Here and Now: Embracing the Gift of Presence in Marriage

What Makes a Good Person?

God Is Not ChatGPT

Secure & Sent: Leadership for Church Planters

Heart Detox: The War for Your Soul by Vance K. Jackson

Gone Fishin' Eight

Make It Happen!

Seek God Passionately

Sustenance (S3-E8)

God's Presence - a Critical Tool for Advancement

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMRK">
 <div class="chapter ch6" data-usfm="MRK.6">
 <div class="label">6</div><div class="s1">A Prophet Without Honor</div><div class="p"> 1Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.</div><div class="p">&#8220;Where did this man get these things?&#8221; they asked. &#8220;What&#8217;s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3Isn&#8217;t this the carpenter? Isn&#8217;t this Mary&#8217;s son and the brother of James, Joseph,#6:3 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph Judas and Simon? Aren&#8217;t his sisters here with us?&#8221; And they took offense at him.</div><div class="p"> 4Jesus said to them, &#8220;A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.&#8221; 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6He was amazed at their lack of faith.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Sends Out the Twelve</div><div class="p">Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.</div><div class="p"> 8These were his instructions: &#8220;Take nothing for the journey except a staff&#8212;no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12They went out and preached that people should repent. 13They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.</div><div class="s1">John the Baptist Beheaded</div><div class="p"> 14King Herod heard about this, for Jesus&#8217; name had become well known. Some were saying,#6:14 Some early manuscripts He was saying &#8220;John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Others said, &#8220;He is Elijah.&#8221;</div><div class="p">And still others claimed, &#8220;He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16But when Herod heard this, he said, &#8220;John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip&#8217;s wife, whom he had married. 18For John had been saying to Herod, &#8220;It is not lawful for you to have your brother&#8217;s wife.&#8221; 19So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled#6:20 Some early manuscripts he did many things; yet he liked to listen to him.</div><div class="p"> 21Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22When the daughter of#6:22 Some early manuscripts When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.</div><div class="p">The king said to the girl, &#8220;Ask me for anything you want, and I&#8217;ll give it to you.&#8221; 23And he promised her with an oath, &#8220;Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24She went out and said to her mother, &#8220;What shall I ask for?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;The head of John the Baptist,&#8221; she answered.</div><div class="p"> 25At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: &#8220;I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John&#8217;s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29On hearing of this, John&#8217;s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand</div><div class="p"> 30The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, &#8220;Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.</div><div class="p"> 35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. &#8220;This is a remote place,&#8221; they said, &#8220;and it&#8217;s already very late. 36Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 37But he answered, &#8220;You give them something to eat.&#8221;</div><div class="p">They said to him, &#8220;That would take more than half a year&#8217;s wages#6:37 Greek take two hundred denarii! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 38 &#8220;How many loaves do you have?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;Go and see.&#8221;</div><div class="p">When they found out, they said, &#8220;Five&#8212;and two fish.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 39Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42They all ate and were satisfied, 43and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Walks on the Water</div><div class="p"> 45Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.</div><div class="p"> 47Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50because they all saw him and were terrified.</div><div class="p">Immediately he spoke to them and said, &#8220;Take courage! It is I. Don&#8217;t be afraid.&#8221; 51Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.</div><div class="p"> 53When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he went&#8212;into villages, towns or countryside&#8212;they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch25" data-usfm="1SA.25">
 <div class="label">25</div><div class="s1">David, Nabal and Abigail</div><div class="p"> 1Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran.#25:1 Hebrew and some Septuagint manuscripts; other Septuagint manuscripts Maon</div><div class="p"> 2A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. 3His name was Nabal and his wife&#8217;s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings&#8212;he was a Calebite.</div><div class="p"> 4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5So he sent ten young men and said to them, &#8220;Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. 6Say to him: &#8216;Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!</div><div class="p"> 7&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. 8Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9When David&#8217;s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David&#8217;s name. Then they waited.</div><div class="p"> 10Nabal answered David&#8217;s servants, &#8220;Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12David&#8217;s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. 13David said to his men, &#8220;Each of you strap on your sword!&#8221; So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.</div><div class="p"> 14One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal&#8217;s wife, &#8220;David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. 15Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. 16Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. 17Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs#25:18 That is, probably about 60 pounds or about 27 kilograms of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19Then she told her servants, &#8220;Go on ahead; I&#8217;ll follow you.&#8221; But she did not tell her husband Nabal.</div><div class="p"> 20As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. 21David had just said, &#8220;It&#8217;s been useless&#8212;all my watching over this fellow&#8217;s property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. 22May God deal with David,#25:22 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew with David&#8217;s enemies be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24She fell at his feet and said: &#8220;Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. 25Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name&#8212;his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. 26And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. 27And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you.