WELS Through my Bible in Three Years

By WELSReligion & Spirituality Christianity

WELS Through my Bible in Three Years episodes

August 26, 2024Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 26
Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 262 Samuel 5:17 – 6:23
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Through My Bible – August 26
2 Samuel 5:17 – 6:23 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-0826db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
2 Samuel 5
David Defeats the Philistines
17 The Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel. So all the Philistines went up to search for David. David, however, heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18 The Philistines came and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 David asked the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?”
The Lord said to David, “Go up, because I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
20 So David went to Baal Perazim and defeated them there. He said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a wall of water.” That is why he named that place Baal Perazim. [1] 21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.
22 The Philistines came up again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23 David inquired of the Lord, who said, “Do not go directly at them. Go around to their rear. Come upon them opposite the balsam trees. [2] 24 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then get ready, because then the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the army of the Philistines.” 25 So David did as the Lord commanded him. He struck the Philistines from Gibeon [3] all the way to Gezer.
David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem
2 Samuel 6
1 David once again gathered all of the thirty thousand specially chosen men of Israel. 2 Then David and all the people who were with him set out and went to Baale Judah [4] to bring up the Ark of God, who is called by the name “The Lord of Armies, who sits above the cherubim.”
3 They transported the Ark of God on a new cart. They brought it out from Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 ⎣⎦ [5] with the Ark of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of the ark.
5 David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all kinds of instruments, castanets, [6] lyres, harps, hand drums, rattles, [7] and cymbals.
6 But when they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out for the Ark of God and grabbed it because the oxen stumbled. 7 The anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his irreverence. So he died there beside the Ark of God.
8 David was angry because the Lord had burst out so violently against Uzzah, and he called that place Perez Uzzah, [8] as it is called to this day. 9 David was afraid of the Lord on that day. He said, “How can the Ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 David was not willing to move the Ark of the Lord to himself in the City of David.
So David diverted the ark to the house of Obed Edom the Gittite. 11 The Ark of the Lord remained at the house of Obed Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom and his whole household. 12 David was told, “Because of the Ark of God, the Lord has blessed the house of Obed Edom and all that belongs to him.” [9]
With rejoicing, David went and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed Edom to the City of David. 13 When those carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six paces, David sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. 14 David danced with all his might before the Lord. He was wearing a linen vest. [10] 15 David and the entire house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of a ram’s horn.
16 When the Ark of the Lord arrived at the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked out the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18 When David finished presenting the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Armies. 19 He distributed one loaf of bread, one cake of dates, [11] and one cake of raisins to all the people, to the whole crowd from Israel, to men and women, to each and every person. Then all the people left. All of them went to their own houses, 20 and David returned to bless his house.
Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David. She said, “How the king of Israel has brought honor to himself today by exposing himself in the sight of his female servants, just as a vulgar person exposes himself!”
21 David said to Michal, “I did this before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his house, when he appointed me leader over the people of the Lord, over Israel. I will rejoice before the Lord, 22 and I will make myself even more lowly than this. I will be humble in my own eyes, but among the servant girls you have spoken about, among them I will be honored.”
23 Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child to the day of her death.
Footnotes
2 Samuel 5:20 Baal Perazim means lord of breakthroughs.
2 Samuel 5:23 The identification of the trees is uncertain. Other suggestions are mulberry trees, aspens, or mastic trees.
2 Samuel 5:25 The reading Gibeon is supported by the Greek Old Testament, by the parallel text in 1 Chronicles 14:16, and by the geography of the campaign. The reading of the Hebrew text is Geba.
2 Samuel 6:2 Also called Baalah Judah. It is another name for Kiriath Jearim.
2 Samuel 6:4 At the point marked by half-brackets, the main Hebrew text has additional words: 4 They brought it with the Ark of God out of Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. These words seem to be an accidental duplication from verse 3. Some Hebrew and Greek manuscripts do not include these words.
2 Samuel 6:5 Literally woods of fir trees. Such instruments are not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament.
2 Samuel 6:5 Or sistrums. A sistrum is a loop with metal rattlers on it. It is played like a tambourine.
2 Samuel 6:8 Perez Uzzah means outburst against Uzzah.
2 Samuel 6:12 Some manuscripts of the ancient versions add a sentence here: And David said, “I will bring back the blessing to my house.”
