Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 2 Samuel chapters
22 and 23. Chapter 22 Then David spoke to the
Lord the words of this song on the day when the
Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his
enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said,
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
the God of my strength in whom I will trust,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold
and my refuge. My Saviour, You save me from violence.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be
praised. So shall I be saved from my enemies.
When the waves of death surrounded me, the floods
of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of
Sheol surrounded me. The snares of death confronted
me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and
cried out to my God. He heard my voice from His
temple, and my cry entered His ears. Then the
earth shook and trembled. The foundations of
heaven quaked and were shaken. Because he was
angry, smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring
fire from his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also and came down. With
darkness under his feet, he rode upon a sheriff
and flew, and he was seen upon the wings of the
wind. He made darkness canopies around him, dark
waters and thick clouds of the skies. From the
brightness before him, coals of fire were kindled.
The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most
High uttered his voice. He sent out arrows and
scattered them. lightning bolts, and he vanquished
them. Then the channels of the sea were seen,
the foundations of the world were uncovered,
at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the
breath of his nostrils. He sent from above, he
took me, he drew me out of many waters, he delivered
me from my strong enemy, from those who hated
me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted
me in the day of my calamity. But the Lord was
my support. He also brought me out into a broad
place. He delivered me because he delighted in
me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands. He has
recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the
Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his judgments were before me, and as
for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
I was also blameless before him, and I kept myself
from my iniquity. Therefore the Lord has recompensed
me according to my righteousness, according to
my cleanness in his eyes. With the merciful you
will show yourself merciful. With the blameless
man you will show yourself blameless. With the
pure you will show yourself pure. And with the
devious you will show yourself shrewd. You will
save the humble people, but your eyes are on
the haughty, that you may bring them down. For
you are my lamp, O Lord. The Lord shall enlighten
my darkness. For by you I can run against the
troop. By my God I can leap over a wall. As for
God, His way is perfect. The word of the Lord
is proven. He is a shield to all who trust in
Him. For who is God except the Lord, and who
is a rock except our God? God is my strength
and power, and He makes my way perfect. He makes
my feet like the feet of deer, and He sets me
on high places. He teaches my hands to make war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You
have also given me the shield of your salvation.
Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged
my path under me, so my feet did not slip. I
have pursued my enemies and destroyed them, neither
did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
And I have destroyed them and wounded them, so
that they could not rise. They have fallen under
my feet, for you have armed me with strength
for the battle. You have subdued under me those
who rose against me. You have also given me the
necks of my enemies, so that I destroyed those
who hated me. They looked, but there was none
to save, even to the Lord, but he did not answer
them. Then I beat them as fine as the dust of
the earth. I trod them like dirt in the streets,
and I spread them out. You have also delivered
me from the strivings of my people. You have
kept me as the head of the nations. A people
I have not known shall serve me. The foreigners
submit to me. As soon as they hear, they obey
me. The foreigners fade away and come frightened
from their hideouts. The Lord lives. Blessed
be my rock. Let God be exalted, the rock of my
salvation. It is God who avenges me and subdues
the people under me. He delivers me from my enemies.
You also lift me up above those who rise against
me. You have delivered me from the violent man.
Therefore I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name.
He is the tower of salvation to his king and
shows mercy to his anointed, to David and his
descendants forevermore. Chapter 23 Now these
are the last words of David. Thus says David,
the son of Jesse. Thus says the man raised up
on high. The anointed of the God of Jacob and
the sweet psalmist of Israel. The spirit of the
Lord spoke by me, and his word was on my tongue.
The God of Israel said, The rock of Israel spoke
to me. He who rules over men must be just, ruling
in the fear of God. And he shall be like the
light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning
without clouds, like the tender grass springing
out of the earth, by clear shining after rain.
Although my house is not so with God, yet he
has made with me an everlasting covenant. ordered
in all things and secure. For this is all my
salvation and all my desire. Will he not make
it increase? But the sons of rebellion shall
all be as thorns thrust away, because they cannot
be taken with hands. But the man who touches
them must be armed with iron and the shaft of
a spear, and they shall be utterly burned with
fire in their place. These are the names of the
mighty men whom David had. Joship, Bashibet,
the Takmonite, chief among the captains. He was
also called Adino the Esnite, because he had
killed 800 men at one time. And after him was
Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of
the three mighty men with David when they defied
the Philistines who were gathered there for battle,
and the men of Israel had retreated. He arose
and attacked the Philistines until his hand was
weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord
brought about a great victory that day, and the
people returned after him only to plunder. And
after him was Shammah the son of Agi the Herorite.
The Philistines had gathered together into a
troop, where there was a piece of ground full
of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines,
but he stationed himself in the middle of the
field, defended it, and killed the Philistines.
So the Lord brought about a great victory. Then
three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest
time and came to David at the cave of Adulam,
and the troop of Philistines encamped in the
valley of Rephaim. David was then in a stronghold,
and the garrison of the Philistines was then
in Bethlehem. And David said with longing, O
that someone would give me a drink of the water
from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate.
So the three mighty men broke through the camp
of the Philistines, drew water from the well
of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it
and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would
not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord.
And he said, Far be it from me, O Lord, that
I should do this. Is this not the blood of the
men who went in jeopardy of their lives? Therefore
he would not drink it. These things were done
by the three mighty men. Now Abishai the brother
of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of another
three. He lifted his spear against three hundred
men, killed them, and won a name among these
three. Was he not the most honored of three?
Therefore he became their captain. However, he
did not attain to the first three. Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from
Kabzil, who had done many deeds. He had killed
two lion -like heroes of Moab. He also had gone
down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit
on a snowy day. And he killed an Egyptian, a
spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in
his hand, so he went down to him with a staff,
wrestled the spear out of the Egyptian's hand,
and killed him with his own spear. These things
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name
among the three mighty men. He was more honored
than the thirty, but he did not attain to the
first three, and David appointed him over his
guard. Asahel the brother of Joab was one of
the thirty. Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
Shammah the Herodite, Elika the Herodite, Heliz
the Paltite, Ira the son of Ekesh the Tekhoite,
Abiezer the Anatotite, Mebunai the Hushatite,
Zalmon the Ahohite, Mahorai the Netofatite, Halib
the son of Bana the Netofatite, Itai the son
of Rebai from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,
Benaiah a Piratonite, Hiday from the brooks of
Gash, Abi -Albon the Arbatite, Asmavit the Barhumite,
Ilyaba the Shalbonite of the sons of Jashin,
Jonathan, Shama the Hararite, Ahiam, the son
of Sharar, the Hararite. Eliphelet, the son of
Ahazbe, the son of the Makatite. Elyam, the son
of Ahitophel, the Gilonite. Hazre, the Carmelite.
Pare, the Arbite. Egal, the son of Nathan, of
Zoba. Bani, the Gadite. Zelik, the Ammonite.
Naharir, the Beirutite. Armorbearer of Joab,
the son of Zeruiah. Ira, the Itrite. Garib, the
Itrite. And Uriah, the Hittite. 37 in all. I
hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as I
did and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow
to continue on our journey. God bless you and
have a great day.