1 SAMUEL 16

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Samuel Goes to Bethlehem  16:1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.” 4 So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” 5 He said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
    6 When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is before Him.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 9 Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
David Anointed12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
    14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him. 15 Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18 Then one of the young men said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him.” 19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David who is with the flock.” 20 Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son. 21 Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. 22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

PSALM 104

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The LORD’S Care over All His Works.104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD my God, You are very great;

You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak,

Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.

3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;

He makes the clouds His chariot;

He walks upon the wings of the wind;

4 He makes the winds His messengers,

Flaming fire His ministers.

5 He established the earth upon its foundations,

So that it will not totter forever and ever.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;

The waters were standing above the mountains.

7 At Your rebuke they fled,

At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away.

8 The mountains rose; the valleys sank down

To the place which You established for them.

9 You set a boundary that they may not pass over,

So that they will not return to cover the earth.

10 He sends forth springs in the valleys;

They flow between the mountains;

11 They give drink to every beast of the field;

The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;

They lift up their voices among the branches.

13 He waters the mountains from His upper chambers;

The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.

14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,

And vegetation for the labor of man,

So that he may bring forth food from the earth,

15 And wine which makes man’s heart glad,

So that he may make his face glisten with oil,

And food which sustains man’s heart.

16 The trees of the LORD drink their fill,

The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,

17 Where the birds build their nests,

And the stork, whose home is the fir trees.

18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;

The cliffs are a refuge for the shephanim.

19 He made the moon for the seasons;

The sun knows the place of its setting.

20 You appoint darkness and it becomes night,

In which all the beasts of the forest prowl about.

21 The young lions roar after their prey

And seek their food from God.

22 When the sun rises they withdraw

And lie down in their dens.

23 Man goes forth to his work

And to his labor until evening.

24 O LORD, how many are Your works!

In wisdom You have made them all;

The earth is full of Your possessions.

25 There is the sea, great and broad,

In which are swarms without number,

Animals both small and great.

26 There the ships move along,

And Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it.

27 They all wait for You

To give them their food in due season.

28 You give to them, they gather it up;

You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.

29 You hide Your face, they are dismayed;

You take away their spirit, they expire

And return to their dust.

30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;

And You renew the face of the ground.

31 Let the glory of the LORD endure forever;

Let the LORD be glad in His works;

32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles;

He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 Let my meditation be pleasing to Him;

As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.

35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth

And let the wicked be no more.

Bless the LORD, O my soul.

Praise the LORD!

PSALM 105

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The LORD’S Wonderful Works in Behalf of Israel.105:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

2 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

Speak of all His wonders.

3 Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.

4 Seek the LORD and His strength;

Seek His face continually.

5 Remember His wonders which He has done,

His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,

6 O seed of Abraham, His servant,

O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!

7 He is the LORD our God;

His judgments are in all the earth.

8 He has remembered His covenant forever,

The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,

9 The covenant which He made with Abraham,

And His oath to Isaac.

10 Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,

To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

11 Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan

As the portion of your inheritance,”

12 When they were only a few men in number,

Very few, and strangers in it.

13 And they wandered about from nation to nation,

From one kingdom to another people.

14 He permitted no man to oppress them,

And He reproved kings for their sakes:

15 “Do not touch My anointed ones,

And do My prophets no harm.”

16 And He called for a famine upon the land;

He broke the whole staff of bread.

17 He sent a man before them,

Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

18 They afflicted his feet with fetters,

He himself was laid in irons;

19 Until the time that his word came to pass,

The word of the LORD tested him.

20 The king sent and released him,

The ruler of peoples, and set him free.

21 He made him lord of his house

And ruler over all his possessions,

22 To imprison his princes at will,

That he might teach his elders wisdom.

23 Israel also came into Egypt;

Thus Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

24 And He caused His people to be very fruitful,

And made them stronger than their adversaries.

25 He turned their heart to hate His people,

To deal craftily with His servants.

26 He sent Moses His servant,

And Aaron, whom He had chosen.

27 They performed His wondrous acts among them,

And miracles in the land of Ham.

28 He sent darkness and made it dark;

And they did not rebel against His words.

29 He turned their waters into blood

And caused their fish to die.

30 Their land swarmed with frogs

Even in the chambers of their kings.

31 He spoke, and there came a swarm of flies

And gnats in all their territory.

32 He gave them hail for rain,

And flaming fire in their land.

33 He struck down their vines also and their fig trees,

And shattered the trees of their territory.

34 He spoke, and locusts came,

And young locusts, even without number,

35 And ate up all vegetation in their land,

And ate up the fruit of their ground.

36 He also struck down all the firstborn in their land,

The first fruits of all their vigor.

37 Then He brought them out with silver and gold,

And among His tribes there was not one who stumbled.

38 Egypt was glad when they departed,

For the dread of them had fallen upon them.

39 He spread a cloud for a covering,

And fire to illumine by night.

40 They asked, and He brought quail,

And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

41 He opened the rock and water flowed out;

It ran in the dry places like a river.

42 For He remembered His holy word

With Abraham His servant;

43 And He brought forth His people with joy,

His chosen ones with a joyful shout.

44 He gave them also the lands of the nations,

That they might take possession of the fruit of the peoples’ labor,

45 So that they might keep His statutes

And observe His laws,

Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 11

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Contrast the Upright and the Wicked11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,

But a just weight is His delight.

2 When pride comes, then comes dishonor,

But with the humble is wisdom.

3 The integrity of the upright will guide them,

But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.

4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,

But righteousness delivers from death.

5 The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,

But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,

But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,

And the hope of strong men perishes.

8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,

But the wicked takes his place.

9 With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,

But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,

And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.

11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

12 He who despises his neighbor lacks sense,

But a man of understanding keeps silent.

13 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,

But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.

14 Where there is no guidance the people fall,

But in abundance of counselors there is victory.

15 He who is guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,

But he who hates being a guarantor is secure.

16 A gracious woman attains honor,

And ruthless men attain riches.

17 The merciful man does himself good,

But the cruel man does himself harm.

18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,

But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.

19 He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,

And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.

20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD,

But the blameless in their walk are His delight.

21 Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,

But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.

22 As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout

So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

23 The desire of the righteous is only good,

But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,

And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.

25 The generous man will be prosperous,

And he who waters will himself be watered.

26 He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,

But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

27 He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,

But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.

28 He who trusts in his riches will fall,

But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.

29 He who troubles his own house will inherit wind,

And the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

And he who is wise wins souls.

31 If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth,

How much more the wicked and the sinner!