Old/New Testament
16 The men carrying the ark set it inside the tent David had put up for it. They presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in God’s presence. 2 When David had finished sacrificing burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 He also distributed to every person in Israel—both men and women—a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake.
The Levites Lead the Worship in Jerusalem(A)
4 David appointed some Levites to serve in front of the Lord’s ark by offering prayers, thanks, and praise to the Lord God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the head; Zechariah was second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel with harps and lyres. Asaph played the cymbals. 6 The priests Benaiah and Jahaziel played trumpets all the time in front of the ark of God’s promise. 7 For the first time David entrusted Asaph and his relatives with the task of singing songs of thanks to the Lord:
8 “Give thanks to the Lord.
Call on his name.
Make known among the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him.
Make music to praise him.
Meditate on all the miracles he has done.
10 Brag about his holy name.
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
11 Search for the Lord and his strength.
Always seek his presence.
12 Remember the miracles he performed,
the amazing things he did and the judgments he pronounced,
13 you descendants of Israel, his servant,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 “He is the Lord our God.
His judgments are pronounced throughout the earth.
15 Remember his promise [a] forever,
the word that he commanded for a thousand generations,
16 the promise that he made to Abraham,
and his sworn promise to Isaac.
17 He confirmed it as a law for Jacob,
as an everlasting promise to Israel,
18 by saying, ‘I will give you Canaan.
It is your share of the inheritance.’
19 “While they were few in number,
a small group of foreigners living in that land,
20 they wandered from nation to nation
and from one kingdom to another.
21 He didn’t permit anyone to oppress them.
He warned kings about them:
22 ‘Do not touch my anointed ones
or harm my prophets.’
23 “Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Day after day announce that the Lord saves his people.
24 Tell people about his glory.
Tell all the nations about his miracles.
25 “The Lord is great!
He should be highly praised.
He should be feared more than all ⌞other⌟ gods
26 because all the gods of the nations are idols.
The Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are in his presence.
Strength and joy are where he is.
28 “Give to the Lord, you families of the nations.
Give to the Lord glory and power.
29 Give to the Lord the glory his name deserves.
Bring an offering, and come to him.
Worship the Lord in ⌞his⌟ holy splendor.
30 Tremble in his presence, all the earth!
“The earth stands firm; it cannot be moved.
31 Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad.
Say to the nations, ‘The Lord rules as king!’
32 Let the sea and everything in it roar like thunder.
Let the fields and everything in them rejoice.
33 Then the trees in the forest will sing with joy
in the presence of the Lord when he comes to judge the earth.
34 “Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever.
35 Say, ‘Rescue us, O God our Savior.
Gather us and save us from the nations
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and make your praise our glory.’
36 Thanks be to the Lord God of Israel
from everlasting to everlasting.”
Then all the people said amen and praised the Lord.
37 David left Asaph and his relatives to serve continually in front of the ark of the Lord’s promise, as the daily work required. 38 David also left Obed Edom and 68 of his relatives ⌞to serve there⌟. Obed Edom (Jeduthun’s son) and Hosah were to be gatekeepers. 39 David left Zadok and his priestly relatives to serve in the Lord’s tent at the place of worship in Gibeon. 40 They were ordered to sacrifice burnt offerings to the Lord. This happened on the altar of burnt offerings continually, morning and evening, as written in the Lord’s Teachings that he gave Israel. 41 With Zadok and his relatives were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of the Levites who had been selected, chosen by name, to give thanks to the Lord ⌞by singing,⌟ “His mercy endures forever.” 42 Also, Heman and Jeduthun played trumpets, cymbals, and the ⌞other⌟ musical instruments that accompany sacred songs. Jeduthun’s sons were stationed at the gate.
43 Then all the people went home. David went back to bless his family.
David’s Wish to Build a House for God(B)
17 When David was living in his house, he said to the prophet Nathan, “I’m living in a house made of cedar, while the ark of the Lord’s promise is inside a tent.”
2 Nathan told David, “Do everything you have in mind, because God is with you.”
3 But that same night God spoke his word to Nathan: 4 “Say to David, my servant, ‘This is what the Lord says: You must not build this house for me to live in. 5 I haven’t lived in a house from the day I brought Israel out ⌞of Egypt⌟ to this day, but I’ve gone from tent site to tent site, moving the tent ⌞of meeting⌟ from one location ⌞to another⌟. 6 In all the places I’ve moved with all Israel, did I ever ask any of the judges of Israel whom I ordered to be shepherds of my people why they didn’t build me a house of cedar?’
7 “Now this is what you will say to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I took you from the pasture where you followed sheep so that you could be the leader of my people Israel. 8 I was with you wherever you went, and I destroyed all your enemies in front of you. I will make your name like the names of the greatest people on earth. 9 I will make a place for my people Israel and plant them there. They will live in their own place and not be troubled anymore. The wicked will no longer frighten them as they used to do 10 ever since I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. I will crush all your enemies. I even tell you that I, the Lord, will build a house for you.
11 “ ‘When the time comes for you to go and be with your ancestors, I will send one of your descendants. He will be one of your sons. I will establish his kingdom. 12 He will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his Father, and he will be my Son. And I will never stop showing him my love as I did to your predecessor. 14 I will place him in my royal house forever, and his throne will be established forever.’ ”
15 Nathan told David all these words and everything he had seen.
16 Then King David went into the tent and sat in front of the Lord. “Who am I, Lord God,” he asked, “and why is my house so important that you have brought me this far? 17 And this you consider to be a small act, God. You’ve spoken about the distant future of my house. Lord God, you’ve shown me the generation of the great man.