2 Samuel 6:14 Hebrew ephod. The ephod was usually a vest-like garment for priests.
2 Samuel 6:19 The meaning of the term is uncertain.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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7 min
August 25, 2024Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 25
Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 252 Samuel 4:1 – 5:16
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Through My Bible – August 25
2 Samuel 4:1 – 5:16 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-0825db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
The Death of Ishbosheth
2 Samuel 4
1 When Saul’s son heard that Abner had died at Hebron, he lost his courage, and all Israel panicked.
2 Saul’s son had two men who were commanders of raiding bands. One was named Ba’anah; [1] the second was Rekab. They were Benjaminites, sons of Rimmon from Be’eroth. (Be’eroth is considered part of Benjamin. 3 The Be’erothites fled to Gittaim. They have lived there as aliens until the present time.)
4 Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son with crippled feet. This son had been five years old when the report had come from Jezre’el about Saul and Jonathan. His caregiver picked him up and fled. While she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth. [2]
5 Ba’anah and Rekab, the sons of Rimmon from Be’eroth, went out during the heat of the day and came to the house of Ishbosheth while he was lying down for his midday rest. 6 ⎣The doorkeeper of the house had been cleaning wheat, but she had grown drowsy and fallen asleep. So Rekab and his brother Ba’anah slipped in.⎦ [3] They came into the inner part of the house as if they were coming to get wheat. They stabbed Ishbosheth in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Ba’anah escaped. 7 They had gone into the house while Ishbosheth was lying on his bed in the room where he rested. They struck him, killed him, and cut off his head. Taking his head with them, they traveled on the Arabah Road all night.
8 They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and they said to the king, “Look! Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. This day the Lord has given my lord the king vengeance on Saul and his offspring.”
9 David answered Rekab and his brother Ba’anah, the sons of Rimmon from Be’eroth, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every evil, 10 the man who told me, ‘Look! Saul is dead,’ thought that he was bringing good news, but I seized him and killed him at Ziklag. That is what I gave him for his ‘good news.’ 11 So now that wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his own bed, will I not require his blood from your hand! I will wipe you off the face of the earth.” 12 Then David gave the orders to his young men, and they killed them, cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. They took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.
David Becomes King of All Israel
2 Samuel 5
1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron. They said, “Look, we are your flesh and blood. [4] 2 Day after day, even when Saul was king, you were the one leading Israel out to battle and back again. And you are the one to whom the Lord said, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel. You will become leader over Israel.’”
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the presence of the Lord. They anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he ruled as king for forty years. 5 He was king over Judah at Hebron for seven years and six months. For thirty-three years he was king over all Israel and Judah at Jerusalem.
The Capture of Jerusalem
6 The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, who were living in the land. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here, because you could be kept out even by the blind and lame, who say, ‘David will not come in here.’” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, which became the City of David.
8 David said on that day, “Anyone who attacks the Jebusites must go up through the water shaft [5] to get at those lame and blind enemies of David.” Therefore the saying came about, “The blind and the lame will not come into the house.”
9 David lived in the stronghold and called it the City of David. David built up all sides of the stronghold from the Millo [6] inward. 10 David kept getting greater and greater, because the Lord, the God of Armies, was with him.
Events of David’s Reign
11 Hiram king of Tyre sent representatives to David with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had lifted up his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
13 David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he had come from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. 14 These are the names of those born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
Footnotes
2 Samuel 4:2 The stop mark ′ is inserted into some Hebrew names as a pronunciation guide. The double vowel should not be read as one syllable, Bay-nah, but as two syllables, Bay-a-nah.
2 Samuel 4:4 His name was originally Meribbaal or Memphibaal, but the books of Samuel substitute –bosheth, which means shame, for –baal in personal names. See 1 Chronicles 8:33-34.
