Thursday, 25 April

1.   Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, " It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites." 2.   So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah. 3.   Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?" 4.   And the Gibeonites said to him, "We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us." So he said, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." 5.   Then they answered the king, "As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, 6.   "let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD chose." And the king said, "I will give them ." 7.   But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the LORD’S oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8.   So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9.   and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days , in the beginning of barley harvest. 10.   Now Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. 11.   And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12.   Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. 13.   So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. 14.   They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land. 15.   When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. 16.   Then Ishbi–Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels , who was bearing a new sword , thought he could kill David. 17.   But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel." 18.   Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the giant. 19.   Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare–Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 20.   Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty–four in number; and he also was born to the giant. 21.   So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. 22.   These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

1.   Then David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day when the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2.   And he said: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; 3.   The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. 4.   I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. 5.   ‘When the waves of death surrounded me, The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. 6.   The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 7.   In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears. 8.   "Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. 9.   Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. 10.   He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. 11.   He rode upon a cherub, and flew; And He was seen upon the wings of the wind. 12.   He made darkness canopies around Him, Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. 13.   From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled. 14.   "The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice. 15.   He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. 16.   Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered, At the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils. 17.   "He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. 18.   He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me; For they were too strong for me. 19.   They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. 20.   He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. 21.   "The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. 22.   For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. 23.   For all His judgments were before me; And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. 24.   I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. 25.   Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His eyes. 26.   "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; 27.   With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. 28.   You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. 29.   "For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness. 30.   For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. 31.   As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 32.   "For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 33.   God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect. 34.   He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. 35.   He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36.   "You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great. 37.   You enlarged my path under me; So my feet did not slip. 38.   "I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. 39.   And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. 40.   For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me. 41.   You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. 42.   They looked, but there was none to save; Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them. 43.   Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trod them like dirt in the streets, And I spread them out. 44.   "You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. A people I have not known shall serve me. 45.   The foreigners submit to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me. 46.   The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts. 47.   "The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation! 48.   It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; 49.   He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. 50.   Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. 51.   He is the tower of salvation to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore."

1.   And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2.   I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it , and even now you are still not able; 3.   for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4.   For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? 5.   Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6.   I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7.   So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8.   Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9.   For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10.   According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11.   For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12.   Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13.   each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14.   If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15.   If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 16.   Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17.   If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. 18.   Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19.   For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; 20.   and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." 21.   Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22.   whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come––all are yours. 23.   And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.