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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch24" data-usfm="2SA.24">
 <div class="label">24</div><div class="s1">David Enrolls the Fighting Men</div><div class="p"> 1Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, &#8220;Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2So the king said to Joab and the army commanders#24:2 Septuagint (see also verse 4 and 1 Chron. 21:2); Hebrew Joab the army commander with him, &#8220;Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3But Joab replied to the king, &#8220;May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4The king&#8217;s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.</div><div class="p"> 5After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. 7Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.</div><div class="p"> 8After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.</div><div class="p"> 9Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.</div><div class="p"> 10David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, &#8220;I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David&#8217;s seer: 12&#8220;Go and tell David, &#8216;This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13So Gad went to David and said to him, &#8220;Shall there come on you three#24:13 Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 21:12); Hebrew seven years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14David said to Gad, &#8220;I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, &#8220;Enough! Withdraw your hand.&#8221; The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.</div><div class="p"> 17When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, &#8220;I have sinned; I, the shepherd,#24:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text does not have the shepherd. have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">David Builds an Altar</div><div class="p"> 18On that day Gad went to David and said to him, &#8220;Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.&#8221; 19So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.</div><div class="p"> 21Araunah said, &#8220;Why has my lord the king come to his servant?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;To buy your threshing floor,&#8221; David answered, &#8220;so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22Araunah said to David, &#8220;Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23Your Majesty, Araunah#24:23 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts King Araunah gives all this to the king.&#8221; Araunah also said to him, &#8220;May the Lord your God accept you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24But the king replied to Araunah, &#8220;No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.&#8221;</div><div class="p">So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels#24:24 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams of silver for them. 25David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1KI">
 <div class="chapter ch1" data-usfm="1KI.1">
 <div class="label">1</div><div class="s1">Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King</div><div class="p"> 1When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 2So his attendants said to him, &#8220;Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.</div><div class="p"> 5Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, &#8220;I will be king.&#8221; So he got chariots and horses#1:5 Or charioteers ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6(His father had never rebuked him by asking, &#8220;Why do you behave as you do?&#8221; He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)</div><div class="p"> 7Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David&#8217;s special guard did not join Adonijah.</div><div class="p"> 9Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king&#8217;s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.</div><div class="p"> 11Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon&#8217;s mother, &#8220;Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? 12Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13Go in to King David and say to him, &#8216;My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: &#8220;Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne&#8221;? Why then has Adonijah become king?&#8217; 14While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. 16Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king.</div><div class="p">&#8220;What is it you want?&#8221; the king asked.</div><div class="p"> 17She said to him, &#8220;My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: &#8216;Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.&#8217; 18But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. 19He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king&#8217;s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23And the king was told, &#8220;Nathan the prophet is here.&#8221; So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.</div><div class="p"> 24Nathan said, &#8220;Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king&#8217;s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, &#8216;Long live King Adonijah!&#8217; 26But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. 27Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?&#8221;</div><div class="s1">David Makes Solomon King</div><div class="p"> 28Then King David said, &#8220;Call in Bathsheba.&#8221; So she came into the king&#8217;s presence and stood before him.</div><div class="p"> 29The king then took an oath: &#8220;As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 30I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself before the king, and said, &#8220;May my lord King David live forever!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32King David said, &#8220;Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.&#8221; When they came before the king, 33he said to them: &#8220;Take your lord&#8217;s servants with you and have Solomon my son mount my own mule and take him down to Gihon. 34There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, &#8216;Long live King Solomon!&#8217; 35Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 36Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, &#8220;Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. 37As the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon mount King David&#8217;s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon. 39Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, &#8220;Long live King Solomon!&#8221; 40And all the people went up after him, playing pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.</div><div class="p"> 41Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they were finishing their feast. On hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked, &#8220;What&#8217;s the meaning of all the noise in the city?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 42Even as he was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, &#8220;Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 43&#8220;Not at all!&#8221; Jonathan answered. &#8220;Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king&#8217;s mule, 45and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds with it. That&#8217;s the noise you hear. 46Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne. 47Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, &#8216;May your God make Solomon&#8217;s name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours!&#8217; And the king bowed in worship on his bed 48and said, &#8216;Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 49At this, all Adonijah&#8217;s guests rose in alarm and dispersed. 50But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51Then Solomon was told, &#8220;Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, &#8216;Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 52Solomon replied, &#8220;If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.&#8221; 53Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, &#8220;Go to your home.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJHN">
 <div class="chapter ch14" data-usfm="JHN.14">
 <div class="label">14</div><div class="s1">Jesus Comforts His Disciples</div><div class="p"> 1 &#8220;Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God # 14:1 Or Believe in God ; believe also in me. 2My Father&#8217;s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus the Way to the Father</div><div class="p"> 5Thomas said to him, &#8220;Lord, we don&#8217;t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Jesus answered, &#8220;I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really know me, you will know#14:7 Some manuscripts If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Philip said, &#8220;Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Jesus answered: &#8220;Don&#8217;t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, &#8216;Show us the Father&#8217;? 10Don&#8217;t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit</div><div class="p"> 15 &#8220;If you love me, keep my commands. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever&#8212; 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be#14:17 Some early manuscripts and is in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, &#8220;But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Jesus replied, &#8220;Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.</div><div class="p"> 25 &#8220;All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;You heard me say, &#8216;I am going away and I am coming back to you.&#8217; If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;Come now; let us leave.</div>
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Building a Life That Matters for Good - the Quest for Significance