Bible in a Year.

On the 128th day, 2 Samuel 10 recounts David's war against the Ammonites and their allies. 1 Chronicles 13 describes the preparations to reverently bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Psalm 31 invites us to trust in God as a safe refuge, teaching us to persevere even in the face of adversity.

1. And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanon his son reigned in his stead.

2. And David said: I Will shew kindness to Hanon the son of Daas, as his father shewed kindness to me. So David sent his servants to comfort him for the death of his father. But when the servants of David were come into the land of the children of Ammon,

3. The princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanon their lord: Thinkest thou that for the honour of thy father, David hath sent comforters to thee, and hath not David rather sent his servants to thee to search, and spy into the city, and overthrow it?

4. Wherefore Hanon took the servants of David, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut away half of their garments even to the buttocks, and sent them away.

5. When this was told David, he sent to meet them: for the men were sadly put to confusion, and David commanded them, saying: Stay at Jericho, till your beards be grown, and then return.

6. And the children of Ammon seeing that they had done an injury to David, Bent and hired the Syrians of Rohob, and the Syrians of Soba, twenty thousand footmen, and of the king of Maacha a thousand men, and of Istob twelve thousand men.

7. And when David heard this, he sent Joab and the whole army of warriors.

8. And the children of Ammon came out, and set their men in array at the entering in of the gate: but the Syrians of Soba, and of Rohob, and of Istob, and of Maacha were by themselves in the field.

9. Then Joab seeing that the battle was prepared against him, both before and behind, chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians:

10. And the rest of the people he delivered to Abisai his brother, who set them in array against the children of Ammon.

11. And Joab said: If the Syrians are too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon are too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

12. Be of good courage, and let us fight for our people, and for the city of our God: and the Lord will do what is good in his sight.

13. And Joab and the people that were with him, began to fight against the Syrians: and they immediately fled before him.

14. And the children of Ammon seeing that the Syrians were fled, they fled also before Abisai, and entered into the city: and Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

15. Then the Syrians seeing that they had fallen before Israel, gathered themselves together.

16. And Adarezer sent and fetched the Syrians, that were beyond the river, and brought over their army: and Sobach, the captain of the host of Adarezer, was their general.

17. And when this was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam: and the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought against him.

18. And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen: and smote Sobach the captain of the army, who presently died.

19. And all the kings that were auxiliaries of Adarezer, seeing themselves overcome by Israel, were afraid and fled away, eight and fifty thousand men before Israel. And they made peace with Israel: and served them, and all the Syrians were afraid to help the children of Ammon any more.

1. And David consulted with the captains of thousands, and of hundreds, and with all the commanders.

2. And he said to all the assembly of Israel: If it please you; and if the words which I speak come from the Lord our God, let us send to the rest of our brethren into all the countries of Israel, and to the priests, and the Levites, that dwell in the suburbs of the cities, to gather themselves to us,

3. And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we sought it not in the days of Saul.

4. And all the multitude answered that it should be so: for the word pleased all the people.

5. So David assembled all Israel from Sihor of Egypt, even to the entering into Emath, to bring the ark of God from Cariathiarim.

6. And David went up with all the men of Israel to the hill of Cariathiarim which is in Juda, to bring thence the ark of the Lord God sitting upon the cherubims, where his name is called upon.

7. And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart, out of the house of Abinadab. And Oza and his brother drove the cart.

8. And David and all Israel played before God with all their might with hymns, and with harps, and with psalteries, and timbrels, and cymbals, and trumpets,

9. And when they came to the floor of Chidon, Oza put forth his hand, to hold up the ark: for the ox being wanton had made it lean a little on one side.

10. And the Lord was angry with Oza, and struck him, because he had touched the ark; and he died there before the Lord.

11. And David was troubled because the Lord had divided Oza: and he called that place the Breach of Oza to this day.

12. And he feared God at that time, saying: How can I bring in the ark of God to me?

13. And therefore he brought it not home to himself, that is, into the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gethite.

14. And the ark of God remained in the house of Obededom three months: and the Lord blessed his house, and all that he had.

1. Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy.

2. In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, Iet me never be confounded: deliver me in thy justice.

3. Bow down thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.

4. For thou art my strength and my refuge; and for thy name's sake thou wilt lead me, and nourish me.

5. Thou wilt bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for thou art my protector.

6. Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

7. Thou hast hated them that regard vanities, to no purpose. But I have hoped in the Lord:

8. I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy. For thou best regarded my humility, thou hast saved my soul out of distresses.

9. And thou hast not shut me up in the hands of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a spacious place.

10. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with wrath, my soul, and my belly:

11. For my life is wasted with grief: and my years in sighs. My strength is weakened through poverty and my bones are disturbed.

12. I am become a reproach among all my enemies, and very much to my neighbours; and a fear to my acquaintance. They that saw me without fled from me.

13. I am forgotten as one dead from the heart. I am become as a vessel that is destroyed.

14. For I have heard the blame of many that dwell round about. While they assembled together against me, they consulted to take away my life.

15. But I have put my trust in thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my God.

16. My lots are in thy hands. Deliver me out of the hands of my enemies; and from them that persecute me.

17. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; save me in thy mercy.

18. Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee. Let the wicked be ashamed, and be brought down to hell.

19. Let deceitful lips be made dumb. Which speak iniquity against the just, with pride and abuse.

20. O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee! Which thou hast wrought for them that hope in thee, in the sight of the sons of men.

21. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face, from the disturbance of men. Thou shalt protect them in thy tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues.

22. Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewn his wonderful mercy to me in a fortified city.

23. But I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before thy eyes. Therefore thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to thee.

24. O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord will require truth, and will repay them abundantly that act proudly.

25. Do ye manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.