The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the NIV. Switch to the NIV to read along with the audio.
24 These are the warriors who were counted among the 30: Asahel, Joab’s brother; Elhanan, son of Dodo of Bethlehem; 25 Shammah of Harod; Elika of Harod; 26 Helez the Paltite; Ira, son of Ikkesh of Tekoa; 27 Abiezer of Anathoth; Mebunnai the Hushathite; 28 Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai of Netophah; 29 Heleb, son of Baanah of Netophah; Ittai, son of Ribai of Gibeah in Benjamin; 30 Benaiah of Pirathon; Hiddai of the waters of Gaash; 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite; Azmaveth of Barhum; 32 Eliahba of Shaalbon; Jashen the Gimzonite; Jonathan, son of 33 Shammah of Harar; Ahiam, son of Sharar of Harar; 34 Eliphelet, son of Ahasbai of Maacah; Eliam, son of Ahithophel the Gilonite; 35 Hezro of Carmel; Paarai the Arbite; 36 Igal, son of Nathan of Zobah; Bani the Gadite; 37 Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai of Beeroth; the armor-bearer of Joab, Zeruiah’s son; 38 Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite; 39 Uriah the Hittite—37 men in all who were counted among the 30.
24 Once again the Eternal grew angry with Israel; so He used David against them, telling the king to go and count the people of Israel and Judah. 2 David spoke to Joab, the commander of his army who was with him.
David: Travel to all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and take a census of the people. I want to know how many there are.
3 But Joab cautioned the king.
Joab: May the Eternal God increase the number of your people a hundred times while you are still alive to see it. But why on earth would you desire to do this, my king?
4 But the king’s order held, and Joab and the other leaders of the army left the king’s presence and went out to count the people of Israel. 5 To begin, they went over the Jordan River and camped at Aroer south of the city that is in the middle of the valley there. Then they moved on toward Gad and Jazer. 6 After that, they traveled to Gilead and to Tahtim-hodshi; then they traveled on north to Dan-jaan, and from Dan they went west to Sidon 7 and then to the fortified city of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Then they went south to the wilderness of Judah at Beersheba. 8 At last, when they had traveled through all the land, they came back to Jerusalem after 9 months and 20 days. 9 Joab reported these astonishing numbers to the king: Israel had 800,000 soldiers and Judah had 500,000.
10 After he heard this, David was overwhelmed with guilt for counting his subjects. He prayed to the Eternal One.
David: I have committed a great wrong against You. But please, O Eternal One, take away the guilt I feel, for I have done a stupid thing.
11 When David rose the next morning, he was met by the prophet Gad, David’s seer, who had received a message from the Eternal.
Gad: 12-13 I am supposed to tell you this: “The Eternal says, ‘I will offer you three choices. Pick one, and that will be what I will do to you.’”
Do you want to have seven[a] years of famine in the land? Would you rather be on the run from your enemies for three months? Or shall a plague rage for three days through the land? Make a choice, and tell me what answer to give to the One who sent me.
David: 14 This is horrible! But I would rather fall by the hand of the Eternal, because He is merciful, than fall into human hands.
15 So the Eternal One sent a great plague that morning and for three days. It swept through Israel from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the desert south, killing 70,000 people. 16 But when the heavenly messenger prepared to destroy Jerusalem, He relented; and He commanded the heavenly messenger who had brought the epidemic.
Eternal One: Stop. That is enough.
The heavenly messenger then paused beside the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite; 17 and when David saw him there, the one striking the people, he spoke to the Eternal One.
David: Look, I am the one who offended You, the only one who has done wrong. What have these innocent sheep done? If someone is going to be punished for what I did, it should be me and my family. Punish us.
18 Later that day, the prophet Gad approached David.
Gad: Go, and build an altar to the Eternal on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19 So David went to perform this task the Eternal had given him through Gad. 20 Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, so he went out into the road and bowed low before him in the dust.
Araunah: 21 Why has my lord, the king, come to see your servant?
David: I have come to buy your threshing floor. We must build an altar to the Eternal there so that this epidemic will be lifted from the people.
Araunah: 22 My lord and king, take and offer what seems right. Here are the oxen you need to make the burnt offering. Take the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for firewood. 23 I will give you all these things, my king. May the Eternal One your God look on your offering with favor.
David: 24 No, I will buy these things from you. Name your price. I will not make an offering to the Eternal One, my True God, that has cost me nothing.
25 David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 20 ounces of silver. He built an altar there to the Eternal and made burnt and peace offerings on it. The Eternal One heard David’s prayers for the land and lifted the plague from Israel.
