Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

1 Chronicles 11-12

11All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood.

²In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’ “

³When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a compact with them at Hebron before the Lord , and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

⁴David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). The Jebusites who lived there

⁵said to David, “You will not get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.

⁶David had said, “Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become commander-in-chief.” Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and so he received the command.

⁷David then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the City of David.

⁸He built up the city around it, from the supporting terraces to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.

⁹And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord Almighty was with him.

¹⁰These were the chiefs of David’s mighty men-they, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the Lord had promised-

¹¹this is the list of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was chief of the officers ; he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

¹²Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men.

¹³He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines.

¹⁴But they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

¹⁵Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁶At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.

¹⁷David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

¹⁸So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord .

¹⁹“God forbid that I should do this!” he said. “Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

²⁰Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three.

²¹He was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he was not included among them.

²²Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

²³And he struck down an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.

²⁴Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men.

²⁵He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁶The mighty men were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,

²⁷Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,

²⁸Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa, Abiezer from Anathoth,

²⁹Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

³⁰Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,

³¹Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

³²Hurai from the ravines of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

³³Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

³⁴the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,

³⁵Ahiam son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur,

³⁶Hepher the Mekerathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

³⁷Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai,

³⁸Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri,

³⁹Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,

⁴⁰Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

⁴¹Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai,

⁴²Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,

⁴³Hanan son of Maacah, Joshaphat the Mithnite,

⁴⁴Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,

⁴⁵Jediael son of Shimri, his brother Joha the Tizite,

⁴⁶Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite,

⁴⁷Eliel, Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

12These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle;

²they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were kinsmen of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin):

³Ahiezer their chief and Joash the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu the Anathothite,

⁴and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty, who was a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,

⁵Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite;

⁶Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam the Korahites;

⁷and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

⁸Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains.

⁹Ezer was the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third,

¹⁰Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

¹¹Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

¹²Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

¹³Jeremiah the tenth and Macbannai the eleventh.

¹⁴These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand.

¹⁵It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

¹⁶Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold.

¹⁷David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace, to help me, I am ready to have you unite with me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”

¹⁸Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.” So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands.

¹⁹Some of the men of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said, “It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Saul.”)

²⁰When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of a thousand in Manasseh.

²¹They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army.

²²Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.

²³These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, as the Lord had said:

²⁴men of Judah, carrying shield and spear-6,800 armed for battle;

²⁵men of Simeon, warriors ready for battle-7,100;

²⁶men of Levi-4,600,

²⁷including Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, with 3,700 men,

²⁸and Zadok, a brave young warrior, with 22 officers from his family;

²⁹men of Benjamin, Saul’s kinsmen-3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to Saul’s house until then;

³⁰men of Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their own clans-20,800;

³¹men of half the tribe of Manasseh, designated by name to come and make David king-18,000;

³²men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do-200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

³³men of Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty-50,000;

³⁴men of Naphtali-1,000 officers, together with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears;

³⁵men of Dan, ready for battle-28,600;

³⁶men of Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for battle-40,000;

³⁷and from east of the Jordan, men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon-120,000.

³⁸All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king.

³⁹The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, for their families had supplied provisions for them.

⁴⁰Also, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. There were plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

Psalm 102-104

PSALM 102

¹Hear my prayer, O Lord ; let my cry for help come to you.

²Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.

³For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers.

⁴My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food.

⁵Because of my loud groaning I am reduced to skin and bones.

⁶I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.

⁷I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof.

⁸All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse.

⁹For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears

¹⁰because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.

¹¹My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass.

¹²But you, O Lord , sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.

¹³You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.

¹⁴For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity.

¹⁵The nations will fear the name of the Lord , all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.

¹⁶For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.

¹⁷He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.

¹⁸Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord :

¹⁹“The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth,

²⁰to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.”

²¹So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem

²²when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord .

²³In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days.

²⁴So I said: “Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations.

²⁵In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

²⁶They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.

²⁷But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

²⁸The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.”

PSALM 103

¹Praise the Lord , O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

²Praise the Lord , O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-

³who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

⁴who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:

⁸The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

⁹He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;

¹⁰he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

¹²as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

¹⁴for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;

¹⁶the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord ‘s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children-

¹⁸with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰Praise the Lord , you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.

²¹Praise the Lord , all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

²²Praise the Lord , all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord , O my soul.

PSALM 104

¹Praise the Lord , O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

²He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent

³and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.

⁴He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.

⁵He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

⁶You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.

⁷But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

⁸they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.

⁹You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.

¹⁰He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains.

¹¹They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

¹²The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.

