April 30: 2 Samuel 19:31 – 2 Samuel 20:26; Psalm 7; 2 Samuel 21:1–22; 1 Chronicles 20:4–5

David's Kindness to Barzillai – 2 Samuel 19:31

• Barzillai, an eighty-year-old man who had provided David with food while he was in Mahanaim, comes to the Jordan to help escort David across. David tells him to come with him to Jerusalem, and he asks why he should repay him with such a great reward and offers that he should return home so he can die there and be buried with his parents. Barzillai suggests he take another man, Chimham, instead. David kisses Barzillai and blesses him, then takes Chimham across the river with him.
• The men of Israel ask complain that Judah has stolen the king and didn't allow them time to get to the Jordan River crossing. The men of Judah reply that they are David's tribe, but he hasn't provided them any favors because of that. Their arguing continues, but the men of Judah's words are fiercer.

The Rebellion of Sheba – 2 Samuel 20

• A worthless Benjamite, Sheba, blows the trumpet and proclaims that Israel has no portion or inheritance in David, and the men of Israel follow him. David arrives in Jerusalem and places his ten concubines that stayed at the palace and puts them under guard, not going in to them.
• David tells Amasa to gather the tribe of Judah, which he does, but not in the time allotted him. David instructs Abishai to take men and pursue Sheba so he will not build walled cities. He meets up with Joab, and as they approach, Joab's sword falls from his thigh. Amasa does not see the sword in his hand, and Joab stabs him, killing him.
• Joab and Abishai pursue Sheba. Sheba passes through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah, and men follow him. Joab and Abishai arrive in Abel and Beth-maacah, and a woman there asks why they would destroy the city, He tells her that if she will give up Sheba, they will not destroy the city. The people behead Sheba and throw his head over the city wall. Joab and his men return to Jerusalem.

David Avenges the Gibeonites – 2 Samuel 21

• For three years there is famine, and David seeks the Lord. God tells him that there is blood guilt on the house of Saul because he put the Gibeonites (a remnant of the Amorites) to death. David asks the Gibeonites what he can do for them to make amends, and they ask for seven sons of Saul so they may hang them.
• David agrees but spares the life of Mephibosheth because of the oath between David and Jonathan. He gives over seven others, and they are hanged in the first days of the barley harvest.
• Rizpah, the mother of two who were hanged, shelters her sons bodies from birds and animals. When David hears this, he has the bones of Saul, Jonathan, and the seven buried in the land of Benjamin. God then responds to the plea for the land.

War with the Philistines – 2 Samuel 21:15–22 & 1 Chronicles 20:4–5

• War again begins with the Philistines, and David and his men fight them, becoming weary. Ishi-benob, one of the descendants of giants, determines to kill David, but Abishai takes his life. David's men swear that David will not go into battle with them anymore. The war with the Philistines continues.

April 29: 2 Samuel 17:15–29; Psalm 3; Psalm 63; 2 Samuel 18:1 – 2 Samuel 19:30

Hushai Saves David – 2 Samuel 17:15–29

• Hushai tells Zadok and Abiathar the priests to find David and tell him to cross the Jordan into the wilderness or else he and his army will perish. David and all his people do as directed, and Ahithophel, realizing his advice had not been followed, went home and hung himself.
• David arrives in Mahanaim, and Absalom's army sets up camp in Gilead. David is met by Shobi and Makir, who provide food for him and his men.

Save Me, O My God – Psalm 3

• David counts his foes, but realizes that the Lord is a shield around him. He pleads with God to save him.

My Soul Thirsts for You – Psalm 63

• David seeks God in his time of trouble but also claims his confidence in God's protection.

