1 Chronicles 13; 1 Chronicles 14; 1 Chronicles 15; John 7:1-27

1 Chronicles 13

1 David consulted with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands.

2 Then he said to the whole assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if this is from the Lord our God, let us spread out and send the message to the rest of our relatives in all the districts of Israel, including the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands, that they should gather together with us.

3 Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him in Saul's days."

4 Since the proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to do it.

5 So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

6 David and all Israel went to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim), which belongs to Judah, to take from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord who dwells [between] the cherubim.

7 At Abinadab's house, they set the ark of God on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart.

8 David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before God with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

9 When they came to Chidon's threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to hold the ark, because the oxen had stumbled.

10 Then the Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him dead because he had reached out to the ark. So he died there in the presence of God.

11 David was angry because of the Lord's outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place Outburst Against Uzzah, as it is [still named] today.

12 David feared God that day, and said, "How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?"

13 So David did not move the ark of God home to the city of David; instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

14 The ark of God remained with Obed-edom's family in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his family and all that he had.

1 Chronicles 14

1 King Hiram of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters to build a palace for him.

2 Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been exalted for the sake of His people Israel.

3 David took more wives in Jerusalem, and he became the father of more sons and daughters.

4 These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,

6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

7 Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

8 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of David; when David heard of this, he went out to face them.

9 Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the Valley of Rephaim,

10 so David inquired of God, "Should I go to war against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?" The Lord replied, "Go, and I will hand them over to you."

11 So the Israelites went up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated the Philistines there. Then David said, "Like a bursting flood, God has used me to burst out against my enemies." Therefore, they named that place the Lord Bursts Out.

12 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David ordered that they be burned in the fire.

13 Once again the Philistines made a raid in the valley.

14 So David again inquired of God, and God answered him, "Do not pursue them directly. Circle down away from them and attack them opposite the balsam trees.

15 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then march out to battle, for God will have marched out ahead of you to attack the camp of the Philistines."

16 So David did exactly as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer.

17 Then David's fame spread throughout the lands, and the Lord caused all the nations to be terrified of him.

1 Chronicles 15

1 David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

2 Then David said, "No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before Him forever."

3 David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it.

4 Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

5 From the Kohathites, Uriel the leader and 120 of his relatives;

6 from the Merarites, Asaiah the leader and 220 of his relatives;

7 from the Gershomites, Joel the leader and 130 of his relatives;

8 from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the leader and 200 of his relatives;

9 from the Hebronites, Eliel the leader and 80 of his relatives;

10 from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the leader and 112 of his relatives.

11 David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

12 He said to them, "You are the heads of the Levite families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to [the place] I have prepared for it.

13 For the Lord our God burst out [in anger] against us because you Levites were not [with] us the first time, for we didn't inquire of Him about the proper procedures."

14 So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel.

15 Then the Levites carried the ark of God the way Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord: on their shoulders with the poles.

16 Then David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers and to have them raise their voices with joy accompanied by musical instruments-harps, lyres, and cymbals.

17 So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berechiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah.

18 With them were their relatives second in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.

19 The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals;

20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth;

21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to the Sheminith.

22 Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites in music, was to direct the music because he was skillful.

23 Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for the ark.

24 The priests, Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be gatekeepers for the ark.

25 David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of the thousands went with rejoicing to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom.

26 And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

27 Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the music leader of the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.

28 So all Israel was bringing the ark of the covenant of the Lord up with shouts, the sound of the ram's horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and the playing of harps and lyres.

29 As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul's daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.

John 7:1-27

1 After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since He did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill Him.

2 The Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near,

3 so His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go to Judea so Your disciples can see Your works that You are doing.

4 For no one does anything in secret while he's seeking public recognition. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."

5 (For not even His brothers believed in Him.)

6 Jesus told them, "My time has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand.

7 The world cannot hate you, but it does hate Me because I testify about it-that its deeds are evil.

8 Go up to the festival yourselves. I'm not going up to the festival yet, because My time has not yet fully come."

9 After He had said these things, He stayed in Galilee.

10 After His brothers had gone up to the festival, then He also went up, not openly but secretly.

11 The Jews were looking for Him at the festival and saying, "Where is He?"

12 And there was a lot of discussion about Him among the crowds. Some were saying, "He's a good man." Others were saying, "No, on the contrary, He's deceiving the people."

13 Still, nobody was talking publicly about Him because they feared the Jews.

14 When the festival was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple complex and began to teach.

15 Then the Jews were amazed and said, "How does He know the Scriptures, since He hasn't been trained?"

16 Jesus answered them, "My teaching isn't Mine but is from the One who sent Me.

17 If anyone wants to do His will, he will understand whether the teaching is from God or if I am speaking on My own.

18 The one who speaks for himself seeks his own glory. But He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

19 Didn't Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law! Why do you want to kill Me?"

20 "You have a demon!" the crowd responded. "Who wants to kill You?"

21 "I did one work, and you are all amazed," Jesus answered.

22 "Consider this: Moses has given you circumcision-not that it comes from Moses but from the fathers-and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.

23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses won't be broken, are you angry at Me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath?

24 Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment."

25 Some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, "Isn't this the man they want to kill?

26 Yet, look! He's speaking publicly and they're saying nothing to Him. Can it be true that the authorities know He is the Messiah?

27 But we know where this man is from. When the Messiah comes, nobody will know where He is from."