¹³He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

¹⁴He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate- bringing forth food from the earth:

¹⁵wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

¹⁶The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

¹⁷There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the pine trees.

¹⁸The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys.

¹⁹The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.

²⁰You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

²¹The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.

²²The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens.

²³Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening.

²⁴How many are your works, O Lord ! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

²⁵There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number- living things both large and small.

²⁶There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

²⁷These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.

²⁸When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.

²⁹When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.

³⁰When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

³¹May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works-

³²he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

³³I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

³⁴May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord .

³⁵But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Praise the Lord , O my soul. Praise the Lord .

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

1 Chronicles 7-10

7The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron-four in all.

²The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam and Samuel-heads of their families. During the reign of David, the descendants of Tola listed as fighting men in their genealogy numbered 22,600.

³The son of Uzzi: Izrahiah. The sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel and Isshiah. All five of them were chiefs.

⁴According to their family genealogy, they had 36,000 men ready for battle, for they had many wives and children.

⁵The relatives who were fighting men belonging to all the clans of Issachar, as listed in their genealogy, were 87,000 in all.

⁶Three sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker and Jediael.

⁷The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth and Iri, heads of families-five in all. Their genealogical record listed 22,034 fighting men.

⁸The sons of Beker: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Beker.

⁹Their genealogical record listed the heads of families and 20,200 fighting men.

¹⁰The son of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish and Ahishahar.

¹¹All these sons of Jediael were heads of families. There were 17,200 fighting men ready to go out to war.

¹²The Shuppites and Huppites were the descendants of Ir, and the Hushites the descendants of Aher.

¹³The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem -the descendants of Bilhah.

¹⁴The descendants of Manasseh: Asriel was his descendant through his Aramean concubine. She gave birth to Makir the father of Gilead.

¹⁵Makir took a wife from among the Huppites and Shuppites. His sister’s name was Maacah. Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters.

¹⁶Makir’s wife Maacah gave birth to a son and named him Peresh. His brother was named Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.

¹⁷The son of Ulam: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh.

¹⁸His sister Hammoleketh gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer and Mahlah.

¹⁹The sons of Shemida were: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi and Aniam.

²⁰The descendants of Ephraim: Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son,

²¹Zabad his son and Shuthelah his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by the native-born men of Gath, when they went down to seize their livestock.

²²Their father Ephraim mourned for them many days, and his relatives came to comfort him.

²³Then he lay with his wife again, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. He named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his family.

²⁴His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon as well as Uzzen Sheerah.

²⁵Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, Tahan his son,

²⁶Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son,

²⁷Nun his son and Joshua his son.

²⁸Their lands and settlements included Bethel and its surrounding villages, Naaran to the east, Gezer and its villages to the west, and Shechem and its villages all the way to Ayyah and its villages.

²⁹Along the borders of Manasseh were Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo and Dor, together with their villages. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.

³⁰The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah.

³¹The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel, who was the father of Birzaith.

³²Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer and Hotham and of their sister Shua.

³³The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, Bimhal and Ashvath. These were Japhlet’s sons.

³⁴The sons of Shomer: Ahi, Rohgah, Hubbah and Aram.

³⁵The sons of his brother Helem: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh and Amal.

³⁶The sons of Zophah: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,

³⁷Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran and Beera.

³⁸The sons of Jether: Jephunneh, Pispah and Ara.

³⁹The sons of Ulla: Arah, Hanniel and Rizia.

⁴⁰All these were descendants of Asher-heads of families, choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders. The number of men ready for battle, as listed in their genealogy, was 26,000.

8Benjamin was the father of Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second son, Aharah the third,

²Nohah the fourth and Rapha the fifth.

³The sons of Bela were: Addar, Gera, Abihud,

⁴Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,

⁵Gera, Shephuphan and Huram.

⁶These were the descendants of Ehud, who were heads of families of those living in Geba and were deported to Manahath:

⁷Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who deported them and who was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.

⁸Sons were born to Shaharaim in Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara.

⁹By his wife Hodesh he had Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,

¹⁰Jeuz, Sakia and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of families.

¹¹By Hushim he had Abitub and Elpaal.

¹²The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its surrounding villages),

¹³and Beriah and Shema, who were heads of families of those living in Aijalon and who drove out the inhabitants of Gath.

¹⁴Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,

¹⁵Zebadiah, Arad, Eder,

¹⁶Michael, Ishpah and Joha were the sons of Beriah.

¹⁷Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber,

¹⁸Ishmerai, Izliah and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal.

