1 Chronicles 18, James 5, Jonah 2, Luke 7

1 Chronicles 18,

1 In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines.
 
2 David also defeated the Moabites, and they became subject to him and brought tribute.
 
3 Moreover, David fought Hadadezer king of Zobah, as far as Hamath, when he went to establish his control along the Euphrates River.
 
4 David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.
 
5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them.
 
6 He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The LORD gave David victory everywhere he went.
 
7 David took the gold shields carried by the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
 
8 From Tebah and Cun, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, David took a great quantity of bronze, which Solomon used to make the bronze Sea, the pillars and various bronze articles.
 
9 When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah,
 
10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver and bronze.
 
11 King David dedicated these articles to the LORD, as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek.
 
12 Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
 
13 He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The LORD gave David victory everywhere he went.
 
14 David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.
 
15 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;
 
16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary;
 
17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David's sons were chief officials at the king's side.

James 5,

1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.
 
2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.
 
3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
 
4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
 
5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
 
6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
 
7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.
 
8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.
 
9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
 
10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
 
11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
 
12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear-not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.
 
13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.
 
14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
 
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
 
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
 
17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
 
18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
 
19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,
 
20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Jonah 2,

1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
 
2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
 
3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
 
4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.'
 
5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
 
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.
 
7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.
 
8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
 
9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."
 
10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Luke 7

1 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.
 
2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.
 
3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.
 
4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this,
 
5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue."
 
6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
 
7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
 
8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
 
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."
 
10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
 
11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him.
 
12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out-the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
 
13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."
 
14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!"
 
15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
 
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people."
 
17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
 
18 John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them,
 
19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"
 
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' "
 
21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.
 
22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
 
23 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."
 
24 After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
 
25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces.
 
26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
 
27 This is the one about whom it is written: " 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'
 
28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
 
29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John.
 
30 But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)
 
31 "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?
 
32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: " 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'
 
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'
 
34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." '
 
35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children."
 
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.
 
37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume,
 
38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
 
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner."
 
40 Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.
 
41 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
 
42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
 
43 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
 
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
 
45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.
 
46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.
 
47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
 
48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
 
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
 
50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."