Absalom Killed – 2 Samuel 18

• David musters the men with him and sends them out under the command of Joab, Abishai, and Ittai the Gittite. David intends to go with them, but they refuse. David tells the commanders to deal gently with Absalom for his sake.
• In the forests of Ephraim, the men of Israel are defeated by David's army, with a loss of 20,000 men. Absalom is riding his mule beneath the branches of an oak, and his head becomes stuck in the branches, suspending him over his donkey. Joab learns of this and takes three javelins into Absalom's heart.
• Joab blows the trumpet, and the men of David fall back. Joab throws Absalom into a pit in the forest and throws stones over top of him. All of Israel flees to their homes.

David Hears of Absalom's Death

• At Joab's agreement, Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, carries the news of their delivery from the men of Israel. 

David's Grief

• While Ahimaaz is with David, the Cushite arrives with the news of Absalom's death. David retires to his chamber to mourn his son, saying that he would have died for him. 

Joab Rebukes David – 2 Samuel 19

• Joab learns that David is mourning Absalom, and he rebukes David, telling him that if Absalom was alive and all of David's men were dead, he would be pleased. He tells David that if he does not go out and treat his men kindly, none of them will stay with him. David does as instructed.

David Returns to Jerusalem

• The men of Israel decide to invite David to be their king again.
• David returns to Jerusalem with escorts by the men of Israel.

David Pardons His Enemies 

• Shimei and Ziba fall before David to beg his forgiveness, and Abishai asks if they should be put to death for cursing the Lord's anointed. David declares that they should not die. David also pardons Mephibosheth, who claims his servant Ziba lied to David by saying that Mephibosheth chose to stay in Jerusalem (Ziba took his donkey so he had no way to travel).

April 28: 2 Samuel 15:1 – 2 Samuel 17:14

Absalom's Conspiracy – 2 Samuel 15

• Absalom steals the hearts of Israel by saying that he would give justice to all who came to Jerusalem with disputes. After four years, he asks David for permission to go to Hebron to worship God. David agrees, and Absalom goes. He sends messengers throughout Israel, telling the people that as soon as they hear the trumpets, they are to say, "Absalom is king at Hebron!" He takes 200 people with him (who don't realize what he is doing), and others join them.

David Flees Jerusalem

• A messenger comes to David and tells him that the hearts of the people have gone after Absalom. David flees from Jerusalem, leaving only ten concubines behind. David questions Ittai the Gittite why the Gittites, who are foreigners, are following him, and he pledges their loyalty to David.
• The Levites follow David, bringing the ark of the covenant. David sends them back to Jerusalem, telling them that if he finds favor in the Lord, God will bring him back to Jerusalem. Abiathar and Zadok take the ark back to Jerusalem.
• David and others climb the Mount of Olives in bare feet and with their heads covered, weeping. David is told that Ahithophel is a conspirator of Absalom, and David asks God to turn Ahithophel's counsel to foolishness. David sends Hushai the Archite back to Jerusalem to be a spy in Absalom's house (he has returned to Jerusalem).

David and Ziba – 2 Samuel 16

• Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, brings saddled donkeys, two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine for David and the men climbing the Mount of Olives. David declares that all that belonged to Mephibosheth now belongs to Ziba, and Ziba pays him homage.

Shimei Curses David

• As David comes to Bahurim, Shimei (of the house of Saul), comes as David cursing him and throwing stones at him. Abishai, son of Zeruiah asks to behead him, and David tells him to leave Shimei alone, as God will repay the man's deeds if He chooses to. David and all those following him arrive at the Jordan, where they refresh themselves.

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

• Absalom and all those following him come into Jerusalem. Hushai requests to continue serving the king (now Absalom), and Absalom asks for his counsel. Hushai tells him to go in to David's concubines, which he does in the sight of all Israel (in a tent on the roof). 
• Ahithophel's counsel is as if he consults the word of God, and David and Absalom esteem him.

Hushai Saves David – 2 Samuel 17

• Ahithophel requests of Absalom that he choose twelve thousand men so he can pursue David that night and kill him. Absalom has him call Hushai, for his counsel.
• Hushai instead recommends mobilizing the entire army of Israel and having Absalom lead them. Absalom agrees to Hushai's plan, for the Lord had determined to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, who had the better plan, so he could bring harm upon Absalom.

