1 Chronicles 19, 20, 1 peter 1, Jonah 3, Luke 8

1 Chronicles 19, 20

1 In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king.
 
2 David thought, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me." So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David's men came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him,
 
3 the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun, "Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Haven't his men come to you to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?"
 
4 So Hanun seized David's men, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.
 
5 When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."
 
6 When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David's nostrils, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maacah and Zobah.
 
7 They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maacah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.
 
8 On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men.
 
9 The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.
 
10 Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans.
 
11 He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother, and they were deployed against the Ammonites.
 
12 Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you.
 
13 Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight."
 
14 Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.
 
15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.
 
16 After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they sent messengers and had Arameans brought from beyond the River, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer's army leading them.
 
17 When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan; he advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him.
 
18 But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach the commander of their army.
 
19 When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore.

1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and left it in ruins.
 
2 David took the crown from the head of their king-its weight was found to be a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones-and it was placed on David's head. He took a great quantity of plunder from the city
 
3 and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes. David did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.
 
4 In the course of time, war broke out with the Philistines, at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaites, and the Philistines were subjugated.
 
5 In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod.
 
6 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot-twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha.
 
7 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him.
 
8 These were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

1 peter 1,

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
 
2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
 
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
 
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you,
 
5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
 
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
 
7 These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
 
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
 
9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
 
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,
 
11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
 
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
 
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
 
14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
 
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
 
16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
 
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
 
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,
 
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
 
20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
 
21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
 
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
 
23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
 
24 For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,
 
25 but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.

Jonah 3,

1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
 
2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."
 
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city-a visit required three days.
 
4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned."
 
5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
 
6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.
 
7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.
 
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
 
9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish."
 
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

Luke 8

1 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,
 
2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
 
3 Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
 
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:
 
5 "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.
 
6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.
 
7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
 
8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
 
9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant.
 
10 He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, " 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'
 
11 "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
 
12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
 
13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
 
14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
 
15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
 
16 "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.
 
17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
 
18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."
 
19 Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd.
 
20 Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you."
 
21 He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."
 
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out.
 
23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
 
24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.
 
25 "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."
 
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee.
 
27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.
 
28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!"
 
29 For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
 
30 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him.
 
31 And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
 
32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission.
 
33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
 
34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside,
 
35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
 
36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured.
 
37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
 
38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,
 
39 "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
 
40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.
 
41 Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house
 
42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.
 
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.
 
44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
 
45 "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."
 
46 But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."
 
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.
 
48 Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."
 
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher any more."
 
50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."
 
51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's father and mother.
 
52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."
 
53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.
 
54 But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!"
 
55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.
 
56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.