1 Chronicles 3, 4, Hebrews 9, Amos 3, Psalm 146, 147

1 Chronicles 3, 4,

1 These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel;
 
2 the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;
 
3 the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.
 
4 These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years,
 
5 and these were the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel.
 
6 There were also Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet,
 
7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
 
8 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet-nine in all.
 
9 All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.
 
10 Solomon's son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,
 
11 Jehoram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son,
 
12 Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son,
 
13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,
 
14 Amon his son, Josiah his son.
 
15 The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second son, Zedekiah the third, Shallum the fourth.
 
16 The successors of Jehoiakim: Jehoiachin his son, and Zedekiah.
 
17 The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive: Shealtiel his son,
 
18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah.
 
19 The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah. Shelomith was their sister.
 
20 There were also five others: Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed.
 
21 The descendants of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah and of Shecaniah.
 
22 The descendants of Shecaniah: Shemaiah and his sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat-six in all.
 
23 The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam-three in all.
 
24 The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah and Anani-seven in all.

1 The descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal.
 
2 Reaiah son of Shobal was the father of Jahath, and Jahath the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites.
 
3 These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. Their sister was named Hazzelelponi.
 
4 Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and father of Bethlehem.
 
5 Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
 
6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.
 
7 The sons of Helah: Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan,
 
8 and Koz, who was the father of Anub and Hazzobebah and of the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.
 
9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."
 
10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.
 
11 Kelub, Shuhah's brother, was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.
 
12 Eshton was the father of Beth Rapha, Paseah and Tehinnah the father of Ir Nahash. These were the men of Recah.
 
13 The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.
 
14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father of Ge Harashim. It was called this because its people were craftsmen.
 
15 The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah and Naam. The son of Elah: Kenaz.
 
16 The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel.
 
17 The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. One of Mered's wives gave birth to Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
 
18 (His Judean wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) These were the children of Pharaoh's daughter Bithiah, whom Mered had married.
 
19 The sons of Hodiah's wife, the sister of Naham: the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.
 
20 The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan and Tilon. The descendants of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.
 
21 The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the clans of the linen workers at Beth Ashbea,
 
22 Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (These records are from ancient times.)
 
23 They were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah; they stayed there and worked for the king.
 
24 The descendants of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah and Shaul;
 
25 Shallum was Shaul's son, Mibsam his son and Mishma his son.
 
26 The descendants of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son and Shimei his son.
 
27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children; so their entire clan did not become as numerous as the people of Judah.
 
28 They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual,
 
29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,
 
30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,
 
31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri and Shaaraim. These were their towns until the reign of David.
 
32 Their surrounding villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token and Ashan-five towns-
 
33 and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath. These were their settlements. And they kept a genealogical record.
 
34 Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah,
 
35 Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,
 
36 also Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah,
 
37 and Ziza son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah.
 
38 The men listed above by name were leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly,
 
39 and they went to the outskirts of Gedor to the east of the valley in search of pasture for their flocks.
 
40 They found rich, good pasture, and the land was spacious, peaceful and quiet. Some Hamites had lived there formerly.
 
41 The men whose names were listed came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. They attacked the Hamites in their dwellings and also the Meunites who were there and completely destroyed them, as is evident to this day. Then they settled in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks.
 
42 And five hundred of these Simeonites, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, invaded the hill country of Seir.
 
43 They killed the remaining Amalekites who had escaped, and they have lived there to this day.

Hebrews 9,

1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.
 
2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.
 
3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
 
4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.
 
5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
 
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.
 
7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
 
8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.
 
9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.
 
10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings-external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
 
11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.
 
12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
 
13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
 
14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
 
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
 
16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,
 
17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.
 
18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.
 
19 When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.
 
20 He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep."
 
21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies.
 
22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
 
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
 
24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.
 
25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.
 
26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
 
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
 
28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Amos 3,

1 Hear this word the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel-against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:
 
2 "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins."
 
3 Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
 
4 Does a lion roar in the thicket when he has no prey? Does he growl in his den when he has caught nothing?
 
5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground where no snare has been set? Does a trap spring up from the earth when there is nothing to catch?
 
6 When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?
 
7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
 
8 The lion has roared-who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken-who can but prophesy?
 
9 Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people."
 
10 "They do not know how to do right," declares the LORD, "who hoard plunder and loot in their fortresses."
 
11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "An enemy will overrun the land; he will pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses."
 
12 This is what the LORD says: "As a shepherd saves from the lion's mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites be saved, those who sit in Samaria on the edge of their beds and in Damascus on their couches."
 
13 "Hear this and testify against the house of Jacob," declares the Lord, the LORD God Almighty.
 
14 "On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
 
15 I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished," declares the LORD.

Psalm 146, 147

1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
 
2 I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
 
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
 
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
 
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
 
6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
 
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free,
 
8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.
 
9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
 
10 The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.

1 Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
 
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.
 
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
 
4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
 
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
 
6 The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.
 
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.
 
8 He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.
 
9 He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.
 
10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man;
 
11 the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
 
12 Extol the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion,
 
13 for he strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you.
 
14 He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
 
15 He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
 
16 He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.
 
17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast?
 
18 He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.
 
19 He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel.
 
20 He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the LORD.