April 27: 2 Samuel 12:26–31; 1 Chronicles 20:2–3; 2 Samuel 13:1 – 2 Samuel 14:33

Rabbah is Captured – 2 Samuel 12:26–31 & 1 Chronicles 20:2–3

• Joab fights against the Ammonites at Rabbah, taking the royal city, and sends word to David. David brings all of Israel, and they take all of Rabbah. The king's crown is given to David, and all the people are made servants to Israel.

Amnon and Tamar – 2 Samuel 13

• Absalom, David's son, has a beautiful sister named Tamar. Amnon, another of David's sons, loves her, and is miserable because of it. When Amnon's cousin Jonadab questions him why, he admits that he loves Tamar. The friend instructs him to feign illness and ask his father to have Tamar come to him and make him cakes. Amnon does as his friend suggests.
• David sends Tamar to Amnon's house, and she makes the cakes, but he refuses to eat. He has everyone else sent away and calls Tamar into his chamber. When she comes in, he tells her to lie with him, but she tells him not to do such an outrageous thing. He doesn't listen, and being stronger than she, he violates her.
• Then Amnon hates her and sends her away even though she begs him not to. Amnon has his servant put her out of the house, and she puts ashes on her head and tears her virgin's robe. When Absalom sees her, he realizes what has happened and tells her not to take it to heart. Tamar lives, a desolate woman, in Absalom's house.
• David is very angry, and Absalom hates Amnon for what he did.

Absalom Murders Amnon

• Two years later, Absalom has sheepshearers near Ephraim, and invites all the king's sons. Absalom convinces David to allow Amnon to go with him (David would not allow all of them to go), and Absalom then instructs his servants that once Amnon is drunk, they are to kill him. The servants do as instructed.
• Word comes to David that all his sons are dead, and he tears his garments and lies on the ground. David's nephew Jonadab tells him that only Amnon is dead and that Absalom had determined to do this from the time Amnon violated Tamar.

Absalom Flees to Geshur

• Absalom flees to Talmai (his maternal grandfather) King of Geshur and stays there for three years. David's spirit longs to go to Absalom.

Absalom Returns to Jerusalem – 2 Samuel 14

• Joab sends a woman to David with another story (much like Nathan told a story to David). She appeals to David to set aside the usual laws regarding murder due to extenuating circumstances. David questions if Joab is behind this woman's story, and she admits that Joab did this in order to change the course of things.
• David instructs Joab to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem, which he does. David determines that Absalom will live in his own house and not come into his presence.
• Absalom is very handsome, and he has three sons and a daughter (named Tamar, and she is also beautiful).
• Absalom lives in Jerusalem for two years without coming into the king's presence. He summons Joab twice, but he doesn't come. Absalom then has his servants set fire to Joab's field, and Joab comes to him to question him why he did that. Absalom tells him it is because he didn't come when he sent for him, then questions him why he has been summoned to Jerusalem because it would be better for him to still be in Geshur. He tells Joab that he either wants to go into the presence of the king or be put to death. 
• Joab goes to the king with his request, and David summons Absalom. Absalom bows before David, and David kisses him.

April 26: 1 Chronicles 20:1; 2 Samuel 11:1; 2 Samuel 11:2–27; 2 Samuel 12:1–14; Psalm 51; 2 Samuel 12:15–25; 2 Samuel 5:14–16; 1 Chronicles 14:3–7; 1 Chronicles 3:5–9

The Capture of Rabbah – 1 Chronicles 20:1 & 2 Samuel 11:1

• In the spring of the year (when kings usually go to war), Joab leads Israel in successful attacks against the Ammonites. David decides to stay behind in Jerusalem.

