Daily Bible Reading Plan

• 2 Samuel 16 (2:43)

2 Samuel 16 1 Now when David had passed a little beyond the summit, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. 2 The king said to Ziba, "Why do you have these ?" And Ziba said, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride, and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine, for whoever is faint in the wilderness to drink." 3 Then the king said, "And where is your master's son ?" And Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.' " 4 So the king said to Ziba, "Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours." And Ziba said, "I prostrate myself; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord, the king !" David Is Cursed 5 When King David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera ; he came out cursing continually as he came. 6 He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David ; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left. 7 Thus Shimei said when he cursed, "Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, and worthless fellow ! 8 "The LORD has returned upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned ; and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed !" 9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king ? Let me go over now and cut off his head." 10 But the king said, "What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah ? If he curses, and if the LORD has told him, 'Curse David,' then who shall say, 'Why have you done so ?' " 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Behold, my son who came out from me seeks my life ; how much more now this Benjamite ? Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him. 12 "Perhaps the LORD will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day." 13 So David and his men went on the way ; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him. 14 The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary and he refreshed himself there. Absalom Enters Jerusalem 15 Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 Now it came about when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king ! Long live the king !" 17 Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend ? Why did you not go with your friend ?" 18 Then Hushai said to Absalom, "No ! For whom the LORD, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 "Besides, whom should I serve ? Should I not serve in the presence of his son ? As I have served in your father's presence, so I will be in your presence." 20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give your advice. What shall we do ?" 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house ; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened." 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. 23 The advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one inquired of the word of God ; so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom. [[slnc 10000]]

• 2 Samuel 17 (3:21)

2 Samuel 17 1 Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. 2 "I will come upon him while he is weary and exhausted and terrify him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone, 3 and I will bring back all the people to you. The return of everyone depends on the man you seek ; then all the people will be at peace." 4 So the plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel. 5 Then Absalom said, "Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say." 6 When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Ahithophel has spoken thus . Shall we carry out his plan ? If not, you speak." 7 So Hushai said to Absalom, "This time the advice that Ahithophel has given is not good." 8 Moreover, Hushai said, "You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are fierce , like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an expert in warfare, and will not spend the night with the people. 9 "Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the caves or in another place ; and it will be when he falls on them at the first attack, that whoever hears it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.' 10 "And even the one who is valiant , whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will completely lose heart ; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men. 11 "But I counsel that all Israel be surely gathered to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that you personally go into battle. 12 "So we shall come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground ; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left. 13 "If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the valley until not even a small stone is found there." 14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel." For the LORD had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring calamity on Absalom. Hushai's Warning Saves David 15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, "This is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have counseled. 16 "Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, 'Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be destroyed.' " 17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, and a maidservant would go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David, for they could not be seen entering the city. 18 But a lad did see them and told Absalom ; so the two of them departed quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it. 19 And the woman took a covering and spread it over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, so that nothing was known. 20 Then Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan ?" And the woman said to them, "They have crossed the brook of water." And when they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. 21 It came about after they had departed that they came up out of the well and went and told King David ; and they said to David, "Arise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you." 22 Then David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed the Jordan ; and by dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan. 23 Now when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to his city, and set his house in order, and strangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father. 24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 25 Absalom set Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother. 26 And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead. 27 Now when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched seeds, 29 honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and for the people who were with him, to eat ; for they said, "The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness." [[slnc 10000]]

• 1 Corinthians 9 (2:27)

1 Corinthians 9 1 Am I not free ? Am I not an apostle ? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord ? Are you not my work in the Lord ? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 My defense to those who examine me is this : 4 Do we not have a right to eat and drink ? 5 Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas ? 6 Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working ? 7 Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense ? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock ? 8 I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things ? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING." God is not concerned about oxen, is He? 10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake ? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. 11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share the right over you, do we not more ? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar ? 14 So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. 15 But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case ; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion ; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. 17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward ; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. 18 What then is my reward ? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. 19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews ; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law ; 21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak ; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize ? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim ; I box in such a way, as not beating the air ; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. [[slnc 10000]]

• Mark 9 (4:16)

Mark 9 1 And Jesus was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." 2 Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves . And He was transfigured before them; 3 and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 Elijah appeared to them along with Moses ; and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here ; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 For he did not know what to answer ; for they became terrified. 7 Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!" 8 All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead. 10 They seized upon that statement, discussing with one another what rising from the dead meant. 11 They asked Him, saying, "Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first ?" 12 And He said to them, "Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt ? 13 "But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him." All Things Possible 14 When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15 Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. 16 And He asked them, "What are you discussing with them?" 17 And one of the crowd answered Him, "Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute ; 18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it." 19 And He answered them and said, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!" 20 They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21 And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 22 "It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" 23 And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can ?' All things are possible to him who believes." 24 Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe ; help my unbelief." 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again." 26 After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, "He is dead !" 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. 28 When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately , "Why could we not drive it out?" 29 And He said to them, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer." Death and Resurrection Foretold 30 From there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it. 31 For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, "The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later." 32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him. 33 They came to Capernaum ; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, "What were you discussing on the way ?" 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." 36 Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 "Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me." Dire Warnings 38 John said to Him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. 40 "For he who is not against us is for us. 41 "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. 42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. 43 "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off ; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, 44 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] 45 "If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off ; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, 46 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] 47 "If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, 48 where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. 49 "For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 "Salt is good ; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." [[slnc 10000]]