May 13

Mark 13:14-31

The Abomination of Desolation

[14] “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. [15] Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, [16] and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. [17] And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! [18] Pray that it may not happen in winter. [19] For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. [20] And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. [21] And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. [22] For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. [23] But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

[24] “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, [25] and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. [26] And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. [27] And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

[28] “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. [29] So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. [30] Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. [31] Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

2 Corinthians 11:16-33

Paul’s Sufferings as an Apostle

[16] I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. [17] What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. [18] Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. [19] For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! [20] For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. [21] To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! 

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that.  [22] Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. [23] Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. [24] Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; [26] on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; [27] in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. [28] And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. [29] Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

[30] If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. [31] The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. [32] At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, [33] but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

Psalm 106:24-48

    [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!

1 Samuel 29

The Philistines Reject David

[1] Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel. [2] As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish, [3] the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.” [4] But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? [5] Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances, 

    ‘Saul has struck down his thousands,

        and David his ten thousands’?”

    [6] Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. [7] So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” [8] And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” [9] And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ [10] Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” [11] So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel 30

David’s Wives Are Captured

[1] Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire [2] and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. [3] And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. [4] Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. [5] David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. [6] And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

[7] And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. [8] And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” [9] So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. [10] But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

[11] They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, [12] and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. [13] And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. [14] We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” [15] And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.”

David Defeats the Amalekites

[16] And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. [17] And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. [18] David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. [19] Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. [20] David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

[21] Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. [22] Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” [23] But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. [24] Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” [25] And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.

[26] When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.” [27] It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, [28] in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, [29] in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, [30] in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, [31] in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.

1 Samuel 31

The Death of Saul

[1] Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. [2] And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. [3] The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. [4] Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. [5] And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. [6] Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. [7] And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.

[8] The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. [9] So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. [10] They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. [11] But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, [12] all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. [13] And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.