David and Bathsheba – 2 Samuel 11:2–13

• One afternoon, David walks on the roof of his house and sees a beautiful woman bathing on another rooftop. He inquires about her and is told she is Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite. David sends messengers to bring her to him, and he lays with her. She conceives and sends word to David that she is pregnant.
• David sends word to Joab to send him Uriah the Hittite. Uriah comes to David, and David tells him to go down to his house and wash his feet, but Uriah sleeps at David's door with David's servants instead. David questions him why, and Uriah tells him that he could not go to his wife while the Israelite soldiers were encamped. He refuses to go to his wife.
• David tells him to remain at the palace for a day, and he eats with David and gets drunk. Uriah still doesn't go down to his house. In the morning David writes a letter to Joab, telling him to put Uriah on the front line where the fighting is hardest so he is killed, and sends it to him by Uriah. Joab does as instructed, Uriah is killed, and Joab sends word of it to David.
• Bathsheba learns that her husband is dead, and she laments over him. When her mourning is over, David sends for her and makes her his wife. She bears him a son, but what David did displeases the Lord.

Nathan Rebukes David – 2 Samuel 12:1–14

• The Lord sends Nathan to David and has him tells him about a rich man and poor man. (The rich man has many sheep, while the poor man has only one, which he loves like daughter. The rich man, unwilling to to take from his own flock to prepare a meal for a visitor, takes the poor man's one lamb and prepares it.) David becomes angry and tells Nathan that the rich man deserves to die and should restore the lamb fourfold.
• Nathan points out that David is that rich man and asks him why he has despised the Lord by doing evil in His sight by having Uriah the Hittite killed so he could cover up his adultery with Bathsheba and take her as a wife. Nathan tells David that God will take his wives and give them to his neighbors, and they will lie with them.
• David admits that he has sinned, and Nathan tells him that God has put his sin away and he will not die, but the child born to David and Bathsheba will die. Nathan then returns to his house.

Create a Clean Heart in Me, O God – Psalm 51

• David pens a penitent psalm after his conviction from Nathan the prophet.

David's Child Dies – 2 Samuel 12:15–25

• The Lord afflicts the son of David and Bathsheba, and he becomes sick. David seeks God on the child's behalf, fasting and lying on the ground. For seven days, he refuses to raise from the ground or eat food. On the seventh day, the child dies, and David's servants are afraid to tell him.
• David sees his servants whispering together and realizes his child has died. When he asks, they confirm that. David gets up, washes and anoints himself, and eats. 

Solomon's Birth

• David goes to his wife, comforts her, and lies with her. She conceives and gives birth to Solomon (also known as Jedidiah), and the Lord loves him.

David's Other Children – 2 Samuel 5:14–16, 1 Chronicles 14:3–7, and 1 Chronicles 3:5–9

• More sons and daughters are born to David by his wives and concubines.

April 25: 2 Samuel 8:15–18; 1 Chronicles 18:14–17; 1 Chronicles 6:16–30; 1 Chronicles 6:50–53; 1 Chronicles 6:31–48; 2 Samuel 9:1–13; 2 Samuel 10:1–19; 1 Chronicles 19:1–19

David's Officials – 2 Samuel 8:15–18 & 1 Chronicles 18:14–17

• David reigns over all Israel and does what is right for the people.
• Joab is his commander; Jehoshaphat is recorder; Zadok and Ahimelech are priests; Seraiah was secretary; Benaiah is in charge of David's bodyguards; and David's sons are priests. 

The Sons of Levi – 1 Chronicles 6:16–30; 1 Chronicles 6:50–53; 1 Chronicles 6:31–48

• The descendants of Levi are given.
• Aaron's descendants are given.
• The genealogy of David's temple musicians (Heman, Asaph, and Ethan) are given.

