Today’s
Reading : 1Samuel 5 – 7 and Acts 26 (KJV)
1Samuel 5
1Sa
5:1 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and
brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.
1Sa 5:2 When the Philistines took the ark of God,
they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
1Sa 5:3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the
morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon
his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set
him in his place again.
1Sa 5:4 And when they arose early on the morrow
morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon
his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and
both the palms of his hands were cut off
upon the threshold; only the stump of
Dagon was left to him.
1Sa 5:5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor
any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod
unto this day.
1Sa 5:6 But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them
of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods,
even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
1Sa 5:7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so,
they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand
is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
1Sa 5:8 They sent therefore and gathered all the
lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of
the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be
carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.
1Sa 5:9 And it was so,
that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the
city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both
small and great, and they had emerods in their secret
parts.
1Sa 5:10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried
out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to
slay us and our people.
1Sa 5:11 So they sent and gathered together all the
lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and
let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for
there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was
very heavy there.
1Sa 5:12 And the men that died not were smitten with
the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to
heaven.
1Samuel 6
1Sa
6:1 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of
the Philistines seven months.
1Sa 6:2 And the Philistines called for the priests
and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us
wherewith we shall send it to his place.
1Sa 6:3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the
God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass
offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is
not removed from you.
1Sa 6:4 Then said they, What shall be
the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according
to the number of the lords of the
Philistines: for one plague was on you
all, and on your lords.
1Sa 6:5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye
shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand
from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
1Sa 6:6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as
the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought
wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?
1Sa 6:7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath
come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring
their calves home from them:
1Sa 6:8 And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon
the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side
thereof; and send it away, that it may go.
1Sa 6:9 And see, if it goeth
up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not,
then we shall know that it is not his hand that
smote us: it was a chance that happened to us.
1Sa 6:10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the
cart, and shut up their calves at home:
1Sa 6:11 And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the
cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.
1Sa 6:12 And the kine took
the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went,
and turned not aside to the right hand
or to the left; and the lords of the
Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh.
1Sa 6:13 And they
of Beth-shemesh
were reaping their wheat harvest in the
valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
1Sa 6:14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a
Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was
a great stone: and they cleaved the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD.
1Sa 6:15 And the Levites took down the ark of the
LORD, and the coffer that was with it,
wherein the jewels of gold were, and put
them on the great stone: and the men of
Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed
sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.
1Sa 6:16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had
seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
1Sa 6:17 And these are
the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod
one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for
Ekron one;
1Sa 6:18 And the golden mice, according to
the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging
to the five lords, both of fenced
cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon
they set down the ark of the LORD: which
stone remaineth unto this day in the field of
Joshua, the Beth-shemite.
1Sa 6:19 And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD,
even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the
people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many
of the people with a great slaughter.
1Sa 6:20 And the men of Beth-shemesh
said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go
up from us?
1Sa 6:21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants
of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have
brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and
fetch it up to you.
1Samuel 7
1Sa
7:1 And the men of Kirjath-jearim
came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar
his son to keep the ark of the LORD.
1Sa 7:2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty
years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
1Sa 7:3 And Samuel spoke unto all the house of
Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the
LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the
Philistines.
1Sa 7:4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served
the LORD only.
1Sa 7:5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.
1Sa 7:6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day,
and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children
of Israel in Mizpeh.
1Sa 7:7 And when the Philistines heard that the
children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh,
the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of
Israel heard it, they were afraid of the
Philistines.
1Sa 7:8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel,
Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the
hand of the Philistines.
1Sa 7:9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a
burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel;
and the LORD heard him.
1Sa 7:10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt
offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD
thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and
discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
1Sa 7:11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came
under Beth-car.
1Sa 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto
hath the LORD helped us.
1Sa 7:13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they
came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the
Philistines all the days of Samuel.
1Sa 7:14 And the cities which the Philistines had
taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron
even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of
the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
1Sa 7:15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his
life.
1Sa 7:16 And he went from year to year in circuit to
Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh,
and judged Israel in all those places.
1Sa 7:17 And his return was
to Ramah; for there was his house; and
there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.
Acts 26
Act
26:1 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art
permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and
answered for himself:
Act 26:2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I
shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I
am accused of the Jews:
Act 26:3 Especially because
I know
thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews:
wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
Act 26:4 My manner of life from my youth, which was at
the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
Act 26:5 Which knew me from the beginning, if they
would testify, that after the most straitest sect of
our religion I lived a Pharisee.
Act 26:6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of
the promise made of God unto our fathers:
Act 26:7 Unto which promise
our twelve tribes, instantly serving God
day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused
of the Jews.
Act 26:8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible
with you, that God should raise the dead?
Act 26:9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to
do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Act 26:10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many
of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief
priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
Act 26:11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue,
and compelled them to blaspheme; and
being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them
even unto strange cities.
Act 26:12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with
authority and commission from the chief priests,
Act 26:13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light
from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them
which journeyed with me.
Act 26:14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I
heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Act 26:15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
Act 26:16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
Act 26:17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Act 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not
disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
Act 26:20 But showed first unto them of Damascus, and
at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and
turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
Act 26:21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the
temple, and went about to kill me.
Act 26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I
continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other
things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
Act 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise
from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
Act 26:24 And as he thus spake
for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much
learning doth make thee mad.
Act 26:25 But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus;
but I speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
Act 26:26 For the king knoweth
of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none
of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.
Act 26:27 King Agrippa, believest
thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
Act 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
Act 26:29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only
thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such
as I am, except these bonds.
Act 26:30 And when he had thus spoken, the king rose
up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:
Act 26:31 And when they were gone aside, they talked
between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
Act 26:32 Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might
have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.