2 Samuel 10, 2 Corinthians 3, Ezekiel 17, Psalm 60, 61

2 Samuel 10,

1 In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king.
 
2 David thought, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as 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 the land of the Ammonites,
 
3 the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Hasn't David sent them to you to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?"
 
4 So Hanun seized David's men, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.
 
5 When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, 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, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob.
 
7 On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men.
 
8 The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
 
9 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.
 
10 He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites.
 
11 Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you.
 
12 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."
 
13 Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.
 
14 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they fled before Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
 
15 After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped.
 
16 Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the River; they went to Helam, with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer's army leading them.
 
17 When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him.
 
18 But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there.
 
19 When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.
 

2 Corinthians 3,

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?
 
2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
 
3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
 
4 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.
 
5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
 
6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant-not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
 
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,
 
8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
 
9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
 
10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.
 
11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
 
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
 
13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.
 
14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.
 
15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.
 
16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
 
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
 
18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
 

Ezekiel 17,

1 The word of the LORD came to me:
 
2 "Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell the house of Israel a parable.
 
3 Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar,
 
4 he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.
 
5 " 'He took some of the seed of your land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,
 
6 and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.
 
7 " 'But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.
 
8 It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.'
 
9 "Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.
 
10 Even if it is transplanted, will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it-wither away in the plot where it grew?' "
 
11 Then the word of the LORD came to me:
 
12 "Say to this rebellious house, 'Do you not know what these things mean?' Say to them: 'The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon.
 
13 Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,
 
14 so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty.
 
15 But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?
 
16 " 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.
 
17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.
 
18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.
 
19 " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will bring down on his head my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke.
 
20 I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there because he was unfaithful to me.
 
21 All his fleeing troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken.
 
22 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
 
23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.
 
24 All the trees of the field will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. " 'I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.' "
 

Psalm 60, 61

1 You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been angry-now restore us!
 
2 You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
 
3 You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger.
 
4 But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. Selah
 
5 Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.
 
6 God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.
 
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.
 
8 Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph."
 
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
 
10 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?
 
11 Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.
 
12 With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.
 

1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
 
2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
 
3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
 
4 I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah
 
5 For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
 
6 Increase the days of the king's life, his years for many generations.
 
7 May he be enthroned in God's presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.
 
8 Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.