¹⁹Jakim, Zicri, Zabdi,

²⁰Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel,

²¹Adaiah, Beraiah and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei.

²²Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,

²³Abdon, Zicri, Hanan,

²⁴Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah,

²⁵Iphdeiah and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.

²⁶Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah,

²⁷Jaareshiah, Elijah and Zicri were the sons of Jeroham.

²⁸All these were heads of families, chiefs as listed in their genealogy, and they lived in Jerusalem.

²⁹Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah,

³⁰and his firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,

³¹Gedor, Ahio, Zeker

³²and Mikloth, who was the father of Shimeah. They too lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.

³³Ner was the father of Kish, Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal.

³⁴The son of Jonathan: Merib-Baal, who was the father of Micah.

³⁵The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tarea and Ahaz.

³⁶Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri, and Zimri was the father of Moza.

³⁷Moza was the father of Binea; Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son and Azel his son.

³⁸Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.

³⁹The sons of his brother Eshek: Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second son and Eliphelet the third.

⁴⁰The sons of Ulam were brave warriors who could handle the bow. They had many sons and grandsons-150 in all. All these were the descendants of Benjamin.

9All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel. The people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.

²Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.

³Those from Judah, from Benjamin, and from Ephraim and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem were:

⁴Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah.

⁵Of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.

⁶Of the Zerahites: Jeuel. The people from Judah numbered 690.

⁷Of the Benjamites: Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah;

⁸Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Micri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah.

⁹The people from Benjamin, as listed in their genealogy, numbered 956. All these men were heads of their families.

¹⁰Of the priests: Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin;

¹¹Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the official in charge of the house of God;

¹²Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; and Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer.

¹³The priests, who were heads of families, numbered 1,760. They were able men, responsible for ministering in the house of God.

¹⁴Of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a Merarite;

¹⁵Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zicri, the son of Asaph;

¹⁶Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berekiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

¹⁷The gatekeepers: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and their brothers, Shallum their chief

¹⁸being stationed at the King’s Gate on the east, up to the present time. These were the gatekeepers belonging to the camp of the Levites.

¹⁹Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his fellow gatekeepers from his family (the Korahites) were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the Tent just as their fathers had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of the Lord .

²⁰In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar was in charge of the gatekeepers, and the Lord was with him.

²¹Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

²²Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer.

²³They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord -the house called the Tent.

²⁴The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north and south.

²⁵Their brothers in their villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day periods.

²⁶But the four principal gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of God.

²⁷They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key for opening it each morning.

²⁸Some of them were in charge of the articles used in the temple service; they counted them when they were brought in and when they were taken out.

²⁹Others were assigned to take care of the furnishings and all the other articles of the sanctuary, as well as the flour and wine, and the oil, incense and spices.

³⁰But some of the priests took care of mixing the spices.

³¹A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with the responsibility for baking the offering bread.

³²Some of their Kohathite brothers were in charge of preparing for every Sabbath the bread set out on the table.

³³Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night.

³⁴All these were heads of Levite families, chiefs as listed in their genealogy, and they lived in Jerusalem.

³⁵Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah,

³⁶and his firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,

³⁷Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah and Mikloth.

³⁸Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They too lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.

³⁹Ner was the father of Kish, Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal.

⁴⁰The son of Jonathan: Merib-Baal, who was the father of Micah.

⁴¹The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tahrea and Ahaz.

⁴²Ahaz was the father of Jadah, Jadah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri, and Zimri was the father of Moza.

⁴³Moza was the father of Binea; Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son and Azel his son.

⁴⁴Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.

10Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

²The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.

³The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him.

⁴Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

⁵When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died.

⁶So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.

⁷When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

⁹They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people.

¹⁰They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.

¹¹When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard of everything the Philistines had done to Saul,

¹²all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

¹³Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord ; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance,

¹⁴and did not inquire of the Lord . So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

Psalm 81, 88, 92-93

PSALM 81

¹Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!

²Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre.

³Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our Feast;

⁴this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

⁵He established it as a statute for Joseph when he went out against Egypt, where we heard a language we did not understand.

⁶He says, “I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.

⁷In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

⁸“Hear, O my people, and I will warn you- if you would but listen to me, O Israel!

⁹You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god.

¹⁰I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

¹¹“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me.

¹²So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

¹³“If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways,

¹⁴how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!

¹⁵Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.

¹⁶But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

PSALM 88

¹O Lord , the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you.

²May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry.

³For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave.

⁴I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength.

⁵I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.

⁶You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.

⁷Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah

⁸You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape;

⁹my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, O Lord , every day; I spread out my hands to you.