2 Samuel 4:6 The sentence in half-brackets is not included in the Hebrew text but appears in the Greek Old Testament.
2 Samuel 5:1 Literally your bone and flesh
2 Samuel 5:8 The meaning of this term is uncertain.
2 Samuel 5:9 Millo appears to be derived from the Hebrew word for fill. It probably refers to the stone rampart that supported the palace area.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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7 min
August 24, 2024Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 24
Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 242 Samuel 2 – 3
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Through My Bible – August 24
2 Samuel 2 – 3 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-0824db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
David Reigns in Hebron
2 Samuel 2
1 After this, David asked the Lord, “Should I go up into one of the cities of Judah?”
The Lord said to him, “Go up.”
David said, “Where shall I go up?”
The Lord said, “To Hebron.”
2 So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezre’el and Abigail of Carmel, who was Nabal’s widow. 3 David also brought along the men who were with him, each man together with his household, and they settled in the towns around Hebron.
4 The men of Judah came there and anointed David to be king over the house of Judah.
David was told, “The men of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, “You are blessed by the Lord because you performed this act of mercy and faithfulness for your master Saul by burying him. 6 Now may the Lord deal with you with mercy and faithfulness. I also will treat you well because you have done this. 7 Now let your hands be strong and courageous, for your master Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me to be king over them.”
8 However, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth, [1] the son of Saul, to Mahanaim 9 and made him king over Gilead, Ashuri, [2] and Jezre’el, and over Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. 10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years.
But the house of Judah followed David. 11 David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah for seven years and six months.
12 Abner son of Ner and the followers of Ishbosheth son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah and the followers of David went out and confronted them at the pool [3] of Gibeon. They took up positions on the opposite sides of the pool.
14 Abner said to Joab, “The young men should get up and compete in front of us.”
Joab said, “Yes, let them do so.”
15 So twelve representatives for Benjamin and Ishbosheth son of Saul got up and crossed over to confront twelve representatives for David. 16 Each one grabbed his opponent’s head and thrust his sword into his side. Together, they all fell. So that place, which is near Gibeon, was called Helkath Hatsurim. [4] 17 A fierce battle took place that day. Abner and the men of Israel were beaten by the followers of David.
18 Three sons of Zeruiah were there, namely, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like one of the gazelles out in the fields. 19 Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn aside to the right or to the left from his pursuit.
20 Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
He said, “Yes, it is.”
21 Abner said to him, “Turn to your right hand or to your left and capture one of the young men for yourself and strip off his equipment for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside.
22 So Abner warned him again, “Turn aside. Stop following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I face Joab your brother?” 23 But Asahel refused to turn aside, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the pointed butt of his spear. The spear came out his back, and he fell down and died right there. Everyone stopped and just stood there when they came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
24 But Joab and Abishai keep pursuing Abner. The sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah in front of Giah, on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The Benjaminites rallied together behind Abner, joined in one formation, and took their stand on the top of one hill.
26 Abner called to Joab, “Will the sword continue to devour? Do you not know that it will be bitter when all this is over? How long will you delay telling the people to stop pursuing their brothers?”
27 Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely it would have been morning before the people would have given up pursuing their brothers.” 28 So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the people stopped pursuing Israel. They did not continue to fight.
29 Abner and his men traveled through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan, marched through the entire region of Bithron, [5] and came to Mahanaim.
30 Joab returned from pursuing Abner and gathered together all his troops. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were missing. 31 The followers of David had struck dead three hundred sixty of Abner’s men from the tribe of Benjamin. 32 The men of Judah picked up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem.
Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron as it was becoming light.
2 Samuel 3
1 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David kept getting stronger, and the house of Saul kept getting weaker.
David’s Sons
2 Sons were born to David at Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, who was born to Ahinoam from Jezre’el. 3 His second was Kileab, who was born to Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. The third was Absalom, who was the son of Ma’akah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. 4 The fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital. 5 The sixth, Ithream, was born to David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.
Abner and Ishbosheth
6 While the war was going on between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner kept gaining power within the house of Saul.
7 Saul had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone to the concubine of my father?”
8 Abner became very angry because of the words of Ishbosheth and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? To this day I have acted with loyalty toward the house of your father Saul, to his relatives, and to his friends. In addition, I have not handed you over to David, but today you make accusations against me concerning this woman! 9 May God punish me severely and double it, [6] if I do not do for David what the Lord has sworn about him 10 by transferring the kingdom from the house of Saul and establishing the throne of David over both Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 11 Ishbosheth was not able to say anything to Abner anymore because he was afraid of him.
