.” 37&nbsp;Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38&nbsp;Then Jesus answered,&nbsp;“Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

June 9 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:2 Samuel 22:1-23:7Psalm 70:1-5Proverbs 15:16-17John 12:34-13:11 2 Samuel 22:1-23:7David’s Song of PraiseDavid sang&nbsp;to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;the words of this song when the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.&nbsp;2&nbsp;He said:“The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;is my rock,&nbsp;my fortress&nbsp;and my deliverer;&nbsp;3&nbsp;my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,&nbsp;my shield&nbsp;and the horn of my salvation.He is my stronghold,&nbsp;my refuge and my savior—&nbsp;from violent men you save me. 4&nbsp;I call to the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;who is worthy&nbsp;of praise,&nbsp;and I am saved from my enemies.5&nbsp;“The waves&nbsp;of death swirled about me;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.6&nbsp;The cords of the grave coiled around me;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the snares of death confronted me.7&nbsp;In my distress&nbsp;I called&nbsp;to the&nbsp;Lord;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I called out to my God.From his temple he heard my voice;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;my cry came to his ears.8&nbsp;“The earth&nbsp;trembled and quaked,&nbsp;the foundations&nbsp;of the heavens shook;&nbsp;they trembled because he was angry.9&nbsp;Smoke rose from his nostrils;&nbsp;consuming fire&nbsp;came from his mouth,&nbsp;burning coals&nbsp;blazed out of it. 10&nbsp;He parted the heavens and came down;&nbsp;dark clouds&nbsp;were under his feet. 11&nbsp;He mounted the cherubim&nbsp;and flew;&nbsp;he soared on the wings of the wind.&nbsp;12&nbsp;He made darkness&nbsp;his canopy around him—&nbsp;the dark rain clouds of the sky. 13&nbsp;Out of the brightness of his presence&nbsp;bolts of lightning&nbsp;blazed forth. 14&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;thundered&nbsp;from heaven;&nbsp;the voice of the Most High resounded. 15&nbsp;He shot arrows&nbsp;and scattered the enemies,&nbsp;bolts of lightning and routed them. 16&nbsp;The valleys of the sea were exposed&nbsp;and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;at the blast&nbsp;of breath from his nostrils.17&nbsp;“He reached down from on high&nbsp;and took hold of me;&nbsp;he drew&nbsp;me out of deep waters. 18&nbsp;He rescued&nbsp;me from my powerful enemy,&nbsp;from my foes, who were too strong for me. 19&nbsp;They confronted me in the day of my disaster,&nbsp;&nbsp;but the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;was my support.&nbsp;20&nbsp;He brought me out into a spacious&nbsp;place;&nbsp;he rescued&nbsp;me because he delighted&nbsp;in me. 21&nbsp;“The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has dealt with me according to my righteousness;&nbsp;according to the cleanness&nbsp;of my hands&nbsp;he has rewarded me. 22&nbsp;For I have kept&nbsp;the ways of the&nbsp;Lord;&nbsp;I have not done evil by turning from my God. 23&nbsp;All his laws are before me;&nbsp;&nbsp;I have not turned&nbsp;away from his decrees. 24&nbsp;I have been blameless&nbsp;before him&nbsp;and have kept myself from sin. 25&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has rewarded me according to my righteousness,&nbsp;&nbsp;according to my cleanness in his sight.26&nbsp;“To the faithful you show yourself faithful,&nbsp;to the blameless you show yourself blameless, 27&nbsp;to the pure&nbsp;you show yourself pure,&nbsp;but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.&nbsp;28&nbsp;You save the humble,&nbsp;&nbsp;but your eyes are on the haughty&nbsp;to bring them low.&nbsp;29&nbsp;You are my lamp,&nbsp;O&nbsp;Lord;&nbsp;&nbsp;the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;turns my darkness into light. 30&nbsp;With your help I can advance against a troop;&nbsp;with my God I can scale a wall.31&nbsp;“As for God, his way is perfect;&nbsp;&nbsp;the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;is flawless.&nbsp;He is a shield&nbsp;&nbsp;for all who take refuge in him. 32&nbsp;For who is God besides the&nbsp;Lord?&nbsp;And who is the Rock&nbsp;except our God?&nbsp;33&nbsp;It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. 34&nbsp;He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;&nbsp;&nbsp;he enables me to stand on the heights.&nbsp;35&nbsp;He trains my hands&nbsp;for battle;&nbsp;my arms can bend a bow&nbsp;of bronze. 36&nbsp;You give me your shield&nbsp;of victory;&nbsp;&nbsp;you stoop down to make me great. 37&nbsp;You broaden the path&nbsp;beneath me,&nbsp;so that my ankles do not turn.38&nbsp;“I pursued my enemies and crushed them;&nbsp;&nbsp;I did not turn back till they were destroyed. 39&nbsp;I crushed&nbsp;them completely, and they could not rise;&nbsp;they fell beneath my feet. 40&nbsp;You armed me with strength for battle;&nbsp;you made my adversaries bow at my feet.&nbsp;41&nbsp;You made my enemies turn their backs&nbsp;in flight,&nbsp;and I destroyed my foes. 42&nbsp;They cried for help,&nbsp;but there was no one to save them—&nbsp;to the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;but he did not answer.&nbsp;43&nbsp;I beat them as fine as the dust&nbsp;of the earth; &nbsp;I pounded and trampled&nbsp;them like mud&nbsp;in the streets. 44&nbsp;“You have delivered&nbsp;me from the attacks of my people;&nbsp;you have preserved&nbsp;me as the head of nations.People&nbsp;I did not know are subject to me,45&nbsp;and foreigners come cringing&nbsp;to me;&nbsp;&nbsp;as soon as they hear me, they obey me.&nbsp;46&nbsp;They all lose heart;&nbsp;they come trembling from their strongholds. 47&nbsp;“The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;lives! Praise be to my Rock!&nbsp;&nbsp;Exalted&nbsp;be God, the Rock, my Savior!&nbsp;48&nbsp;He is the God who avenges&nbsp;me,&nbsp;&nbsp;who puts the nations under me, 49&nbsp;who sets me free from my enemies.&nbsp;You exalted me&nbsp;above my foes;&nbsp;&nbsp;from violent men you rescued me. 50&nbsp;Therefore I will praise you, O&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;among the nations; I will sing praises&nbsp;to your name.&nbsp;51&nbsp;He gives his king great victories;&nbsp;he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,&nbsp;to David&nbsp;and his descendants forever.” 2 Samuel 23The Last Words of DavidThese are the last words of David:“The oracle of David son of Jesse,&nbsp;the oracle of the man exalted&nbsp;by the Most High, the man anointed&nbsp;by the God of Jacob,&nbsp;Israel’s singer of songs:2&nbsp;“The Spirit&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;spoke through me;&nbsp;his word was on my tongue. 3&nbsp;The God of Israel spoke,&nbsp;the Rock&nbsp;of Israel said to me:‘When one rules over men in righteousness,&nbsp;when he rules in the fear&nbsp;of God,&nbsp;4&nbsp;he is like the light&nbsp;of morning&nbsp;at sunrise&nbsp;&nbsp;on a cloudless morning,like the brightness after rain&nbsp;&nbsp;that brings the grass from the earth.’5&nbsp;“Is not my house right with God?&nbsp;Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,&nbsp;arranged and secured in every part? Will he not bring to fruition my salvation&nbsp;and grant me my every desire? 6&nbsp;But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,&nbsp;which are not gathered with the hand. 7&nbsp;Whoever touches thorns&nbsp;uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;&nbsp;they are burned up where they lie.”—————————Psalm 70:1-51 Hasten, O God, to save me; O&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;come quickly to help me.&nbsp;2&nbsp;May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion;may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.&nbsp;3&nbsp;May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame.4&nbsp;But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad&nbsp;in you;may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!”5&nbsp;Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me,&nbsp;O God.You are my help&nbsp;and my deliverer; O&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;do not delay.—————————Proverbs 15:16-1716 Better a little with the fear of the&nbsp;Lord than great wealth with turmoil.17&nbsp;Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.&nbsp;—————————John 12:34-13:11The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law&nbsp;that the Christ will remain forever,&nbsp;so how can you say,&nbsp;‘The Son of Man&nbsp;must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”35&nbsp;Then Jesus told them,&nbsp;“You are going to have the light&nbsp;just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light,&nbsp;before darkness overtakes you.&nbsp;The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.&nbsp;36&nbsp;Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.”When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.The Jews Continue in Their Unbelief37&nbsp;Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs&nbsp;in their presence, they still would not believe in him.&nbsp;38&nbsp;This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:“Lord, who has believed our message&nbsp;and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”39&nbsp;For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:40&nbsp;“He has blinded their eyes&nbsp;&nbsp;and deadened their hearts,so they can neither see with their eyes,&nbsp;nor understand with their hearts,&nbsp;nor turn—and I would heal them.”41&nbsp;Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory&nbsp;and spoke about him.42&nbsp;Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.&nbsp;But because of the Pharisees&nbsp;they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;&nbsp;43&nbsp;for they loved praise from men&nbsp;more than praise from God. 44&nbsp;Then Jesus cried out,&nbsp;“When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.&nbsp;45&nbsp;When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.&nbsp;46&nbsp;I have come into the world as a light,&nbsp;so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.47&nbsp;“As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.&nbsp;48&nbsp;There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him&nbsp;at the last day.&nbsp;49&nbsp;For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me&nbsp;what to say and how to say it.&nbsp;50&nbsp;I know that his command leads to eternal life.&nbsp;So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”John 13Jesus Washes His Disciples’ FeetIt was just before the Passover Feast.&nbsp;Jesus knew that the time had come&nbsp;for him to leave this world and go to the Father.&nbsp;Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.2&nbsp;The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power,&nbsp;and that he had come from God&nbsp;and was returning to God;&nbsp;4&nbsp;so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.&nbsp;5&nbsp;After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet,&nbsp;drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.6&nbsp;He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”7&nbsp;Jesus replied,&nbsp;“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”8&nbsp;“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”Jesus answered,&nbsp;“Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”9&nbsp;“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”10&nbsp;Jesus answered,&nbsp;“A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean,&nbsp;though not every one of you.” 11&nbsp;For he knew who was going to betray him,&nbsp;and that was why he said not every one was clean. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

June 8 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:2 Samuel 19:24-21:22Psalm 69:29-36Proverbs 15:14-15John 12:12-33 2 Samuel 19:24-21:22&nbsp;Mephibosheth,&nbsp;Saul’s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely.&nbsp;25&nbsp;When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Why didn’t you go with me,&nbsp;Mephibosheth?”26&nbsp;He said, “My lord the king, since I your servant am lame,&nbsp;I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.’ But Zibamy servant betrayed me.&nbsp;27&nbsp;And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel&nbsp;of God; so do whatever pleases you. 28&nbsp;All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death&nbsp;from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table.&nbsp;So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?” 29&nbsp;The king said to him, “Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the fields.”30&nbsp;Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has arrived home safely.”31&nbsp;Barzillai&nbsp;the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and to send him on his way from there.&nbsp;32&nbsp;Now Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years of age. He had provided for the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy&nbsp;man.&nbsp;33&nbsp;The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me and stay with me in Jerusalem, and I will provide for you.”34&nbsp;But Barzillai answered the king, “How many more years will I live, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king?&nbsp;35&nbsp;I am now eighty&nbsp;years old. Can I tell the difference between what is good and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats and drinks? Can I still hear the voices of men and women singers?&nbsp;Why should your servant be an added&nbsp;burden to my lord the king?&nbsp;36&nbsp;Your servant will cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance, but why should the king reward me in this way?&nbsp;37&nbsp;Let your servant return, that I may die in my own town near the tomb of my father&nbsp;and mother. But here is your servant Kimham.&nbsp;Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever pleases you.”38&nbsp;The king said, “Kimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him whatever pleases you. And anything you desire from me I will do for you.” 39&nbsp;So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and gave him his blessing,&nbsp;and Barzillai returned to his home. 40&nbsp;When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham crossed with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel had taken the king over.41&nbsp;Soon all the men of Israel were coming to the king and saying to him, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, steal the king away and bring him and his household across the Jordan, together with all his men?” 42&nbsp;All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “We did this because the king is closely related to us. Why are you angry about it? Have we eaten any of the king’s provisions? Have we taken anything for ourselves?” 43&nbsp;Then the men of Israel&nbsp;answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king; and besides, we have a greater claim on David than you have. So why do you treat us with contempt? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the men of Judah responded even more harshly than the men of Israel.&nbsp;2 Samuel 20Sheba Rebels Against DavidNow a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bicri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted,“We have no share&nbsp;in David,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;no part in Jesse’s son!&nbsp;Every man to his tent, O Israel!”2&nbsp;So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem. 3&nbsp;When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines&nbsp;he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but did not lie with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows. 4&nbsp;Then the king said to Amasa,&nbsp;“Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.”&nbsp;5&nbsp;But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him. 6&nbsp;David said to Abishai,&nbsp;“Now Sheba son of Bicri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.”&nbsp;7&nbsp;So Joab’s men and the Kerethites&nbsp;and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.8&nbsp;While they were at the great rock in Gibeon,&nbsp;Amasa came to meet them. Joab&nbsp;was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath. 9&nbsp;Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.&nbsp;10&nbsp;Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger&nbsp;in Joab’s&nbsp;hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bicri.11&nbsp;One of Joab’s men stood beside Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!”&nbsp;12&nbsp;Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt&nbsp;there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him.&nbsp;13&nbsp;After Amasa had been removed from the road, all the men went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.14&nbsp;Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maacah and through the entire region of the Berites,&nbsp;who gathered together and followed him.&nbsp;15&nbsp;All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maacah.&nbsp;They built a siege ramp&nbsp;up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down,&nbsp;16&nbsp;a wise woman&nbsp;called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.”&nbsp;17&nbsp;He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”“I am,” he answered.She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.”“I’m listening,” he said.18&nbsp;She continued, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it.&nbsp;19&nbsp;We are the peaceful&nbsp;and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the&nbsp;Lord’s inheritance?”20&nbsp;“Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy!&nbsp;21&nbsp;That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bicri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.”The woman said to Joab, “His head&nbsp;will be thrown to you from the wall.”22&nbsp;Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice,&nbsp;and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bicri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem. 23&nbsp;Joab&nbsp;was over Israel’s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites;&nbsp;24&nbsp;Adoniram was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat&nbsp;son of Ahilud was recorder;&nbsp;25&nbsp;Sheva was secretary; Zadok&nbsp;and Abiathar were priests;&nbsp;26&nbsp;and Ira the Jairite was David’s priest.&nbsp;2 Samuel 21The Gibeonites AvengedDuring the reign of David, there was a famine&nbsp;for three successive years; so David sought&nbsp;the face of the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2&nbsp;The king summoned the Gibeonites&nbsp;and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.)&nbsp; 3&nbsp;David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the&nbsp;Lord’s inheritance?” 4&nbsp;The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.” “What do you want me to do for you?” David asked.5&nbsp;They answered the king, “As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel,&nbsp;6&nbsp;let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed&nbsp;before the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;at Gibeah of Saul—the&nbsp;Lord’s chosen&nbsp;one.” So the king said, “I will give them to you.”7&nbsp;The king spared Mephibosheth&nbsp;son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath&nbsp;before the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;between David and Jonathan son of Saul.&nbsp;8&nbsp;But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah,&nbsp;whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.&nbsp;9&nbsp;He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;All seven of them fell together; they were put to death&nbsp;during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.10&nbsp;Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night.&nbsp;11&nbsp;When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done,&nbsp;12&nbsp;he went and took the bones of Saul&nbsp;and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead.&nbsp;(They had taken them secretly from the public square at Beth Shan,&nbsp;where the Philistines had hung&nbsp;them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)&nbsp;13&nbsp;David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.14&nbsp;They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela&nbsp;in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that,&nbsp;God answered prayer&nbsp;in behalf of the land.Wars Against the Philistines15&nbsp;Once again there was a battle between the Philistines&nbsp;and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted.&nbsp;16&nbsp;And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David.&nbsp;17&nbsp;But Abishai&nbsp;son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp&nbsp;of Israel will not be extinguished.&nbsp;”18&nbsp;In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbecai&nbsp;the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha. 19&nbsp;In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite,&nbsp;who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod. 20&nbsp;In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha.&nbsp;21&nbsp;When he taunted&nbsp;Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah,&nbsp;David’s brother, killed him. 22&nbsp;These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.—————————--Psalm 69:29-3629 I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.30&nbsp;I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him&nbsp;with thanksgiving.31&nbsp;This will please the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.&nbsp;32&nbsp;The poor will see and be glad&nbsp;— you who seek God, may your hearts live!&nbsp;33&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.34&nbsp;Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them,&nbsp;35&nbsp;for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah.&nbsp;Then people will settle there and possess it;36 the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.—————————Proverbs 15:14-1514 The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.15&nbsp;All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.—————————John 12:12-33The Triumphal EntryThe next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.&nbsp;13&nbsp;They took palm branches&nbsp;and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!”“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Blessed is the King of Israel!”14&nbsp;Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, 15&nbsp;“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion;&nbsp;see, your king is coming,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16&nbsp;At first his disciples did not understand all this.&nbsp;Only after Jesus was glorified&nbsp;did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. 17&nbsp;Now the crowd that was with him&nbsp;when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.&nbsp;18&nbsp;Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign,&nbsp;went out to meet him.&nbsp;19&nbsp;So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”Jesus Predicts His Death20&nbsp;Now there were some Greeks&nbsp;among those who went up to worship at the Feast.&nbsp;21&nbsp;They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida&nbsp;in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”&nbsp;22&nbsp;Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.23&nbsp;Jesus replied,&nbsp;“The hour&nbsp;has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.&nbsp;24&nbsp;I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,&nbsp;it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.&nbsp;25&nbsp;The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it&nbsp;for eternal life.&nbsp;26&nbsp;Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.&nbsp;My Father will honor the one who serves me.27&nbsp;“Now my heart is troubled,&nbsp;and what shall I say? ‘Father,&nbsp;save me from this hour’?&nbsp;No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.&nbsp;28&nbsp;Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven,&nbsp;“I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”&nbsp;29&nbsp;The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.30&nbsp;Jesus said,&nbsp;“This voice was for your benefit,&nbsp;not mine.&nbsp;31&nbsp;Now is the time for judgment on this world;&nbsp;now the prince of this world&nbsp;will be driven out. 32&nbsp;But I, when I am lifted up from the earth,&nbsp;will draw all men to myself.”&nbsp;33&nbsp;He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