¹⁰Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? Selah

¹¹Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction ?

¹²Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

¹³But I cry to you for help, O Lord ; in the morning my prayer comes before you.

¹⁴Why, O Lord , do you reject me and hide your face from me?

¹⁵From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair.

¹⁶Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me.

¹⁷All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me.

¹⁸You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.

PSALM 92

¹It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,

²to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,

³to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.

⁴For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord ; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

⁵How great are your works, O Lord , how profound your thoughts!

⁶The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand,

⁷that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.

⁸But you, O Lord , are exalted forever.

⁹For surely your enemies, O Lord , surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.

¹⁰You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured upon me.

¹¹My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

¹²The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

¹³planted in the house of the Lord , they will flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,

¹⁵proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

PSALM 93

¹The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

²Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.

³The seas have lifted up, O Lord , the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

⁴Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea- the Lord on high is mighty.

⁵Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O Lord .

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

1 Chronicles 6

6The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

²The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

³The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

⁴Eleazar was the father of Phinehas, Phinehas the father of Abishua,

⁵Abishua the father of Bukki, Bukki the father of Uzzi,

⁶Uzzi the father of Zerahiah, Zerahiah the father of Meraioth,

⁷Meraioth the father of Amariah, Amariah the father of Ahitub,

⁸Ahitub the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Ahimaaz,

⁹Ahimaaz the father of Azariah, Azariah the father of Johanan,

¹⁰Johanan the father of Azariah (it was he who served as priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem),

¹¹Azariah the father of Amariah, Amariah the father of Ahitub,

¹²Ahitub the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Shallum,

¹³Shallum the father of Hilkiah, Hilkiah the father of Azariah,

¹⁴Azariah the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah the father of Jehozadak.

¹⁵Jehozadak was deported when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

¹⁶The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

¹⁷These are the names of the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei.

¹⁸The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

¹⁹The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers:

²⁰Of Gershon: Libni his son, Jehath his son, Zimmah his son,

²¹Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son and Jeatherai his son.

²²The descendants of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,

²³Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son,

²⁴Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son and Shaul his son.

²⁵The descendants of Elkanah: Amasai, Ahimoth,

²⁶Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son,

²⁷Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son and Samuel his son.

²⁸The sons of Samuel: Joel the firstborn and Abijah the second son.

²⁹The descendants of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

³⁰Shimea his son, Haggiah his son and Asaiah his son. The Temple Musicians

³¹These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there.

³²They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.

³³Here are the men who served, together with their sons: From the Kohathites: Heman, the musician, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,

³⁴the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

³⁵the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

³⁶the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

³⁷the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,

³⁸the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel;

³⁹and Heman’s associate Asaph, who served at his right hand: Asaph son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea,

⁴⁰the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malkijah,

⁴¹the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

⁴²the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

⁴³the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi;

⁴⁴and from their associates, the Merarites, at his left hand: Ethan son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,

⁴⁵the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

⁴⁶the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer,

⁴⁷the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

⁴⁸Their fellow Levites were assigned to all the other duties of the tabernacle, the house of God.

⁴⁹But Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense in connection with all that was done in the Most Holy Place, making atonement for Israel, in accordance with all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

⁵⁰These were the descendants of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

⁵¹Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

⁵²Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

⁵³Zadok his son and Ahimaaz his son.

⁵⁴These were the locations of their settlements allotted as their territory (they were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clan, because the first lot was for them):

⁵⁵They were given Hebron in Judah with its surrounding pasturelands.

⁵⁶But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.

⁵⁷So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), and Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,

⁵⁸Hilen, Debir,

⁵⁹Ashan, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands.

⁶⁰And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands. These towns, which were distributed among the Kohathite clans, were thirteen in all.

⁶¹The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of half the tribe of Manasseh.

⁶²The descendants of Gershon, clan by clan, were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali, and from the part of the tribe of Manasseh that is in Bashan.

⁶³The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, were allotted twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

⁶⁴So the Israelites gave the Levites these towns and their pasturelands.

⁶⁵From the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin they allotted the previously named towns.

⁶⁶Some of the Kohathite clans were given as their territory towns from the tribe of Ephraim.

⁶⁷In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge), and Gezer,

⁶⁸Jokmeam, Beth Horon,

⁶⁹Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands.

⁷⁰And from half the tribe of Manasseh the Israelites gave Aner and Bileam, together with their pasturelands, to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

⁷¹The Gershonites received the following: From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they received Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands;

⁷²from the tribe of Issachar they received Kedesh, Daberath,

⁷³Ramoth and Anem, together with their pasturelands;

⁷⁴from the tribe of Asher they received Mashal, Abdon,

⁷⁵Hukok and Rehob, together with their pasturelands;

⁷⁶and from the tribe of Naphtali they received Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon and Kiriathaim, together with their pasturelands.