Abner and David
12 Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David. They said, “Whose land is it? Make a covenant with me. Look, my hand is with you to turn the allegiance of all Israel to you.”
13 David said, “Good. I will make a covenant with you, but I require one thing from you. You will not see my face unless you bring to me Michal, the daughter of Saul, when you come.”
14 David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son. They delivered this demand: “Give me my wife Michal, whom I obtained as my wife with a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”
15 Ishbosheth sent and took her away from her husband, Paltiel son of Laish. 16 Her husband accompanied her to Bahurim, weeping all the way, but Abner told him, “Go back,” so he went home.
17 Abner also delivered the following message to the elders of Israel: “Day after day you have been seeking to have David as king over you. 18 Now do it, because the Lord said to David, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will rescue [7] my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’”
19 Abner also spoke to the tribe of Benjamin. Then he spoke to David in Hebron about everything that Israel and all the house of Benjamin had approved.
20 Abner and twenty men along with him came to David at Hebron, and David held a feast for Abner and his men. 21 Abner said to David, “I will go and gather all Israel to my lord the king. They will make a covenant with you. You will rule over all that your heart desires.” David sent Abner away in peace.
Abner and Joab
22 Just then the soldiers of David and Joab came back from a raid. They brought a large amount of plunder with them. Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away in peace. 23 When Joab and all the army with him arrived, Joab was informed that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that David had sent him away in peace.
24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you. Why have you sent him away? You let him get away! 25 You know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to learn about your comings and goings and everything that you are doing.”
26 Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the cistern at Sirah without David’s knowledge. 27 So Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab took him aside into the gatehouse to speak with him. There he stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner was killed because of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.
28 Afterward David heard about it and said, “I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord forever concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May his blood splash down on the head of Joab and on the entire house of his father. May the house of Joab never lack a man who has an oozing sore, who is a leper, who holds a spindle, [8] who falls by the sword, or who has no bread.”
30 Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had caused the death of their brother Asahel during the battle at Gibeon.
31 David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothing. Put on sackcloth and mourn for Abner.” King David walked behind the stretcher [9] that was carrying his body. 32 They buried Abner at Hebron, and the king wept loudly at the grave of Abner. All the people also wept. 33 The king lamented over Abner, “Should Abner have died as a fool dies? 34 Your hands were not tied up, and your feet were not bound with iron shackles. You have fallen as one falls before the wicked.” All the people continued to weep over him.
35 All the people came to try to persuade David to eat on that day, but David swore, “May God punish me severely and double it, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.”
36 All the people took notice and approved of this, as they approved of everything that the king did. 37 All the people, all Israel, knew on that day that it was not the king’s idea to kill Abner son of Ner. 38 The king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a great commander has fallen this day in Israel? 39 Today I am weak, even though I am the anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard for me. I pray that the Lord will pay back the evildoer in proportion to his wickedness.”
Footnotes
2 Samuel 2:8 Ishbosheth means man of shame. There is evidence (1 Chronicles 8:33-34) that his name originally was Ishbaal, man of Baal or man of the lord. In 2 Samuel bosheth, which means shame, is sometimes substituted for baal in personal names.
2 Samuel 2:9 Ashuri is the reading of the Hebrew. Ashuri is not the name of a known place. Perhaps this is a reference to the tribe of Asher. The Syriac and Latin read Geshur, a reading that makes geographic sense.
2 Samuel 2:13 Or reservoir
2 Samuel 2:16 The meaning of this name is uncertain. It may mean Place of Sides or Place of Opponents or Field of Blades.
2 Samuel 2:29 The meaning of the Hebrew word bithron is uncertain. It may refer to a geographic region, or it may mean all morning long.
2 Samuel 3:9 Literally may God do this to Abner and even more
2 Samuel 3:18 The translation follows the ancient versions. The Hebrew reads he will rescue.
2 Samuel 3:29 That is, one who does spinning, which was typically women’s work
2 Samuel 3:31 Or bier

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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13 min
August 23, 2024Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 23
Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 232 Samuel 1
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Through My Bible – August 23
2 Samuel 1 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-0823db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, he stayed at Ziklag for two days. 2 Then, on the third day, a man arrived from Saul’s camp. His clothing was torn, and there was dirt on his head. When he approached David, he fell to the ground and bowed down to him.
