← Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry
Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry
May 29 (2 Samuel 14–15; Psalm 119:153–160; 1 Thessalonians 1–2)
00:14:55
Loading summary
Transcript52 lines
- [00:01]
Narrator/Reader
A reading from the book of 2 Samuel. Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, knew that the king's heart went out to Absalom. And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been
- [00:20]
Respondent/Chorus
mourning many days for the dead.
- [00:22]
Narrator/Reader
Go to the king and speak thus to him. So Joab put the words in her mouth. When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, save me, O king. And the king said to her, what is your trouble? She answered, alas, I am a widow. My husband is dead, and your servant has two sons.
- [00:43]
Respondent/Chorus
And they quarreled with one another in the field.
- [00:45]
Narrator/Reader
There was no one to separate them,
- [00:47]
Respondent/Chorus
and one struck the other and killed him.
- [00:49]
Narrator/Reader
And now the whole clan has risen against your servant. And they say, give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed. And so they would destroy the air also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth. Then the king said to the woman, go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you. And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, on me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father's house let the king and his throne be guiltless. The king said, if anyone says anything to you, bring him to me and
- [01:26]
Respondent/Chorus
he shall never touch you again.
- [01:28]
Narrator/Reader
Then she said, please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed. He said, as the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground. Then the woman said, please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king. He said, speak. And the woman said, why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision, the king convicts himself. Inasmuch as the king does not bring
- [01:57]
Respondent/Chorus
his banished one home again, we must all die.
- [01:59]
Narrator/Reader
We are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again.
- [02:03]
Respondent/Chorus
But God will not take away life,
- [02:05]
Narrator/Reader
and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid and your servant thought, I will speak to the king. It may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God and your servant thought the word of my lord the king will set me at rest. For my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you. Then the king answered the woman, do not hide from me anything I ask you. And the woman said, let my lord the king speak. The king said, is the hand of
- [02:47]
Respondent/Chorus
Joab with you in all this?
- [02:49]
Narrator/Reader
The woman answered and said, as surely as you live, my lord the king. One cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me. It was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant in order to change the course of things. Your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom, like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth. Then the king said to Joab, behold, now I grant this. Go, bring back the young man Absalom. And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king. And Joab said, today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, and that the king has granted the request of his servant. So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. And the king said, let him dwell apart in his own house. He is not to come into my presence. So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king's presence. Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, there was
- [03:56]
Respondent/Chorus
no blemish in him.
- [03:57]
Narrator/Reader
And when he cut the hair of his head, for at the end of every year, he used to cut it, when it was heavy on him, he cut it. He weighed the hair of his head 200 shekels by the king's weight. There were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman. So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem without coming into the king's presence. Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king. But Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come. Then he said to his servants, see, Joab's field is next to mine. And he has barley there. Go and set it on fire. So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, why have your servants set my field on fire? Absalom answered, joab, behold, I sent word to you, come here, that I may send you to the king to ask, why have I come from Geshurg? It would be better for me to be there still.
- [04:54]
Respondent/Chorus
Now therefore, let me go into the
- [04:56]
Narrator/Reader
presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death. Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom. After this, Absalom got himself a chariot and horses and 50 men to run before him. And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, from what city are you? And when he said, your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel. Absalom would say to him, see, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you. Then Absalom would say, oh, that I were judge in the land. Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice. And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. And at the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, please let me go and pay my vow, which I avowed to the Lord in Hebron, for your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur and Aram, saying, if the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, and then I will offer worship to the Lord. The king said to him, go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, absalom is king. At Hebron with Absalom went 200 men from Jerusalem who were invited guests. And they went in their innocence and knew nothing. And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, and he sent for Ahithophel the Gylonite, David's counselor from his city, Gilo. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing. And a messenger came to David, saying, the hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom. Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, arise and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly
- [07:06]
Respondent/Chorus
and bring down ruin on us and
- [07:08]
Narrator/Reader
strike the city with the edge of the sword. And the king's servants said to the king, behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides. So the king went out and all his household after him. And the king left 10 concubines to keep the house. And the king went out and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house. And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites and all the pelethites and all the. And all the 600 Gittites who had followed him from Gath passed on before the king. Then the king said to Ittai, the gittite, why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us? Since I go, I know not where. Go back and take your brothers with you. And may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. But Ittai answered the king, as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be. And David said to Ittai, go, then, pass on. So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by. And the king crossed the brook, Kidron.
- [08:24]
Respondent/Chorus
And all the people passed on toward the wilderness.
- [08:26]
Narrator/Reader
And Abiathar came up. And behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the Ark of the Covenant of God. And they set down the Ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city. Then the king said to Zadok, carry the Ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. But if he says, I have no pleasure in you, behold, here I am. Let him do to me what seems good to him. The king also said to Zadok, the priest, are you not a seer? Go back to the city. In peace with your two sons, Ahimaaz, your son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar. See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me. So Zadok and Abiathar carried the Ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there. But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went
- [09:24]
Respondent/Chorus
up weeping as they went.
- [09:26]
Narrator/Reader
And it was told, david, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, o Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. While David was coming to the summit where God was worshiped, behold Hushai the archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head. David said to him, if you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king, as I have been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant. Then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel. Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king's house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. Behold, their two sons are with them there. Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son. And by them you shall send to
- [10:20]
Respondent/Chorus
me everything you hear.
- [10:21]
Narrator/Reader
So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem. A reading from the Book of Psalms.
- [10:30]
Respondent/Chorus
Look on my affliction and deliver me.
- [10:33]
Narrator/Reader
For I do not forget your law.
- [10:35]
Respondent/Chorus
Plead my cause and redeem me. Give me life according to your promise.
- [10:40]
Narrator/Reader
Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.
- [10:44]
Respondent/Chorus
Great is your mercy, O Lord. Give me life according to your rules. Many are my persecutors and my adversaries.
- [10:51]
Narrator/Reader
But I do not swerve from your testimonies. I look at the faithless with disgust because they do not keep your commands. Consider how I love your precepts.
- [10:59]
Respondent/Chorus
Give me life, O Lord, according to your steadfast love.
- [11:02]
Narrator/Reader
The sum of your word is truth,
- [11:03]
Respondent/Chorus
and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.
- [11:07]
Narrator/Reader
A reading from the book of 1 Thessalonians, Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians in God the
- [11:15]
Respondent/Chorus
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and Peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor,
- [11:28]
Narrator/Reader
of love and steadfastness of hope in
- [11:30]
Respondent/Chorus
our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers, loved by God, that he has chosen you because our Gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the Word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything, for they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive. But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak not to please man, but to please God, who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed. God is witness.
- [12:51]
Narrator/Reader
Nor did we seek glory from people,
- [12:53]
Respondent/Chorus
whether from you or from others.
- [12:55]
Narrator/Reader
Though we could have made demands as
- [12:56]
Respondent/Chorus
apostles of Christ, but we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil. We worked night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you. While we proclaim to you the Gospel of God. You are witnesses and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. And we also thank God constantly for
- [13:41]
Narrator/Reader
this, that when you received the word
- [13:43]
Respondent/Chorus
of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as what it really
- [13:48]
Narrator/Reader
is, the word of God which is
- [13:50]
Respondent/Chorus
at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us
- [14:05]
Narrator/Reader
out and displeased God and opposed all
- [14:07]
Respondent/Chorus
mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved. So as always to fill up the measure of their sins, but wrath has
- [14:16]
Narrator/Reader
come upon them at last.
- [14:18]
Respondent/Chorus
But since we were torn away from you brothers for a short time in person, not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, again and again. But Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.