⁷⁷The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they received Jokneam, Kartah, Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands;

⁷⁸from the tribe of Reuben across the Jordan east of Jericho they received Bezer in the desert, Jahzah,

⁷⁹Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands;

⁸⁰and from the tribe of Gad they received Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim,

⁸¹Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

Psalm 73, 77-78

PSALM 73

¹p header A psalm of Asaph. /header Surely God is good to Israel, p to those who are pure in heart. pp>

²But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

³For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.

⁵They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.

⁶Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.

⁷From their callous hearts comes iniquity ; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

⁸They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

⁹Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.

¹⁰Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.

¹¹They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”

¹²This is what the wicked are like- always carefree, they increase in wealth.

¹³Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

¹⁴All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.

¹⁵If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children.

¹⁶When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me

¹⁷till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

¹⁸Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.

¹⁹How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!

²⁰As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

²¹When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,

²²I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

²³Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

²⁴You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

²⁵Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

²⁶My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

²⁷Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

PSALM 77

¹I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.

²When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.

³I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. Selah

⁴You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.

⁵I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;

⁶I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired:

⁷“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again?

⁸Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?

⁹Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” Selah

¹⁰Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

¹¹I will remember the deeds of the Lord ; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

¹²I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.

¹³Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?

¹⁴You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

¹⁵With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

¹⁶The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed.

¹⁷The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth.

¹⁸Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.

¹⁹Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.

²⁰You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

PSALM 78

¹O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.

²I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old-

³what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.

⁴We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord , his power, and the wonders he has done.

⁵He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,

⁶so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.

⁷Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

⁸They would not be like their forefathers- a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.

⁹The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle;

¹⁰they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law.

¹¹They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.

¹²He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

¹³He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall.

¹⁴He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.

¹⁵He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas;

¹⁶he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.

¹⁷But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

¹⁸They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.

¹⁹They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the desert?

²⁰When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people?”

²¹When the Lord heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel,

²²for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.

²³Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens;

²⁴he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.

²⁵Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.

²⁶He let loose the east wind from the heavens and led forth the south wind by his power.

²⁷He rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the seashore.

²⁸He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents.

²⁹They ate till they had more than enough, for he had given them what they craved.

³⁰But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths,

³¹God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.

³²In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.

³³So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror.

³⁴Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.

³⁵They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.

³⁶But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues;

³⁷their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.

³⁸Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.

³⁹He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

⁴⁰How often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland!

⁴¹Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel.

⁴²They did not remember his power- the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,

⁴³the day he displayed his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan.

⁴⁴He turned their rivers to blood; they could not drink from their streams.

⁴⁵He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.

⁴⁶He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust.

⁴⁷He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet.

⁴⁸He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning.

⁴⁹He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility- a band of destroying angels.

⁵⁰He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.

⁵¹He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.

⁵²But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert.

⁵³He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies.

⁵⁴Thus he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken.

⁵⁵He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.

⁵⁶But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes.

⁵⁷Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow.

⁵⁸They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols.

⁵⁹When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely.

⁶⁰He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among men.

⁶¹He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy.

⁶²He gave his people over to the sword; he was very angry with his inheritance.

⁶³Fire consumed their young men, and their maidens had no wedding songs;

⁶⁴their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep.

⁶⁵Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a man wakes from the stupor of wine.

⁶⁶He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame.

⁶⁷Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;

⁶⁸but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved.

⁶⁹He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.

⁷⁰He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;

⁷¹from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.

⁷²And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

1 Chronicles 3-5

3These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel;

²the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;

³the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.

⁴These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years,

⁵and these were the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel.

⁶There were also Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet,

⁷Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

⁸Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet-nine in all.

⁹All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister. The Kings of Judah

¹⁰Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,

¹¹Jehoram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son,

¹²Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son,

¹³Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,

¹⁴Amon his son, Josiah his son.

¹⁵The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second son, Zedekiah the third, Shallum the fourth.

¹⁶The successors of Jehoiakim: Jehoiachin his son, and Zedekiah. The Royal Line After the Exile

¹⁷The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive: Shealtiel his son,

¹⁸Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah.

¹⁹The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah. Shelomith was their sister.

²⁰There were also five others: Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed.

²¹The descendants of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah and of Shecaniah.