3 David said to him, “Where are you coming from?”
He answered, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”
4 David said to him, “What was the outcome? Tell me!”
The man said, “The people fled from the battle. Many of the people were struck down and died. Even Saul and his son Jonathan have died.”
5 David said to the young man who was talking to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6 The young man who was talking to him said, “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. There I saw Saul, leaning on his spear. The chariots and charioteers [1] were closing in on him. 7 When Saul looked behind him, he saw me and called to me and I answered, ‘I am here.’
8 “He said to me, ‘Who are you?’
“I said to him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
9 “Saul said to me, ‘Please stand beside me and put me to death. I am losing consciousness, but I am still alive.’ [2] 10 So I stood beside him and ended his life, because I knew that he could not live after being so severely wounded. I took the crown on his head and the armlet on his arm, and I brought them here to my lord.”
11 David and all the men with him grabbed their clothing and tore it. 12 Until evening they mourned, wept, and fasted for Saul, for his son Jonathan, for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13 David asked the young man who had told him about Saul, “Where are you from?”
He said, “I am an Amalekite, who lives here as an alien.”
14 David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”
15 David called to one of the young men, “Come here. Kill him!” He struck him down, and he died.
16 David said to him, “Your blood will be on your own head, because your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”
David’s Lament
17 David mourned with this funeral song about Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 He gave orders to teach the men of Judah this song, which was named “The Bow,” so it was recorded in the Book of Jashar. [3]
19 The splendor of Israel has been slain upon your high places.
How the mighty warriors have fallen!
20 You must not tell about it in Gath.
You must not publish it in the streets of Ashkelon.
If you do, the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice.
The daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate.
21 You mountains of Gilboa, may no dew or rain fall on you.
May your fields produce no special offerings. [4]
For there the shield of the mighty was desecrated.
The shield of Saul was not anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain,
from the fat [5] of the mighty warriors,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
and the sword of Saul never returned empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan were the most loved and admired during their lives,
and in their deaths they were not separated.
They were swifter than eagles.
They were stronger than lions.
24 Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul.
He clothed you in scarlet and luxury.
He provided gold ornaments for your clothing.
25 How the mighty warriors have fallen in the midst of battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your high places!
26 I grieve over you, my brother Jonathan!
You were very dear to me.
Your love was more wonderful to me than the love of women.
27 How the mighty warriors have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!
Footnotes
2 Samuel 1:6 Many translate this word horsemen, but since there is no evidence that cavalry was used in battle at this time, the term likely refers to the occupants of the chariots.
2 Samuel 1:9 The meaning of the word translated losing consciousness is uncertain.
2 Samuel 1:18 Or the Book of the Upright
2 Samuel 1:21 The whole line reads fields of special offerings.
2 Samuel 1:22 Fat is sometimes a term for strength in Hebrew. The combination of blood and fat may picture the fallen warriors as sacrifices.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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5 min
August 22, 2024Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 22
Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 22Psalms 51
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Through My Bible – August 22
Psalms 51 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-0822db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
Psalm 51
Cleanse Me From My Sin
Heading
For the choir director. A psalm by David.
When Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba. [1]
David’s Plea for Forgiveness
1 Be gracious to me, God,
    according to your mercy.
Erase my acts of rebellion
    according to the greatness of your compassion.
2 Scrub me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
David’s Confession
3 For I admit my rebellious acts.
My sin is always in front of me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned,
and I have done this evil in your eyes.
So you are justified when you sentence me.
You are blameless when you judge.
5 Certainly, I was guilty when I was born.
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
David’s Need for Renewal
6 Since you desire truth on the inside,
in my hidden heart you teach me wisdom.
7 Remove my sin with hyssop, and I will be clean.
Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness.
Let the bones you have crushed celebrate.
9 Hide your face from my sins.
Erase all my guilty deeds.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God.
Renew an unwavering spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence.
Do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation.
Sustain me with a willing spirit.
David’s Pledge of Renewed Service
13 I will teach rebels your ways,
and sinners will turn to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
    the God who saves me.