David's Kindness to Mephibosheth – 2 Samuel 9:1–13

• David summons Ziba, who had been one of Saul's servants, and asks him if anyone still remains from Saul's family. Ziba tells him that one of Jonathan's sons, Mephibosheth, is still living. David has Ziba bring him Mephibosheth, who is lame in his feet.
• Mephibosheth comes to David and falls at his feet. David tells him not to fear, and that he will show him kindness for the sake of his father, Jonathan. David calls for Ziba and tells him that everything that once belonged to Saul now belongs to Mephibosheth, his grandson, and that Mephibosheth will always eat at his table. All who live in Ziba's household become Mephibosheth's servvants.

David Defeats Ammon and Syria – 2 Samuel 10:1–19 & 1 Chronicles 19:1–19

• The king of the Ammonites dies, and Hanun his son reigns in his place. David sends his servants to Hanun to console him (because his father Nahash dealt loyally with him), but the Ammonite princes tell Hanun that David has sent the servants to spy out their city and overthrow it. Hanun shaves off half the beard of the servants, cuts off their garments at the hips, and sends them away. When David learns of what has happened, he meets them because they are ashamed, and tells them to stay in Jericho until their beards have grown in.
• The Ammonites see that they have become a stench to David, so they hire Syrian soldiers. David sends Joab and his men against them. Joab takes on the Syrians, while his brother Abishai takes on the Ammonites, and they agree to help each other if needed.
• The Ammonites flee. The defeated Syrians send for more soldiers, and David gathers all of Israel to fight. The Syrian kings realize they have been defeated and make peace with Israel, becoming subject to them.

April 24: 2 Samuel 7:1–17; 1 Chronicles 17:1–15; 2 Samuel 7:18–29; 1 Chronicles 17:16–27; 2 Samuel 8:1–14; 1 Chronicles 18:1–13; Psalm 60

The Lord's Covenant with David – 2 Samuel 1:1–17 & 1 Chronicles 17:1–15

• David summons Nathan the prophet and points out that David lives in a house of cedar while God (and the ark) dwell in a tent. Nathan tells him to do all that is in his heart because the Lord is with him.
• That night the word of the Lord comes to Nathan, telling him that God has always dwelt in a tent and has never requested to dwell in a house of wood. The Lord goes on to say that he will build David's house. Even after David is dead, his kingdom will pass down to his offspring, with his throne established forever.
• Nathan takes these words to David.

David's Prayer of Gratitude – 2 Samuel 7:18–29 & 1 Chronicles 17:16–27

• David sits before the Lord and prays a prayer of gratitude for God's greatness and His love for Israel.

David's Victories – 2 Samuel 8:1–14 & 1 Chronicles 18:1–13

• David defeats many of the peoples around him: the Philistines, the Moabites, and the Syrians of Damascus. 
• When Toi, king of Hamath, hears that David has defeated the army of Hadadazer, son of the king of (Zobah), he sends his son Joram to David to bless him (Toi had been fighting Hadadezer). Joram brings David much silver, gold, and bronze, which David dedicates to the Lord.
• David makes a name for himself. Abishai, son of Zeruiah, strikes down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. David puts garrisons throughout Edom and makes the Edomites his servants. God gives David victory wherever he goes.

He Will Tread Down Our Foes – Psalm 60

• David's lament for Israel's past and his plea to God to help them against their surrounding foes.

April 23: 2 Samuel 6:12; 1 Chronicles 15:1–28; 2 Samuel 12–16; 1 Chronicles 15:29; 2 Samuel 6:17–19; 1 Chronicles 16:1–43; 2 Samuel 6:19–23

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem – 2 Samuel 6:12–15 & 1 Chronicles 15:1–28

• David is told that God has blessed Obed-edom's household because of the ark. 
• David builds many buildings for himself in the City of David, including a special tent for the ark. He commands that only Levites are to touch the ark, and the ark is brought to Jerusalem. The people sacrifice seven bulls and seven rams, and David and those carrying the ark are dressed in robes of fine linen. The ark is brought to shouts of joy, blowing of ram's horns and trumpets, and the playing of music. David dances before the Lord.

