Daily Text and Bible Reading: Monday, April 14 [Press play below]

21.1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three consecutive years, so David consulted Jehovah, and Jehovah said: “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
21.2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Incidentally, the Gibeonites were not Israelites but Amorites who remained, and the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)
21.3 David said to the Gibeonites: “What should I do for you, and how can I make atonement, so that you will bless the inheritance of Jehovah?”
21.4 The Gibeonites said to him: “It is not a matter of silver or gold for us in connection with Saul and his household; nor can we put any man to death in Israel.” At that he said: “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
21.5 They said to the king: “The man who exterminated us and schemed to annihilate us from living anywhere in the territory of Israel—
21.6 let seven of his sons be given to us. We will hang their dead bodies before Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen one of Jehovah.” The king then said: “I will hand them over.”
21.7 However, the king showed compassion for Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath made before Jehovah between David and Jonathan, the son of Saul.
21.8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
21.9 Then he handed them over to the Gibeonites, and they hung their dead bodies on the mountain before Jehovah. All seven of them died together; they were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the start of the barley harvest.
21.10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out on the rock from the start of harvest until rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies; she did not allow the birds of the heavens to land on them by day nor the wild beasts of the field to come near by night.
21.11 David was told what Saul’s concubine Rizpah the daughter of Aiah had done.
21.12 So David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the leaders of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them on the day that the Philistines struck down Saul on Gilboa.
21.13 He brought the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan up from there, and they also gathered the bones of the men who had been executed.
21.14 Then they buried the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin in Zela in the tomb of Kish his father. After they did everything that the king had commanded, God listened to their entreaties for the land.
21.15 Once again there was war between the Philistines and Israel. So David and his servants went down and fought the Philistines, but David became exhausted.
21.16 A descendant of the Rephaim named Ishbi-benob, whose copper spear weighed 300 shekels and who was armed with a new sword, intended to strike David down.
21.17 At once Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and struck the Philistine down and put him to death. At that time the men of David swore this oath to him: “You must not go out with us to battle anymore! You must not extinguish the lamp of Israel!”
21.18 After this, war broke out again with the Philistines at Gob. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was a descendant of the Rephaim.
21.19 And war broke out again with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite struck down Goliath the Gittite, whose spear had a shaft like the beam of loom workers.
21.20 War broke out yet again at Gath, where there was a man of extraordinary size, with 6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot, 24 in all; and he too was a descendant of the Rephaim.
21.21 He kept taunting Israel. So Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down.
21.22 These four were descendants of the Rephaim in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

22.1 And David spoke to Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of Saul’s hand.
22.2 He said: “Jehovah is my crag and my stronghold and the One who rescues me.
22.3 My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and my horn of salvation, my secure refuge And my place to flee, my savior; you who save me from violence.
22.4 I call on Jehovah, who is worthy of praise, And I will be saved from my enemies.
22.5 The waves of death broke all around me; Flash floods of worthless men terrified me.
22.6 The ropes of the Grave surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.
22.7 In my distress I called on Jehovah, To my God I kept calling. Then from his temple he heard my voice, And my cry for help reached his ears.
22.8 Back and forth the earth began to shake and rock; The foundations of the heavens trembled And shook back and forth because he had been angered.
22.9 Smoke ascended from his nostrils, And a consuming fire came from his mouth; Glowing coals blazed from him.
22.10 He made the heavens bend as he descended, And thick gloom was beneath his feet.
22.11 He rode on a cherub and came flying. He was visible on the wings of a spirit.
22.12 Then he put darkness around him as a shelter, In dark waters and thick clouds.
22.13 From the brightness before him fiery coals blazed.
22.14 Then Jehovah began to thunder from heaven; The Most High made his voice heard.
22.15 He shot his arrows and scattered them; Lightning, and he threw them into confusion.
22.16 The bed of the sea became visible; The foundations of the land were exposed by the rebuke of Jehovah, By the blast of the breath from his nostrils.
22.17 He reached down from on high; He took hold of me and pulled me from deep waters.
22.18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, From those hating me, who were stronger than I was.
22.19 They confronted me on the day of my disaster, But Jehovah was my support.
22.20 He brought me out into a place of safety; He rescued me because he was pleased with me.
22.21 Jehovah rewards me according to my righteousness; He repays me according to the innocence of my hands.
22.22 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And I have not wickedly abandoned my God.
22.23 All his judgments are before me; I will not deviate from his statutes.
22.24 I will remain blameless before him, And I will keep myself from error.
22.25 May Jehovah repay me according to my righteousness, According to my innocence before him.
22.26 With someone loyal you act in loyalty; With the blameless, mighty man, you deal blamelessly;
22.27 With the pure you show yourself pure, But with the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
22.28 For you save those who are humble, But your eyes are against the haughty, and you abase them.
22.29 For you are my lamp, O Jehovah; It is Jehovah who lights up my darkness.
22.30 With your help I can charge against a marauder band; By God’s power I can scale a wall.
22.31 The way of the true God is perfect; The saying of Jehovah is refined. He is a shield to all those taking refuge in him.
22.32 For who is a God besides Jehovah? And who is a rock except our God?
22.33 The true God is my strong fortress, And he will make my way perfect.
22.34 He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me stand on high places.
22.35 He trains my hands for warfare; My arms can bend a bow of copper.
22.36 You give me your shield of salvation, And your humility makes me great.
22.37 You widen the path for my footsteps; My feet will not slip.
22.38 I will pursue my enemies and annihilate them; I will not return until they are wiped out.
22.39 And I will wipe them out and crush them, so that they will not rise up; They will fall under my feet.
22.40 You will equip me with strength for the battle; You will make my foes collapse under me.
22.41 You will make my enemies retreat from me; I will put an end to those who hate me.
22.42 They cry for help, but there is no one to save them; They even cry to Jehovah, but he does not answer them.
22.43 I will pound them as fine as the dust of the earth; I will pulverize and trample them like mud in the streets.
22.44 You will rescue me from the faultfinding of my people. You will safeguard me to be the head of nations; A people whom I have not known will serve me.
22.45 Foreigners will come cringing before me; What they hear about me will make them obey me.
22.46 Foreigners will lose courage; They will come trembling from their strongholds.
22.47 Jehovah is alive! Praised be my Rock! Let the God of the rock of my salvation be exalted.
22.48 The true God executes vengeance for me; He subdues the peoples under me;
22.49 He rescues me from my enemies. You lift me high above those who attack me; You save me from the man of violence.
22.50 That is why I will thank you, O Jehovah, among the nations, And to your name I will sing praises:
22.51 He performs great acts of salvation for his king; He displays loyal love to his anointed one, To David and his offspring forever.”