My tongue will shout for joy about your righteousness.
15 Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you do not delight in sacrifice,
or I would give it.
You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices God wants are a broken spirit.
A broken and crushed heart, O God, you will not despise.
David’s Prayer for the People
18 As it pleases you, do good for Zion.
Build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will be pleased with righteous sacrifices,
    burnt offerings and whole offerings.
Then bulls will be offered up on your altar.
Footnotes
Psalm 51:1 See 2 Samuel 11 and 12.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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3 min
August 21, 2024Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 21
Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 21Psalms 50
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Through My Bible – August 21
Psalms 50 (EHV)
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See series: Through My Bible
Psalm 50
The Folly of Formalistic Worship
Heading
A psalm by Asaph. [1]
The Summons
1 God, God the Lord, has spoken.
He calls to the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 From Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined.
3 Our God comes and he will not be silent.
Fire devours in front of him.
Around him a storm rages.
4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth
    to judge his people.
5 “Gather to me my favored ones,
who make a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
6 So the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    because God himself is judge. Interlude
The Lord’s Charges Against Them
7 Listen, my people, and let me speak, O Israel.
Then I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
Hypocritical Sacrifices Are Useless
8 It is not because of your sacrifices that I rebuke you
or because of your burnt offerings that are always in front of me.
9 I do not need to take a bull from your barn
    or goats from your pens,
10 because every animal in the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand mountains.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and everything that moves in the field is with me.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
because the world is mine, and all that fills it.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
or do I drink the blood of goats?
Sincere Sacrifices Bring Blessing
14 Sacrifice a thank offering to God,
and fulfill your vows to the Most High.
15 Call on me in the day of distress.
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.
Treacherous Deeds Bring Destruction
16 But to the wicked, God says:
What right do you have to recite my statutes
or to take up my covenant with your mouth?
17 As for you—you hate discipline,
and you throw my words behind your back.
18 If you see a thief, you approve of him,
and you cast your lot with adulterers.
19 You devote your mouth to evil,
and your tongue weaves deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother.
You slander your own mother’s son.
The Verdict
21 These things you have done, and I kept silent.
You thought I was just like you.
I will indict you and accuse you to your face.
22 Now consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces,
and there will be no one to rescue you.
The Way to Escape
23 The one who sacrifices a thank offering honors me,
and he sets up the way by which I will show him the salvation of God.
Footnotes
Psalm 50:1 Asaph, a leading musician, was a contemporary of David.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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3 min
August 20, 2024Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 20
Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 20Psalms 49
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Through My Bible – August 20
Psalms 49 (EHV)
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See series: Through My Bible
Psalm 49
The Fool Trusts in Riches
Heading
For the choir director. By the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
Introduction
1 Hear this, all you peoples.
Pay attention, all you inhabitants of this world,
2 all you children of Adam, all mankind,
rich and poor alike.
3 My mouth will speak wisdom.
The meditation of my heart will give understanding.
4 I will listen carefully to wise teaching.
With a lyre I will explain deep truths.
The Limitations of Riches
5 Why should I fear days of trouble,
days when the wickedness of my pursuers surrounds me? [1]
6 They trust in their wealth.
They place their confidence in the abundance of their riches.
7 But no one can by any means redeem himself. [2]
He cannot give God a ransom for himself—
8 (Yes, the ransom for their souls is costly.
Any payment would fall short.) [3]
9 —so that he could live on forever and not see the pit.
10 Yes, we can see that wise men die.
The fool and the senseless alike perish,
and they leave their wealth to others.
11 They think their houses will remain forever,
their dwellings for generation after generation [4]
because they named lands after themselves.
12 But man, though he has riches, does not even spend a night here.
He is like the animals that perish.
13 This way of theirs is foolishness,
but their followers approve of what they say. Interlude
14 They are like a flock destined for the grave.
Death will be their shepherd.
The upright will rule over them in the morning.
Their bodies will be consumed by the grave,
far from their mansions. [5]
The Limitless Power of God
15 But surely God will redeem my life from the power of the grave.
Yes, he will take me to himself. Interlude
Review and Conclusion
16 Do not be afraid when a man grows rich,
when the glory of his house increases,
17 because when he dies, he cannot take anything along.
