ESV: Chronological

May 24:

Crossway — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Reading: Psalm 108-110

Reading: Psalm 108-110 Psalm 108-110

Psalms 108-110

With God We Shall Do Valiantly

A Song. A Psalm of David.

108   My heart is steadfast, O God!
    I will sing and make melody with all my being!¹
  Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
  I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
  For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!
  That your beloved ones may be delivered,
    give salvation by your right hand and answer me!
  God has promised in his holiness:²
    “With exultation I will divide up Shechem
    and portion out the Valley of Succoth.
  Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet,
    Judah my scepter.
  Moab is my washbasin;
    upon Edom I cast my shoe;
    over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
  Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
  Have you not rejected us, O God?
    You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
  Oh grant us help against the foe,
    for vain is the salvation of man!
  With God we shall do valiantly;
    it is he who will tread down our foes.

Help Me, O Lord My God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

109   Be not silent, O God of my praise!
  For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
    speaking against me with lying tongues.
  They encircle me with words of hate,
    and attack me without cause.
  In return for my love they accuse me,
    but I give myself to prayer.³
  So they reward me evil for good,
    and hatred for my love.
  Appoint a wicked man against him;
    let an accuser stand at his right hand.
  When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
    let his prayer be counted as sin!
  May his days be few;
    may another take his office!
  May his children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow!
  May his children wander about and beg,
    seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
  May the creditor seize all that he has;
    may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
  Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
    nor any to pity his fatherless children!
  May his posterity be cut off;
    may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
  May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,
    and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
  Let them be before the LORD continually,
    that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
  For he did not remember to show kindness,
    but pursued the poor and needy
    and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
  He loved to curse; let curses come⁴ upon him!
    He did not delight in blessing; may it be far⁵ from him!
  He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
    may it soak⁶ into his body like water,
    like oil into his bones!
  May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
    like a belt that he puts on every day!
  May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD,
    of those who speak evil against my life!
  But you, O GOD my Lord,
    deal on my behalf for your name's sake;
    because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
  For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is stricken within me.
  I am gone like a shadow at evening;
    I am shaken off like a locust.
  My knees are weak through fasting;
    my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
  I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
    when they see me, they wag their heads.
  Help me, O LORD my God!
    Save me according to your steadfast love!
  Let them know that this is your hand;
    you, O LORD, have done it!
  Let them curse, but you will bless!
    They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!
  May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
    may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
  With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD;
    I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
  For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
    to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

Sit at My Right Hand

A Psalm of David.

110   The LORD says to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand,
  until I make your enemies your footstool.”
  The LORD sends forth from Zion
    your mighty scepter.
    Rule in the midst of your enemies!
  Your people will offer themselves freely
    on the day of your power,⁷
    in holy garments;⁸
  from the womb of the morning,
    the dew of your youth will be yours.⁹
  The LORD has sworn
    and will not change his mind,
  “You are a priest forever
    after the order of Melchizedek.”
  The Lord is at your right hand;
    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
  He will execute judgment among the nations,
    filling them with corpses;
  he will shatter chiefs¹⁰
    over the wide earth.
  He will drink from the brook by the way;
    therefore he will lift up his head.

Footnotes

[1] 108:1 Hebrew with my glory
[2] 108:7 Or sanctuary
[3] 109:4 Hebrew but I am prayer
[4] 109:17 Revocalization; Masoretic Text curses have come
[5] 109:17 Revocalization; Masoretic Text it is far
[6] 109:18 Revocalization; Masoretic Text it has soaked
[7] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces
[8] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains
[9] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
[10] 110:6 Or the head

(ESV)

May 23:

Crossway — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Reading: 2 Samuel 24
Reading: 1 Chronicles 21-22
Reading: Psalm 30

Reading: 2 Samuel 24 2 Samuel 24

2 Samuel 24

David's Census

24 Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army,¹ who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” But Joab said to the king, “May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” But the king's word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer,² and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites;³ and they came to Dan, and from Dan⁴ they went around to Sidon, and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.

The Lord's Judgment of David's Sin

But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” And when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer⁵ you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three⁶ years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house.”

