One Year Bible.

Twenty-Four Divisions of Musicians

¹Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:

²From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. These sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king.

³From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah , Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah — six in all — under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.

⁴From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. ⁵All these sons of Heman the king’s seer were given him through the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

⁶All these were under the direction of their fathers for the music of the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God.

Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction of the king. ⁷Together with their relatives, who were all trained and skillful in the songs of the LORD, they numbered 288. ⁸They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.

⁹The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

the second to Gedaliah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

¹⁰the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

¹¹the fourth to Izri, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

¹²the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

¹³the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

¹⁴the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

¹⁵the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

¹⁶the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

¹⁷the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

¹⁸the eleventh to Azarel, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

¹⁹the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

²⁰the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

²¹the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

²²the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

²³the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

²⁴the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

²⁵the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

²⁶the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

²⁷the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

²⁸the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

²⁹the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

³⁰the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all;

³¹and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers— 12 in all.

The Divisions of the Gatekeepers

¹These were the divisions of the gatekeepers:

From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

²Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, ³Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, and Eliehoenai the seventh.

⁴And Obed-edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, ⁵Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth. For God had blessed Obed-edom.

⁶Also to his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled over their families because they were strong, capable men. ⁷Shemaiah’s sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his brothers were Elihu and Semachiah, also capable men. ⁸All these were descendants of Obed-edom; they and their sons and brothers were capable men with strength to do the work— 62 in all from Obed-edom.

⁹Meshelemiah also had sons and brothers who were capable men— 18 in all.

¹⁰Hosah the Merarite also had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him as the first), ¹¹Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and brothers of Hosah numbered 13 in all.

¹²These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering in the house of the LORD, just as their relatives did. ¹³They cast lots for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike.

¹⁴The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah.

Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.

¹⁵The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed-edom, and the lot for the storehouses to his sons.

¹⁶The lots for the West Gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway fell to Shuppim and Hosah.

There were guards stationed at every watch. ¹⁷Each day there were six Levites on the east, four on the north, four on the south, and two pairs at the storehouse. ¹⁸As for the court on the west, there were four at the highway and two at the court.

¹⁹These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari.

The Treasurers, Officers, and Judges

²⁰Now their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated things. ²¹From the descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and heads of the families of Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli, ²²the sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

²³From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites:

²⁴Shebuel, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the officer in charge of the treasuries. ²⁵His relatives through Eliezer included Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son. ²⁶This Shelomith and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army commanders. ²⁷They had dedicated some of the plunder from their battles to the repair of the house of the LORD. ²⁸Everything that had been dedicated by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah, along with everything else that was dedicated, was under the care of Shelomith and his brothers.

²⁹From the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons had the outside duties as officers and judges over Israel.

³⁰From the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had charge of the affairs of Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of the king. ³¹As for the Hebronites, Jerijah was the chief of the Hebronites, according to the genealogies of his ancestors. In the fortieth year of David’s reign the records were searched, and strong, capable men were found among the Hebronites at Jazer in Gilead. ³²Among Jerijah’s relatives there were 2,700 capable men who were heads of families. King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king.

John’s Inquiry

¹After Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

²Meanwhile John heard in prison about the works of Christ, and he sent his disciples ³to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

⁴Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. ⁶Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”

Jesus Testifies about John

⁷As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? ⁸Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothing are found in kings’ palaces. ⁹What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is the one about whom it is written:

‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You,

who will prepare Your way before You.’

¹¹Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹²From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and the violent lay claim to it. ¹³For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

¹⁵He who has ears, let him hear.

¹⁶To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

¹⁷‘We played the flute for you,

and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge,

and you did not mourn.’

¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ ¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”

Woe to the Unrepentant

²⁰Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ²¹“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²²But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

²³And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ²⁴But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Rest for the Weary

²⁵At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

²⁷All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

²⁸Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The Lord of the Sabbath

¹At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. ²When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

³Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.

⁵Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent? ⁶But I tell you that One greater than the temple is here.

⁷If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

⁹Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue, ¹⁰and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

¹¹He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹³Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other. ¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

God’s Chosen Servant

¹⁵Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all, ¹⁶warning them not to make Him known. ¹⁷This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸“Here is My Servant,

whom I have chosen,

My beloved,

in whom My soul delights.

I will put My Spirit on Him,

and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry out;

no one will hear His voice in the streets.

²⁰A bruised reed He will not break,

and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish,

till He leads justice to victory.

²¹In His name the nations will put their hope.”

A House Divided

²²Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see. ²³The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”

²⁴But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”

²⁵Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

²⁹Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

³⁰He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

The Unpardonable Sin

³¹Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³²Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.

Good and Bad Fruit

³³Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. ³⁶But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

³⁸Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

³⁹Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here. ⁴²The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.

An Unclean Spirit Returns

⁴³When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. ⁴⁴Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order. ⁴⁵Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

⁴⁶While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. ⁴⁷Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”

⁴⁸But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”