Today's Bible Reading
August 24
1 Some time
after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the
Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because
they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus
went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish
Passover Festival was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd
coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these
people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in
mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more
than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far
will they go among so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There
was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men
were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed
to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So
they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley
loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 After the people saw the
sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to
come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and
make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. 16 When
evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got
into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and
Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the
waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were
frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21
Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat
reached the shore where they were heading.
1 Then David
said, “The house of the LORD God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt
offering for Israel.” 2 So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners
residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare
dressed stone for building the house of God. 3 He provided a large
amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the
fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. 4 He also provided more
cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought
large numbers of them to David. 5 David said, “My son Solomon is young
and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD should be of great
magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I
will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his
death. 6 Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a
house for the LORD, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon: “My son,
I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. 8
But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought
many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much
blood on the earth in my sight. 9 But you will have a son who will be a
man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every
side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during
his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will
be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his
kingdom over Israel forever.’ 11 “Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and
may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you
would. 12 May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he
puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your
God. 13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the
decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or discouraged. 14 “I have taken great pains to provide
for the temple of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million
talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and
wood and stone. And you may add to them. 15 You have many workers:
stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as those skilled in every kind of
work 16 in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now
begin the work, and the LORD be with you.” 17 Then David ordered all the
leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 He said to them, “Is not
the LORD your God with you? And has he not granted you rest on every side? For
he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject
to the LORD and to his people. 19 Now devote your heart and soul to
seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so
that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles
belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.”
1 When David
was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel. 2
He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and
Levites. 3 The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the
total number of men was thirty-eight thousand. 4 David said, “Of these,
twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work of the temple of the LORD
and six thousand are to be officials and judges. 5 Four thousand are to
be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the LORD with the musical
instruments I have provided for that purpose.” 6 David separated the
Levites into divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and
Merari. 7 Belonging to the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei. 8 The
sons of Ladan: Jehiel the first, Zetham and Joel—three in all. 9 The
sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran—three in all. These were the heads
of the families of Ladan. 10 And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Ziza, Jeush
and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei—four in all. 11 Jahath was the
first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; so they
were counted as one family with one assignment. 12 The sons of Kohath:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel—four in all. 13 The sons of Amram: Aaron
and Moses. Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate
the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the LORD, to minister before
him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever. 14 The sons of Moses
the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of
Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The descendants of Gershom: Shubael was
the first. 17 The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first.
Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous. 18
The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first. 19 The sons of Hebron:
Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the
fourth. 20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first and Ishiah the second. 21
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. 22
Eleazar died without having sons: he had only daughters. Their cousins, the
sons of Kish, married them. 23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and
Jerimoth—three in all. 24 These were the descendants of Levi by their
families—the heads of families as they were registered under their names and
counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served
in the temple of the LORD. 25 For David had said, “Since the LORD, the
God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in
Jerusalem forever, 26 the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle
or any of the articles used in its service.” 27 According to the last
instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or
more. 28 The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the
service of the temple of the LORD: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side
rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other
duties at the house of God. 29 They were in charge of the bread set out
on the table, the special flour for the grain offerings, the thin loaves made
without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and
size. 30 They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the
LORD. They were to do the same in the evening 31 and whenever burnt
offerings were presented to the LORD on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts
and at the appointed festivals. They were to serve before the LORD regularly in
the proper number and in the way prescribed for them. 32 And so the
Levites carried out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the
Holy Place and, under their relatives the descendants of Aaron, for the service
of the temple of the LORD.
1 The word of
the LORD is against the land of Hadrak and will come to rest on Damascus— for
the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel are on the LORD— 2
and on Hamath too, which borders on it, and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are
very skillful. 3 Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up
silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. 4 But the Lord
will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will
be consumed by fire. 5 Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe
in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and
Ashkelon will be deserted. 6 A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod, and I
will put an end to the pride of the Philistines. 7 I will take the blood
from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth. Those who are
left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like
the Jebusites. 8 But I will encamp at my temple to guard it against
marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am
keeping watch. 9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter
Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and
riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away
the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow
will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend
from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. 11 As for
you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners
from the waterless pit. 12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of
hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. 13 I
will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your
sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword. 14
Then the LORD will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The
Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the
south, 15 and the LORD Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and
overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be
full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. 16 The
LORD their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. 17 How attractive
and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine
the young women.
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