June 7 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:2 Samuel 18:1-19:23Psalm 69:19-28Proverbs 15:12-13John 11:45-12:11 2 Samuel 18:1-19:23David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.&nbsp;2&nbsp;David sent the troops out&nbsp;—a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai&nbsp;son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai&nbsp;the Gittite. The king told the troops, “I myself will surely march out with you.”3&nbsp;But the men said, “You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won’t care about us. Even if half of us die, they won’t care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.” 4&nbsp;The king answered, “I will do whatever seems best to you.” So the king stood beside the gate while all the men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands.&nbsp;5&nbsp;The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.6&nbsp;The army marched into the field to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest&nbsp;of Ephraim.&nbsp;7&nbsp;There the army of Israel was defeated by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men.&nbsp;8&nbsp;The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword. 9&nbsp;Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going. 10&nbsp;When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.” 11&nbsp;Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike&nbsp;him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior’s belt.&nbsp;”12&nbsp;But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lift my hand against the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’&nbsp;13&nbsp;And if I had put my life in jeopardy—and nothing is hidden from the king&nbsp;—you would have kept your distance from me.” 14&nbsp;Joab&nbsp;said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree.&nbsp;15&nbsp;And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him. 16&nbsp;Then Joab&nbsp;sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them.&nbsp;17&nbsp;They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up&nbsp;a large heap of rocks&nbsp;over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes. 18&nbsp;During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley&nbsp;as a monument&nbsp;to himself, for he thought, “I have no son&nbsp;to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day. David Mourns 19&nbsp;Now Ahimaaz&nbsp;son of Zadok said, “Let me run and take the news to the king that the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.&nbsp;” 20&nbsp;“You are not the one to take the news today,” Joab told him. “You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.” 21&nbsp;Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.22&nbsp;Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.” But Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to go? You don’t have any news that will bring you a reward.”23&nbsp;He said, “Come what may, I want to run.” So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite. 24&nbsp;While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman&nbsp;went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone.&nbsp;25&nbsp;The watchman called out to the king and reported it. The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the man came closer and closer.26&nbsp;Then the watchman saw another man running, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!” The king said, “He must be bringing good news,&nbsp;too.”27&nbsp;The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like&nbsp;Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.” 28&nbsp;Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise be to the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;your God! He has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king.” 29&nbsp;The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.”30&nbsp;The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there. 31&nbsp;Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has delivered you today from all who rose up against you.” 32&nbsp;The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”33&nbsp;The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died&nbsp;instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”2 Samuel 19Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.”&nbsp;2&nbsp;And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, “The king is grieving for his son.”&nbsp;3&nbsp;The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle.&nbsp;4&nbsp;The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”5&nbsp;Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines.&nbsp;6&nbsp;You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.&nbsp;7&nbsp;Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now.”8&nbsp;So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway,&nbsp;” they all came before him. &nbsp;David Returns to JerusalemMeanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes.&nbsp;9&nbsp;Throughout the tribes of Israel, the people were all arguing with each other, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines.&nbsp;But now he has fled the country because of Absalom;&nbsp;10&nbsp;and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?” 11&nbsp;King David sent this message to Zadok&nbsp;and Abiathar, the priests: “Ask the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace, since what is being said throughout Israel has reached the king at his quarters?&nbsp;12&nbsp;You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king?’&nbsp;13&nbsp;And say to Amasa,&nbsp;‘Are you not my own flesh and blood?&nbsp;May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,&nbsp;if from now on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab.&nbsp;’” 14&nbsp;He won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man. They sent word to the king, “Return, you and all your men.”&nbsp;15&nbsp;Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan. Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal&nbsp;to go out and meet the king and bring him across the Jordan.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Shimei&nbsp;son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David.&nbsp;17&nbsp;With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba,&nbsp;the steward of Saul’s household,&nbsp;and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was.&nbsp;18&nbsp;They crossed at the ford to take the king’s household over and to do whatever he wished.When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king&nbsp;19&nbsp;and said to him, “May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem.&nbsp;May the king put it out of his mind.&nbsp;20&nbsp;For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first of the whole house of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.”21&nbsp;Then Abishai&nbsp;son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed&nbsp;the&nbsp;Lord’s anointed.” 22&nbsp;David replied, “What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah?&nbsp;This day you have become my adversaries! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today?&nbsp;Do I not know that today I am king over Israel?”&nbsp;23&nbsp;So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king promised him on oath.&nbsp;————————-Psalm 69:19-2819 You know how I am scorned,&nbsp;disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you.20&nbsp;Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless;I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters,&nbsp;but I found none.&nbsp;21&nbsp;They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar&nbsp;for my thirst.22&nbsp;May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap.&nbsp;23&nbsp;May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and their backs be bent forever.&nbsp;24&nbsp;Pour out your wrath&nbsp;on them; let your fierce anger overtake them.25&nbsp;May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.&nbsp;26&nbsp;For they persecute those you wound&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and talk about the pain of those you hurt.&nbsp;27&nbsp;Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation.&nbsp;28&nbsp;May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.&nbsp;————————-Proverbs 15:12-1312 A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise.13&nbsp;A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.&nbsp;————————-John 11:45-12:11Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary,&nbsp;and had seen what Jesus did,&nbsp;put their faith in him.&nbsp;46&nbsp;But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.&nbsp;47&nbsp;Then the chief priests and the Pharisees&nbsp;called a meeting&nbsp;of the Sanhedrin.“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs.&nbsp;48&nbsp;If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49&nbsp;Then one of them, named Caiaphas,&nbsp;who was high priest that year,&nbsp;spoke up, “You know nothing at all!&nbsp;50&nbsp;You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” 51&nbsp;He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation,&nbsp;52&nbsp;and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.&nbsp;53&nbsp;So from that day on they plotted to take his life. 54&nbsp;Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews.&nbsp;Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. 55&nbsp;When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,&nbsp;many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing&nbsp;before the Passover. 56&nbsp;They kept looking for Jesus,&nbsp;and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the Feast at all?” 57&nbsp;But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him. John 12Jesus Anointed at BethanySix days before the Passover,&nbsp;Jesus arrived at Bethany,&nbsp;where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.&nbsp;2&nbsp;Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served,&nbsp;while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume;&nbsp;she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.&nbsp;And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.4&nbsp;But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him,&nbsp;objected,&nbsp;5&nbsp;“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”&nbsp;6&nbsp;He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag,&nbsp;he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7&nbsp;“Leave her alone,”&nbsp;Jesus replied.&nbsp;“It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.&nbsp;8&nbsp;You will always have the poor among you,&nbsp;but you will not always have me.”9&nbsp;Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.&nbsp;10&nbsp;So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,&nbsp;11&nbsp;for on account of him&nbsp;many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

June 6 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:2 Samuel 16:1-17:29Psalm 69:13-18Proverbs 15:10-11John 11:21-44 2 Samuel 16:1-17:29When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba,&nbsp;the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.2&nbsp;The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?”Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh&nbsp;those who become exhausted in the desert.”3&nbsp;The king then asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?”Ziba&nbsp;said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather’s kingdom.’”4&nbsp;Then the king said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth&nbsp;is now yours.”“I humbly bow,” Ziba said. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”Shimei Curses DavidAs King David approached Bahurim,&nbsp;a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei&nbsp;son of Gera, and he cursedas he came out.&nbsp;6&nbsp;He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left.&nbsp;7&nbsp;As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel!&nbsp;8&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!”9&nbsp;Then Abishai&nbsp;son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog&nbsp;curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.” 10&nbsp;But the king said, “What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah?&nbsp;If he is cursing because the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”11&nbsp;David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son,&nbsp;who is of my own flesh, is trying to take my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has told him to.&nbsp;12&nbsp;It may be that the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;will see my distress&nbsp;and repay me with good&nbsp;for the cursing I am receiving today.&nbsp;”13&nbsp;So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.&nbsp;14&nbsp;The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted.&nbsp;And there he refreshed himself.The Advice of Ahithophel and Hushai15&nbsp;Meanwhile, Absalom&nbsp;and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel&nbsp;was with him.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Then Hushai&nbsp;the Arkite, David’s friend, went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”17&nbsp;Absalom asked Hushai, “Is this the love you show your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?”18&nbsp;Hushai said to Absalom, “No, the one chosen by the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;by these people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and I will remain with him.19&nbsp;Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.”20&nbsp;Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”21&nbsp;Ahithophel answered, “Lie with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench in your father’s nostrils, and the hands of everyone with you will be strengthened.”&nbsp;22&nbsp;So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he lay with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.23&nbsp;Now in those days the advice&nbsp;Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David&nbsp;and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice. 2 Samuel 17Ahithophel said to Absalom, “I would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.&nbsp;2&nbsp;I would attack him while he is weary and weak.&nbsp;I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king&nbsp;3&nbsp;and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed.”&nbsp;4&nbsp;This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel.5&nbsp;But Absalom said, “Summon also Hushai&nbsp;the Arkite, so we can hear what he has to say.”&nbsp;6&nbsp;When Hushai came to him, Absalom said, “Ahithophel has given this advice. Should we do what he says? If not, give us your opinion.”7&nbsp;Hushai replied to Absalom, “The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time.&nbsp;8&nbsp;You know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs.&nbsp;Besides, your father is an experienced fighter;&nbsp;he will not spend the night with the troops.&nbsp;9&nbsp;Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place.&nbsp;If he should attack your troops first, whoever hears about it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’&nbsp;10&nbsp;Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion,&nbsp;will melt&nbsp;with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave. 11&nbsp;“So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba&nbsp;—as numerous as the sand&nbsp;on the seashore—be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle.&nbsp;12&nbsp;Then we will attack him wherever he may be found, and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive.&nbsp;13&nbsp;If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley&nbsp;until not even a piece of it can be found.” 14&nbsp;Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice&nbsp;of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.”&nbsp;For the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had determined to frustratethe good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster&nbsp;on Absalom. 15&nbsp;Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, “Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Now send a message immediately and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords in the desert;&nbsp;cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.&nbsp;’” 17&nbsp;Jonathan&nbsp;and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel.&nbsp;A servant girl was to go and inform them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city.&nbsp;18&nbsp;But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So the two of them left quickly and went to the house of a man in Bahurim.&nbsp;He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it.&nbsp;19&nbsp;His wife took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it. No one knew anything about it.20&nbsp;When Absalom’s men came to the woman&nbsp;at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman answered them, “They crossed over the brook.” The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem. 21&nbsp;After the men had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, “Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you.”&nbsp;22&nbsp;So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. 23&nbsp;When Ahithophel saw that his advice&nbsp;had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order&nbsp;and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb. 24&nbsp;David went to Mahanaim,&nbsp;and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.&nbsp;25&nbsp;Absalom had appointed Amasa&nbsp;over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Jether, an Israelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab.&nbsp;26&nbsp;The Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.27&nbsp;When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash&nbsp;from Rabbah&nbsp;of the Ammonites, and Makir&nbsp;son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai&nbsp;the Gileadite&nbsp;from Rogelim&nbsp;28&nbsp;brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, 29&nbsp;honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows’ milk for David and his people to eat.&nbsp;For they said, “The people have become hungry and tired and thirsty in the desert.&nbsp;” —————————Psalm 69:13-18 13 But I pray to you, O&nbsp;Lord, in the time of your favor;&nbsp;in your great love,&nbsp;O God, answer me with your sure salvation.14&nbsp;Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink;deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.&nbsp;15&nbsp;Do not let the floodwaters&nbsp;engulf me&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Answer me, O&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.17&nbsp;Do not hide your face&nbsp;from your servant; answer me quickly,&nbsp;for I am in trouble.&nbsp;18&nbsp;Come near and rescue me; redeem&nbsp;me because of my foes.—————————Proverbs 15:10-1110 Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.11&nbsp;Death and Destruction lie open before the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;— how much more the hearts of men!—————————John 11:21-44“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.&nbsp;22&nbsp;But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”23&nbsp;Jesus said to her,&nbsp;“Your brother will rise again.” 24&nbsp;Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection&nbsp;at the last day.” 25&nbsp;Jesus said to her,&nbsp;“I am&nbsp;the resurrection and the life.&nbsp;He who believes&nbsp;in me will live, even though he dies;&nbsp;26&nbsp;and whoever lives and believes&nbsp;in me will never die.&nbsp;Do you believe this?” 27&nbsp;“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,&nbsp;who was to come into the world.” 28&nbsp;And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher&nbsp;is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”&nbsp;29&nbsp;When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.&nbsp;30&nbsp;Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31&nbsp;When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,&nbsp;noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32&nbsp;When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33&nbsp;When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved&nbsp;in spirit and troubled.&nbsp;34&nbsp;“Where have you laid him?”&nbsp;he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35&nbsp;Jesus wept. 36&nbsp;Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37&nbsp;But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man&nbsp;have kept this man from dying?”Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead 38&nbsp;Jesus, once more deeply moved,&nbsp;came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.&nbsp;39&nbsp;“Take away the stone,”&nbsp;he said.“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”40&nbsp;Then Jesus said,&nbsp;“Did I not tell you that if you believed,&nbsp;you would see the glory of God?”41&nbsp;So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up&nbsp;and said,&nbsp;“Father,&nbsp;I thank you that you have heard me.&nbsp;42&nbsp;I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,&nbsp;that they may believe that you sent me.” 43&nbsp;When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice,&nbsp;“Lazarus, come out!”&nbsp;44&nbsp;The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them,&nbsp;“Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

June 5 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:2 Samuel 14:1-15:37Psalm 69:5-12Proverbs 15:8-9John 11:7-20 2 Samuel 14:1-15:37Joab&nbsp;son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.&nbsp;2&nbsp;So Joab sent someone to Tekoa&nbsp;and had a wise woman&nbsp;brought from there. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don’t use any cosmetic lotions.&nbsp;Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab&nbsp;put the words in her mouth.4&nbsp;When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, “Help me, O king!” 5&nbsp;The king asked her, “What is troubling you?”She said, “I am indeed a widow; my husband is dead.&nbsp;6&nbsp;I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him.&nbsp;7&nbsp;Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death&nbsp;for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir&nbsp;as well.’ They would put out the only burning coal I have left,&nbsp;leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth.”8&nbsp;The king said to the woman, “Go home,&nbsp;and I will issue an order in your behalf.” 9&nbsp;But the woman from Tekoa said to him, “My lord the king, let the blame&nbsp;rest on me and on my father’s family,&nbsp;and let the king and his throne be without guilt.&nbsp;” 10&nbsp;The king replied, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he will not bother you again.” 11&nbsp;She said, “Then let the king invoke the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;his God to prevent the avenger&nbsp;of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed.” “As surely as the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;lives,” he said, “not one hair&nbsp;of your son’s head will fall to the ground.&nbsp;”12&nbsp;Then the woman said, “Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” “Speak,” he replied.13&nbsp;The woman said, “Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself,&nbsp;for the king has not brought back his banished son?&nbsp;14&nbsp;Like water&nbsp;spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die.&nbsp;But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person&nbsp;may not remain estranged from him. 15&nbsp;“And now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; perhaps he will do what his servant asks.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from the inheritance&nbsp;God gave us.’ 17&nbsp;“And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is like an angel&nbsp;of God in discerning&nbsp;good and evil. May the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;your God be with you.’” 18&nbsp;Then the king said to the woman, “Do not keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you.”“Let my lord the king speak,” the woman said. 19&nbsp;The king asked, “Isn’t the hand of Joab&nbsp;with you in all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant.&nbsp;20&nbsp;Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom&nbsp;like that of an angel of God—he knows everything that happens in the land.&nbsp;” 21&nbsp;The king said to Joab, “Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.” 22&nbsp;Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king.&nbsp;Joab said, “Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant’s request.”23&nbsp;Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.&nbsp;24&nbsp;But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king. 25&nbsp;In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him.&nbsp;26&nbsp;Whenever he cut the hair of his head&nbsp;—he used to cut his hair from time to time when it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels by the royal standard. 27&nbsp;Three sons&nbsp;and a daughter were born to Absalom. The daughter’s name was Tamar,&nbsp;and she became a beautiful woman. 28&nbsp;Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king’s face.&nbsp;29&nbsp;Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come.&nbsp;30&nbsp;Then he said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barleythere. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.31&nbsp;Then Joab did go to Absalom’s house and he said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?&nbsp;” 32&nbsp;Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent word to you and said, ‘Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur?&nbsp;It would be better for me if I were still there!”’ Now then, I want to see the king’s face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.”33&nbsp;So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed&nbsp;Absalom.2 Samuel 15Absalom’s ConspiracyIn the course of time,&nbsp;Absalom provided himself with a chariot&nbsp;and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him.&nbsp;2&nbsp;He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate.&nbsp;Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.”&nbsp;3&nbsp;Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.”&nbsp;4&nbsp;And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land!&nbsp;Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that he gets justice.”5&nbsp;Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him.&nbsp;6&nbsp;Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts&nbsp;of the men of Israel.7&nbsp;At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;8&nbsp;While your servant was living at Geshur&nbsp;in Aram, I made this vow:&nbsp;‘If the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;in Hebron.” 9&nbsp;The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went to Hebron. 10&nbsp;Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets,&nbsp;then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’”&nbsp;11&nbsp;Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter.&nbsp;12&nbsp;While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel&nbsp;the Gilonite, David’s counselor,&nbsp;to come from Giloh,&nbsp;his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing.David Flees13&nbsp;A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” 14&nbsp;Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee,&nbsp;or none of us will escape from Absalom.&nbsp;We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword.” 15&nbsp;The king’s officials answered him, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.” 16&nbsp;The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines&nbsp;to take care of the palace.&nbsp;17&nbsp;So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at a place some distance away.&nbsp;18&nbsp;All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites&nbsp;and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.19&nbsp;The king said to Ittai&nbsp;the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner,&nbsp;an exile from your homeland.&nbsp;20&nbsp;You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander&nbsp;about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your countrymen. May kindness and faithfulness&nbsp;be with you.” 21&nbsp;But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.” 22&nbsp;David said to Ittai, “Go ahead, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him. 23&nbsp;The whole countryside wept aloud&nbsp;as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley,&nbsp;and all the people moved on toward the desert.24&nbsp;Zadok&nbsp;was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark&nbsp;of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiatharoffered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city. 25&nbsp;Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the&nbsp;Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place&nbsp;again.&nbsp;26&nbsp;But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.&nbsp;” 27&nbsp;The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Aren’t you a seer?&nbsp;Go back to the city in peace, with your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan&nbsp;son of Abiathar. You and Abiathar take your two sons with you.&nbsp;28&nbsp;I will wait at the fords&nbsp;in the desert until word comes from you to inform me.”&nbsp;29&nbsp;So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there. 30&nbsp;But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping&nbsp;as he went; his head&nbsp;was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.&nbsp;31&nbsp;Now David had been told, “Ahithophel&nbsp;is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “O Lord,&nbsp;turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.” 32&nbsp;When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai&nbsp;the Arkite&nbsp;was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust&nbsp;on his head. 33&nbsp;David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden&nbsp;to me.&nbsp;34&nbsp;But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’&nbsp;then you can help me by frustrating&nbsp;Ahithophel’s advice.&nbsp;35&nbsp;Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace.&nbsp;36&nbsp;Their two sons, Ahimaaz&nbsp;son of Zadok and Jonathan&nbsp;son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”37&nbsp;So David’s friend Hushai&nbsp;arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom&nbsp;was entering the city.————————-Psalm 69:5-12You know my folly,&nbsp;O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.6&nbsp;May those who hope in you&nbsp;not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;Almighty;may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel. 7&nbsp;For I endure scorn&nbsp;for your sake, and shame covers my face.&nbsp;8&nbsp;I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons;&nbsp;9&nbsp;for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.&nbsp;10&nbsp;When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; 11&nbsp;when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me.12&nbsp;Those who sit at the gate&nbsp;mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.————————— Proverbs 15:8-9&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;detests the sacrifice&nbsp;of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.9&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness.————————— John 11:7-20Then he said to his disciples,&nbsp;“Let us go back to Judea.” 8&nbsp;“But Rabbi,”&nbsp;they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you,&nbsp;and yet you are going back there?” 9&nbsp;Jesus answered,&nbsp;“Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light.&nbsp;10&nbsp;It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.” 11&nbsp;After he had said this, he went on to tell them,&nbsp;“Our friend&nbsp;Lazarus has fallen asleep;&nbsp;but I am going there to wake him up.” 12&nbsp;His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”&nbsp;13&nbsp;Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.14&nbsp;So then he told them plainly,&nbsp;“Lazarus is dead,&nbsp;15&nbsp;and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16&nbsp;Then Thomas&nbsp;(called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”Jesus Comforts the Sisters17&nbsp;On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.&nbsp;18&nbsp;Bethany&nbsp;was less than two miles from Jerusalem,&nbsp;19&nbsp;and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.&nbsp;20&nbsp;When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

June 4 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:2 Samuel 12:1-13:39Psalm 69:1-4Proverbs 15:6-7John 10:31-11:6 2 Samuel 12:1-13:39&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;sent Nathan&nbsp;to David.&nbsp;When he came to him,&nbsp;he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.&nbsp;2&nbsp;The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,&nbsp;3&nbsp;but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.4&nbsp;“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”5&nbsp;David&nbsp;burned with anger&nbsp;against the man&nbsp;and said to Nathan, “As surely as the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;lives,&nbsp;the man who did this deserves to die!&nbsp;6&nbsp;He must pay for that lamb four times over,&nbsp;because he did such a thing and had no pity.” 7&nbsp;Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!&nbsp;This is what the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed&nbsp;you&nbsp;king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.&nbsp;8&nbsp;I gave your master’s house to you,&nbsp;and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.&nbsp;9&nbsp;Why did you despise&nbsp;the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck downUriah&nbsp;the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed&nbsp;him with the sword of the Ammonites.&nbsp;10&nbsp;Now, therefore, the sword&nbsp;will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’11&nbsp;“This is what the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;says: ‘Out of your own household&nbsp;I am going to bring calamity upon you.&nbsp;Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.&nbsp;12&nbsp;You did it in secret,&nbsp;but I will do this thing in broad daylight&nbsp;before all Israel.’”13&nbsp;Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned&nbsp;against the&nbsp;Lord.”Nathan replied, “The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has taken away&nbsp;your sin.&nbsp;You are not going to die.&nbsp;14&nbsp;But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”15&nbsp;After Nathan had gone home, the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;struck&nbsp;the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.&nbsp;16&nbsp;David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying&nbsp;on the ground.&nbsp;17&nbsp;The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused,&nbsp;and he would not eat any food with them.18&nbsp;On the seventh day the child died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.”19&nbsp;David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked. “Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”20&nbsp;Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed,&nbsp;put on lotions and changed his clothes,&nbsp;he went into the house of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate. 21&nbsp;His servants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept,&nbsp;but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”22&nbsp;He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows?&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;may be gracious to me and let the child live.’&nbsp;23&nbsp;But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him,&nbsp;but he will not return to me.” 24&nbsp;Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba,&nbsp;and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;loved him;&nbsp;25&nbsp;and because the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.26&nbsp;Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah&nbsp;of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel.&nbsp;27&nbsp;Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply.&nbsp;28&nbsp;Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me.” 29&nbsp;So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and attacked and captured it.&nbsp;30&nbsp;He took the crown&nbsp;from the head of their king—its weight was a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones—and it was placed on David’s head. He took a great quantity of plunder from the city&nbsp;31&nbsp;and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brickmaking. He did this to all the Ammonite&nbsp;towns. Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.2 Samuel 13Amnon and TamarIn the course of time, Amnon&nbsp;son of David fell in love with Tamar,&nbsp;the beautiful sister of Absalom&nbsp;son of David. 2&nbsp;Amnon became frustrated to the point of illness on account of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.3&nbsp;Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah,&nbsp;David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man.&nbsp;4&nbsp;He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”5&nbsp;“Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’” 6&nbsp;So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.” 7&nbsp;David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.”&nbsp;8&nbsp;So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it.&nbsp;9&nbsp;Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone out of here,”&nbsp;Amnon said. So everyone left him.&nbsp;10&nbsp;Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom.&nbsp;11&nbsp;But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed&nbsp;her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.” 12&nbsp;“Don’t, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me. Such a thing should not be done in Israel!&nbsp;Don’t do this wicked thing.&nbsp;13&nbsp;What about me?Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.”&nbsp;14&nbsp;But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.15&nbsp;Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!” 16&nbsp;“No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.” But he refused to listen to her.&nbsp;17&nbsp;He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of here and bolt the door after her.”&nbsp;18&nbsp;So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing a richly ornamented robe,&nbsp;for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore.&nbsp;19&nbsp;Tamar put ashes&nbsp;on her head and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.20&nbsp;Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman. 21&nbsp;When King David heard all this, he was furious.&nbsp;22&nbsp;Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad;&nbsp;he hated&nbsp;Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.Absalom Kills Amnon23&nbsp;Two years later, when Absalom’s sheep shearers&nbsp;were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there. 24&nbsp;Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his officials please join me?”25&nbsp;“No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go, but gave him his blessing. 26&nbsp;Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.”The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?”&nbsp;27&nbsp;But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons.28&nbsp;Absalom&nbsp;ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high&nbsp;spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Have not I given you this order? Be strong and brave.&nbsp;”&nbsp;29&nbsp;So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.30&nbsp;While they were on their way, the report came to David: “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons; not one of them is left.”&nbsp;31&nbsp;The king stood up, tore&nbsp;his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.32&nbsp;But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom’s expressed intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar.&nbsp;33&nbsp;My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”34&nbsp;Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, “I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill.”35&nbsp;Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king’s sons are here; it has happened just as your servant said.” 36&nbsp;As he finished speaking, the king’s sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his servants wept very bitterly. 37&nbsp;Absalom fled and went to Talmai&nbsp;son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned for his son every day.38&nbsp;After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years.&nbsp;39&nbsp;And the spirit of the king longed to go to Absalom,&nbsp;for he was consoled concerning Amnon’s death.————————-Psalm 69:1-4Save me, O God, for the waters&nbsp;have come up to my neck.&nbsp;2&nbsp;I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.3&nbsp;I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.My eyes fail, looking for my God.4&nbsp;Those who hate me&nbsp;without reason outnumber the hairs of my head;many are my enemies without cause, &nbsp;those who seek to destroy me.&nbsp;I am forced to restore what I did not steal.————————-Proverbs 15:6-7The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble.7&nbsp;The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.————————-John 10:31-11:6Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him,&nbsp;32&nbsp;but Jesus said to them,&nbsp;“I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”33&nbsp;“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34&nbsp;Jesus answered them,&nbsp;“Is it not written in your Law,&nbsp;‘I have said you are gods’?&nbsp;35&nbsp;If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God&nbsp;came—and the Scripture cannot be broken&nbsp;—&nbsp;36&nbsp;what about the one whom the Father set apart&nbsp;as his very own&nbsp;and sent into the world?&nbsp;Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?&nbsp;37&nbsp;Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does.&nbsp;38&nbsp;But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”&nbsp;39&nbsp;Again they tried to seize him,&nbsp;but he escaped their grasp. 40&nbsp;Then Jesus went back across the Jordan&nbsp;to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed&nbsp;41&nbsp;and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a miraculous sign,&nbsp;all that John said about this man was true.”&nbsp;42&nbsp;And in that place many believed in Jesus.John 11The Death of LazarusNow a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,&nbsp;the village of Mary and her sister Martha.&nbsp;2&nbsp;This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.&nbsp;3&nbsp;So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love&nbsp;is sick.”4&nbsp;When he heard this, Jesus said,&nbsp;“This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory&nbsp;so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”&nbsp;5&nbsp;Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.&nbsp;6&nbsp;Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

June 3 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:2 Samuel 10:1-11:27Psalm 68:32-35Proverbs 15:4-5John 10:7-30 2 Samuel 10:1-11:27In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king.&nbsp;2&nbsp;David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash,&nbsp;just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.When David’s men came to the land of the Ammonites,&nbsp;3&nbsp;the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you to explore the city and spy it out&nbsp;and overthrow it?”&nbsp;4&nbsp;So Hanun seized David’s men, shaved off half of each man’s beard,&nbsp;cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks,&nbsp;and sent them away.5&nbsp;When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”6&nbsp;When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench&nbsp;in David’s nostrils, they hired twenty thousand Aramean&nbsp;foot soldiers from Beth Rehoband Zobah,&nbsp;as well as the king of Maacah&nbsp;with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob.7&nbsp;On hearing this, David sent Joab&nbsp;out with the entire army of fighting men.&nbsp;8&nbsp;The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.9&nbsp;Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans.&nbsp;10&nbsp;He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai&nbsp;his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites.&nbsp;11&nbsp;Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you.&nbsp;12&nbsp;Be strong&nbsp;and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;will do what is good in his sight.”13&nbsp;Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.&nbsp;14&nbsp;When the Ammonites&nbsp;saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they fled before Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.15&nbsp;After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the River; they went to Helam, with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.17&nbsp;When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him.&nbsp;18&nbsp;But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there.&nbsp;19&nbsp;When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject&nbsp;to them.So the Arameans&nbsp;were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.2 Samuel 11David and BathshebaIn the spring,&nbsp;at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab&nbsp;out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army.&nbsp;They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.&nbsp;But David remained in Jerusalem.2&nbsp;One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof&nbsp;of the palace. From the roof he saw&nbsp;a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,&nbsp;3&nbsp;and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba,&nbsp;the daughter of Eliam&nbsp;and the wife of Uriah&nbsp;the Hittite?” 4&nbsp;Then David sent messengers to get her.&nbsp;She came to him, and he slept&nbsp;with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.)&nbsp;Then she went back home.&nbsp;5&nbsp;The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”6&nbsp;So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah&nbsp;the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David.&nbsp;7&nbsp;When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going.&nbsp;8&nbsp;Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.”&nbsp;So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.&nbsp;9&nbsp;But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.10&nbsp;When David was told, “Uriah did not go home,” he asked him, “Haven’t you just come from a distance? Why didn’t you go home?” 11&nbsp;Uriah said to David, “The ark&nbsp;and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie&nbsp;with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”12&nbsp;Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.&nbsp;13&nbsp;At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home. 14&nbsp;In the morning David wrote a letter&nbsp;to Joab and sent it with Uriah.&nbsp;15&nbsp;In it he wrote, “Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down&nbsp;and die.&nbsp;”16&nbsp;So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were.&nbsp;17&nbsp;When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died. 18&nbsp;Joab sent David a full account of the battle.&nbsp;19&nbsp;He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle,&nbsp;20&nbsp;the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21&nbsp;Who killed Abimelech&nbsp;son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall,&nbsp;so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’”22&nbsp;The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say.&nbsp;23&nbsp;The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance to the city gate.&nbsp;24&nbsp;Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”25&nbsp;David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.” 26&nbsp;When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.&nbsp;27&nbsp;After the time of mourning&nbsp;was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased&nbsp;the&nbsp;Lord.————————— Psalm 68:32-35Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise&nbsp;to the Lord,&nbsp;Selah33&nbsp;to him who rides&nbsp;the ancient skies above, who thunders&nbsp;with mighty voice.&nbsp;34&nbsp;Proclaim the power&nbsp;of God, whose majesty&nbsp;is over Israel, whose power is in the skies.35&nbsp;You are awesome,&nbsp;O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength&nbsp;to his people.Praise be to God!—————————Proverbs 15:4-5The tongue&nbsp;that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.5&nbsp;A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.—————————John 10:7-30Therefore Jesus said again,&nbsp;“I tell you the truth, I am&nbsp;the gate&nbsp;for the sheep.&nbsp;8&nbsp;All who ever came before me&nbsp;were thieves and robbers,&nbsp;but the sheep did not listen to them.&nbsp;9&nbsp;I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.&nbsp;10&nbsp;The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,&nbsp;and have it to the full.11&nbsp;“I am&nbsp;the good shepherd.&nbsp;The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.&nbsp;12&nbsp;The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.&nbsp;Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.&nbsp;13&nbsp;The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.14&nbsp;“I am the good shepherd;&nbsp;I know my sheep&nbsp;and my sheep know me—&nbsp;15&nbsp;just as the Father knows me and I know the Father&nbsp;—and I lay down my life for the sheep.&nbsp;16&nbsp;I have other sheep&nbsp;that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.&nbsp;17&nbsp;The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life&nbsp;—only to take it up again.&nbsp;18&nbsp;No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.&nbsp;I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”19&nbsp;At these words the Jews were again divided.&nbsp;20&nbsp;Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed&nbsp;and raving mad.&nbsp;Why listen to him?” 21&nbsp;But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.&nbsp;Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”The Unbelief of the Jews22&nbsp;Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,&nbsp;23&nbsp;and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.&nbsp;24&nbsp;The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”25&nbsp;Jesus answered,&nbsp;“I did tell you,&nbsp;but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me,&nbsp;26&nbsp;but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.&nbsp;27&nbsp;My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,&nbsp;and they follow me.&nbsp;28&nbsp;I give them eternal life,&nbsp;and they shall never perish;&nbsp;no one can snatch them out of my hand.&nbsp;29&nbsp;My Father, who has given them to me,&nbsp;is greater than all;&nbsp;no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.&nbsp;30&nbsp;I and the Father are one.” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