</div><div class="p"> 28&#8220;Please forgive your servant&#8217;s presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord&#8217;s battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live. 29Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. 30When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, 31my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32David said to Abigail, &#8220;Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 35Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, &#8220;Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 36When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until daybreak. 37Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone. 38About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.</div><div class="p"> 39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, &#8220;Praise be to the Lord, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal&#8217;s wrongdoing down on his own head.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife. 40His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, &#8220;David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 41She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, &#8220;I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord&#8217;s servants.&#8221; 42Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David&#8217;s messengers and became his wife. 43David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. 44But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David&#8217;s wife, to Paltiel#25:44 Hebrew Palti, a variant of Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch26" data-usfm="1SA.26">
 <div class="label">26</div><div class="s1">David Again Spares Saul&#8217;s Life</div><div class="p"> 1The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, &#8220;Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand select Israelite troops, to search there for David. 3Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, 4he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived.</div><div class="p"> 5Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him.</div><div class="p"> 6David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab&#8217;s brother, &#8220;Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I&#8217;ll go with you,&#8221; said Abishai.</div><div class="p"> 7So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.</div><div class="p"> 8Abishai said to David, &#8220;Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won&#8217;t strike him twice.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9But David said to Abishai, &#8220;Don&#8217;t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord&#8217;s anointed and be guiltless? 10As surely as the Lord lives,&#8221; he said, &#8220;the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord&#8217;s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let&#8217;s go.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12So David took the spear and water jug near Saul&#8217;s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.</div><div class="p"> 13Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them. 14He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, &#8220;Aren&#8217;t you going to answer me, Abner?&#8221;</div><div class="p">Abner replied, &#8220;Who are you who calls to the king?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15David said, &#8220;You&#8217;re a man, aren&#8217;t you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn&#8217;t you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. 16What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men must die, because you did not guard your master, the Lord&#8217;s anointed. Look around you. Where are the king&#8217;s spear and water jug that were near his head?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Saul recognized David&#8217;s voice and said, &#8220;Is that your voice, David my son?&#8221;</div><div class="p">David replied, &#8220;Yes it is, my lord the king.&#8221; 18And he added, &#8220;Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of? 19Now let my lord the king listen to his servant&#8217;s words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have driven me today from my share in the Lord&#8217;s inheritance and have said, &#8216;Go, serve other gods.&#8217; 20Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea&#8212;as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21Then Saul said, &#8220;I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22&#8220;Here is the king&#8217;s spear,&#8221; David answered. &#8220;Let one of your young men come over and get it. 23The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord&#8217;s anointed. 24As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Then Saul said to David, &#8220;May you be blessed, David my son; you will do great things and surely triumph.&#8221;</div><div class="p">So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPSA">
 <div class="chapter ch56" data-usfm="PSA.56">
 <div class="label">56</div><div class="cl">Psalm 56#In Hebrew texts 56:1-13 is numbered 56:2-14.</div><div class="d">For the director of music. To the tune of &#8220;A Dove on Distant Oaks.&#8221; Of David. A miktam.#Title: Probably a literary or musical term When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.</div><div class="q1"> 1Be merciful to me, my God,</div><div class="q2">for my enemies are in hot pursuit;</div><div class="q2">all day long they press their attack.</div><div class="q1"> 2My adversaries pursue me all day long;</div><div class="q2">in their pride many are attacking me.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 3When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.</div><div class="q2"> 4In God, whose word I praise&#8212;</div><div class="q1">in God I trust and am not afraid.</div><div class="q2">What can mere mortals do to me?</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5All day long they twist my words;</div><div class="q2">all their schemes are for my ruin.</div><div class="q1"> 6They conspire, they lurk,</div><div class="q2">they watch my steps,</div><div class="q2">hoping to take my life.</div><div class="q1"> 7Because of their wickedness do not#56:7 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have do not. let them escape;</div><div class="q2">in your anger, God, bring the nations down.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8Record my misery;</div><div class="q2">list my tears on your scroll#56:8 Or misery; / put my tears in your wineskin&#8212;</div><div class="q2">are they not in your record?</div><div class="q1"> 9Then my enemies will turn back</div><div class="q2">when I call for help.</div><div class="q2">By this I will know that God is for me.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10In God, whose word I praise,</div><div class="q2">in the Lord, whose word I praise&#8212;</div><div class="q1"> 11in God I trust and am not afraid.</div><div class="q2">What can man do to me?</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 12I am under vows to you, my God;</div><div class="q2">I will present my thank offerings to you.</div><div class="q1"> 13For you have delivered me from death</div><div class="q2">and my feet from stumbling,</div><div class="q1">that I may walk before God</div><div class="q2">in the light of life.</div>
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