From: "FamilyNet Direct" 

Bible Reading for April 03

1 Samuel 29
[1] Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and
the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. [2] And the lords
of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and
his men passed on in the rereward with Achish. [3] Then said the princes of
the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the
princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king
of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have
found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?
[4] And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes
of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go
again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down
with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for
wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be
with the heads of these men?
[5] Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying,
Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands? [6] Then Achish
called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been
upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in
my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming
unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not. [7]
Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of
the Philistines.
[8] And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou
found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I
may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king? [9] And Achish
answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an
angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He
shall not go up with us to the battle. [10] Wherefore now rise up early in
the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon
as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart.
[11] So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return
into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel 30
[1] And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the
third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and
smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; [2] And had taken the women
captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but
carried them away, and went on their way. [3] So David and his men came to
the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their
sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
[4] Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and
wept, until they had no more power to weep. [5] And David's two wives were
taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the
Carmelite. [6] And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of
stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for
his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD
his God. [7] And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray
thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to
David. [8] And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after
this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou
shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. [9] So David
went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook
Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. [10] But David pursued, he
and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint
that they could not go over the brook Besor. [11] And they found an
Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he
did eat; and they made him drink water; [12] And they gave him a piece of a
cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his
spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water,
three days and three nights. [13] And David said unto him, To whom
belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of
Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days
ago I fell sick. [14] We made an invasion upon the south of the
Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the
south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
[15] And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And
he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver
me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
[16] And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon
all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great
spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of
the land of Judah.
[17] And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the
next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men,
which rode upon camels, and fled.
[18] And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and
David rescued his two wives.
[19] And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great,
neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had
taken to them: David recovered all.
[20] And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before
those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil. [21] And David came to
the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David,
whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to
meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came
near to the people, he saluted them. [22] Then answered all the wicked men
and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they
went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have
recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead
them away, and depart. [23] Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my
brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us,
and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
[24] For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that
goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff:
they shall part alike.
[25] And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an
ordinance for Israel unto this day. [26] And when David came to Ziklag, he
sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying,
Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
[27] To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth,
and to them which were in Jattir,
[28] And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth,
and to them which were in Eshtemoa, [29] And to them which were in Rachal,
and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them
which were in the cities of the Kenites, [30] And to them which were in
Hormah, and to them which were in Chor-ashan, and to them which were in
Athach,
[31] And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David
himself and his men were wont to haunt.

1 Samuel 31
[1] Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled
from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. [2] And
the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the
Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons. [3]
And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was
sore wounded of the archers.
[4] Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me
through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and
abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore
Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. [5] And when his armourbearer saw that
Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
[6] So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his
men, that same day together.
[7] And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley,
and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel
fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and
fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. [8] And it came to pass
on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they
found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. [9] And they cut off
his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the
Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and
among the people.
[10] And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened
his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
[11] And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the
Philistines had done to Saul;
[12] All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of
Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to
Jabesh, and burnt them there.
[13] And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and
fasted seven days.

-+-

http://www.online-churches.org - a primer for putting your church online

http://www.family-topsites.com - Family Oriented Topsites

http://lypha.ekklesia-online.org - Extremely Affordable Web Hosting

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5