His glory will not go down with him.
18 Throughout his life he congratulates himself:
“People praise you because you have done so well for yourself.”
19 He will go to the gathering place of his fathers.
They will never see the light!
20 A man who has riches but does not understand
is like the animals that perish.
Footnotes
Psalm 49:5 The line is unclear. The Hebrew reads the wickedness of my heels surrounds me.
Psalm 49:7 The translation follows a few Hebrew manuscripts. Many Hebrew manuscripts read he cannot redeem a brother.
Psalm 49:8 The line is cryptic: it/he ceases forever. This may mean that no payment is ever enough or that at death the man’s earthly life ends forever.
Psalm 49:11 The translation follows the Hebrew. Ancient versions read their tombs will remain their houses forever.
Psalm 49:14 The Hebrew of this line reads their form for consuming of Sheol, from a lofty residence to him. The meaning is unclear.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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3 min
August 19, 2024Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 19
Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 19Psalms 46 – 48
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Through My Bible – August 19
Psalms 46 – 48 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-0819db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
Psalm 46
The King’s Reign
Heading
For the choir director. By the Sons of Korah.
According to alamoth. [1] A song.
The Earth Shaken
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who can always be found in times of trouble.
2 That is why we will not fear when the earth dissolves
and when the mountains tumble into the heart of the sea.
3 Its waters roar and foam.
The mountains quake when it rises. Interlude
A City Unshaken
4 There is a river—its streams bring joy to the city of God,
to the holy dwelling of the Most High.
5 God is in her. She will not fall.
God will help her at daybreak.
6 Nations are in turmoil. Kingdoms fall.
God raises his voice. The earth melts.
7 The Lord of Armies is with us.
The God of Jacob is a fortress for us. Interlude
8 Come, look at the works of the Lord.
What a wasteland he has made of the earth!
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth.
He shatters the bow. He cuts up the spear.
He burns the carts [2] with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be exalted on the earth.”
11 The Lord of Armies is with us.
The God of Jacob is a fortress for us. Interlude
Psalm 47
The King’s Empire
Heading
For the choir director. By the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
Praise the Great King of All the Earth!
1 All you peoples, clap your hands!
Shout to God! Sing a loud song!
2 Yes, the Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King over all the earth!
3 He subdues peoples under us
and nations under our feet.
4 He chooses our inheritance for us.
It is the pride of Jacob, whom he loves. Interlude
5 God has ascended with a joyful shout.
The Lord goes up with the sound of the ram’s horn.
6 Make music for God! Make music!
Make music for our King! Make music!
7 For God is the King of all the earth.
Make music for him with a wise song.
8 God reigns as king over the nations.
God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the peoples come together
    as the people of the God of Abraham.
Yes, the shields of the earth [3] belong to God.
He is greatly exalted.
Psalm 48
The Security of the King’s Holy City
Heading
A song. A psalm by the Sons of Korah.
Call to Praise
1 The Lord is great. He deserves to be praised
    in the city of our God, on his holy mountain.
2 His mountain is lofty and beautiful, the joy of the whole earth.
Mount Zion, the northern mountain, is the city of the Great King.
3 God is in her citadels.
He is famous as her fortress.
Defeat of the Enemies
4 Look! See! The kings came together.
They advanced together.
5 They saw. Yes, they were amazed.
They were terrified. They were put to flight.
6 Trembling seized them there,
pain like a woman giving birth.
7 You shattered them with an east wind, like ships of Tarshish.
Thanksgiving
8 What we have heard, we now have also seen:
    In the city of the Lord of Armies,
    in the city of our God, Interlude
    God establishes her forever.
9 Inside your temple, O God, we meditate on your mercy.
10 Your praise, O God, reaches to the ends of the earth,
just as your fame does.
Righteousness fills your right hand.
11 Mount Zion rejoices.
The daughters of Judah [4] celebrate because of your judgments.
12 Go around Zion. Yes, go all the way around her.
Count her towers. 13 Consider her rampart. [5]
View her citadels, so that you may tell the next generation about them.
14 For this God is our God forever and ever.
He will guide us beyond death. [6]
Footnotes
Psalm 46:1 Alamoth is a musical term of uncertain meaning. It probably refers to a method of tuning the instruments.