²²The descendants of Shecaniah: Shemaiah and his sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat-six in all.

²³The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam-three in all.

²⁴The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah and Anani-seven in all.

4The descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal.

²Reaiah son of Shobal was the father of Jahath, and Jahath the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites.

³These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. Their sister was named Hazzelelponi.

⁴Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and father of Bethlehem.

⁵Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

⁶Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.

⁷The sons of Helah: Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan,

⁸and Koz, who was the father of Anub and Hazzobebah and of the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.

⁹Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.”

¹⁰Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

¹¹Kelub, Shuhah’s brother, was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.

¹²Eshton was the father of Beth Rapha, Paseah and Tehinnah the father of Ir Nahash. These were the men of Recah.

¹³The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.

¹⁴Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father of Ge Harashim. It was called this because its people were craftsmen.

¹⁵The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah and Naam. The son of Elah: Kenaz.

¹⁶The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel.

¹⁷The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. One of Mered’s wives gave birth to Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.

¹⁸(His Judean wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) These were the children of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered had married.

¹⁹The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham: the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.

²⁰The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan and Tilon. The descendants of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.

²¹The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the clans of the linen workers at Beth Ashbea,

²²Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (These records are from ancient times.)

²³They were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah; they stayed there and worked for the king.

²⁴The descendants of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah and Shaul;

²⁵Shallum was Shaul’s son, Mibsam his son and Mishma his son.

²⁶The descendants of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son and Shimei his son.

²⁷Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children; so their entire clan did not become as numerous as the people of Judah.

²⁸They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual,

²⁹Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,

³⁰Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,

³¹Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri and Shaaraim. These were their towns until the reign of David.

³²Their surrounding villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token and Ashan-five towns-

³³and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath. These were their settlements. And they kept a genealogical record.

³⁴Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah,

³⁵Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,

³⁶also Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah,

³⁷and Ziza son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah.

³⁸The men listed above by name were leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly,

³⁹and they went to the outskirts of Gedor to the east of the valley in search of pasture for their flocks.

⁴⁰They found rich, good pasture, and the land was spacious, peaceful and quiet. Some Hamites had lived there formerly.

⁴¹The men whose names were listed came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. They attacked the Hamites in their dwellings and also the Meunites who were there and completely destroyed them, as is evident to this day. Then they settled in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks.

⁴²And five hundred of these Simeonites, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, invaded the hill country of Seir.

⁴³They killed the remaining Amalekites who had escaped, and they have lived there to this day.

5The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright,

²and though Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him, the rights of the firstborn belonged to Joseph)-

³the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.

⁴The descendants of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,

⁵Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,

⁶and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites.

⁷Their relatives by clans, listed according to their genealogical records: Jeiel the chief, Zechariah,

⁸and Bela son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. They settled in the area from Aroer to Nebo and Baal Meon.

⁹To the east they occupied the land up to the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because their livestock had increased in Gilead.

¹⁰During Saul’s reign they waged war against the Hagrites, who were defeated at their hands; they occupied the dwellings of the Hagrites throughout the entire region east of Gilead.

¹¹The Gadites lived next to them in Bashan, as far as Salecah:

¹²Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Janai and Shaphat, in Bashan.

¹³Their relatives, by families, were: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia and Eber-seven in all.

¹⁴These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz.

¹⁵Ahi son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was head of their family.

¹⁶The Gadites lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its outlying villages, and on all the pasturelands of Sharon as far as they extended.

¹⁷All these were entered in the genealogical records during the reigns of Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel.

¹⁸The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service-able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle.

¹⁹They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab.

²⁰They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.

²¹They seized the livestock of the Hagrites-fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive,

²²and many others fell slain, because the battle was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.

²³The people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous; they settled in the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir (Mount Hermon).

²⁴These were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families.

²⁵But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

²⁶So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

Psalm 43-45, 49, 84-85, 87

PSALM 43

¹Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

²You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?

³Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

⁴Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.

⁵Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

PSALM 44

¹We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.

²With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish.

³It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.

⁴You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.

⁵Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes.

⁶I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory;

⁷but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.

⁸In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. Selah

⁹But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies.

¹⁰You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us.

¹¹You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.

¹²You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale.

¹³You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us.

¹⁴You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us.

¹⁵My disgrace is before me all day long, and my face is covered with shame

¹⁶at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

¹⁷All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant.

¹⁸Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.

¹⁹But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness.

²⁰If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

²¹would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?

²²Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

²³Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.

²⁴Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?

²⁵We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.

²⁶Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love.

PSALM 45

¹My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

²You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.

³Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.

