Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Daily Readings for August 16
Click the arrow above to the left of the audio strip to start audio for today
1Kings 11
1.Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; 2.of the nations concerning which Yahweh said to the children of Israel, "You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon joined to these in love. 3.He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4.For it happened, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5.For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6.Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and didn't go fully after Yahweh, as did David his father. 7.Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8.So he did for all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods. 9.Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10.and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he didn't keep that which Yahweh commanded. 11.Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, "Because this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12.Notwithstanding I will not do it in your days, for David your father's sake; but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13.However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen."
14.Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom. 15.For it happened, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army was gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom 16.(for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom); 17.that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad being yet a little child. 18.They arose out of Midian, and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and appointed him food, and gave him land. 19.Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20.The sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21.When Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me depart, that I may go to my own country."
22.Then Pharaoh said to him, "But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you seek to go to your own country?"
He answered, "Nothing, however only let me depart."
23.God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24.He gathered men to him, and became captain over a troop, when David killed them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and lived therein, and reigned in Damascus. 25.He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the mischief of Hadad: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria. 26.Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, he also lifted up his hand against the king. 27.This was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of the city of David his father. 28.The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he put him in charge of all the labor of the house of Joseph. 29.It happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field. 30.Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces. 31.He said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces; for thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you 32.(but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel); 33.because that they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did.
34."'However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes; 35.but I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it to you, even ten tribes. 36.To his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. 37.I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel. 38.It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. 39.I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not forever.'" 40.Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. 41.Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, aren't they written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42.The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43.Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
Jeremiah 37
1.Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 2.But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, listened to the words of Yahweh, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah. 3.Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now to Yahweh our God for us. 4.Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison. 5.Pharaoh's army had come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they broke up from Jerusalem. 6.Then came the word of Yahweh to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 7.Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, You shall tell the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: Behold, Pharaoh's army, which has come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. 8.The Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with fire. 9.Thus says Yahweh, Don't deceive yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart. 10.For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yes would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire. 11.It happened that, when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, 12.then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people. 13.When he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, You are falling away to the Chaldeans. 14.Then Jeremiah said, It is false; I am not falling away to the Chaldeans. But he didn't listen to him; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. 15.The princes were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison. 16.When Jeremiah had come into the dungeon house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; 17.Then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from Yahweh? Jeremiah said, There is. He said also, You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. 18.Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, Wherein have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? 19.Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? 20.Now please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there. 21.Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard; and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
Mark 11
1.When they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethsphage29 and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 2.and said to them, "Go your way into the village that is opposite you. Immediately as you enter into it, you will find a young donkey tied, on which no one has sat. Untie him, and bring him. 3.If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs him;' and immediately he will send him back here."
4.They went away, and found a young donkey tied at the door outside in the open street, and they untied him. 5.Some of those who stood there asked them, "What are you doing, untying the young donkey?" 6.They said to them just as Jesus had said, and they let them go.
7.They brought the young donkey to Jesus, and threw their garments on it, and Jesus sat on it. 8.Many spread their garments on the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees, and spreading them on the road. 9.Those who went in front, and those who followed, cried out, "Hosanna30! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!31 10.Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
11.Jesus entered into the temple in Jerusalem. When he had looked around at everything, it being now evening, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
12.The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry. 13.Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14.Jesus told it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" and his disciples heard it.
15.They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple, and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of those who sold the doves. 16.He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple. 17.He taught, saying to them, "Isn't it written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations?'32 But you have made it a den of robbers!"33
18.The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.
19.When evening came, he went out of the city. 20.As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. 21.Peter, remembering, said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away."
22.Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. 23.For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and doesn't doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. 24.Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. 25.Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. 26.But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions."
27.They came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders came to him, 28.and they began saying to him, "By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?"
29.Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30.The baptism of John--was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me."
31.They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we should say, 'From heaven;' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 32.If we should say, 'From men'"--they feared the people, for all held John to really be a prophet. 33.They answered Jesus, "We don't know."
Jesus said to them, "Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things."