18 “What more can I do for you in light of the honor ⌞you have given⌟ to me and since you know me so well! 19 Lord, you’ve done this great thing for my sake and your own desire. You made this great thing known to me.
20 “Lord, there is no one like you, and there is no other god except you, as we have heard with our own ears. 21 Who is like your people Israel? It is the one nation on earth that God came to free in order to make its people his own, to make your name known, and to do great and wonderful things for them. You forced the nations and their gods out of the way of your people, whom you freed from Egypt. 22 You made the people of Israel to be your people forever. And you, Lord, became their God.
23 “Now, Lord, faithfully keep the promise you made to me and my house forever. Do as you promised. 24 Your name will endure and be respected forever when ⌞people⌟ say, ‘The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God.’ And the house of David, your servant, will be established in your presence. 25 You, my God, have revealed especially to me that you will build me a house. That is why I have found ⌞the courage⌟ to pray to you.
26 “Almighty Lord, you are God. You promised me this good thing. 27 Now, you were pleased to bless my house so that it may continue in your presence forever. Indeed, you, Lord, have blessed it. It will be blessed forever.”
David’s Successes(C)
18 After this, David defeated and crushed the Philistines. He took Gath and its surrounding villages from them.
2 He also defeated Moab, and the Moabites became David’s subjects and paid taxes ⌞to him⌟.
3 When David went to establish his control ⌞over the territory⌟ along the Euphrates River, he defeated King Hadadezer at Hamath. 4 David took 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers from him. David also disabled all but 100 of their horses so that they couldn’t pull chariots.
5 When the Arameans from Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed 22,000 of them. 6 David put troops in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became his subjects and paid taxes ⌞to him⌟. Everywhere David went, the Lord gave him victories.
7 David took the gold shields that Hadadezer’s servants carried, and he brought them to Jerusalem. 8 David also took a large quantity of bronze from Tibhath and Cun, Hadadezer’s cities. (⌞Later⌟ Solomon used it to make the pool, pillars, and utensils ⌞for the temple⌟.)
9 When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Zobah’s King Hadadezer, 10 he sent his son Hadoram to greet King David and congratulate him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer. (There had often been war between Hadadezer and Tou.) 11 King David dedicated all the articles of gold, silver, and bronze to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had taken from other nations—from Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek.
12 Zeruiah’s son Abishai killed 18,000 Edomites in the Dead Sea region. 13 He put troops in Edom, and all its people became David’s subjects. Everywhere David went, the Lord gave him victories.
14 So David ruled all Israel. He did what was fair and right for all his people. 15 Zeruiah’s son Joab was in charge of the army. Ahilud’s son Jehoshaphat was the royal historian. 16 Ahitub’s son Zadok and Abiathar’s son Abimelech [b] were priests. Shavsha was the royal scribe. 17 Jehoiada’s son Benaiah was commander of the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And David’s sons were his main officials.
28 Then, while Jesus was teaching in the temple courtyard, he said loudly, “You know me, and you know where I come from. I didn’t decide to come on my own. The one who sent me is true. He’s the one you don’t know. 29 I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
30 The Jews tried to arrest him but couldn’t because his time had not yet come.
31 However, many people in the crowd believed in him. They asked, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more miracles than this man has?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd saying things like this about him. So the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest Jesus.
33 Jesus said, “I will still be with you for a little while. Then I’ll go to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you won’t find me. You can’t go where I’m going.”
35 The Jews said among themselves, “Where does this man intend to go so that we won’t find him? Does he mean that he’ll live with the Jews who are scattered among the Greeks and that he’ll teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean when he says, ‘You will look for me, but you won’t find me,’ and ‘You can’t go where I’m going’?”
37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus was standing ⌞in the temple courtyard⌟. He said loudly, “Whoever is thirsty must come to me to drink. 38 As Scripture says, ‘Streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.’ ” 39 Jesus said this about the Spirit, whom his believers would receive. The Spirit was not yet evident, as it would be after Jesus had been glorified.
40 After some of the crowd heard Jesus say these words, they said, “This man is certainly the prophet.” 41 Other people said, “This man is the Messiah.” Still other people asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Doesn’t Scripture say that the Messiah will come from the descendants of David and from the village of Bethlehem, where David lived?” 43 So the people were divided because of Jesus. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but they couldn’t.
45 When the temple guards returned, the chief priests and Pharisees asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Jesus?”
46 The temple guards answered, “No human has ever spoken like this man.”
47 The Pharisees asked the temple guards, “Have you been deceived too? 48 Has any ruler or any Pharisee believed in him? 49 This crowd is cursed because it doesn’t know Moses’ Teachings.”
50 One of those Pharisees was Nicodemus, who had previously visited Jesus. Nicodemus asked them, 51 “Do Moses’ Teachings enable us to judge a person without first hearing that person’s side of the story? We can’t judge a person without finding out what that person has done.”
52 They asked Nicodemus, “Are you saying this because you’re from Galilee? Study ⌞the Scriptures⌟, and you’ll see that no prophet comes from Galilee.” [a]
53 Then each of them went home.
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