June 2 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:2 Samuel 7:1-9:13Psalm 68:28-31Proverbs 15:1-3John 9:28-10:6 2 Samuel 7:1-9:13After the king was settled in his palace&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had given him rest from all his enemies&nbsp;around him,&nbsp;2&nbsp;he said to Nathan&nbsp;the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace&nbsp;of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”3&nbsp;Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind,&nbsp;go ahead and do it, for the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;is with you.” 4&nbsp;That night the word of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;came to Nathan, saying:5&nbsp;“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;says: Are you&nbsp;the one to build me a house to dwell in?&nbsp;6&nbsp;I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day.&nbsp;I have been moving from place to place with a tent&nbsp;as my dwelling.&nbsp;7&nbsp;Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites,&nbsp;did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd&nbsp;my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house&nbsp;of cedar?&nbsp;”’8&nbsp;“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock&nbsp;to be ruler&nbsp;over my people Israel.&nbsp;9&nbsp;I have been with you wherever you have gone,&nbsp;and I have cut off all your enemies from before you.&nbsp;Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.&nbsp;10&nbsp;And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant&nbsp;them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.&nbsp;Wicked&nbsp;people will not oppress them anymore,&nbsp;as they did at the beginning&nbsp;11&nbsp;and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.“‘The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;declares&nbsp;to you that the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;himself will establish&nbsp;a house&nbsp;for you:&nbsp;12&nbsp;When your days are over and you rest&nbsp;with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body,&nbsp;and I will establish his kingdom.&nbsp;13&nbsp;He is the one who will build a house&nbsp;for my Name,&nbsp;and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.&nbsp;14&nbsp;I will be his father, and he will be my son.&nbsp;When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod&nbsp;of men, with floggings inflicted by men.&nbsp;15&nbsp;But my love will never be taken away from him,&nbsp;as I took it away from Saul,&nbsp;whom I removed from before you.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne&nbsp;will be established&nbsp;forever.&nbsp;’”17&nbsp;Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.David’s Prayer18&nbsp;Then King David went in and sat before the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;and he said:“Who am I,&nbsp;O Sovereign&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?&nbsp;19&nbsp;And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man,&nbsp;O Sovereign&nbsp;Lord?20&nbsp;“What more can David say&nbsp;to you? For you know&nbsp;your servant,&nbsp;O Sovereign&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;21&nbsp;For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. 22&nbsp;“How great&nbsp;you are,&nbsp;O Sovereign&nbsp;Lord!&nbsp;There is no one like&nbsp;you, and there is no God&nbsp;but you, as we have heard with our own ears.&nbsp;23&nbsp;And who is like your people Israel&nbsp;—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name&nbsp;for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders&nbsp;by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed&nbsp;from Egypt?24&nbsp;You have established your people Israel as your very own&nbsp;forever, and you, O&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;have become their God. 25&nbsp;“And now,&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;God, keep forever the promise&nbsp;you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised,&nbsp;26&nbsp;so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established&nbsp;before you.27&nbsp;“O&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer.&nbsp;28&nbsp;O Sovereign&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;you are God! Your words are trustworthy,&nbsp;and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29&nbsp;Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;have spoken, and with your blessing&nbsp;the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”2 Samuel 8 David’s VictoriesIn the course of time, David defeated the Philistines&nbsp;and subdued&nbsp;them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines. 2&nbsp;David also defeated the Moabites.&nbsp;He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute.3&nbsp;Moreover, David fought Hadadezer&nbsp;son of Rehob, king of Zobah,&nbsp;when he went to restore his control along the Euphrates&nbsp;River.&nbsp;4&nbsp;David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung&nbsp;all but a hundred of the chariot horses.5&nbsp;When the Arameans of Damascus&nbsp;came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them.&nbsp;6&nbsp;He put garrisons&nbsp;in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject&nbsp;to him and brought tribute. The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;gave David victory wherever he went.7&nbsp;David took the gold shields&nbsp;that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.&nbsp;8&nbsp;From Tebah and Berothai,&nbsp;towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze. 9&nbsp;When Tou king of Hamath&nbsp;heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,&nbsp;10&nbsp;he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Joram brought with him articles of silver and gold and bronze.11&nbsp;King David dedicated&nbsp;these articles to the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued:&nbsp;12&nbsp;Edom and Moab,&nbsp;the Ammonites&nbsp;and the Philistines,&nbsp;and Amalek.&nbsp;He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah. 13&nbsp;And David became famous&nbsp;after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 14&nbsp;He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites&nbsp;became subject to David.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;gave David victory&nbsp;wherever he went.David’s Officials15&nbsp;David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right&nbsp;for all his people.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Joab&nbsp;son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat&nbsp;son of Ahilud was recorder;&nbsp;17&nbsp;Zadok&nbsp;son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar&nbsp;were priests; Seraiah was secretary;&nbsp;18&nbsp;Benaiah&nbsp;son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethitesand Pelethites; and David’s sons were royal advisers.2 Samuel 9David and MephiboshethDavid asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2&nbsp;Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba.&nbsp;They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “Your servant,” he replied.3&nbsp;The king asked, “Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan;&nbsp;he is crippled&nbsp;in both feet.”4&nbsp;“Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir&nbsp;son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”5&nbsp;So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. 6&nbsp;When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.David said, “Mephibosheth!”“Your servant,” he replied.7&nbsp;“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan.&nbsp;I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.&nbsp;”8&nbsp;Mephibosheth&nbsp;bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog&nbsp;like me?”9&nbsp;Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.10&nbsp;You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson&nbsp;may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)11&nbsp;Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons. 12&nbsp;Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.&nbsp;13&nbsp;And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was crippled in both feet.————————Psalm 68:28-31Summon your power,&nbsp;O God; show us your strength,&nbsp;O God, as you have done&nbsp;before.29&nbsp;Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts.&nbsp;30&nbsp;Rebuke the beast&nbsp;among the reeds, the herd of bulls&nbsp;among the calves of the nations.Humbled, may it bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations&nbsp;who delight in war.&nbsp;31&nbsp;Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God.—————————Proverbs 15:1-31 A gentle answer&nbsp;turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.2&nbsp;The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.3&nbsp;The eyes&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.&nbsp;————————-John 9:28-10:6Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!&nbsp;29&nbsp;We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”30&nbsp;The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.&nbsp;31&nbsp;We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.&nbsp;32&nbsp;Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.&nbsp;33&nbsp;If this man were not from God,&nbsp;he could do nothing.”34&nbsp;To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth;&nbsp;how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.Spiritual Blindness35&nbsp;Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said,&nbsp;“Do you believe&nbsp;in the Son of Man?” 36&nbsp;“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”37&nbsp;Jesus said,&nbsp;“You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38&nbsp;Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39&nbsp;Jesus said,&nbsp;“For judgment&nbsp;I have come into this world,&nbsp;so that the blind will see&nbsp;and those who see will become blind.”40&nbsp;Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41&nbsp;Jesus said,&nbsp;“If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.&nbsp;John 10The Shepherd and His Flock“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.&nbsp;2&nbsp;The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.&nbsp;3&nbsp;The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.&nbsp;He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.&nbsp;4&nbsp;When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5&nbsp;But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”&nbsp;6&nbsp;Jesus used this figure of speech,&nbsp;but they did not understand what he was telling them. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

June 1 MWC Bible Reading Steven Nicaud References:2 Samuel 5:1-6:23Psalm 68:20-27Proverbs 14:33-35John 9:8-27 2 Samuel 5:1-6:23David Becomes King Over IsraelAll the tribes of Israel&nbsp;came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood.&nbsp;2&nbsp;In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.&nbsp;And the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;said&nbsp;to you, ‘You will shepherd&nbsp;my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.&nbsp;’”3&nbsp;When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact&nbsp;with them at Hebron before the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;and they anointedDavid king over Israel.4&nbsp;David was thirty years old&nbsp;when he became king, and he reigned&nbsp;forty&nbsp;years.&nbsp;5&nbsp;In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months,&nbsp;and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.David Conquers Jerusalem6&nbsp;The king and his men marched to Jerusalem&nbsp;to attack the Jebusites,&nbsp;who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.”&nbsp;7&nbsp;Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion,&nbsp;the City of David.8&nbsp;On that day, David said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those ‘lame and blind’&nbsp;who are David’s enemies.” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.”9&nbsp;David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward.&nbsp;10&nbsp;And he became more and more powerful,&nbsp;because the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;God Almighty&nbsp;was with him.11&nbsp;Now Hiram&nbsp;king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.&nbsp;12&nbsp;And David knew that the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom&nbsp;for the sake of his people Israel.13&nbsp;After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives&nbsp;in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.&nbsp;14&nbsp;These are the names of the children born to him there:&nbsp;Shammua, Shobab, Nathan,&nbsp;Solomon,&nbsp;15&nbsp;Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,&nbsp;16&nbsp;Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.David Defeats the Philistines17&nbsp;When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.&nbsp;18&nbsp;Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;&nbsp;19&nbsp;so David inquired&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;“Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;answered him, “Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.”20&nbsp;So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim. 21&nbsp;The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.22&nbsp;Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;&nbsp;23&nbsp;so David inquired of the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.&nbsp;24&nbsp;As soon as you hear the sound&nbsp;of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has gone out in front&nbsp;of you to strike the Philistine army.”&nbsp;25&nbsp;So David did as the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines&nbsp;all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. 2 Samuel 6The Ark Brought to JerusalemDavid again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all.&nbsp;2&nbsp;He and all his men set out from Baalah&nbsp;of Judah to bring up from there the ark&nbsp;of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;Almighty, who is enthroned&nbsp;between the cherubim&nbsp;that are on the ark.&nbsp;3&nbsp;They set the ark of God on a new cart&nbsp;and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill.&nbsp;Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart&nbsp;4&nbsp;with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it.&nbsp;5&nbsp;David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating&nbsp;with all their might before the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.6&nbsp;When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of&nbsp;the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.&nbsp;7&nbsp;The&nbsp;Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act;&nbsp;therefore God struck him down&nbsp;and he died there beside the ark of God.8&nbsp;Then David was angry because the&nbsp;Lord’s wrath&nbsp;had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. 9&nbsp;David was afraid of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;that day and said, “How&nbsp;can the ark of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;ever come to me?”&nbsp;10&nbsp;He was not willing to take the ark of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom&nbsp;the Gittite.&nbsp;11&nbsp;The ark of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;blessed him and his entire household.12&nbsp;Now King David&nbsp;was told, “The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.&nbsp;13&nbsp;When those who were carrying the ark of the&nbsp;Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed&nbsp;a bull and a fattened calf.&nbsp;14&nbsp;David, wearing a linen ephod,&nbsp;danced&nbsp;before the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;with all his might,&nbsp;15&nbsp;while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;with shouts&nbsp;and the sound of trumpets.16&nbsp;As the ark of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;was entering the City of David,&nbsp;Michal&nbsp;daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;she despised him in her heart. 17&nbsp;They brought the ark of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it,&nbsp;and David sacrificed burnt offerings&nbsp;and fellowship offerings before the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;18&nbsp;After he had finished sacrificing&nbsp;the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed&nbsp;the people in the name of the&nbsp;Lord Almighty.&nbsp;19&nbsp;Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins&nbsp;to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.20&nbsp;When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing&nbsp;in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” 21&nbsp;David said to Michal, “It was before the&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed&nbsp;me ruler&nbsp;over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;22&nbsp;I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”23&nbsp;And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.—————————Psalm 68:20-2720&nbsp;Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;comes escape from death.21&nbsp;Surely God will crush the heads&nbsp;of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.22&nbsp;The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea,&nbsp;23&nbsp;that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs&nbsp;have their share.”24&nbsp;Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.&nbsp;25&nbsp;In front are the singers,&nbsp;after them the musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines.&nbsp;26&nbsp;Praise God in the great congregation; praise the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;in the assembly of Israel.&nbsp;27&nbsp;There is the little tribe&nbsp;of Benjamin,&nbsp;leading them, there the great throng of Judah’s princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.—————————Proverbs 14:33-3533&nbsp;Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known.34&nbsp;Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.35&nbsp;A king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant incurs his wrath.—————————John 9:8-27His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”&nbsp;9&nbsp;Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”10&nbsp;“How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded. 11&nbsp;He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12&nbsp;“Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.The Pharisees Investigate the Healing13&nbsp;They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.&nbsp;14&nbsp;Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.&nbsp;15&nbsp;Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.&nbsp;“He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”16&nbsp;Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?”&nbsp;So they were divided. 17&nbsp;Finally they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” 18&nbsp;The Jews&nbsp;still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents.&nbsp;19&nbsp;“Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”20&nbsp;“We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind.&nbsp;21&nbsp;But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.”&nbsp;22&nbsp;His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews,&nbsp;for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out&nbsp;of the synagogue.&nbsp;23&nbsp;That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”24&nbsp;A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,”&nbsp;they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 25&nbsp;He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” 26&nbsp;Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”27&nbsp;He answered, “I have told you already&nbsp;and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Judges 6:11-7:25Psalm 55:15-23Proverbs 12:27-28Luke 21:20-38 Judges 6:11-7:25The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.&nbsp;12&nbsp;When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”13&nbsp;“But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”14&nbsp;The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”15&nbsp;“But Lord” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16&nbsp;The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”17&nbsp;Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.&nbsp;18&nbsp;Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”And the LORD said, “I will wait until you return.”19&nbsp;Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.20&nbsp;The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so.&nbsp;21&nbsp;With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared.&nbsp;22&nbsp;When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, “Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”23&nbsp;But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”&nbsp;24&nbsp;So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.25&nbsp;That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.&nbsp;26&nbsp;Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”27&nbsp;So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.