The Single Season

Even in the Shadows: Living With Depression

Deep Roots, Steady Faith

Grace & Truth

The Father Lens: Helping Your Kids See Who God Is Through Who You Are

The Invitation of Christmas

Real. Loved. Strengthened: 7 Days With God

Marry Me

Parenting Through God’s Lens: Seeing Your Child the Way God Does

Where Are You? A Theology of Suffering

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="1SA.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">Samuel Anoints David</div><div class="p"> 1The Lord said to Samuel, &#8220;How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2But Samuel said, &#8220;How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">The Lord said, &#8220;Take a heifer with you and say, &#8216;I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.&#8217; 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, &#8220;Do you come in peace?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5Samuel replied, &#8220;Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.&#8221; Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.</div><div class="p"> 6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, &#8220;Surely the Lord&#8217;s anointed stands here before the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7But the Lord said to Samuel, &#8220;Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, &#8220;The Lord has not chosen this one either.&#8221; 9Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, &#8220;Nor has the Lord chosen this one.&#8221; 10Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, &#8220;The Lord has not chosen these.&#8221; 11So he asked Jesse, &#8220;Are these all the sons you have?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;There is still the youngest,&#8221; Jesse answered. &#8220;He is tending the sheep.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Samuel said, &#8220;Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.</div><div class="p">Then the Lord said, &#8220;Rise and anoint him; this is the one.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.</div><div class="s1">David in Saul&#8217;s Service</div><div class="p"> 14Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil#16:14 Or and a harmful; similarly in verses 15, 16 and 23 spirit from the Lord tormented him.</div><div class="p"> 15Saul&#8217;s attendants said to him, &#8220;See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17So Saul said to his attendants, &#8220;Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18One of the servants answered, &#8220;I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, &#8220;Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.&#8221; 20So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.</div><div class="p"> 21David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. 22Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, &#8220;Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="1SA.18">
 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">Saul&#8217;s Growing Fear of David</div><div class="p"> 1After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.</div><div class="p"> 5Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul&#8217;s officers as well.</div><div class="p"> 6When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. 7As they danced, they sang:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Saul has slain his thousands,</div><div class="q2">and David his tens of thousands.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. &#8220;They have credited David with tens of thousands,&#8221; he thought, &#8220;but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?&#8221; 9And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.</div><div class="p"> 10The next day an evil#18:10 Or a harmful spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11and he hurled it, saying to himself, &#8220;I&#8217;ll pin David to the wall.&#8221; But David eluded him twice.</div><div class="p"> 12Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. 13So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. 14In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. 15When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.</div><div class="p"> 17Saul said to David, &#8220;Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord.&#8221; For Saul said to himself, &#8220;I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18But David said to Saul, &#8220;Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king&#8217;s son-in-law?&#8221; 19So#18:19 Or However, when the time came for Merab, Saul&#8217;s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.</div><div class="p"> 20Now Saul&#8217;s daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. 21&#8220;I will give her to him,&#8221; he thought, &#8220;so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.&#8221; So Saul said to David, &#8220;Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22Then Saul ordered his attendants: &#8220;Speak to David privately and say, &#8216;Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23They repeated these words to David. But David said, &#8220;Do you think it is a small matter to become the king&#8217;s son-in-law? I&#8217;m only a poor man and little known.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24When Saul&#8217;s servants told him what David had said, 25Saul replied, &#8220;Say to David, &#8216;The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; Saul&#8217;s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.</div><div class="p"> 26When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king&#8217;s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king&#8217;s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.</div><div class="p"> 28When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.</div><div class="p"> 30The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul&#8217;s officers, and his name became well known.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch19" data-usfm="1SA.19">
 <div class="label">19</div><div class="s1">Saul Tries to Kill David</div><div class="p"> 1Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David 2and warned him, &#8220;My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. 3I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I&#8217;ll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, &#8220;Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. 5He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: &#8220;As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.</div><div class="p"> 8Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.</div><div class="p"> 9But an evil#19:9 Or But a harmful spirit from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre, 10Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.</div><div class="p"> 11Saul sent men to David&#8217;s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David&#8217;s wife, warned him, &#8220;If you don&#8217;t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you&#8217;ll be killed.&#8221; 12So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped. 13Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats&#8217; hair at the head.</div><div class="p"> 14When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said, &#8220;He is ill.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, &#8220;Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him.&#8221; 16But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats&#8217; hair.</div><div class="p"> 17Saul said to Michal, &#8220;Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?&#8221;</div><div class="p">Michal told him, &#8220;He said to me, &#8216;Let me get away. Why should I kill you?&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. 19Word came to Saul: &#8220;David is in Naioth at Ramah&#8221;; 20so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul&#8217;s men, and they also prophesied. 21Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. 22Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, &#8220;Where are Samuel and David?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Over in Naioth at Ramah,&#8221; they said.</div><div class="p"> 23So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. 24He stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel&#8217;s presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, &#8220;Is Saul also among the prophets?&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch20" data-usfm="1SA.20">
