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Daily Readings for July 8
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1Samuel 20
1.David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?"
2.He said to him, "Far from it; you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so."
3.David swore moreover, and said, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, 'Don't let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved:' but truly as Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death."
4.Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you."
5.David said to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to dine with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening. 6.If your father miss me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.' 7.If he says, 'It is well;' your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil is determined by him. 8.Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you: but if there be in me iniquity, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?"
9.Jonathan said, "Far be it from you; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come on you, then wouldn't I tell you that?"
10.Then David said to Jonathan, "Who shall tell me if perchance your father answers you roughly?"
11.Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." They both went out into the field. 12.Jonathan said to David, "By Yahweh, the God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send to you, and disclose it to you? 13.Yahweh do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I don't disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father. 14.You shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of Yahweh, that I not die; 15.but also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever; no, not when Yahweh has cut off the enemies of David everyone from the surface of the earth." 16.So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Yahweh will require it at the hand of David's enemies." 17.Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18.Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19.When you have stayed three days, you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and shall remain by the stone Ezel. 20.I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark. 21.Behold, I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the arrows!' If I tell the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;' then come; for there is peace to you and no hurt, as Yahweh lives. 22.But if I say this to the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond you;' then go your way; for Yahweh has sent you away. 23.Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever."
24.So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon had come, the king sat him down to eat food. 25.The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side: but David's place was empty. 26.Nevertheless Saul didn't say anything that day: for he thought, "Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean."
27.It happened on the next day after the new moon, the second day, that David's place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why doesn't the son of Jesse come to eat, neither yesterday, nor today?"
28.Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29.He said, 'Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city. My brother has commanded me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers.' Therefore he has not come to the king's table."
30.Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse rebellious woman, don't I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? 31.For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!"
32.Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"
33.Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34.So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. 35.It happened in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him. 36.He said to his boy, "Run, find now the arrows which I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37.When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?" 38.Jonathan cried after the boy, "Go fast! Hurry! Don't delay!" Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 39.But the boy didn't know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40.Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city."
41.As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another, and wept one with another, and David wept the most. 42.Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of Yahweh, saying, 'Yahweh shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever.'" He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.
Isaiah 64
1.Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence, 2.as when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the waters to boil; to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence! 3.When you did awesome things which we didn't look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4.For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides you, who works for him who waits for him. 5.You meet him who rejoices and works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time; and shall we be saved? 6.For we have all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is as a polluted garment: and we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 7.There is none who calls on your name, who stirs up himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have consumed us by means of our iniquities.
8.But now, Yahweh, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you our potter; and we all are the work of your hand. 9.Don't be furious, Yahweh, neither remember iniquity forever: see, look, we beg you, we are all your people. 10.Your holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 11.Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, is burned with fire; and all our pleasant places are laid waste. 12.Will you refrain yourself for these things, Yahweh? Will you hold your peace, and afflict us very severely?
Matthew 9
1.He entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city. 2.Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a bed. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you."
3.Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man blasphemes."
4.Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5.For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven;' or to say, 'Get up, and walk?' 6.But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." (then he said to the paralytic), "Get up, and take up your mat, and go up to your house."
7.He arose and departed to his house. 8.But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
9.As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, "Follow me." He got up and followed him. 10.It happened as he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 11.When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
12.When Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. 13.But you go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,'[45] for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.46"
14.Then John's disciples came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?"
15.Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16.No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made. 17.Neither do people put new wine into old wineskins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."
18.While he told these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
19.Jesus got up and followed him, as did his disciples. 20.Behold, a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe47 of his garment; 21.for she said within herself, "If I just touch his garment, I will be made well."
22.But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, "Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.
23.When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd in noisy disorder, 24.he said to them, "Make room, because the girl isn't dead, but sleeping."
They were ridiculing him. 25.But when the crowd was put out, he entered in, took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26.The report of this went out into all that land. 27.As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, "Have mercy on us, son of David!"
28.When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
They told him, "Yes, Lord."
29.Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." 30.Their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, "See that no one knows about this." 31.But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land.
32.As they went out, behold, a mute man who was demon possessed was brought to him. 33.When the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The multitudes marveled, saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!"
34.But the Pharisees said, "By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons."
35.Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 36.But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed48 and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. 37.Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38.Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest."