Daily Readings for June 27

Daily Readings for June 27
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1Samuel 7

1.The men of Kiriath Jearim came, and fetched up the ark of Yahweh, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Yahweh. 2.It happened, from the day that the ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after Yahweh. 3.Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you do return to Yahweh with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to Yahweh, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." 4.Then the children of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served Yahweh only. 5.Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you to Yahweh." 6.They gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before Yahweh, and fasted on that day, and said there, "We have sinned against Yahweh." Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah. 7.When the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8.The children of Israel said to Samuel, "Don't cease to cry to Yahweh our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines." 9.Samuel took a suckling lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt offering to Yahweh: and Samuel cried to Yahweh for Israel; and Yahweh answered him. 10.As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but Yahweh thundered with a great thunder on that day on the Philistines, and confused them; and they were struck down before Israel. 11.The men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and struck them, until they came under Beth Kar.

12.Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer,⁷ saying, "Yahweh helped us until now." 13.So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the border of Israel. The hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

14.The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel recovered its border out of the hand of the Philistines. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 15.Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16.He went from year to year in circuit to Bethel and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places. 17.His return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel: and he built there an altar to Yahweh.

1Samuel 8

1.It happened, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2.Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beersheba. 3.His sons didn't walk in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice. 4.Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah; 5.and they said to him, "Behold, you are old, and your sons don't walk in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." 6.But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, "Give us a king to judge us."

Samuel prayed to Yahweh. 7.Yahweh said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them. 8.According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to you. 9.Now therefore listen to their voice: however you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall show them the way of the king who shall reign over them."

10.Samuel told all the words of Yahweh to the people who asked of him a king. 11.He said, "This will be the way of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them to him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots; 12.and he will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will assign some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. 13.He will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14.He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even their best, and give them to his servants. 15.He will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16.He will take your male servants, and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17.He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants. 18.You shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen you; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day."

19.But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No; but we will have a king over us, 20.that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles."

21.Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Yahweh. 22.Yahweh said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice, and make them a king."

Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Every man go to his city."

Isaiah 52

1.Awake, awake, put on your strength, Zion; put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2. Shake yourself from the dust! Arise, sit up, Jerusalem! Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion! 3.For thus says Yahweh, "You were sold for nothing; and you shall be redeemed without money."

4.For thus says the Lord Yahweh, "My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there: and the Assyrian has oppressed them without cause.

5."Now therefore, what do I do here," says Yahweh, "seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock," says Yahweh, "and my name continually all the day is blasphemed. 6.Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore they shall know in that day that I am he who speaks; behold, it is I."

7.How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" 8. The voice of your watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Yahweh returns to Zion. 9.Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for Yahweh has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10.Yahweh has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

11.Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing! Go out of the midst of her! Cleanse yourselves, you who bear the vessels of Yahweh. 12.For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight: for Yahweh will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

13.Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14.Like as many were astonished at you (his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men), 15.so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand.

Revelation 14

1.I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a number, one hundred forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads. 2.I heard a sound from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of a great thunder. The sound which I heard was like that of harpists playing on their harps. 3.They sing a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand, those who had been redeemed out of the earth. 4.These are those who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed by Jesus from among men, the first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5.In their mouth was found no lie, for they are blameless.³³

6.I saw an angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal Good News to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7.He said with a loud voice, "Fear the Lord, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and the springs of waters!"

8.Another, a second angel, followed, saying, "Babylon the great has fallen, which has made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality."

9.Another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead, or on his hand, 10.he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. 11.The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. 12.Here is the patience of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."

13.I heard the voice from heaven saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'"

"Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them."

14.I looked, and behold, a white cloud; and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man,³⁴ having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15.Another angel came out from the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Send forth your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe!" 16.He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17.Another angel came out from the temple which is in heaven. He also had a sharp sickle. 18.Another angel came out from the altar, he who has power over fire, and he called with a great voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Send forth your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for the earth's grapes are fully ripe!" 19.The angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20.The winepress was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out from the winepress, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as one thousand six hundred stadia.³⁵