David Builds an Altar

And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded. And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people.” Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels⁷ of silver. And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

Footnotes

[1] 24:2 Septuagint to Joab and the commanders of the army
[2] 24:5 Septuagint; Hebrew encamped in Aroer
[3] 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew to the land of Tahtim-hodshi
[4] 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew they came to Dan-jaan and
[5] 24:12 Or hold over
[6] 24:13 Compare 1 Chronicles 21:12, Septuagint; Hebrew seven
[7] 24:24 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams

(ESV)

Reading: 1 Chronicles 21-22 1 Chronicles 21-22

1 Chronicles 21-22

David's Census Brings Pestilence

21 Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” But Joab said, “May the LORD add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord's servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” But the king's word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem. And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to David. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, and in Judah 470,000 who drew the sword. But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab.

But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” And the LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Choose what you will: either three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the LORD, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell. And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw, and he relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father's house. But do not let the plague be on your people.”

David Builds an Altar

Now the angel of the LORD had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. So David went up at Gad's word, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. And David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORD—give it to me at its full price—that the plague may be averted from the people.” Then Ornan said to David, “Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all.” But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David paid Ornan 600 shekels¹ of gold by weight for the site. And David built there an altar to the LORD and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the LORD, and the LORD² answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. Then the LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.

At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon, but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

22 Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

David Prepares for Temple Building

David commanded to gather together the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God. David also provided great quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, as well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing, and cedar timbers without number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David. For David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.

Solomon Charged to Build the Temple

Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’

“Now, my son, the LORD be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken concerning you. Only, may the LORD grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. With great pains I have provided for the house of the LORD 100,000 talents³ of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and stone, too, I have provided. To these you must add. You have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skilled in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise and work! The LORD be with you!”

David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, “Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not given you peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the LORD and his people. Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the LORD.”

Footnotes

[1] 21:25 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
[2] 21:26 Hebrew he
[3] 22:14 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms

(ESV)

Reading: Psalm 30 Psalm 30

Psalm 30

Joy Comes with the Morning

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.

30   I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
    and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
  O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
  O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
    you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.¹
  Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.²
  For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.³
  Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.
  As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
  By your favor, O LORD,
    you made my mountain stand strong;
  you hid your face;
    I was dismayed.
  To you, O LORD, I cry,
    and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
  “What profit is there in my death,⁴
    if I go down to the pit?⁵
  Will the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
  Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!
    O LORD, be my helper!”
  You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
    you have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
  that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
    O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Footnotes

[1] 30:3 Or to life, that I should not go down to the pit
[2] 30:4 Hebrew to the memorial of his holiness (see Exodus 3:15)
[3] 30:5 Or and in his favor is life
[4] 30:9 Hebrew in my blood
[5] 30:9 Or to corruption

(ESV)

May 22:

Crossway — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Reading: Psalm 95
Reading: Psalm 97-99

Reading: Psalm 95 Psalm 95

Psalm 95

Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

95   Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
  For the LORD is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
  In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
  The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.
  Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
  For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
  Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
  when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
  For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”
  Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

(ESV)

Reading: Psalm 97-99 Psalm 97-99

Psalms 97-99

The Lord Reigns

97   The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
    let the many coastlands be glad!
  Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
  Fire goes before him
    and burns up his adversaries all around.
  His lightnings light up the world;
    the earth sees and trembles.
  The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
    before the Lord of all the earth.
  The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all the peoples see his glory.
  All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    who make their boast in worthless idols;
    worship him, all you gods!
  Zion hears and is glad,
    and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O LORD.
  For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.
  O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
    He preserves the lives of his saints;
    he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
  Light is sown¹ for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
  Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!

Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord

A Psalm.

98   Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
    for he has done marvelous things!
  His right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.
  The LORD has made known his salvation;
    he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
  He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
  All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation of our God.
  Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
  Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
    with the lyre and the sound of melody!
  With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
  Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    the world and those who dwell in it!
  Let the rivers clap their hands;
    let the hills sing for joy together
  before the LORD, for he comes
    to judge the earth.
  He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with equity.

The Lord Our God Is Holy

99   The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!
    He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
  The LORD is great in Zion;
    he is exalted over all the peoples.
  Let them praise your great and awesome name!
    Holy is he!
  The King in his might loves justice.²
    You have established equity;
  you have executed justice
    and righteousness in Jacob.
  Exalt the LORD our God;
    worship at his footstool!
    Holy is he!
  Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
    Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
    They called to the LORD, and he answered them.
  In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
    they kept his testimonies
    and the statute that he gave them.
  O LORD our God, you answered them;
    you were a forgiving God to them,
    but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
  Exalt the LORD our God,
    and worship at his holy mountain;
    for the LORD our God is holy!