David and Michael – 2 Samuel 6:16–19 & 1 Chronicles 15:29 & 1 Chronicles 6:1–6

• As the ark enters Jerusalem, Michal looks down from her window and sees David dancing, and she despises him in her heart.

The Ark Placed in a Tent

• The ark is placed in the special tent David built for it, and they present burnt offerings and peace offerings. David blesses all the people, giving them a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins. He appoints the Levites to lead the people in praising God.

David's Song of Thanks – 1 Chronicles 16:7–36

• David sings a song of praise to the Lord for a successful transfer of the ark to Jerusalem.

Worship Before the Ark – 1 Chronicles 16:37–42, 1 Chronicles 16:43, and 2 Samuel 19–23

• David arranges for Asaph and his fellow Levites (including Obed-edom) to minister before the ark each day. They sacrifice burnt offerings to the Lord each morning and evening, obeying all that God had written.
• David then returns home and blesses his household. Michal comes out to him and shames him for dancing uncovered (he wore only a linen ephod) before the eyes of his female servants. David retorts that he was dancing before God. Michal has no child to the day of her death.

April 22: 2 Samuel 5:1–3; 1 Chronicles 11:1–3; 1 Chronicles 12:23–40; 2 Samuel 5:17–25; 1 Chronicles 14: 8–17; 2 Samuel 5:6–10; 1 Chronicles 11:4–9; 1 Chronicles 3:4; 2 Samuel 5:13; 2 Samuel 5:45; 2 Samuel 5:11–12; 1 Chronicles 14:1–2; 1 Chronicles 13:1–5; 2 Samuel 6:1–11; 1 Chronicles 13:6–14

David Anointed King of Israel – 2 Samuel 5:1–3; 1 Chronicles 11:1–3

• The elders of Israel proclaim that David has led them, even under Saul's rule. At age thirty, David is anointed king over all Israel. 

The Mighty Men Join David – 1 Chronicles 12:23–40

• The armed warriors who join David are described by tribe. Every one in Israel agrees that David should be king, and the people feast for three days.

David Anointed King of Israel – 2 Samuel 5:17–25 & 1 Chronicles 14:8–17

• When the Philistines learn that David has been anointed king, they gather to attack Israel. David learns of their plan and asks God if he should attack them. God tells him to go to war, as He will deliver them into David's hand. David defeats them.
• The Philistines again gather to fight Israel. David again asks God if he should fight them. God instructs him to circle around behind them and attack them there. The Philistines are again struck down.

David Anointed King of Israel – 2 Samuel 5:6–10 & 1 Chronicles 11:4–9; 1 Chronicles 3:4, 1 Chronicles 5:13, and 2 Samuel 4–5

• David leads his men to Jerusalem to fight the Jebusites, who taunt him saying that he will never get in there. Even so, David captures the stronghold of Zion. David makes Zion his home, calling it the City of David, and he becomes greater and greater because God is with him.
• David reigns for thirty years. In Jerusalem, he takes more concubines and wives, and they have more sons and daughters.
• David reigns over Israel for thirty-three years.

David Anointed King of Israel – 2 Samuel 5:11–12 & 1 Chronicles 14:1–2

• King Hiram of Tyre sends messengers to David with materials and workers. They build David a palace, and he realizes God's blessing on him.

The Ark Brought from Kiriath-Jearim – 1 Chronicles 13:1–5

• David consults with his leaders, and they decide to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem – 2 Samuel 6:1–11 & 1 Chronicles 13:6–14

• David gathers 30,000 men to bring the ark to Jerusalem from Abinidab's house. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinidab's sons, guide the cart that it carrying it. 

Uzzah and the Ark

• When they reach the threshing floor at Nacon, the oxen stumble, and Uzzah reaches out his hand to steady the ark. God strikes him dead (touching the ark is a direct violation of God's law). David becomes angry at God, and then fears Him. Instead of bringing the ark into Jerusalem, he has it taken to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. The Lord blesses the household of Obed-edom.

