[20220103] Daily Bible Reading — Day 154

03
Jan

Romans 9:1-29; 1 Samuel 17:55-58; 1 Samuel 18; Psalm 63

Romans 9:1-29

Listen to Romans 9

1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 
2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 
3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 
4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 
5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. 
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 
7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 
8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 
9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. 
10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 
11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 
12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 
21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 
23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 
24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? 
25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 
26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. 
27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 
28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 
29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.

1 Samuel 17:55-58

Listen to 1 Samuel 17

55 And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. 
56 And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is. 
57 And 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 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.

1 Samuel 18

Listen to 1 Samuel 18

1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 
2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house. 
3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 
4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. 
5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. 
6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. 
7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 
8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? 
9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. 
10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand. 
11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 
12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. 
13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 
14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. 
15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. 
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. 
17 And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. 
18 And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? 
19 But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. 
20 And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 
21 And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain. 
22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law. 
23 And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? 
24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. 
25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 
26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son in law: and the days were not expired. 
27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. 
28 And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him. 
29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually. 
30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

Psalm 63

Listen to Psalms 63

1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. 
9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 
10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. 
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.