&nbsp;28&nbsp;In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!29&nbsp;They asked each other, “Who did this?”&nbsp;When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”30&nbsp;The men of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” &nbsp;31&nbsp;But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.”&nbsp;32&nbsp;So that day they called Gideon “Jerub-Baal” saying, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he broke down Baal’s altar.33&nbsp;Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.&nbsp;34&nbsp;Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.&nbsp;35&nbsp;He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them.36&nbsp;Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised—&nbsp;37&nbsp;look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.”&nbsp;38&nbsp;And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.39&nbsp;Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.”&nbsp;40&nbsp;That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.Judges 7Gideon Defeats the MidianitesEarly in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.&nbsp;2&nbsp;The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her,&nbsp;3&nbsp;announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.4&nbsp;But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”&nbsp;5&nbsp;So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.”&nbsp;6&nbsp;Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.7&nbsp;The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.”&nbsp;8&nbsp;So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.&nbsp;Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.&nbsp;9&nbsp;During that night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.&nbsp;10&nbsp;If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah&nbsp;11&nbsp;and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.&nbsp;12&nbsp;The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.13&nbsp;Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.” &nbsp;14&nbsp;His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”15&nbsp;When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”&nbsp;16&nbsp;Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.17&nbsp;“Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do.&nbsp;18&nbsp;When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’”19&nbsp;Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands.&nbsp;20&nbsp;The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”&nbsp;21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.22&nbsp;When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.&nbsp;23&nbsp;Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites.&nbsp;24&nbsp;Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.”So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah.&nbsp;25&nbsp;They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.—————————Psalm 55:15-2315&nbsp;Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave, for evil finds lodging among them.16&nbsp;But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.&nbsp;17&nbsp;Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.&nbsp;18&nbsp;He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.&nbsp;19&nbsp;God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them—&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selah&nbsp;men who never change their ways and have no fear of God.20&nbsp;My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.&nbsp;21&nbsp;His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart;&nbsp;his words are more soothing than oil, &nbsp;yet they are drawn swords.22&nbsp;Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.&nbsp;23&nbsp;But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption;&nbsp;bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days.&nbsp;But as for me, I trust in you.—————————Proverbs 12:27-2827&nbsp;The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions.28&nbsp;In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality————————— &nbsp;Luke 21:20-38“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.&nbsp;21&nbsp;Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.&nbsp;22&nbsp;For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.&nbsp;23&nbsp;How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.&nbsp;24&nbsp;They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.25&nbsp;“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.&nbsp;26&nbsp;Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.&nbsp;27&nbsp;At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.&nbsp;28&nbsp;When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”29&nbsp;He told them this parable:&nbsp;“Look at the fig tree and all the trees.&nbsp;30&nbsp;When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.&nbsp;31&nbsp;Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.32&nbsp;“I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.&nbsp;33&nbsp;Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.34&nbsp;“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.&nbsp;35&nbsp;For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.&nbsp;36&nbsp;Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”37&nbsp;Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives,&nbsp;38&nbsp;and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple. 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References:Judges 5:1-6:10Psalm 55:9-14Proverbs 12:25-26Luke 20:41-21:19 Judges 5:1-6:10&nbsp;The Song of DeborahOn that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:2&nbsp;“When the princes in Israel take the lead,&nbsp;when the people willingly offer themselves—&nbsp;praise the LORD!3&nbsp;“Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!&nbsp;&nbsp;I will sing to the LORD, I will sing;&nbsp;&nbsp;I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel.&nbsp;4&nbsp;“O LORD, when you went out from Seir,&nbsp;when you marched from the land of Edom,&nbsp;the earth shook, the heavens poured,&nbsp;the clouds poured down water.&nbsp;5&nbsp;The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai,&nbsp;before the LORD, the God of Israel.6&nbsp;“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,&nbsp;&nbsp;in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned;&nbsp;travelers took to winding paths.&nbsp;7&nbsp;Village life in Israel ceased,&nbsp;ceased until I, Deborah, arose,&nbsp;arose a mother in Israel.&nbsp;8&nbsp;When they chose new gods,&nbsp;war came to the city gates,&nbsp;and not a shield or spear was seen&nbsp;among forty thousand in Israel.&nbsp;9&nbsp;My heart is with Israel’s princes,&nbsp;with the willing volunteers among the people.&nbsp;Praise the LORD! 10&nbsp;“You who ride on white donkeys,&nbsp;sitting on your saddle blankets,&nbsp;and you who walk along the road,&nbsp;consider&nbsp;11&nbsp;the voice of the singers at the watering places.&nbsp; They recite the righteous acts of the LORD,&nbsp;the righteous acts of his warriors in Israel.“Then the people of the LORD went down to the city gates.&nbsp;12&nbsp;‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah!&nbsp;Wake up, wake up, break out in song!&nbsp;Arise, O Barak!&nbsp;&nbsp;Take captive your captives, O son of Abinoam.’13&nbsp;“Then the men who were left&nbsp;came down to the nobles;&nbsp;the people of the LORD&nbsp;came to me with the mighty.&nbsp;14&nbsp;Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek;&nbsp;Benjamin was with the people who followed you.&nbsp;From Makir captains came down,&nbsp;from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s staff.&nbsp;15&nbsp;The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;&nbsp;yes, Issachar was with Barak,&nbsp;rushing after him into the valley.&nbsp;In the districts of Reuben&nbsp;there was much searching of heart.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Why did you stay among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks?&nbsp;In the districts of Reuben&nbsp;there was much searching of heart.&nbsp;17&nbsp;Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.&nbsp;&nbsp;And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?&nbsp;Asher remained on the coast&nbsp;and stayed in his coves.&nbsp;18&nbsp;The people of Zebulun risked their very lives;&nbsp;so did Naphtali on the heights of the field.19&nbsp;“Kings came, they fought;&nbsp;the kings of Canaan fought&nbsp;at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,&nbsp;&nbsp;but they carried off no silver, no plunder.&nbsp;20&nbsp;From the heavens the stars fought,&nbsp;from their courses they fought against Sisera.&nbsp;21&nbsp;The river Kishon swept them away,&nbsp;the age-old river, the river Kishon.&nbsp;&nbsp;March on, my soul; be strong!&nbsp;22&nbsp;Then thundered the horses’ hoofs—&nbsp;galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.&nbsp; 23&nbsp;‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the LORD.&nbsp;&nbsp;‘Curse its people bitterly,&nbsp;because they did not come to help the LORD,&nbsp;to help the LORD against the mighty.’&nbsp;24&nbsp;“Most blessed of women be Jael,&nbsp;the wife of Heber the Kenite,&nbsp;most blessed of tent-dwelling women.&nbsp;25&nbsp;He asked for water, and she gave him milk;&nbsp; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.&nbsp;26&nbsp;Her hand reached for the tent peg,&nbsp;her right hand for the workman’s hammer.&nbsp;She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,&nbsp;she shattered and pierced his temple.&nbsp;27&nbsp;At her feet he sank,&nbsp;he fell; there he lay.&nbsp;At her feet he sank, he fell;&nbsp;where he sank, there he fell—dead.28&nbsp;“Through the window peered Sisera’s mother;&nbsp;behind the lattice she cried out,&nbsp;‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?&nbsp;&nbsp;Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’&nbsp;29&nbsp;The wisest of her ladies answer her;&nbsp;&nbsp;indeed, she keeps saying to herself,&nbsp;30&nbsp;‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:&nbsp;&nbsp;a girl or two for each man,&nbsp;colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,&nbsp;colorful garments embroidered,&nbsp;highly embroidered garments for my neck—&nbsp;all this as plunder?’&nbsp;31&nbsp;“So may all your enemies perish, O LORD!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But may they who love you be like the sun&nbsp;when it rises in its strength.” Then the land had peace forty years.Judges 6GideonAgain the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.&nbsp;2&nbsp;Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4&nbsp;They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.&nbsp;5&nbsp;They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.&nbsp;6&nbsp;Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.7&nbsp;When the Israelites cried to the LORD because of Midian,&nbsp;8&nbsp;he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.&nbsp;9&nbsp;I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land.&nbsp;10&nbsp;I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”—————————-Psalm 55:9-149 Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.&nbsp;10&nbsp;Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it.&nbsp;11&nbsp;Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets.12&nbsp;If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it;&nbsp;if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.&nbsp;13&nbsp;But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,&nbsp;14&nbsp;with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God. —————————-Proverbs 12:25-2625&nbsp;An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.26&nbsp;A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.—————————-Luke 20:41-21:19Whose Son Is the Christ?Then Jesus said to them,&nbsp;“How is it that they say the Christ is the Son of David?&nbsp;42&nbsp;David himself declares in the Book of Psalms:“‘The Lord said to my Lord:&nbsp;&nbsp;“Sit at my right hand&nbsp;43&nbsp;until I make your enemies&nbsp;&nbsp;a footstool for your feet.”’44&nbsp;David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”45&nbsp;While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples,&nbsp;46&nbsp;“Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.&nbsp;47&nbsp;They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.”Luke 21The Widow’s OfferingAs he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.&nbsp;2&nbsp;He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.&nbsp;3&nbsp;“I tell you the truth,”&nbsp;he said,&nbsp;“this poor widow has put in more than all the others.&nbsp;4&nbsp;All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”Signs of the End of the Age5&nbsp;Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said,&nbsp;6&nbsp;“As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”7&nbsp;“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” 8&nbsp;He replied:&nbsp;“Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.&nbsp;9 When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” 10&nbsp;Then he said to them:&nbsp;“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.&nbsp;11&nbsp;There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.12&nbsp;“But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.&nbsp;13&nbsp;This will result in your being witnesses to them.&nbsp;14&nbsp;But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.&nbsp;15&nbsp;For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.&nbsp;16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.&nbsp;17&nbsp;All men will hate you because of me.&nbsp;18 But not a hair of your head will perish.&nbsp;19&nbsp;By standing firm you will gain life. This page is automatically refreshed every day. 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References:Judges 3:1-4:24Psalm 55:1-8Proverbs 12:23-24Luke 20:20-40 Judges 3:1-4:24These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan&nbsp;2&nbsp;(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience):&nbsp;3&nbsp;the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath.&nbsp;4&nbsp;They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD’s commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.5&nbsp;The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.&nbsp;6&nbsp;They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.Othniel7&nbsp;The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.&nbsp;8&nbsp;The anger of the LORD burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.9&nbsp;But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them.&nbsp;10&nbsp;The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The LORD gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him.&nbsp;11&nbsp;So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.Ehud12&nbsp;Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel.&nbsp;13Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. 14&nbsp;The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.15&nbsp;Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.&nbsp;16&nbsp;Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing.&nbsp;17&nbsp;He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man.&nbsp;18&nbsp;After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it.&nbsp;19&nbsp;At the idols near Gilgal he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.”The king said, “Quiet!” And all his attendants left him.20&nbsp;Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat,&nbsp;21&nbsp;Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly.&nbsp;22&nbsp;Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it.&nbsp;23&nbsp;Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.24&nbsp;After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house.”&nbsp;25&nbsp;They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.26&nbsp;While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.&nbsp;27&nbsp;When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.28&nbsp;“Follow me,” he ordered, “for the LORD has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and, taking possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab, they allowed no one to cross over.&nbsp;29&nbsp;At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not a man escaped.&nbsp;30&nbsp;That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.Shamgar31&nbsp;After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.Judges 4DeborahAfter Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD.&nbsp;2&nbsp;So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.4&nbsp;Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.&nbsp;5&nbsp;She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.&nbsp;6&nbsp;She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor.&nbsp;7&nbsp;I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”8&nbsp;Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”9&nbsp;“Very well,” Deborah said, “I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh,&nbsp;10&nbsp;where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.11&nbsp;Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.12&nbsp;When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,&nbsp;13&nbsp;Sisera gathered together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.14&nbsp;Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men.&nbsp;15&nbsp;At Barak’s advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.&nbsp;16&nbsp;But Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim. All the troops of Sisera fell by the sword; not a man was left.17&nbsp;Sisera, however, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite.18&nbsp;Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him.19&nbsp;“I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.20&nbsp;“Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say ‘No.’”21&nbsp;But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.22&nbsp;Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead.23&nbsp;On that day God subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites.&nbsp;24&nbsp;And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him.————————-Psalm 55:1-81&nbsp;Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea;&nbsp;&nbsp;2&nbsp;hear me and answer me.&nbsp;My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught&nbsp;&nbsp;3&nbsp;at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked;&nbsp;for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.4&nbsp;My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.&nbsp;5&nbsp;Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.&nbsp;6&nbsp;I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest—&nbsp;7&nbsp;I would flee far away and stay in the desert;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selah8&nbsp;I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”—————————-Proverbs 12:23-2423&nbsp;A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.24&nbsp;Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.—————————Luke 20:20-40Paying Taxes to CaesarKeeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.&nbsp;21&nbsp;So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.&nbsp;22&nbsp;Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”23&nbsp;He saw through their duplicity and said to them,&nbsp;24&nbsp;“Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?”&nbsp;25&nbsp;“Caesar’s,” they replied. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He said to them,&nbsp;“Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” 26&nbsp;They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.The Resurrection and Marriage27&nbsp;Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question.&nbsp;28&nbsp;“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother.&nbsp;29&nbsp;Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless.&nbsp;30&nbsp;The second&nbsp;31&nbsp;and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32&nbsp;Finally, the woman died too.&nbsp;33&nbsp;Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”34&nbsp;Jesus replied,&nbsp;“The people of this age marry and are given in marriage.&nbsp;35&nbsp;But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage,&nbsp;36&nbsp;and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.&nbsp;37&nbsp;But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’&nbsp;38&nbsp;He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”39&nbsp;Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!”&nbsp;40&nbsp;And no one dared to ask him any more questions. This page is automatically refreshed every day. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Judges 1:1-2:23Psalm 54:1-7Proverbs 12:19-22Luke 20:1-19 Judges 1:1-2:23Israel Fights the Remaining CanaanitesAfter the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”2&nbsp;The LORD answered, “Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands.”&nbsp;3&nbsp;Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them.4&nbsp;When Judah attacked, the LORD gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.&nbsp;5&nbsp;It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites.&nbsp;6&nbsp;Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.7&nbsp;Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.8&nbsp;The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. 9&nbsp;After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills.&nbsp;10&nbsp;They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.11&nbsp;From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).&nbsp;12&nbsp;And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.”&nbsp;13&nbsp;Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.14&nbsp;One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”15&nbsp;She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” Then Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. 16&nbsp;The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the men of Judah to live among the people of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.17&nbsp;Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their brothers and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah. 18&nbsp;The men of Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron—each city with its territory.19&nbsp;The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots.&nbsp;20&nbsp;As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak.&nbsp;21&nbsp;The Benjamites, however, failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.22&nbsp;Now the house of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them.&nbsp;23&nbsp;When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz),&nbsp;24&nbsp;the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, “Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well.”&nbsp;25&nbsp;So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his whole family.&nbsp;26&nbsp;He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.27&nbsp;But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.&nbsp;28&nbsp;When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.&nbsp;29&nbsp;Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.&nbsp;30&nbsp;Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, who remained among them; but they did subject them to forced labor.&nbsp;31&nbsp;Nor did Asher drive out those living in Acco or Sidon or Ahlab or Aczib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob,&nbsp;32&nbsp;and because of this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land.&nbsp;33&nbsp;Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them.&nbsp;34&nbsp;The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain.&nbsp;35&nbsp;And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the house of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor.&nbsp;36&nbsp;The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond.Judges 2The Angel of the LORD at BokimThe angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,&nbsp;2&nbsp;and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?&nbsp;3&nbsp;Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.”4&nbsp;When the angel of the LORD had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,&nbsp;5&nbsp;and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the LORD.Disobedience and Defeat6&nbsp;After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance.&nbsp;7&nbsp;The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel.8&nbsp;Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten.&nbsp;9&nbsp;And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.10&nbsp;After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.&nbsp;11&nbsp;Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.&nbsp;12&nbsp;They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger&nbsp;13&nbsp;because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.&nbsp;14&nbsp;In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.&nbsp;15&nbsp;Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.16&nbsp;Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders.&nbsp;17&nbsp;Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD’s commands.&nbsp;18&nbsp;Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.&nbsp;19&nbsp;But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.&nbsp;20&nbsp;Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me,&nbsp;21&nbsp;I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.&nbsp;22&nbsp;I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their forefathers did.”&nbsp;23&nbsp;The LORD had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.————————-Psalm 54:1-71&nbsp;Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.&nbsp;2&nbsp;Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.3&nbsp;Strangers are attacking me; ruthless men seek my life— men without regard for God.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selah4&nbsp;Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.5&nbsp;Let evil recol on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them.6&nbsp;I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, O LORD, for it is good.&nbsp;7&nbsp;For he has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.—————————--Proverbs 12:19-2219&nbsp;Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.20&nbsp;There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace.21&nbsp;No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.22&nbsp;The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.—————————Luke 20:1-19The Authority of Jesus QuestionedOne day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him.&nbsp;2&nbsp;“Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”3&nbsp;He replied,&nbsp;“I will also ask you a question. Tell me,&nbsp;4&nbsp;John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?”5&nbsp;They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’&nbsp;6&nbsp;But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”7&nbsp;So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”8&nbsp;Jesus said,&nbsp;“Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”The Parable of the Tenants9&nbsp;He went on to tell the people this parable:&nbsp;“A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time.&nbsp;10&nbsp;At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.&nbsp;11He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed.&nbsp;12&nbsp;He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.13&nbsp;“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14&nbsp;“But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’&nbsp;15&nbsp;So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?&nbsp;16&nbsp;He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”When the people heard this, they said, “May this never be!”&nbsp;17&nbsp;Jesus looked directly at them and asked,&nbsp;“Then what is the meaning of that which is written:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“‘The stone the builders rejected&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;has become the capstone?18&nbsp;Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” 19&nbsp;The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. This page is automatically refreshed every day. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Joshua 24:1-33Psalm 53:1-6Proverbs 12:17-18Luke 19:28-48 Joshua 24:1-33The Covenant Renewed at ShechemThen Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.&nbsp;2&nbsp;Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods.&nbsp;3&nbsp;But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac,&nbsp;4&nbsp;and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.5&nbsp;“‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.&nbsp;6&nbsp;When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. 7&nbsp;But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.8&nbsp;“‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land.&nbsp;9&nbsp;When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you.&nbsp;10&nbsp;But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.11&nbsp;“‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands.&nbsp;12&nbsp;I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.&nbsp;13&nbsp;So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’14&nbsp;“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.&nbsp;15&nbsp;But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”16&nbsp;Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!&nbsp;17&nbsp;It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.&nbsp;18&nbsp;And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.”19&nbsp;Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.20&nbsp;If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”21&nbsp;But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the LORD.” 22&nbsp;Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.23&nbsp;“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”24&nbsp;And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.” 25&nbsp;On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws.&nbsp;26&nbsp;And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD.27&nbsp;“See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”Buried in the Promised Land28&nbsp;Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance. 29&nbsp;After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten.&nbsp;30&nbsp;And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.31&nbsp;Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel. 32&nbsp;And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.33&nbsp;And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.—————————Psalm 53:1-61&nbsp;The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”&nbsp;They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.2&nbsp;God looks down from heaven on the sons of men&nbsp;to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt;&nbsp;there is no one who does good, not even one.4&nbsp;Will the evildoers never learn— those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God?&nbsp;5&nbsp;There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread.&nbsp;God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them.6&nbsp;Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!—————————Proverbs 12:17-1817&nbsp;A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.18&nbsp;Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.—————————Luke 19:28-48The Triumphal EntryAfter Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.&nbsp;29&nbsp;As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,&nbsp;30&nbsp;“Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.&nbsp;31&nbsp;If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”32&nbsp;Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.&nbsp;33&nbsp;As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”34&nbsp;They replied, “The Lord needs it.”35&nbsp;They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.&nbsp;36&nbsp;As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.37&nbsp;When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:38&nbsp;“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”39&nbsp;Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”40&nbsp;“I tell you,”&nbsp;he replied,&nbsp;“if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”41&nbsp;As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it&nbsp;42&nbsp;and said,&nbsp;“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.&nbsp;43&nbsp;The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.&nbsp;44&nbsp;They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”Jesus at the Temple45&nbsp;Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling.&nbsp;46&nbsp;“It is written,”&nbsp;he said to them,&nbsp;“‘My house will be a house of prayer; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.”47&nbsp;Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.&nbsp;48Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words. This page is automatically refreshed every day. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/bible-archive" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > Bible Archive <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Joshua 22:1-23:16Psalm 52:1-9Proverbs 12:15-16&nbsp;Luke 19:1-27 Joshua 22:1-23:16Eastern Tribes Return HomeThen Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh&nbsp;2&nbsp;and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded.&nbsp;3&nbsp;For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the LORD your God gave you.&nbsp;4&nbsp;Now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.&nbsp;5&nbsp;But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”6&nbsp;Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes.&nbsp;7&nbsp;(To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan with their brothers.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them,&nbsp;8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth—with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing—and divide with your brothers the plunder from your enemies.”9&nbsp;So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses. 10&nbsp;When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.&nbsp;11&nbsp;And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side,&nbsp;12&nbsp;the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.13&nbsp;So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh.&nbsp;14&nbsp;With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.15&nbsp;When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them:&nbsp;16&nbsp;“The whole assembly of the LORD says: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?&nbsp;17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the LORD!&nbsp;18&nbsp;And are you now turning away from the LORD?“‘If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.&nbsp;19&nbsp;If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the LORD’s land, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the LORD our God.&nbsp;20&nbsp;When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’”21&nbsp;Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel:&nbsp;22&nbsp;“The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day.&nbsp;23&nbsp;If we have built our own altar to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account.24&nbsp;“No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?&nbsp;25&nbsp;The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the LORD.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.26&nbsp;“That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’&nbsp;27&nbsp;On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD.’28&nbsp;“And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the LORD’s altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’29&nbsp;“Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle.”30&nbsp;When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites—heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.&nbsp;31&nbsp;And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD’s hand.”32&nbsp;Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites.&nbsp;33&nbsp;They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.34&nbsp;And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.&nbsp;Joshua 23Joshua’s Farewell to the LeadersAfter a long time had passed and the LORD had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old and well advanced in years,&nbsp;2 summoned all Israel—their elders, leaders, judges and officials—and said to them: “I am old and well advanced in years.&nbsp;3&nbsp;You yourselves have seen everything the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the LORD your God who fought for you.&nbsp;4&nbsp;Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the west.&nbsp;5&nbsp;The LORD your God himself will drive them out of your way. He will push them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the LORD your God promised you.6&nbsp;“Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.&nbsp;7&nbsp;Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them.&nbsp;8&nbsp;But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now.9&nbsp;“The LORD has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you.&nbsp;10&nbsp;One of you routs a thousand, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as he promised.&nbsp;11&nbsp;So be very careful to love the LORD your God.12&nbsp;“But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them,&nbsp;13&nbsp;then you may be sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the LORD your God has given you.14&nbsp;“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.&nbsp;15&nbsp;But just as every good promise of the LORD your God has come true, so the LORD will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you.&nbsp;16&nbsp;If you violate the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the LORD’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.”————————-Psalm 52:1-91&nbsp;Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?&nbsp;2&nbsp;Your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit.&nbsp;3&nbsp;You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selah4&nbsp;You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue!5&nbsp;Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selah6&nbsp;The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at him, saying,&nbsp;7&nbsp;“Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold&nbsp;but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”8&nbsp;But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God;&nbsp;I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.&nbsp;9&nbsp;I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.————————-Proverbs 12:15-16&nbsp;15&nbsp;The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.16&nbsp;A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.————————-Luke 19:1-27Zacchaeus the Tax CollectorJesus entered Jericho and was passing through.&nbsp;2&nbsp;A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.&nbsp;3&nbsp;He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.&nbsp;4&nbsp;So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.5&nbsp;When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him,&nbsp;“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”&nbsp;6&nbsp;So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.7&nbsp;All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’” 8&nbsp;But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9&nbsp;Jesus said to him,&nbsp;“Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.&nbsp;10&nbsp;For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”The Parable of the Ten Minas11&nbsp;While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.&nbsp;12&nbsp;He said:&nbsp;“A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.&nbsp;13&nbsp;So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’14&nbsp;“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’15&nbsp;“He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.16&nbsp;“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’17&nbsp;“‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’18&nbsp;“The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’19&nbsp;“His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’20&nbsp;“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth.&nbsp;21&nbsp;I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’22&nbsp;“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow?&nbsp;23&nbsp;Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ 24&nbsp;“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’25&nbsp;“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’26&nbsp;“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.&nbsp;27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/bible-archive" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > Bible Archive &nbsp; <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Joshua 20:1-21:45Psalm 51:14-19Proverbs 12:13-14Luke 18:24-43 Joshua 20:1-21:45Cities of RefugeThen the LORD said to Joshua:&nbsp;2&nbsp;“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,&nbsp;3&nbsp;so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.4&nbsp;“When he flees to one of these cities, he is to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state his case before the elders of that city. Then they are to admit him into their city and give him a place to live with them.&nbsp;5&nbsp;If the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the one accused, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought.&nbsp;6&nbsp;He is to stay in that city until he has stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then he may go back to his own home in the town from which he fled.”7&nbsp;So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.&nbsp;8&nbsp;On the east side of the Jordan of Jericho they designated Bezer in the desert on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh.&nbsp;9&nbsp;Any of the Israelites or any alien living among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.Joshua 21Towns for the LevitesNow the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel&nbsp;2&nbsp;at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.”&nbsp;3&nbsp;So, as the LORD had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:4&nbsp;The first lot came out for the Kohathites, clan by clan. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.&nbsp;5&nbsp;The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.6&nbsp;The descendants of Gershon were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 7&nbsp;The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.&nbsp;8&nbsp;So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.9&nbsp;From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name&nbsp;10&nbsp;(these towns were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them):11&nbsp;They gave them Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)&nbsp;12&nbsp;But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.13&nbsp;So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah,&nbsp;14&nbsp;Jattir, Eshtemoa,&nbsp;15&nbsp;Holon, Debir, 16&nbsp;Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands—nine towns from these two tribes.&nbsp;17&nbsp;And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba,&nbsp;18&nbsp;Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.19&nbsp;All the towns for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were thirteen, together with their pasturelands. 20&nbsp;The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim: 21&nbsp;In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer,&nbsp;22&nbsp;Kibzaim and Beth Horon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.23&nbsp;Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon,&nbsp;24&nbsp;Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.25&nbsp;From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—two towns. 26&nbsp;All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.27&nbsp;The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Be Eshtarah, together with their pasturelands—two towns; 28&nbsp;from the tribe of Issachar, Kishion, Daberath,&nbsp;29&nbsp;Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their pasturelands—four towns; 30&nbsp;from the tribe of Asher,&nbsp;Mishal, Abdon,&nbsp;31&nbsp;Helkath and Rehob, together with their pasturelands—four towns;32&nbsp;from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands—three towns. 33&nbsp;All the towns of the Gershonite clans were thirteen, together with their pasturelands. 34&nbsp;The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given: from the tribe of Zebulun,&nbsp;Jokneam, Kartah,&nbsp;35&nbsp;Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands—four towns;36&nbsp;from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz,&nbsp;37&nbsp;Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands—four towns; 38&nbsp;from the tribe of Gad,&nbsp;Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim,&nbsp;39&nbsp;Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands—four towns in all.40&nbsp;All the towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, were twelve. 41&nbsp;The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands.&nbsp;42&nbsp;Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.43&nbsp;So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there.&nbsp;44&nbsp;The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. 45&nbsp;Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.—————————Psalm 51:14-1914&nbsp;Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.&nbsp;15&nbsp;O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.&nbsp;16&nbsp;You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.&nbsp;17&nbsp;The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.18&nbsp;In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.&nbsp;19&nbsp;Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.—————————-Proverbs 12:13-14&nbsp;13&nbsp;An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble.&nbsp;14&nbsp;From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.—————————Luke 18:24-43Jesus looked at him and said,&nbsp;“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!&nbsp;25&nbsp;Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”26&nbsp;Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27&nbsp;Jesus replied,&nbsp;“What is impossible with men is possible with God.” 28&nbsp;Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”29&nbsp;“I tell you the truth,”&nbsp;Jesus said to them,&nbsp;“no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God&nbsp;30will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”Jesus Again Predicts His Death31&nbsp;Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them,&nbsp;“We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.&nbsp;32&nbsp;He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him.&nbsp;33&nbsp;On the third day he will rise again.”34&nbsp;The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight35&nbsp;As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.&nbsp;36&nbsp;When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37&nbsp;They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”38&nbsp;He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39&nbsp;Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40&nbsp;Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,&nbsp;41&nbsp;“What do you want me to do for you?”“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.42&nbsp;Jesus said to him,&nbsp;“Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”&nbsp;43&nbsp;Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Joshua 19:1-51Psalm 51:10-13Proverbs 12:11-12Luke 18:1-23 Joshua 19:1-51Allotment for SimeonThe second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon, clan by clan. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah.&nbsp;2&nbsp;It included: Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah,&nbsp;3&nbsp;Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,&nbsp;4&nbsp;Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,&nbsp;5&nbsp;Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,&nbsp;6&nbsp;Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen—thirteen towns and their villages;7&nbsp;Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan—four towns and their villages—&nbsp;8&nbsp;and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev). This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, clan by clan.