Psalm 46:9 Or shields. If we keep the reading carts, it refers to the two-wheeled supply carts, not to the war chariots.
Psalm 47:9 Or, less literally, the rulers of the earth
Psalm 48:11 That is, the towns around Jerusalem and their inhabitants
Psalm 48:13 Or moat
Psalm 48:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts read guide us forever.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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5 min
August 18, 2024Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 18
Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 18Psalms 45
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Through My Bible – August 18
Psalms 45 (EHV)
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See series: Through My Bible
Psalm 45
The Wedding of the Victorious King
Heading
For the choir director. According to “Lilies.” [1]
By the Sons of Korah. A maskil. A love song.
Introduction
1 My heart is bubbling over with a beautiful theme.
I am reciting my works for the King.
My tongue is the pen of a rapid writer.
The Glory of the Royal Groom
2 You are the most beautiful of the sons of Adam.
Grace is poured out on your lips.
Therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Strap your sword on your thigh, you mighty warrior,
in your splendor and your majesty.
4 In your majesty advance successfully.
Ride forward in the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness.
Let your right hand teach you awesome deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharpened.
Let peoples fall beneath you.
Your arrows are in the heart of the king’s enemies.
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy
more than any of your companions.
8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume all your garments.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad.
9 Daughters of kings are among your honored attendants.
The royal wife [2] stands at your right hand in gold from Ophir.
The Beauty of the Bride
10 Hear, O daughter, look and listen.
Forget your people and your father’s house,
11 because the king desires your beauty.
Because he is your lord, bow down to him.
12 Then the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift.
The richest people will seek your favor.
13 The princess, who waits inside, is all glorious.
Her dress is interwoven with gold.
14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king.
Virgins who follow her as attendants are brought to you.
15 They are brought with joyful celebration.
They enter the palace of the king.
The Glory of the King’s Children
16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers.
You will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will preserve the memory of your name through all generations.
Therefore peoples will praise you forever and ever.
Footnotes
Psalm 45:1 This may be the name of the tune.
Psalm 45:9 This may refer to the queen mother (Song 3:11). The next section is addressed to the King’s bride.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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3 min
August 17, 2024Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 17
Through My Bible Yr 01 – August 17Psalms 44
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Through My Bible – August 17
Psalms 44 (EHV)
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See series: Through My Bible
Psalm 44
Past Victory—Present Defeat
Heading
For the choir director. By the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
Past Victory
1 God, our ears have heard.
Our fathers have told us the work you performed
in their days, in days long ago.
2 By your hand you drove out the nations,
but you planted your people.
You crushed the peoples,
but you sent your people forward.
3 For it was not by their sword
that they took possession of the land.
It was not their arm that saved them.
It was your right hand and your arm,
and the light from your face,
because you took pleasure in them.
Present Trust
4 You are the one who is my King, O God.
Command victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we drive back our foes.
Through your name we trample our adversaries.
6 For I do not trust in my bow,
and my sword does not save me.
7 But you save us from our foes,
and you put those who hate us to shame.
8 In God we make our boast all day,
and we will praise your name forever. Interlude
Present Defeat
9 But now you have rejected and humbled us,
and you do not go out with our armies.
10 You made us turn back before the foe,
and those who hate us have taken plunder for themselves.
11 You give us up for food like sheep,
and you have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for no great price,
and you have not profited from their sale.
13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
scorn and ridicule to those around us.
14 You have made us a laughingstock among the nations,
a reason for the peoples to shake their heads.
15 All day my disgrace is right in front of me,
and the shame on my face covers me,
16 because of the voice of the slanderer and reviler,
because of the enemy and avenger.
17 All this came on us, though we had not forgotten you.
We had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned back.
Our steps had not slipped off your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a home for jackals,
and you covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered this,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Yet for your sake we are killed all day long.
We are considered sheep to be slaughtered.
Present Plea
23 Get up! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Wake up!
Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our misery and our oppression?
25 For our souls bow down to the dust.
Our bellies cling to the earth.
26 Stand up! Help us!
Redeem us because of your mercy.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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4 min