⁴In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds.

⁵Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.

⁶Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.

⁷You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

⁸All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.

⁹Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.

¹⁰Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house.

¹¹The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.

¹²The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift, men of wealth will seek your favor.

¹³All glorious is the princess within her chamber ; her gown is interwoven with gold.

¹⁴In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you.

¹⁵They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.

¹⁶Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land.

¹⁷I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.

PSALM 49

¹Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world,

²both low and high, rich and poor alike:

³My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.

⁴I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:

⁵Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me-

⁶those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?

⁷No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-

⁸the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-

⁹that he should live on forever and not see decay.

¹⁰For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.

¹²But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah

¹⁴Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.

¹⁵But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah

¹⁶Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases;

¹⁷for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.

¹⁸Though while he lived he counted himself blessed- and men praise you when you prosper-

¹⁹he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life .

²⁰A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

PSALM 84

¹How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!

²My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord ; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

³Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young- a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

⁴Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah

⁵Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

⁶As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

⁷They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

⁸Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah

⁹Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.

¹⁰Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

¹¹For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

¹²O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

PSALM 85

¹You showed favor to your land, O Lord ; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

²You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Selah

³You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.

⁴Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.

⁵Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

⁶Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

⁷Show us your unfailing love, O Lord , and grant us your salvation.

⁸I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints- but let them not return to folly.

⁹Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

¹¹Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.

¹²The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.

¹³Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.

PSALM 87

¹He has set his foundation on the holy mountain;

²the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

³Glorious things are said of you, O city of God: Selah

⁴“I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me- Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush – and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’ “

⁵Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.”

⁶The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.” Selah

⁷As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

1 Chronicles 1-2

1Adam, Seth, Enosh,

²Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

³Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.

⁴The sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth. The Japhethites

⁵The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras.

⁶The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.

⁷The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim and the Rodanim. The Hamites

⁸The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan.

⁹The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

¹⁰Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on earth.

¹¹Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites,

¹²Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.

¹³Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,

¹⁴Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,

¹⁵Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,

¹⁶Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. The Semites

¹⁷The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. The sons of Aram : Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech.

¹⁸Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber.

¹⁹Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.

²⁰Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

²¹Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

²²Obal, Abimael, Sheba,

²³Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.

²⁴Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,

²⁵Eber, Peleg, Reu,

²⁶Serug, Nahor, Terah

²⁷and Abram (that is, Abraham).

²⁸The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. Descendants of Hagar

²⁹These were their descendants: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

³⁰Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,

³¹Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael. Descendants of Keturah

³²The sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.

³³The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. Descendants of Sarah

³⁴Abraham was the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel.

³⁵The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam and Korah.

³⁶The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz; by Timna: Amalek.

³⁷The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. The People of Seir in Edom

³⁸The sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan.

³⁹The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan’s sister.

⁴⁰The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah.

⁴¹The son of Anah: Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.

⁴²The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan. The sons of Dishan : Uz and Aran. The Rulers of Edom

⁴³These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned : Bela son of Beor, whose city was named Dinhabah.

⁴⁴When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.

⁴⁵When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king.

⁴⁶When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.

⁴⁷When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.

⁴⁸When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king.

⁴⁹When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Acbor succeeded him as king.

⁵⁰When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

⁵¹Hadad also died. The chiefs of Edom were: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,

⁵²Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

⁵³Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,

⁵⁴Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

2These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

²Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

³The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah. These three were born to him by a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord ‘s sight; so the Lord put him to death.

⁴Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

⁵The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.

⁶The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol and Darda -five in all.

⁷The son of Carmi: Achar, who brought trouble on Israel by violating the ban on taking devoted things.

⁸The son of Ethan: Azariah.

⁹The sons born to Hezron were: Jerahmeel, Ram and Caleb. From Ram Son of Hezron

¹⁰Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, the leader of the people of Judah.

¹¹Nahshon was the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz,

¹²Boaz the father of Obed and Obed the father of Jesse.

¹³Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; the second son was Abinadab, the third Shimea,

¹⁴the fourth Nethanel, the fifth Raddai,

¹⁵the sixth Ozem and the seventh David.

¹⁶Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abishai, Joab and Asahel.

¹⁷Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite. Caleb Son of Hezron

¹⁸Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah (and by Jerioth). These were her sons: Jesher, Shobab and Ardon.

¹⁹When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur.

²⁰Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri the father of Bezalel.

²¹Later, Hezron lay with the daughter of Makir the father of Gilead (he had married her when he was sixty years old), and she bore him Segub.

²²Segub was the father of Jair, who controlled twenty-three towns in Gilead.