Footnotes

[1] 97:11 Most Hebrew manuscripts; one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome Light dawns
[2] 99:4 Or The might of the King loves justice

(ESV)

May 21:

Crossway — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Reading: 2 Samuel 22-23
Reading: Psalm 57

Reading: 2 Samuel 22-23 2 Samuel 22-23

2 Samuel 22-23

David's Song of Deliverance

22 And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said,

  “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my¹ God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
  my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
    my stronghold and my refuge,
    my savior; you save me from violence.
  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.
  “For the waves of death encompassed me,
    the torrents of destruction assailed me;²
  the cords of Sheol entangled me;
    the snares of death confronted me.
  “In my distress I called upon the LORD;
    to my God I called.
  From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry came to his ears.
  “Then the earth reeled and rocked;
    the foundations of the heavens trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
  Smoke went up from his nostrils,³
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
  He bowed the heavens and came down;
    thick darkness was under his feet.
  He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he was seen on the wings of the wind.
  He made darkness around him his canopy,
    thick clouds, a gathering of water.
  Out of the brightness before him
    coals of fire flamed forth.
  The LORD thundered from heaven,
    and the Most High uttered his voice.
  And he sent out arrows and scattered them;
    lightning, and routed them.
  Then the channels of the sea were seen;
    the foundations of the world were laid bare,
  at the rebuke of the LORD,
    at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
  “He sent from on high, he took me;
    he drew me out of many waters.
  He rescued me from my strong enemy,
    from those who hated me,
    for they were too mighty for me.
  They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the LORD was my support.
  He brought me out into a broad place;
    he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
  “The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
  For I have kept the ways of the LORD
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
  For all his rules were before me,
    and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
  I was blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from guilt.
  And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to my cleanness in his sight.
  “With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
    with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
  with the purified you deal purely,
    and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
  You save a humble people,
    but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
  For you are my lamp, O LORD,
    and my God lightens my darkness.
  For by you I can run against a troop,
    and by my God I can leap over a wall.
  This God—his way is perfect;
    the word of the LORD proves true;
    he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
  “For who is God, but the LORD?
    And who is a rock, except our God?
  This God is my strong refuge
    and has made my⁴ way blameless.⁵
  He made my feet like the feet of a deer
    and set me secure on the heights.
  He trains my hands for war,
    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
  You have given me the shield of your salvation,
    and your gentleness made me great.
  You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
    and my feet⁶ did not slip;
  I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
    and did not turn back until they were consumed.
  I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise;
    they fell under my feet.
  For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
    you made those who rise against me sink under me.
  You made my enemies turn their backs to me,⁷
    those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
  They looked, but there was none to save;
    they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
  I beat them fine as the dust of the earth;
    I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.
  “You delivered me from strife with my people;⁸
    you kept me as the head of the nations;
    people whom I had not known served me.
  Foreigners came cringing to me;
    as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
  Foreigners lost heart
    and came trembling⁹ out of their fortresses.
  “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,
    and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,
  the God who gave me vengeance
    and brought down peoples under me,
  who brought me out from my enemies;
    you exalted me above those who rose against me;
    you delivered me from men of violence.
  “For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,
    and sing praises to your name.
  Great salvation he brings¹⁰ to his king,
    and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
    to David and his offspring forever.”

The Last Words of David

23 Now these are the last words of David:

  The oracle of David, the son of Jesse,
    the oracle of the man who was raised on high,
  the anointed of the God of Jacob,
    the sweet psalmist of Israel:¹¹
  “The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me;
    his word is on my tongue.
  The God of Israel has spoken;
    the Rock of Israel has said to me:
  When one rules justly over men,
    ruling in the fear of God,
  he dawns on them like the morning light,
    like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
    like rain¹² that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
  “For does not my house stand so with God?
    For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
    ordered in all things and secure.
  For will he not cause to prosper
    all my help and my desire?
  But worthless men¹³ are all like thorns that are thrown away,
    for they cannot be taken with the hand;
  but the man who touches them
    arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear,
    and they are utterly consumed with fire.”¹⁴

David's Mighty Men

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three.¹⁵ He wielded his spear¹⁶ against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.

And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the LORD brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain.

And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the LORD worked a great victory.

And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the LORD and said, “Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty.¹⁷ And he wielded his spear against three hundred men¹⁸ and killed them and won a name beside the three. He was the most renowned of the thirty¹⁹ and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man²⁰ of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels²¹ of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.

Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod, Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite, Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah, Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash, Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Bahurim, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel of Gilo, Hezro²² of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite, Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

Footnotes

[1] 22:3 Septuagint (compare Psalm 18:2); Hebrew lacks my
[2] 22:5 Or terrified me
[3] 22:9 Or in his wrath
[4] 22:33 Or his; also verse 34
[5] 22:33 Compare Psalm 18:32; Hebrew he has blamelessly set my way free, or he has made my way spring up blamelessly
[6] 22:37 Hebrew ankles
[7] 22:41 Or You gave me my enemies' necks
[8] 22:44 Septuagint with the peoples
[9] 22:46 Compare Psalm 18:45; Hebrew equipped themselves
[10] 22:51 Or He is a tower of salvation
[11] 23:1 Or the favorite of the songs of Israel
[12] 23:4 Hebrew from rain
[13] 23:6 Hebrew worthlessness
[14] 23:7 Hebrew consumed with fire in the sitting
[15] 23:8 Or of the captains
[16] 23:8 Compare 1 Chronicles 11:11; the meaning of the Hebrew expression is uncertain
[17] 23:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts three
[18] 23:18 Or slain ones
[19] 23:19 Compare 1 Chronicles 11:25; Hebrew Was he the most renowned of the three?
[20] 23:20 Or the son of Ishhai
[21] 23:20 The meaning of the word ariel is unknown
[22] 23:35 Or Hezrai

(ESV)

Reading: Psalm 57 Psalm 57

Psalm 57

Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam¹ of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

57   Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
  in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
  I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
  He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
  God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
  My soul is in the midst of lions;
    I lie down amid fiery beasts—
  the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.
  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!
  They set a net for my steps;
    my soul was bowed down.
  They dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
  My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
  I will sing and make melody!
    Awake, my glory!²
  Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
  I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
  For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

Footnotes

[1] 57:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[2] 57:8 Or my whole being

(ESV)

May 20:

Crossway — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Reading: Psalm 5
Reading: Psalm 38
Reading: Psalm 41-42

Reading: Psalm 5 Psalm 5

Psalm 5

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

5   Give ear to my words, O LORD;
    consider my groaning.
  Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you do I pray.
  O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you¹ and watch.
  For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
  The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
    you hate all evildoers.
  You destroy those who speak lies;
    the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
  But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
    will enter your house.
  I will bow down toward your holy temple
    in the fear of you.
  Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies;
    make your way straight before me.
  For there is no truth in their mouth;
    their inmost self is destruction;
  their throat is an open grave;
    they flatter with their tongue.
  Make them bear their guilt, O God;
    let them fall by their own counsels;
  because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
    for they have rebelled against you.
  But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy,
  and spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may exult in you.
  For you bless the righteous, O LORD;
    you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Footnotes

[1] 5:3 Or I direct my prayer to you

(ESV)

Reading: Psalm 38 Psalm 38

Psalm 38

Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

38   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor discipline me in your wrath!
  For your arrows have sunk into me,
    and your hand has come down on me.
  There is no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
  there is no health in my bones
    because of my sin.
  For my iniquities have gone over my head;
    like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
  My wounds stink and fester
    because of my foolishness,
  I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
    all the day I go about mourning.
  For my sides are filled with burning,
    and there is no soundness in my flesh.
  I am feeble and crushed;
    I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
  O Lord, all my longing is before you;
    my sighing is not hidden from you.
  My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
    and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
  My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,
    and my nearest kin stand far off.
  Those who seek my life lay their snares;
    those who seek my hurt speak of ruin
    and meditate treachery all day long.
  But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
    like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
  I have become like a man who does not hear,
    and in whose mouth are no rebukes.
  But for you, O LORD, do I wait;
    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
  For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me,
    who boast against me when my foot slips!”
  For I am ready to fall,
    and my pain is ever before me.
  I confess my iniquity;
    I am sorry for my sin.
  But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
    and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
  Those who render me evil for good
    accuse me because I follow after good.
  Do not forsake me, O LORD!
    O my God, be not far from me!
  Make haste to help me,
    O Lord, my salvation!

