1 SAMUEL 22

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David at the Cave of Adullam  22:1 David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
    3 And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5 Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth. Saul Kills the Priests at Nob6 Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. 7 And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, 8 that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.” 9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 10 and he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
    11 Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? 15 Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” 16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” 17 And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19 And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.
    20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”

PSALM 106

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Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good106:1

Praise the Lord!

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever! 2

Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,

or declare all his praise? 3

Blessed are they who observe justice,

who do righteousness at all times!
4

Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;

help me when you save them, 5

that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,

that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,

that I may glory with your inheritance.
6

Both we and our fathers have sinned;

we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. 7

Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,

did not consider your wondrous works;

they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,

but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 8

Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,

that he might make known his mighty power. 9

He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry,

and he led them through the deep as through a desert. 10

So he saved them from the hand of the foe

and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. 11

And the waters covered their adversaries;

not one of them was left. 12

Then they believed his words;

they sang his praise.
13

But they soon forgot his works;

they did not wait for his counsel. 14

But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,

and put God to the test in the desert; 15

he gave them what they asked,

but sent a wasting disease among them.
16

When men in the camp were jealous of Moses

and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord, 17

the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,

and covered the company of Abiram. 18

Fire also broke out in their company;

the flame burned up the wicked.
19

They made a calf in Horeb

and worshiped a metal image. 20

They exchanged the glory of God

for the image of an ox that eats grass. 21

They forgot God, their Savior,

who had done great things in Egypt, 22

wondrous works in the land of Ham,

and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. 23

Therefore he said he would destroy them—

had not Moses, his chosen one,

stood in the breach before him,

to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
24

Then they despised the pleasant land,

having no faith in his promise. 25

They murmured in their tents,

and did not obey the voice of the Lord. 26

Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them

that he would make them fall in the wilderness, 27

and would make their offspring fall among the nations,

scattering them among the lands.
28

Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor,

and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; 29

they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,

and a plague broke out among them. 30

Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,

and the plague was stayed. 31

And that was counted to him as righteousness

from generation to generation forever.
32

They angered him at the waters of Meribah,

and it went ill with Moses on their account, 33

for they made his spirit bitter,

and he spoke rashly with his lips.
34

They did not destroy the peoples,

as the Lord commanded them, 35

but they mixed with the nations

and learned to do as they did. 36

They served their idols,

which became a snare to them. 37

They sacrificed their sons

and their daughters to the demons; 38

they poured out innocent blood,

the blood of their sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,

and the land was polluted with blood. 39

Thus they became unclean by their acts,

and played the whore in their deeds.
40

Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,

and he abhorred his heritage; 41

he gave them into the hand of the nations,

so that those who hated them ruled over them. 42

Their enemies oppressed them,

and they were brought into subjection under their power. 43

Many times he delivered them,

but they were rebellious in their purposes

and were brought low through their iniquity.
44

Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,

when he heard their cry. 45

For their sake he remembered his covenant,

and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 46

He caused them to be pitied

by all those who held them captive.
47

Save us, O Lord our God,

and gather us from among the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name

and glory in your praise.
48

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting!

And let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord!

PROVERBS 17

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17:1

Better is a dry morsel with quiet

than a house full of feasting with strife. 2

A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully

and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers. 3

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

and the Lord tests hearts. 4

An evildoer listens to wicked lips,

and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue. 5

Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;

he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished. 6

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,

and the glory of children is their fathers. 7

Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;

still less is false speech to a prince. 8

A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;

wherever he turns he prospers. 9

Whoever covers an offense seeks love,

but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. 10

A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding

than a hundred blows into a fool. 11

An evil man seeks only rebellion,

and a cruel messenger will be sent against him. 12

Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs

rather than a fool in his folly. 13

If anyone returns evil for good,

evil will not depart from his house. 14

The beginning of strife is like letting out water,

so quit before the quarrel breaks out. 15

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous

are both alike an abomination to the Lord. 16

Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom

when he has no sense? 17

A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity. 18

One who lacks sense gives a pledge

and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor. 19

Whoever loves transgression loves strife;

he who makes his door high seeks destruction. 20

A man of crooked heart does not discover good,

and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity. 21

He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,

and the father of a fool has no joy. 22

A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. 23

The wicked accepts a bribe in secret

to pervert the ways of justice. 24

The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,

but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. 25

A foolish son is a grief to his father

and bitterness to her who bore him. 26

To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,

nor to strike the noble for their uprightness. 27

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,

and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. 28

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;

when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.