²³(But Geshur and Aram captured Havvoth Jair, as well as Kenath with its surrounding settlements-sixty towns.) All these were descendants of Makir the father of Gilead.

²⁴After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Abijah the wife of Hezron bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa. Jerahmeel Son of Hezron

²⁵The sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron: Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem and Ahijah.

²⁶Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.

²⁷The sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin and Eker.

²⁸The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur.

²⁹Abishur’s wife was named Abihail, who bore him Ahban and Molid.

³⁰The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children.

³¹The son of Appaim: Ishi, who was the father of Sheshan. Sheshan was the father of Ahlai.

³²The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother: Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children.

³³The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.

³⁴Sheshan had no sons-only daughters. He had an Egyptian servant named Jarha.

³⁵Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore him Attai.

³⁶Attai was the father of Nathan, Nathan the father of Zabad,

³⁷Zabad the father of Ephlal, Ephlal the father of Obed,

³⁸Obed the father of Jehu, Jehu the father of Azariah,

³⁹Azariah the father of Helez, Helez the father of Eleasah,

⁴⁰Eleasah the father of Sismai, Sismai the father of Shallum,

⁴¹Shallum the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah the father of Elishama. The Clans of Caleb

⁴²The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and his son Mareshah, who was the father of Hebron.

⁴³The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema.

⁴⁴Shema was the father of Raham, and Raham the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai.

⁴⁵The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.

⁴⁶Caleb’s concubine Ephah was the mother of Haran, Moza and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.

⁴⁷The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah and Shaaph.

⁴⁸Caleb’s concubine Maacah was the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah.

⁴⁹She also gave birth to Shaaph the father of Madmannah and to Sheva the father of Macbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Acsah.

⁵⁰These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim,

⁵¹Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.

⁵²The descendants of Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim were: Haroeh, half the Manahathites,

⁵³and the clans of Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites and Mishraites. From these descended the Zorathites and Eshtaolites.

⁵⁴The descendants of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half the Manahathites, the Zorites,

⁵⁵and the clans of scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, Shimeathites and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Recab.

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:

 

In this passage…

Psalm 6, 8-10, 14, 16, 19, 21

PSALM 6

¹O Lord , do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

²Be merciful to me, Lord , for I am faint; O Lord , heal me, for my bones are in agony.

³My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord , how long?

⁴Turn, O Lord , and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.

⁵No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave 1 ?

⁶I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.

⁷My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.

⁸Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.

⁹The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.

¹⁰All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

PSALM 8

¹O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

²From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

³When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

⁴what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

⁵You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:

⁷all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,

⁸the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

PSALM 9

¹I will praise you, O Lord , with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.

²I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

³My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.

⁴For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.

⁵You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

⁶Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.

⁷The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.

⁸He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.

⁹The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

¹⁰Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord , have never forsaken those who seek you.

¹¹Sing praises to the Lord , enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.

¹²For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.

¹³O Lord , see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

¹⁴that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

¹⁶The Lord is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah

¹⁷The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.

¹⁸But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

¹⁹Arise, O Lord , let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.

²⁰Strike them with terror, O Lord ; let the nations know they are but men. Selah

PSALM 10

¹Why, O Lord , do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

²In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.

³He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord .

⁴In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

⁵His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.

⁶He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”

⁷His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.

⁸He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.

⁹He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

¹⁰His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.

¹¹He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.”

¹²Arise, Lord ! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.

¹³Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”?

¹⁴But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.

¹⁶The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.

¹⁷You hear, O Lord , the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

¹⁸defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

PSALM 14

¹The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

²The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

³All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

⁴Will evildoers never learn- those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the Lord ?

⁵There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.

⁶You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge.

⁷Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

PSALM 16

¹Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

²I said to the Lord , “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

³As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

⁴The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.

⁵Lord , you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.

⁶The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

⁷I will praise the Lord , who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

⁸I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

¹⁰because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

¹¹You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

PSALM 19

¹The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

²Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

³There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

⁴Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

⁵which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

⁶It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

⁷The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

⁸The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

⁹The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.

¹⁰They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

¹¹By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

¹²Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

¹³Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord , my Rock and my Redeemer.

PSALM 21

¹O Lord , the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give!

²You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

³You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.

⁴He asked you for life, and you gave it to him- length of days, for ever and ever.

⁵Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

⁶Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

⁷For the king trusts in the Lord ; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.

⁸Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.

⁹At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the Lord will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them.

¹⁰You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind.

¹¹Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed;

¹²for you will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow.

¹³Be exalted, O Lord , in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.