(ESV)

Reading: Psalm 41-42 Psalm 41-42

Psalms 41-42

O Lord, Be Gracious to Me

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

41   Blessed is the one who considers the poor!¹
    In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
  the LORD protects him and keeps him alive;
    he is called blessed in the land;
    you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
  The LORD sustains him on his sickbed;
    in his illness you restore him to full health.²
  As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;
    heal me,³ for I have sinned against you!”
  My enemies say of me in malice,
    “When will he die, and his name perish?”
  And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
    while his heart gathers iniquity;
    when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
  All who hate me whisper together about me;
    they imagine the worst for me.⁴
  They say, “A deadly thing is poured out⁵ on him;
    he will not rise again from where he lies.”
  Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
    who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
  But you, O LORD, be gracious to me,
    and raise me up, that I may repay them!
  By this I know that you delight in me:
    my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
  But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
    and set me in your presence forever.
  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
      Amen and Amen.

Book Two

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

To the choirmaster. A Maskil⁶ of the Sons of Korah.

42   As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
  My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God.
  When shall I come and appear before God?⁷
  My tears have been my food
    day and night,
  while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
  These things I remember,
    as I pour out my soul:
  how I would go with the throng
    and lead them in procession to the house of God
  with glad shouts and songs of praise,
    a multitude keeping festival.
  Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
  Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation⁸ and my God.
  My soul is cast down within me;
    therefore I remember you
  from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
    from Mount Mizar.
  Deep calls to deep
    at the roar of your waterfalls;
  all your breakers and your waves
    have gone over me.
  By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.
  I say to God, my rock:
    “Why have you forgotten me?
  Why do I go mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?”
  As with a deadly wound in my bones,
    my adversaries taunt me,
  while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
  Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
  Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.

Footnotes

[1] 41:1 Or weak
[2] 41:3 Hebrew you turn all his bed
[3] 41:4 Hebrew my soul
[4] 41:7 Or they devise evil against me
[5] 41:8 Or has fastened
[6] 42:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[7] 42:2 Revocalization yields and see the face of God
[8] 42:5 Hebrew the salvation of my face; also verse 11 and 43:5

(ESV)

ESV: Chronological

May 24:

Reading: Psalm 108-110 Psalm 108-110

Psalms 108-110

With God We Shall Do Valiantly

A Song. A Psalm of David.

Help Me, O Lord My God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

Sit at My Right Hand

A Psalm of David.

Footnotes

May 23:

Reading: 2 Samuel 24 2 Samuel 24

2 Samuel 24

David's Census

The Lord's Judgment of David's Sin

David Builds an Altar

Footnotes

Reading: 1 Chronicles 21-22 1 Chronicles 21-22

1 Chronicles 21-22

David's Census Brings Pestilence

David Builds an Altar

David Prepares for Temple Building

Solomon Charged to Build the Temple

Footnotes

Reading: Psalm 30 Psalm 30

Psalm 30

Joy Comes with the Morning

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.

Footnotes

May 22:

Reading: Psalm 95 Psalm 95

Psalm 95

Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

Reading: Psalm 97-99 Psalm 97-99

Psalms 97-99

The Lord Reigns

Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord

A Psalm.

The Lord Our God Is Holy

Footnotes

May 21:

Reading: 2 Samuel 22-23 2 Samuel 22-23

2 Samuel 22-23

David's Song of Deliverance

The Last Words of David

David's Mighty Men

Footnotes

Reading: Psalm 57 Psalm 57

Psalm 57

Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam1 of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

Footnotes

May 20:

Reading: Psalm 5 Psalm 5

Psalm 5

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

Footnotes

Reading: Psalm 38 Psalm 38

Psalm 38

Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

Reading: Psalm 41-42 Psalm 41-42

Psalms 41-42

O Lord, Be Gracious to Me

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

Book Two

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

To the choirmaster. A Maskil6 of the Sons of Korah.

Footnotes

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam¹ of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

To the choirmaster. A Maskil⁶ of the Sons of Korah.