Daily Readings for July 14
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1Samuel 28

 

1.It happened in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. Achish said to David, "Know assuredly that you shall go out with me in the army, you and your men."

2.David said to Achish, "Therefore you shall know what your servant will do."

Achish said to David, "Therefore will I make you my bodyguard for ever."

3.Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. Saul had put away those who had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. 4.The Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and encamped in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa. 5.When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6.When Saul inquired of Yahweh, Yahweh didn't answer him, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 7.Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek me a woman who has a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her."

His servants said to him, "Behold, there is a woman who has a familiar spirit at Endor."

8.Saul disguised himself, and put on other clothing, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, "Please divine to me by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whomever I shall name to you."

9.The woman said to him, "Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?"

10.Saul swore to her by Yahweh, saying, "As Yahweh lives, no punishment shall happen to you for this thing."

11.Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up to you?"

He said, "Bring Samuel up for me."

12.When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!"

13.The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. For what do you see?"

The woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."

14.He said to her, "What does he look like?"

She said, "An old man comes up. He is covered with a robe." Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and showed respect.

15.Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me, to bring me up?"

Saul answered, "I am very distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me, and answers me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I shall do."

16.Samuel said, "Why then do you ask of me, since Yahweh has departed from you and has become your adversary? 17.Yahweh has done to you as he spoke by me. Yahweh has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, even to David. 18.Because you didn't obey the voice of Yahweh, and didn't execute his fierce wrath on Amalek, therefore Yahweh has done this thing to you this day. 19.Moreover Yahweh will deliver Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Yahweh will deliver the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines."

20.Then Saul fell immediately his full length on the earth, and was terrified, because of the words of Samuel. There was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. 21.The woman came to Saul, and saw that he was very troubled, and said to him, "Behold, your handmaid has listened to your voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. 22.Now therefore, please listen also to the voice of your handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength, when you go on your way."

23.But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, constrained him; and he listened to their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat on the bed. 24.The woman had a fattened calf in the house. She hurried and killed it; and she took flour, and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread of it. 25.She brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they ate. Then they rose up, and went away that night.

 

Jeremiah 4

 

1."If you will return, Israel," says Yahweh, "if you will return to me, and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight; then you shall not be removed; 2.and you shall swear, 'As Yahweh lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory."

3.For thus says Yahweh to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, "Break up your fallow ground, and don't sow among thorns. 4.Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. 5.Declare in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, 'Blow the trumpet in the land!' Cry aloud and say, 'Assemble yourselves! Let us go into the fortified cities!' 6.Set up a standard toward Zion. Flee for safety! Don't wait; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction."

7.A lion is gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations; he is on his way, he is gone forth from his place, to make your land desolate, that your cities be laid waste, without inhabitant. 8.For this clothe yourself with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of Yahweh hasn't turned back from us. 9."It shall happen at that day," says Yahweh, "that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder."

10.Then I said, "Ah, Lord Yahweh! Surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'You shall have peace;' whereas the sword reaches to the heart."

11.At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, "A hot wind from the bare heights in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow, nor to cleanse; 12.a full wind from these shall come for me. Now I will also utter judgments against them."

13.Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as the whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! For we are ruined. 14.Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? 15.For a voice declares from Dan, and publishes evil from the hills of Ephraim: 16."Tell the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, 'Watchers come from a far country, and raise their voice against the cities of Judah. 17.As keepers of a field, they are against her all around, because she has been rebellious against me,'" says Yahweh. 18."Your way and your doings have brought these things to you. This is your wickedness; for it is bitter, for it reaches to your heart."

19.My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I can't hold my peace; because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. 20.Destruction on destruction is cried; for the whole land is laid waste: suddenly are my tents destroyed, and my curtains in a moment. 21.How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?

22."For my people are foolish, they don't know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skillful in doing evil, but to do good they have no knowledge." 23.I saw the earth, and, behold, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24.I saw the mountains, and behold, they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth. 25.I saw, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the sky had fled. 26.I saw, and behold, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of Yahweh, before his fierce anger. 27.For thus says Yahweh, "The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end. 28.For this the earth will mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it."

29.Every city flees for the noise of the horsemen and archers; they go into the thickets, and climb up on the rocks: every city is forsaken, and not a man dwells therein. 30.You, when you are made desolate, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with scarlet, though you deck you with ornaments of gold, though you enlarge your eyes with paint, in vain do you make yourself beautiful; your lovers despise you, they seek your life. 31.For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her who brings forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath, who spreads her hands, saying, "Woe is me now! For my soul faints before the murderers."

 

Matthew 15

 

1.Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, 2."Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don't wash their hands when they eat bread."

3.He answered them, "Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4.For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,'[73] and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.'[74] 5.But you say, 'Whoever may tell his father or his mother, "Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God," 6.he shall not honor his father or mother.' You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition. 7.You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8.'These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9.And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.'"[75]

10.He summoned the multitude, and said to them, "Hear, and understand. 11.That which enters into the mouth doesn't defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

12.Then the disciples came, and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?"

13.But he answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father didn't plant will be uprooted. 14.Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."

15.Peter answered him, "Explain the parable to us."

16.So Jesus said, "Do you also still not understand? 17.Don't you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body? 18.But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. 19.For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. 20.These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn't defile the man."

21.Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22.Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely demonized!"

23.But he answered her not a word.

His disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away; for she cries after us."

24.But he answered, "I wasn't sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

25.But she came and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, help me."

26.But he answered, "It is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

27.But she said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."

28.Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that hour.

29.Jesus departed there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. 30.Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them, 31.so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, injured whole, lame walking, and blind seeing--and they glorified the God of Israel.

32.Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way."

33.The disciples said to him, "Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?"

34.Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"

They said, "Seven, and a few small fish."

35.He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; 36.and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. 37.They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. 38.Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39.Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala.

 

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