&nbsp;9&nbsp;The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah’s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.Allotment for Zebulun10&nbsp;The third lot came up for Zebulun, clan by clan: The boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sarid.&nbsp;11&nbsp;Going west it ran to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and extended to the ravine near Jokneam.&nbsp;12&nbsp;It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise to the territory of Kisloth Tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia.&nbsp;13&nbsp;Then it continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin; it came out at Rimmon and turned toward Neah.&nbsp;14&nbsp;There the boundary went around on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El.&nbsp;15&nbsp;Included were Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages.16&nbsp;These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun, clan by clan.Allotment for Issachar17&nbsp;The fourth lot came out for Issachar, clan by clan.&nbsp;18&nbsp;Their territory included: Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem,&nbsp;19&nbsp;Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,&nbsp;20&nbsp;Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,&nbsp;21&nbsp;Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez.&nbsp;22&nbsp;The boundary touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen towns and their villages.23&nbsp;These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, clan by clan.Allotment for Asher24&nbsp;The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher, clan by clan.&nbsp;25&nbsp;Their territory included:Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph,&nbsp;26&nbsp;Allammelech, Amad and Mishal. On the west the boundary touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath.&nbsp;27&nbsp;It then turned east toward Beth Dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El, and went north to Beth Emek and Neiel, passing Cabul on the left.&nbsp;28&nbsp;It went to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon.29&nbsp;The boundary then turned back toward Ramah and went to the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah and came out at the sea in the region of Aczib,&nbsp;30&nbsp;Ummah, Aphek and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages.31&nbsp;These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, clan by clan.Allotment for Naphtali32&nbsp;The sixth lot came out for Naphtali, clan by clan:33&nbsp;Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim, passing Adami Nekeb and Jabneel to Lakkum and ending at the Jordan.&nbsp;34&nbsp;The boundary ran west through Aznoth Tabor and came out at Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west and the Jordan on the east. 35&nbsp;The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth,&nbsp;36&nbsp;Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,&nbsp;37&nbsp;Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor,&nbsp;38&nbsp;Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and their villages.39&nbsp;These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, clan by clan.Allotment for Dan40&nbsp;The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan, clan by clan.&nbsp;41&nbsp;The territory of their inheritance included: Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh,&nbsp;42&nbsp;Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,&nbsp;43&nbsp;Elon, Timnah, Ekron,&nbsp;44&nbsp;Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,&nbsp;45&nbsp;Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,&nbsp;46&nbsp;Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the area facing Joppa.47&nbsp;(But the Danites had difficulty taking possession of their territory, so they went up and attacked Leshem, took it, put it to the sword and occupied it. They settled in Leshem and named it Dan after their forefather.) 48&nbsp;These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, clan by clan.Allotment for Joshua49&nbsp;When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them,&nbsp;50&nbsp;as the LORD had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for—Timnath Sera in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.51&nbsp;These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. And so they finished dividing the land.—————————-Psalm 51:10-1310&nbsp;Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.&nbsp;11&nbsp;Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.&nbsp;12&nbsp;Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.13&nbsp;Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.—————————-Proverbs 12:11-1211&nbsp;He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.12&nbsp;The wicked desire the plunder of evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes.—————————-Luke 18:1-23The Parable of the Persistent WidowThen Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.&nbsp;2&nbsp;He said:&nbsp;“In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.&nbsp;3&nbsp;And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’4&nbsp;“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men,&nbsp;5&nbsp;yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’”6&nbsp;And the Lord said,&nbsp;“Listen to what the unjust judge says.&nbsp;7&nbsp;And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?&nbsp;8&nbsp;I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”&nbsp;The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector9&nbsp;To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:&nbsp;10&nbsp;“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.&nbsp;11&nbsp;The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.&nbsp;12&nbsp;I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’13&nbsp;“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’14&nbsp;“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”The Little Children and Jesus15&nbsp;People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.&nbsp;16&nbsp;But Jesus called the children to him and said,&nbsp;“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.&nbsp;17&nbsp;I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”The Rich Ruler18&nbsp;A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19&nbsp;“Why do you call me good?”&nbsp;Jesus answered.&nbsp;“No one is good—except God alone.&nbsp;20&nbsp;You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.”21&nbsp;“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. &nbsp;22&nbsp;When Jesus heard this, he said to him,&nbsp;“You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23&nbsp;When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Joshua 16:1-18:28Psalm 51:6-9Proverbs 12:8-10Luke 17:11-37 Joshua 16:1-18:28Allotment for Ephraim and ManassehThe allotment for Joseph began at the Jordan of Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, and went up from there through the desert into the hill country of Bethel.&nbsp;2&nbsp;It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz), crossed over to the territory of the Arkites in Ataroth,&nbsp;3&nbsp;descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as the region of Lower Beth Horon and on to Gezer, ending at the sea.4&nbsp;So Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their inheritance.5&nbsp;This was the territory of Ephraim, clan by clan: The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar in the east to Upper Beth Horon&nbsp;6&nbsp;and continued to the sea. From Micmethath on the north it curved eastward to Taanath Shiloh, passing by it to Janoah on the east.&nbsp;7&nbsp;Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho and came out at the Jordan.&nbsp;8&nbsp;From Tappuah the border went west to the Kanah Ravine and ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Ephraimites, clan by clan.&nbsp;9&nbsp;It also included all the towns and their villages that were set aside for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites.10&nbsp;They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.Joshua 17This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn, that is, for Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because the Makirites were great soldiers.&nbsp;2&nbsp;So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh—the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida. These are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.3&nbsp;Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.&nbsp;4&nbsp;They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the LORD’s command.&nbsp;5 Manasseh’s share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan,&nbsp;6&nbsp;because the daughters of the tribe of Manasseh received an inheritance among the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.7&nbsp;The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher to Micmethath east of Shechem. The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at En Tappuah.&nbsp;8&nbsp;(Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.)&nbsp;9&nbsp;Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine. There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the sea.&nbsp;10&nbsp;On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the sea and bordered Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.11&nbsp;Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth). 12&nbsp;Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region.&nbsp;13&nbsp;However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.14&nbsp;The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people and the LORD has blessed us abundantly.”15&nbsp;“If you are so numerous,” Joshua answered, “and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites.” &nbsp;16&nbsp;The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”17&nbsp;But Joshua said to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment&nbsp;18but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have iron chariots and though they are strong, you can drive them out.”Joshua 18Division of the Rest of the LandThe whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The country was brought under their control,&nbsp;2&nbsp;but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.3&nbsp;So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?&nbsp;4&nbsp;Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me.&nbsp;5&nbsp;You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the house of Joseph in its territory on the north.6&nbsp;After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the LORD our God.&nbsp;7&nbsp;The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the LORD is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the LORD gave it to them.”8&nbsp;As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, “Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD.”&nbsp;9&nbsp;So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.&nbsp;10&nbsp;Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.Allotment for Benjamin11&nbsp;The lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph: 12&nbsp;On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the desert of Beth Aven.&nbsp;13&nbsp;From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth Addar on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.14&nbsp;From the hill facing Beth Horon on the south the boundary turned south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town of the people of Judah. This was the western side.&nbsp;15&nbsp;The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the west, and the boundary came out at the spring of the waters of Nephtoah.&nbsp;16&nbsp;The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim. It continued down the Hinnom Valley along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel.&nbsp;17&nbsp;It then curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth, which faces the Pass of Adummim, and ran down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.&nbsp;18&nbsp;It continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah and on down into the Arabah.&nbsp;19 It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah and came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was the southern boundary.20&nbsp;The Jordan formed the boundary on the eastern side. These were the boundaries that marked out the inheritance of the clans of Benjamin on all sides.&nbsp;21&nbsp;The tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, had the following cities: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,&nbsp;22&nbsp;Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,&nbsp;23&nbsp;Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,&nbsp;24&nbsp;Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba—twelve towns and their villages.25&nbsp;Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,&nbsp;26&nbsp;Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,&nbsp;27&nbsp;Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,&nbsp;28&nbsp;Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath—fourteen towns and their villages.This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.————————-Psalm 51:6-96&nbsp;Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.7&nbsp;Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.&nbsp;8&nbsp;Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.&nbsp;9&nbsp;Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.—————————-Proverbs 12:8-108&nbsp;A man is praised according to his wisdom, but men with warped minds are despised.9&nbsp;Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.10&nbsp;A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.————————-Luke 17:11-37Ten Healed of LeprosyNow on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.&nbsp;12&nbsp;As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance&nbsp;13&nbsp;and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”14&nbsp;When he saw them, he said,&nbsp;“Go, show yourselves to the priests.”&nbsp;And as they went, they were cleansed.15&nbsp;One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.&nbsp;16&nbsp;He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.17&nbsp;Jesus asked,&nbsp;“Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?&nbsp;18&nbsp;Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”&nbsp;19Then he said to him,&nbsp;“Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”The Coming of the Kingdom of God20&nbsp;Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied,&nbsp;“The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,&nbsp;21&nbsp;nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”22&nbsp;Then he said to his disciples,&nbsp;“The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.&nbsp;23&nbsp;Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.&nbsp;24&nbsp;For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.&nbsp;25&nbsp;But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.26&nbsp;“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.&nbsp;27&nbsp;People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.28&nbsp;“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.&nbsp;29&nbsp;But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.30&nbsp;“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.&nbsp;31&nbsp;On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.&nbsp;32&nbsp;Remember Lot’s wife!&nbsp;33&nbsp;Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.&nbsp;34&nbsp;I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.&nbsp;35&nbsp;Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”37&nbsp;“Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied,&nbsp;“Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Joshua 15:1-63Psalm 51:1-5Proverbs 12:6-7Luke 16:19-17:10 Joshua 15:1-63Allotment for JudahThe allotment for the tribe of Judah, clan by clan, extended down to the territory of Edom, to the Desert of Zin in the extreme south. 2&nbsp;Their southern boundary started from the bay at the southern end of the Salt Sea, 3&nbsp;crossed south of Scorpion Pass, continued on to Zin and went over to the south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it ran past Hezron up to Addar and curved around to Karka.&nbsp;4&nbsp;It then passed along to Azmon and joined the Wadi of Egypt, ending at the sea. This is their southern boundary.5&nbsp;The eastern boundary is the Salt Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan. The northern boundary started from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan,&nbsp;6&nbsp;went up to Beth Hoglah and continued north of Beth Arabah to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.&nbsp;7&nbsp;The boundary then went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor and turned north to Gilgal, which faces the Pass of Adummim south of the gorge. It continued along to the waters of En Shemesh and came out at En Rogel.&nbsp;8&nbsp;Then it ran up the Valley of Ben Hinnom along the southern slope of the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem). From there it climbed to the top of the hill west of the Hinnom Valley at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.9&nbsp;From the hilltop the boundary headed toward the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, came out at the towns of Mount Ephron and went down toward Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim).&nbsp;10&nbsp;Then it curved westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Kesalon), continued down to Beth Shemesh and crossed to Timnah.&nbsp;11&nbsp;It went to the northern slope of Ekron, turned toward Shikkeron, passed along to Mount Baalah and reached Jabneel. The boundary ended at the sea.12&nbsp;The western boundary is the coastline of the Great Sea.&nbsp;These are the boundaries around the people of Judah by their clans.13&nbsp;In accordance with the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah—Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)&nbsp;14&nbsp;From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites—Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai—descendants of Anak.&nbsp;15&nbsp;From there he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).&nbsp;16&nbsp;And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.”&nbsp;17&nbsp;Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.18&nbsp;One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?” 19&nbsp;She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.20&nbsp;This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, clan by clan: 21&nbsp;The southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the boundary of Edom were:Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,&nbsp;22&nbsp;Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,&nbsp;23&nbsp;Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,&nbsp;24&nbsp;Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,&nbsp;25&nbsp;Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor),&nbsp;26&nbsp;Amam, Shema, Moladah,&nbsp;27&nbsp;Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet,&nbsp;28&nbsp;Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,&nbsp;29&nbsp;Baalah, Iim, Ezem,&nbsp;30&nbsp;Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah,&nbsp;31&nbsp;Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,&nbsp;32&nbsp;Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain and Rimmon—a total of twenty-nine towns and their villages.33&nbsp;In the western foothills: &nbsp;Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,&nbsp;34&nbsp;Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam,&nbsp;35&nbsp;Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,&nbsp;36&nbsp;Shaaraim, Adithaim and Gederah (or Gederothaim)—fourteen towns and their villages.37&nbsp;Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad,&nbsp;38&nbsp;Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel,&nbsp;39&nbsp;Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,&nbsp;40&nbsp;Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish,&nbsp;41&nbsp;Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah and Makkedah—sixteen towns and their villages.42&nbsp;Libnah, Ether, Ashan,&nbsp;43&nbsp;Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,&nbsp;44&nbsp;Keilah, Aczib and Mareshah—nine towns and their villages.45&nbsp;Ekron, with its surrounding settlements and villages;&nbsp;46&nbsp;west of Ekron, all that were in the vicinity of Ashdod, together with their villages;&nbsp;47&nbsp;Ashdod, its surrounding settlements and villages; and Gaza, its settlements and villages, as far as the Wadi of Egypt and the coastline of the Great Sea.48&nbsp;In the hill country:&nbsp;Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,&nbsp;49&nbsp;Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir),&nbsp;50&nbsp;Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,&nbsp;51&nbsp;Goshen, Holon and Giloh—eleven towns and their villages.52&nbsp;Arab, Dumah, Eshan,&nbsp;53&nbsp;Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah,&nbsp;54&nbsp;Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) and Zior—nine towns and their villages.55&nbsp;Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,&nbsp;56&nbsp;Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,&nbsp;57&nbsp;Kain, Gibeah and Timnah—ten towns and their villages.58&nbsp;Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,&nbsp;59&nbsp;Maarath, Beth Anoth and Eltekon—six towns and their villages.60&nbsp;Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah—two towns and their villages.61&nbsp;In the desert: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah,&nbsp;62&nbsp;Nibshan, the City of Salt and En Gedi—six towns and their villages. 63&nbsp;Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah.—————————Psalm 51:1-51&nbsp;Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;&nbsp;according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.&nbsp;2&nbsp;Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.3&nbsp;For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.&nbsp;4&nbsp;Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,&nbsp;so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.&nbsp;5&nbsp;Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.—————————Proverbs 12:6-7&nbsp;6&nbsp;The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.7&nbsp;Wicked men are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm.—————————Luke 16:19-17:10The Rich Man and Lazarus“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.&nbsp;20&nbsp;At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores&nbsp;21&nbsp;and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.22&nbsp;“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.&nbsp;23&nbsp;In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.&nbsp;24&nbsp;So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’25&nbsp;“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.&nbsp;26&nbsp;And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’27&nbsp;“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house,&nbsp;28&nbsp;for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’29&nbsp;“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’30&nbsp;“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’31&nbsp;“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”&nbsp;Luke 17Sin, Faith, DutyJesus said to his disciples:&nbsp;“Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.&nbsp;2&nbsp;It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.&nbsp;3&nbsp;So watch yourselves.“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.&nbsp;4&nbsp;If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”&nbsp;5&nbsp;The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6&nbsp;He replied,&nbsp;“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. 7&nbsp;“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’?&nbsp;8&nbsp;Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’?&nbsp;9&nbsp;Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?&nbsp;10&nbsp;So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Joshua 13:1-14:15Psalm 50:16-23Proverbs 12:4-5Luke 16:1-18 Joshua 13:1-14:15Land Still to Be TakenWhen Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the LORD said to him, “You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.2&nbsp;“This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites:&nbsp;3&nbsp;from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite (the territory of the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron—that of the Avvites);&nbsp;4from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians as far as Aphek, the region of the Amorites,&nbsp;5&nbsp;the area of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.6&nbsp;“As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you,&nbsp;7&nbsp;and divide it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh.”Division of the Land East of the Jordan8&nbsp;The other half of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had received the inheritance that Moses had given them east of the Jordan, as he, the servant of the LORD, had assigned it to them.9&nbsp;It extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and included the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon,&nbsp;10&nbsp;and all the towns of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, out to the border of the Ammonites.&nbsp;11&nbsp;It also included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacah, all of Mount Hermon and all Bashan as far as Salecah—&nbsp;12&nbsp;that is, the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had survived as one of the last of the Rephaites. Moses had defeated them and taken over their land.&nbsp;13&nbsp;But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.14&nbsp;But to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance, since the offerings made by fire to the LORD, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he promised them. 15&nbsp;This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben, clan by clan:16&nbsp;The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and the whole plateau past Medeba&nbsp;17&nbsp;to Heshbon and all its towns on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon,&nbsp;18&nbsp;Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,&nbsp;19&nbsp;Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley,&nbsp;20&nbsp;Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth—&nbsp;21&nbsp;all the towns on the plateau and the entire realm of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled at Heshbon. Moses had defeated him and the Midianite chiefs, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—princes allied with Sihon—who lived in that country.&nbsp;22&nbsp;In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.&nbsp;23&nbsp;The boundary of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Reubenites, clan by clan.24&nbsp;This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Gad, clan by clan:25&nbsp;The territory of Jazer, all the towns of Gilead and half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer, near Rabbah;&nbsp;26&nbsp;and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir;&nbsp;27&nbsp;and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon with the rest of the realm of Sihon king of Heshbon (the east side of the Jordan, the territory up to the end of the Sea of Kinnereth).&nbsp;28&nbsp;These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Gadites, clan by clan.29&nbsp;This is what Moses had given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the family of the descendants of Manasseh, clan by clan:30&nbsp;The territory extending from Mahanaim and including all of Bashan, the entire realm of Og king of Bashan—all the settlements of Jair in Bashan, sixty towns,&nbsp;31&nbsp;half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei (the royal cities of Og in Bashan). This was for the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh—for half of the sons of Makir, clan by clan.32&nbsp;This is the inheritance Moses had given when he was in the plains of Moab across the Jordan east of Jericho.&nbsp;33&nbsp;But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.Joshua 14Division of the Land West of the JordanNow these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel allotted to them.&nbsp;2&nbsp;Their inheritances were assigned by lot to the nine-and-a-half tribes, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Moses had granted the two-and-a-half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan but had not granted the Levites an inheritance among the rest, 4&nbsp;for the sons of Joseph had become two tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites received no share of the land but only towns to live in, with pasturelands for their flocks and herds.&nbsp;5&nbsp;So the Israelites divided the land, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.Hebron Given to Caleb6&nbsp;Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me.&nbsp;7&nbsp;I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions,&nbsp;8&nbsp;but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.&nbsp;9&nbsp;So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’10&nbsp;“Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!&nbsp;11&nbsp;I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.&nbsp;12&nbsp;Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”13&nbsp;Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.&nbsp;14&nbsp;So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.&nbsp;15&nbsp;(Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)&nbsp;Then the land had rest from war.—————————Psalm 50:16-2316&nbsp;But to the wicked, God says:&nbsp;“What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?&nbsp;17&nbsp;You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.&nbsp;18&nbsp;When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.&nbsp;19&nbsp;You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.&nbsp;20&nbsp;You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.&nbsp;21&nbsp;These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you.&nbsp;But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.22&nbsp;“Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:&nbsp;23&nbsp;He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”—————————Proverbs 12:4-54&nbsp;A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.5&nbsp;The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.————————-Luke 16:1-18The Parable of the Shrewd Manager1&nbsp;Jesus told his disciples:&nbsp;“There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.&nbsp;2&nbsp;So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’3&nbsp;“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—&nbsp;4&nbsp;I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’5&nbsp;“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’6&nbsp;“‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. &nbsp;“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’7&nbsp;“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ &nbsp;“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.&nbsp;&nbsp;“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’8&nbsp;“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.&nbsp;9&nbsp;I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.10&nbsp;“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.&nbsp;11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?&nbsp;12&nbsp;And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?13&nbsp;“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” 14&nbsp;The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.&nbsp;15&nbsp;He said to them,&nbsp;“You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.Additional Teachings16&nbsp;“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.&nbsp;17&nbsp;It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. 18&nbsp;“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href=" For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click " class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Joshua 10:29-12:24Psalm 50:7-15Proverbs 12:1-3Luke 15:11-32 Joshua 10:29-12:24Southern Cities ConqueredThen Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it.&nbsp;30&nbsp;The LORD also gave that city and its king into Israel’s hand. The city and everyone in it Joshua put to the sword. He left no survivors there. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.31&nbsp;Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it.&nbsp;32&nbsp;The LORD handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city and everyone in it he put to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.&nbsp;33&nbsp;Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army—until no survivors were left.34&nbsp;Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to Eglon; they took up positions against it and attacked it.&nbsp;35&nbsp;They captured it that same day and put it to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it, just as they had done to Lachish.36&nbsp;Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it.&nbsp;37&nbsp;They took the city and put it to the sword, together with its king, its villages and everyone in it. They left no survivors. Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it.38&nbsp;Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned around and attacked Debir.&nbsp;39&nbsp;They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron.40&nbsp;So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded.&nbsp;41&nbsp;Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon.&nbsp;42&nbsp;All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.43&nbsp;Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.Joshua 11Northern Kings DefeatedWhen Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph,&nbsp;2&nbsp;and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west;&nbsp;3&nbsp;to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah.&nbsp;4&nbsp;They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.&nbsp;5&nbsp;All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.6&nbsp;The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.”&nbsp;7&nbsp;So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them,&nbsp;8&nbsp;and the LORD gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left.&nbsp;9&nbsp;Joshua did to them as the LORD had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.10&nbsp;At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.)&nbsp;11&nbsp;Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anything that breathed, and he burned up Hazor itself.&nbsp;12&nbsp;Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.&nbsp;13&nbsp;Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—except Hazor, which Joshua burned.&nbsp;14&nbsp;The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed.&nbsp;15&nbsp;As the LORD commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.16&nbsp;So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills,&nbsp;17&nbsp;from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death.&nbsp;18&nbsp;Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time.&nbsp;19&nbsp;Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle.&nbsp;20&nbsp;For it was the LORD himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses.21&nbsp;At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns.&nbsp;22&nbsp;No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive.&nbsp;23&nbsp;So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.Then the land had rest from war.Joshua 12List of Defeated KingsThese are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah:2&nbsp;Sihon king of the Amorites,&nbsp;who reigned in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge—from the middle of the gorge—to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. This included half of Gilead.&nbsp;3&nbsp;He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah.4&nbsp;And the territory of Og king of Bashan, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;one of the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei.&nbsp;5&nbsp;He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of the people of Geshur and Maacah, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.6&nbsp;Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the Israelites conquered them. And Moses the servant of the LORD gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their possession.7&nbsp;These are the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir (their lands Joshua gave as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their tribal divisions—&nbsp;8&nbsp;the hill country, the western foothills, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the desert and the Negev—the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites):9&nbsp;the king of Jericho one the king of Ai (near Bethel) one&nbsp;10&nbsp;the king of Jerusalem one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Hebron one&nbsp;11&nbsp;the king of Jarmuth one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Lachish one&nbsp;12&nbsp;the king of Eglon one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Gezer one&nbsp;13&nbsp;the king of Debir one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Geder one&nbsp;14&nbsp;the king of Hormah one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Arad one&nbsp;15&nbsp;the king of Libnah one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Adullam one&nbsp;16&nbsp;the king of Makkedah one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Bethel one&nbsp;17&nbsp;the king of Tappuah one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Hepher one&nbsp;18&nbsp;the king of Aphek one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Lasharon one&nbsp;19&nbsp;the king of Madon one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Hazor one&nbsp;20&nbsp;the king of Shimron Meron one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Acshaph one&nbsp;21&nbsp;the king of Taanach one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Megiddo one&nbsp;22&nbsp;the king of Kedesh one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Jokneam in Carmel one&nbsp;23&nbsp;the king of Dor (in Naphoth Dor) one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the king of Goyim in Gilgal one&nbsp;24&nbsp;the king of Tirzah one&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;thirty-one kings in all.——————————Psalm 50:7-15&nbsp;7&nbsp;“Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.&nbsp;8&nbsp;I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.&nbsp;9&nbsp;I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,&nbsp;10&nbsp;for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.&nbsp;11&nbsp;I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.&nbsp;12&nbsp;If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.&nbsp;13&nbsp;Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?&nbsp;14&nbsp;Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,&nbsp;15&nbsp;and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”—————————-Proverbs 12:1-31&nbsp;Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.2&nbsp;A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a crafty man.3&nbsp;A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.—————————-Luke 15:11-32The Parable of the Lost SonJesus continued:&nbsp;“There was a man who had two sons.&nbsp;12&nbsp;The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.13&nbsp;“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.&nbsp;14&nbsp;After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.&nbsp;15&nbsp;So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.&nbsp;16&nbsp;He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.17&nbsp;“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!&nbsp;18&nbsp;I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.&nbsp;19&nbsp;I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’&nbsp;20&nbsp;So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.21&nbsp;“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’22&nbsp;“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.&nbsp;23&nbsp;Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.&nbsp;24&nbsp;For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.25&nbsp;“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.&nbsp;26&nbsp;So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.&nbsp;27&nbsp;‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’28&nbsp;“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.&nbsp;29&nbsp;But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.&nbsp;30&nbsp;But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’31&nbsp;“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.&nbsp;32&nbsp;But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” This page is automatically refreshed every day. For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="https://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible

References:Joshua 9:1-10:28Psalm 50:1-6Proverbs 11:30-31Luke 14:25-15:10 Joshua 9:1-10:28The Gibeonite DeceptionNow when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things—those in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Great Sea[a]&nbsp;as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites)—&nbsp;2&nbsp;they came together to make war against Joshua and Israel.3&nbsp;However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,&nbsp;4&nbsp;they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded[b]&nbsp;with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended.&nbsp;5&nbsp;The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy.&nbsp;6&nbsp;Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.”7&nbsp;The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “But perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?” &nbsp;8&nbsp;“We are your servants,” they said to Joshua.&nbsp;But Joshua asked, “Who are you and where do you come from?”9&nbsp;They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt,&nbsp;10&nbsp;and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.&nbsp;11&nbsp;And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; make a treaty with us.”’&nbsp;12&nbsp;This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is.&nbsp;13&nbsp;And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.”14&nbsp;The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD.&nbsp;15&nbsp;Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath. 16&nbsp;Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them.&nbsp;17&nbsp;So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim.&nbsp;18&nbsp;But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel.The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders,&nbsp;19&nbsp;but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.&nbsp;20&nbsp;This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.”&nbsp;21&nbsp;They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community.” So the leaders’ promise to them was kept.22&nbsp;Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live a long way from you,’ while actually you live near us?&nbsp;23You are now under a curse: You will never cease to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”24&nbsp;They answered Joshua, “Your servants were clearly told how the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this.&nbsp;25&nbsp;We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.”26&nbsp;So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them.&nbsp;27&nbsp;That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the LORD at the place the LORD would choose. And that is what they are to this day.Joshua 10The Sun Stands StillNow Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed[c]&nbsp;it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and were living near them.&nbsp;2&nbsp;He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters.&nbsp;3&nbsp;So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon.&nbsp;4&nbsp;“Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”5&nbsp;Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.6&nbsp;The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”7&nbsp;So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men.&nbsp;8&nbsp;The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”9&nbsp;After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise.&nbsp;10&nbsp;The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.&nbsp;11&nbsp;As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.12&nbsp;On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:“O sun, stand still over Gibeon,&nbsp;O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”&nbsp;13&nbsp;So the sun stood still,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and the moon stopped,&nbsp;till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar.The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.&nbsp;14&nbsp;There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!&nbsp;15&nbsp;Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.Five Amorite Kings Killed16&nbsp;Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah.&nbsp;17&nbsp;When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah,&nbsp;18&nbsp;he said, “Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it.&nbsp;19&nbsp;But don’t stop! Pursue your enemies, attack them from the rear and don’t let them reach their cities, for the LORD your God has given them into your hand.”20&nbsp;So Joshua and the Israelites destroyed them completely—almost to a man—but the few who were left reached their fortified cities.&nbsp;21&nbsp;The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites.22&nbsp;Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.”&nbsp;23&nbsp;So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon.&nbsp;24&nbsp;When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.25&nbsp;Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.”&nbsp;26&nbsp;Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees until evening.27&nbsp;At sunset Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day. 28&nbsp;That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.—————————Psalm 50:1-61&nbsp;The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.&nbsp;2&nbsp;From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.&nbsp;3&nbsp;Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages.&nbsp;4&nbsp;He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:&nbsp;5&nbsp;“Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”&nbsp;6&nbsp;And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah——————————-Proverbs 11:30-3130&nbsp;The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.31&nbsp;If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!——————————Luke 14:25-15:10The Cost of Being a DiscipleLarge crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:&nbsp;26&nbsp;“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.&nbsp;27&nbsp;And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.28&nbsp;“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?&nbsp;29&nbsp;For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,&nbsp;30&nbsp;saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’31&nbsp;“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?&nbsp;32&nbsp;If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.&nbsp;33&nbsp;In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.34&nbsp;“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?&nbsp;35&nbsp;It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.&nbsp;“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”Luke 15The Parable of the Lost SheepNow the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him.&nbsp;2&nbsp;But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”3&nbsp;Then Jesus told them this parable:&nbsp;4&nbsp;“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?&nbsp;5&nbsp;And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders&nbsp;6&nbsp;and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’&nbsp;7&nbsp;I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.The Parable of the Lost Coin“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?&nbsp;9&nbsp;And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’&nbsp;10&nbsp;In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” For previous Bible reading, click the right arrow at the bottom of this page, or click <a href="http://www.antiochcentreforthenations.org/whole-bible" class="sqs-block-button-element--small sqs-button-element--tertiary sqs-block-button-element" data-sqsp-button > The Audio Bible