Bible in a Year.

On day 138, we explored leadership and reflection. 2 Samuel 20 recounts Sheba's rebellion and David's response to maintain the unity of the kingdom. 1 Chronicles 25 describes the temple musicians and singers, highlighting the importance of organized worship. Psalm 39 invites us to contemplate the brevity of human life and to trust fully in God's providence.

1. And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Seba, the son of Bochri, a man of Jemini: and he sounded the trumpet, and said: We have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Isai: return to thy dwellings, O Israel.

2. And all Israel departed from David, and followed Seba the son of Bochri: but the men of Juda stuck to their king from the Jordan unto Jerusalem.

3. And when the king was come into his house at Jerusalem, he took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, allowing them provisions: and he went not in unto them, but they were shut up unto the day of their death living in widowhood.

4. And the king said to Amasa: Assemble to me all the men of Juda against the third day, and be thou here present.

5. So Amasa went to assemble the men of Juda, but he tarried beyond the set time which the king had appointed him.

6. And David said to Abisai: Now will Seba the son of Bochri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou therefore the servants of thy lord, and pursue after him, lest he find fenced cities, and escape us.

7. So Joab's men went out with him, and the Cerethi and the Phelethi: and all the valiant men went out of Jerusalem to pursue after Seba the son of Bochri.

8. And when they were at the great stone which is in Gabaon, Amasa coming met them. And Joab had on a close coat of equal length with his habit, and over it was girded with a sword hanging down to his flank, in a scabbard, made in such manner as to come out with the least motion and strike.

9. And Joab said to Amasa: God save thee, my brother. And he took Amasa by the chin with his right hand to kiss him.

10. But Amasa did not take notice of the sword, which Joab had, and he struck him in the side, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and gave him not a second wound, and he died. And Joab, and Abisai his brother pursued after Seba the son of Bochri.

11. In the mean time some men of Joab's company stopping at the dead body of Amasa, said: Behold he that would have been in Joab's stead the companion of David.

12. And Amasa imbrued with blood, lay in the midst of the way. A certain man saw this that all the people stood still to look upon him, so he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and covered him with a garment, that they who passed might not stop on his account.

13. And when he was removed out of the way, all the people went on following Joab to pursue after Seba the son of Bochri.

14. Now he had passed through all the tribes of Israel unto Abela and Bethmaacha: and all the chosen men were gathered together unto him.

15. And they came, and besieged him in Abela, and in Bethmaacha, and they cast up works round the city, and the city was besieged: and all the people that were with Joab, laboured to throw down the walls.

16. And a wise woman cried out from the city: Hear, hear, and say to Joab: Come near hither, and I will speak with thee.

17. And when he was come near to her, she said to him: Art thou Joab? And he answered: I am. And she spoke thus to him: Hear the words of thy handmaid. He answered: I do hear.

18. And she again said: A saying was used in the old proverb: They that inquire, let them inquire in Abela: and so they made an end.

19. Am not I she that answer truth in Israel, and thou seekest to destroy the city, and to overthrow a mother in Israel? Why wilt thou throw down the inheritance of the Lord?

20. And Joab answering said: God forbid, God forbid that I should, I do not throw down, nor destroy.

21. The matter is not so, but a man of mount Ephraim, Seba the son of Bochri by name, hath lifted up his hand against king David: deliver him only, and we will depart from the city. And the woman said to Joab: Behold his head shall be thrown to thee from the wall.

22. So she went to all the people, and spoke to them wisely: and they cut off the head of Seba the son of Bochri, and cast it out to Joab. And he sounded the trumpet, and they departed from the city, every one to their home: and Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

23. So Joab was over all the army of Israel: and Banaias the son of Joiada was over the Cerethites and Phelethites,

24. But Aduram over the tributes: and Josaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder.

25. And Siva was scribe: and Sadoc and Abiathar, priests.

26. And Ira the Jairite was the priest of David.

1. Moreover David and the chief .officers of the army separated for the ministry the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Idithun : to prophesy with harps, and with psalteries, and with cymbals according to their number serving in their appointed office.

2. Of the sons of Asaph: Zacchur, and Joseph, and Nathania, and Asarela, sons of Asaph: under the hand of Asaph prophesying near the king.

3. And of Idithun: the sons of Idithun, Godolias, Serf, Jeseias, and Hasabias, and Mathathias, six, under the hand of their father Idithun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord.

4. Of Heman also: the sons of Heman, Bocciau, Mathaniau, Oziel, Subuel, and Jerimoth, Hananias, Hanani, Eliatha, Geddelthi, and Romemthiezer, and Jesbacassa, Mellothi, Othir, Mahazioth:

5. All these were the sons of Heman the seer of the king in the words of God, to lift up the horn: and God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

6. All these under their father's hand were distributed to sing in the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, and psalteries and harps, for the service of the house of the Lord near the king: to wit, Asaph, and Idithun, and Heman.

7. And the number of them with their brethren, that taught the song of the Lord, all the teachers, were two hundred and eighty-eight,

8. And they cast lots by their courses, the elder equally with the younger, the learned and the unlearned together.

9. And the first lot came forth to Joseph, who was of Asaph. The second to Godolias, to him and his sons, and his brethren twelve.

10. The third to Zachur, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

11. 11The fourth to Isari, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

12. The fifth to Nathania, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

13. The sixth to Bocciau, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

14. The seventh to Isreela, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

15. The eighth to Jesaia, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

16. The ninth to Mathanaias, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

17. The tenth to Semeias, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

18. The eleventh to Azareel, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

19. The twelfth to Hasabia, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

20. The thirteenth to Subael, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

21. The fourteenth to Mathathias, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

22. The fifteenth to Jerimoth, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

23. The sixteenth to Hananias, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

24. The seventeenth to Jesbacassa, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

25. The eighteenth to Hanani, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

26. The nineteenth to Mellothi, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

27. The twentieth to Eliatha, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

28. The one and twentieth to Othir, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

29. The two and twentieth to Geddelthi, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

30. The three and twentieth to Mahazioth, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

31. 31The four and twentieth to Romemthiezer, to his sons and his brethren twelve.

1. Unto the end, for Idithun himself, a canticle of David.

2. I said: I will take heed to my ways : that I sin not with my tongue. I have set guard to my mouth, when the sinner stood against me.

3. I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things : and my sorrow was renewed.

4. My heart grew hot within me : and in my meditation a fire shall flame out.

5. I spoke with my tongue : O Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days : that I may know what is wanting to me.

6. Behold thou hast made my days measurable : and my substance is as nothing before thee. And indeed all things are vanity : every man living.

7. Surely man passeth as an image : yea, and he is disquieted in vain. He storeth up : and he knoweth not for whom he shall gather these things.

8. And now what is my hope? is it not the Lord? and my substance is with thee.

9. Deliver thou me from all my iniquities : thou hast made me a reproach to the fool.

10. I was dumb, and I opened not my mouth, because thou hast done it.

11. Remove thy scourges from me. The strength of thy hand hath made me faint in rebukes:

12. thou hast corrected man for iniquity. And thou hast made his soul to waste away like a spider : surely in vain is any man disquieted.

13. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and my supplication : give ear to my tears. Be not silent : for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers were.

14. O forgive me, that I may be refreshed, before I go hence, and be no more.