April 21: 2 Samuel 3:6 – 2 Samuel 4:3; 2 Samuel 4:5–12

Abner Joins David – 2 Samuel 3

• Abner becomes a strong leader of Saul's army. Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, accuses Abner of going in to one of his father's concubines, and Abner becomes angry. He threatens to join David, and then sends a messenger to David to make a pact with him. David agrees, if Abner will bring Michal, Saul's daughter, with him. David then sends a message to Ish-bosheth to send him Michal, since David has bought her with the lives of one hundred Philistines. Ish-bosheth does as instructed.
• Abner consults with the elders of Israel, and the people of Israel and the people of Benjamin agree to support David. They have a feast with David.

Joab Murders Abner 

• After David sends Abner away to gain more support for him, Joab returns and asks David why he let Abner go away, since he had been there to spy on David. Joab sends messengers to bring Abner back, and when Abner returns, Joab takes him aside and stabs him in the stomach for killing his brother Asahel.
• David vows he and his kingdom are guiltless in Abner's death and that Joab and his family are the guilty ones.

David Mourns Abner

• David tells all his people to tear their clothes and mourn Abner. All the people mourn his death, understanding that David had nothing to do with it.

Ish-bosheth Murdered – 2 Samuel 4:1–3, 5–12

• When Ish-bosheth learns that Abner is dead, his courage fails and all Israel is dismayed. Two of Saul's captains, Rechab and Baanah, find Ish-bosheth while he is taking his noonday rest and stab him in the stomach and then behead him. They take his head to David.
• David is angry that they have killed a righteous man while he was sleeping, and he has his men kill them, cut off their hands and feet, and hang them beside the pool at Hebron. They then bury the head of Ish-bosheth in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.

April 20: 2 Samuel 2:1 – 2 Samuel 3:5; 1 Chronicles 3:1–4; 2 Samuel 23:8–17; 1 Chronicles 11:10–19; 2 Samuel 23:18–39; 1 Chronicles 11:20–47

David Anointed King of Judah – 2 Samuel 2

• God sends David to Hebron, where he is anointed king over the house of Judah. The people there tell David that the men of Jabesh-gilead buried Saul, David blesses them and tells them he will do good to them.

Ish-boshesh Made King of Israel

• Abner, the commander of Saul's army, takes Ish-bosheth (age 40) to Mahanaim and makes him king over all Israel. He reigns for two years, but the house of Judah follows David (David reigns for seven years and six months).

The Battle of Gibeon

• Abner leads Ish-bosheth's troops to Gibeon, and Joab leads David's troops to the pool of Gibeon (the two armies are across the pools from each other). Abner suggests to Joab that some of the warriors should battle. Twelve are chosen from each side, and all are killed. The next day, the armies of David and Ish-bosheth battle, and David's army is defeated.
• Asahel, one of David's warriors, chases down Abner, and Abner kills him with the butt end of his spear through Asahel's stomach. Asahel's brothers Joab and Abishai go after Abner, and Abner calls out to them, asking why they must fight, because only bitterness results. Joab blows his ram's horn, and David's men retreat. Joab and his men take Asahel's body to Bethlehem for burial. 
• A long war between those loyal to David and those loyal to Saul. As time passes, David's army gets stronger and Saul's gets weaker.

Sons Born to David at Hebron – 2 Samuel 3:2–5 & 1 Chronicles 3:1–4

• David has six sons born to him in Hebron: Amnon, Daniel, Absalom, Adonijah, and Shephatiah, Ithream. 

David's Mighty Men – 2 Samuel 23: 8–17 & 1 Chronicles 11:10–19; 2 Samuel 23:18–39 & 1 Chronicles 11:20–47

• David's three mightiest men are described: Jashobeam the Hacmonite, Eleazar, and Shammah.
• David's thirty-four mighty men are described, including Uriah the Hittite.

