Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Daily Readings for July 5
Click the arrow above to the left of the audio strip to start audio for today
1Samuel 17
1.Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. 2.Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3.The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 4.There went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5.He had a helmet of brass on his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6.He had brass shin armor on his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders. 7.The staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield bearer went before him. 8.He stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9.If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then you will be our servants, and serve us." 10.The Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day! Give me a man, that we may fight together!"
11.When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. 12.Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken among men. 13.The three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14.David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul. 15.Now David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 16.The Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. 17.Jesse said to David his son, "Now take for your brothers an ephah8 of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers; 18.and bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers are doing, and bring back news." 19.Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20.David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the place of the wagons, as the army which was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle. 21.Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. 22.David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23.As he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke according to the same words: and David heard them. 24.All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were terrified. 25.The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? He has surely come up to defy Israel. It shall be, that the man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel."
26.David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
27.The people answered him in this way, saying, "So shall it be done to the man who kills him."
28.Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, "Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the naughtiness of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle."
29.David said, "What have I now done? Is there not a cause?" 30.He turned away from him toward another, and spoke like that again; and the people answered him again the same way. 31.When the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him. 32.David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."
33.Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."
34.David said to Saul, "Your servant was keeping his father's sheep; and when a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb out of the flock, 35.I went out after him, and struck him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and struck him, and killed him. 36.Your servant struck both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." 37.David said, "Yahweh who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."
Saul said to David, "Go; and Yahweh shall be with you." 38.Saul dressed David with his clothing. He put a helmet of brass on his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. 39.David strapped his sword on his clothing, and he tried to move; for he had not tested it. David said to Saul, "I can't go with these; for I have not tested them." David took them off.
40.He took his staff in his hand, and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his wallet. His sling was in his hand; and he drew near to the Philistine. 41.The Philistine came on and drew near to David; and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42.When the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair face. 43.The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" The Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44.The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field."
45.Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of Armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46.Today, Yahweh will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you, and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47.and that all this assembly may know that Yahweh doesn't save with sword and spear: for the battle is Yahweh's, and he will give you into our hand."
48.It happened, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49.David put his hand in his bag, took a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50.So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 51.Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head therewith. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52.The men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until you come to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. The wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath, and to Ekron. 53.The children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54.David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. 55.When Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, "Abner, whose son is this youth?"
Abner said, "As your soul lives, O king, I can't tell."
56.The king said, "Inquire whose son the young man is!"
57.As David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58.Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, you young man?"
David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."
Isaiah 61
1.The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is on me; because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to those who are bound; 2.to proclaim the year of Yahweh's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3.to appoint to those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified.
4.They shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. 5.Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6.But you shall be named the priests of Yahweh; men will call you the ministers of our God: you will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their glory.
7.Instead of your shame you shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be to them.
8."For I, Yahweh, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9.Their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which Yahweh has blessed."
10.I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11.For as the earth brings forth its bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Matthew 6
1."Be careful that you don't do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2.Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don't sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3.But when you do merciful deeds, don't let your left hand know what your right hand does, 4.so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
5."When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward. 6.But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7.In praying, don't use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. 8.Therefore don't be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him. 9.Pray like this: 'Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10.Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 11.Give us today our daily bread. 12.Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 13.Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.39'
14."For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15.But if you don't forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16."Moreover when you fast, don't be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17.But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face; 18.so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
19."Don't lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; 20.but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; 21.for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22."The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. 23.But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24."No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can't serve both God and Mammon. 25.Therefore, I tell you, don't be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26.See the birds of the sky, that they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they?
27."Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment40 to his lifespan? 28.Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin, 29.yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. 30.But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won't he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
31."Therefore don't be anxious, saying, 'What will we eat?', 'What will we drink?' or, 'With what will we be clothed?' 32.For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33.But seek first God's Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. 34.Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day's own evil is sufficient.