 <div class="label">20</div><div class="s1">David and Jonathan</div><div class="p"> 1Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, &#8220;What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2&#8220;Never!&#8221; Jonathan replied. &#8220;You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn&#8217;t do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn&#8217;t so!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3But David took an oath and said, &#8220;Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, &#8216;Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.&#8217; Yet as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Jonathan said to David, &#8220;Whatever you want me to do, I&#8217;ll do for you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5So David said, &#8220;Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. 6If your father misses me at all, tell him, &#8216;David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.&#8217; 7If he says, &#8216;Very well,&#8217; then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. 8As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the Lord. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;Never!&#8221; Jonathan said. &#8220;If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn&#8217;t I tell you?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10David asked, &#8220;Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11&#8220;Come,&#8221; Jonathan said, &#8220;let&#8217;s go out into the field.&#8221; So they went there together.</div><div class="p"> 12Then Jonathan said to David, &#8220;I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? 13But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father. 14But show me unfailing kindness like the Lord&#8217;s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family&#8212;not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David&#8217;s enemies from the face of the earth.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, &#8220;May the Lord call David&#8217;s enemies to account.&#8221; 17And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.</div><div class="p"> 18Then Jonathan said to David, &#8220;Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21Then I will send a boy and say, &#8216;Go, find the arrows.&#8217; If I say to him, &#8216;Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,&#8217; then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22But if I say to the boy, &#8216;Look, the arrows are beyond you,&#8217; then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23And about the matter you and I discussed&#8212;remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. 25He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan,#20:25 Septuagint; Hebrew wall. Jonathan arose and Abner sat next to Saul, but David&#8217;s place was empty. 26Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, &#8220;Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean&#8212;surely he is unclean.&#8221; 27But the next day, the second day of the month, David&#8217;s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, &#8220;Why hasn&#8217;t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28Jonathan answered, &#8220;David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. 29He said, &#8216;Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.&#8217; That is why he has not come to the king&#8217;s table.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30Saul&#8217;s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, &#8220;You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don&#8217;t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32&#8220;Why should he be put to death? What has he done?&#8221; Jonathan asked his father. 33But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.</div><div class="p"> 34Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father&#8217;s shameful treatment of David.</div><div class="p"> 35In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36and he said to the boy, &#8220;Run and find the arrows I shoot.&#8221; As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37When the boy came to the place where Jonathan&#8217;s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, &#8220;Isn&#8217;t the arrow beyond you?&#8221; 38Then he shouted, &#8220;Hurry! Go quickly! Don&#8217;t stop!&#8221; The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39(The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, &#8220;Go, carry them back to town.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 41After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together&#8212;but David wept the most.</div><div class="p"> 42Jonathan said to David, &#8220;Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, &#8216;The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.#20:42 In Hebrew texts this sentence (20:42b) is numbered 21:1.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPSA">
 <div class="chapter ch59" data-usfm="PSA.59">
 <div class="label">59</div><div class="cl">Psalm 59#In Hebrew texts 59:1-17 is numbered 59:2-18.</div><div class="d">For the director of music. To the tune of &#8220;Do Not Destroy.&#8221; Of David. A miktam.#Title: Probably a literary or musical term When Saul had sent men to watch David&#8217;s house in order to kill him.</div><div class="q1"> 1Deliver me from my enemies, O God;</div><div class="q2">be my fortress against those who are attacking me.</div><div class="q1"> 2Deliver me from evildoers</div><div class="q2">and save me from those who are after my blood.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 3See how they lie in wait for me!</div><div class="q2">Fierce men conspire against me</div><div class="q2">for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.</div><div class="q1"> 4I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.</div><div class="q2">Arise to help me; look on my plight!</div><div class="q1"> 5You, Lord God Almighty,</div><div class="q2">you who are the God of Israel,</div><div class="q1">rouse yourself to punish all the nations;</div><div class="q2">show no mercy to wicked traitors.#59:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 13.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 6They return at evening,</div><div class="q2">snarling like dogs,</div><div class="q2">and prowl about the city.</div><div class="q1"> 7See what they spew from their mouths&#8212;</div><div class="q2">the words from their lips are sharp as swords,</div><div class="q2">and they think, &#8220;Who can hear us?&#8221;</div><div class="q1"> 8But you laugh at them, Lord;</div><div class="q2">you scoff at all those nations.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 9You are my strength, I watch for you;</div><div class="q2">you, God, are my fortress,</div><div class="q2"> 10my God on whom I can rely.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1">God will go before me</div><div class="q2">and will let me gloat over those who slander me.</div><div class="q1"> 11But do not kill them, Lord our shield,#59:11 Or sovereign</div><div class="q2">or my people will forget.</div><div class="q1">In your might uproot them</div><div class="q2">and bring them down.</div><div class="q1"> 12For the sins of their mouths,</div><div class="q2">for the words of their lips,</div><div class="q2">let them be caught in their pride.</div><div class="q1">For the curses and lies they utter,</div><div class="q2"> 13consume them in your wrath,</div><div class="q2">consume them till they are no more.</div><div class="q1">Then it will be known to the ends of the earth</div><div class="q2">that God rules over Jacob.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 14They return at evening,</div><div class="q2">snarling like dogs,</div><div class="q2">and prowl about the city.</div><div class="q1"> 15They wander about for food</div><div class="q2">and howl if not satisfied.</div><div class="q1"> 16But I will sing of your strength,</div><div class="q2">in the morning I will sing of your love;</div><div class="q1">for you are my fortress,</div><div class="q2">my refuge in times of trouble.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 17You are my strength, I sing praise to you;</div><div class="q2">you, God, are my fortress,</div><div class="q2">my God on whom I can rely.</div>
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