Although this young and thriving church has no political influence, property, fame, or wealth, it is powerful. Its power is centered in living the gospel. The people value one another more than any possessions. They come together as a large, passionate, healthy family where it is natural to pray and share all of life together. The kingdom of God is blossoming on earth as these lovers of God embrace the teachings of Jesus. In the days ahead, the church will lose much of this initial beauty and appeal; it will become consumed with a desire for material possessions, cultural influence, and power.
3 One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, a customary time for daily prayer, Peter and John walked to the temple. 2 Some people were carrying in a man who had been paralyzed since birth. Every day they brought him to a place near the beautiful gate (one of the temple entrances) so he could beg for money from people entering to worship. 3 He saw Peter and John coming and asked them for a contribution. 4 Peter gazed intensely at him—so did John.
Peter: Look at us.
5 The man looked up at them, assuming they were about to give him some money.
Peter: 6 I want to give you something, but I don’t have any silver or gold. Here’s what I can offer you: stand up and walk in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Anointed One.
7 Then Peter took the man’s right hand and lifted him to his feet. Instantly the man’s feet and ankles grew strong. 8 He jumped and walked, accompanying Peter and John into the temple where he walked, jumped for joy, and shouted praises to God. 9-11 A crowd ran to the commotion, and they gathered around this man in an open area called Solomon’s Porch. There he was, standing on his own two feet, holding on to Peter and John. They knew exactly who he was—the beggar they passed at the beautiful gate every day. Everyone was absolutely amazed at this wonderful miracle; they were speechless, stunned.
Just as Jesus promised, the Spirit comes on believers in power, enabling them to do miracles like this. Now they can participate in the truth of the good news.
Peter (to the crowd): 12 Why are you so amazed, my fellow Israelites? Why are you staring at my friend and me as though we did this miracle through our own power or made this fellow walk by our own holiness? 13 We didn’t do this—God did! The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob—the God of our ancestors has glorified Jesus, God’s servant—the same Jesus whom you betrayed and rejected in front of Pilate, even though Pilate was going to release Him. 14 He is the Holy and Righteous One, but you rejected Him and asked for a murderer to be released to you instead. 15 You not only rejected Him, but you killed Him—the very Author of life! But God raised Jesus from the dead, whom my friend John and I have seen with our own eyes. 16 So that’s how this miracle happened: we have faith in the name of Jesus, and He is the power that made this man strong—this man who is known to all of you. It is faith in Jesus that has given this man his complete health here today, in front of all of you.
17 Listen, friends, I know you didn’t fully realize what you were doing when you rejected and betrayed Jesus. I know that you, and your rulers as well, were acting in ignorance. 18 God was at work in all this, fulfilling what He had predicted through all the prophets—that the Anointed One would suffer. 19 So now you need to rethink everything and turn to God so your sins will be forgiven and a new day can dawn, days of refreshing times flowing from the Lord. 20 Then God may send Jesus the Anointed, whom God has chosen for you. 21 He is in heaven now and must remain there until the day of universal restoration comes—the restoration which in ancient times God announced through the holy prophets. 22 Moses, for example, said, “The Eternal One your God will raise up from among your people a prophet who will be like me. You must listen to Him. 23 And whoever does not listen to His words will be completely uprooted from among the people.”[a]
24 Every prophet, from Samuel through all of his successors, agreed. 25 You are the descendants of these prophets, and you are the people of God’s covenant to your ancestors. God’s word to Abraham includes you: “Because of your descendants, all the families of the earth will be blessed.”[b] 26 So when God raised up His Servant, God sent Him first to you, to begin blessing you by calling you to change your path from evil ways to God’s ways.
Psalm 123
A song for those journeying to worship.
1 I raise my eyes to fix my gaze on You,
for Your throne resides in the heavens.
2 Just as the eyes of servants
closely watch the hand of their masters,
Just as a maid carefully observes
the slightest gesture of her mistress,
In the same way we look to You, Eternal One,
waiting for our God to pour out His mercy upon us.
3 O Eternal One, show us Your mercy. We beg You.
We are not strangers to contempt and pain.
4 We have suffered more than our share
of ridicule and contempt from self-appointed critics who live easy lives
and pompously display their own importance.
21 The wise at heart have a reputation for understanding;
pleasant words make the lips more persuasive.
22 Understanding for those who have it is a spring of life,
but it is pointless to try and instruct a fool.
23 From a wise heart flow careful words;
wise words make the lips more persuasive.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.