April 19: 1 Samuel 30:1 – 1 Samuel 31:13; 1 Chronicles 10:1–4; 1 Chronicles 9:40–44; 2 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 1:1–27

David's Wives Are Captured – 1 Samuel 30

• When David and his men return to Ziklag, they find that their town has been burned and their women and children taken captive by the Amalekites. The men are greatly distressed, and some speak of stoning David, but David finds his strength in the Lord.
• David has Abiathar the priest bring him the ephod, and he questions God if he should pursue the Amalekites. God tells him to do so, so David sets out with 600 men. 200 become tired, so David and the 400 continue on. They come upon an Egyptian man, the servant of an Amalekite, who was left behind because he was sick. David gives him food and drink, then asks the man to take him to the Amalekites (they ones who had burned Ziklag). The man agrees as long as they will not deliver him into the hands of his master.

David Defeats the Amalekites

• The Egyptian takes David and his men to the Amalekites, and David strikes them from twilight till dusk. Only four hundred men are able to flee on camels. David rescues his wives and children and all their belongings, and brings back all the spoils. They reunite with the 200 men, and David states that they will not be given any of the spoils, but they can take their wives, children.
• Once back in Ziklag, David sends some of his spoils to his friends, the elders of Judah.

The Death of Saul – 1 Samuel 31

• The Philistines were fighting Israel, and the men of Israel were slain on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines overtake Saul and his sons, and strike down his three sons. The archers find Saul and badly wound him.
• Saul instructs his armor bearer to draw his sword and thrust it through him so he will not be killed by these uncircumcised Philistines. His armor bearer refuses, so Saul takes his own sword and falls upon it. His armor bearer does the same thing. The men of Israel, seeing that Saul and his sons are all dead, abandon their cities, and the Philistines come and live in them.
• The Philistines come to strip the slain the next day, and they find Saul and his sons. They cut off Saul's head, strip off his armor, and send messengers throughout the land to carry the good news. They put Saul's armor in the temple of Ashtaroth and fasten his body to the wall of Beth-shan, but the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead bring the bodies of Saul and his sons back to Jabesh and burn them there, then bury the bones and fast for seven days.

The Death of Saul and His Sons – 1 Chronicles 10:1–14

• The Philistines were fighting Israel, and the men of Israel were slain on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines overtake Saul and his sons, and strike down his three sons. The archers find Saul and badly wound him.
• Saul instructs his armor bearer to draw his sword and thrust it through him so he will not be killed by these uncircumcised Philistines. His armor bearer refuses, so Saul takes his own sword and falls upon it. His armor bearer does the same thing. The men of Israel, seeing that Saul and his sons are all dead, abandon their cities, and the Philistines come and live in them.
• The Philistines come to strip the slain the next day, and they find Saul and his sons. They cut off Saul's head, strip off his armor, and send messengers throughout the land to carry the good news. They put Saul's armor in the temple of Ashtaroth and fasten his body to the wall of Beth-shan, but the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead bring the bodies of Saul and his sons back to Jabesh and burn them there, then bury the bones and fast for seven days. Saul dies because he was unfaithful to the Lord, failing to obey the Lord's command and consulting a medium instead of asking God. The Lord kills him and turns over the kingdom to David.

Saul's Genealogy Repeated – 1 Chronicles 9:40–44

• The genealogy of Jonathan is given.

Mephibosheth Crippled – 2 Samuel 4:4

• Jonathan has a son Mephibosheth. When he is five years old, word comes of Saul's and Jonathan's deaths, and Mephibosheth's nurse takes the boy and tries to flee. In her haste, the boy falls and becomes lame.

David Hears of Saul's Death – 2 Samuel 1;1–27

• David returns to Ziklag after defeating the Amalekites, and a man from Saul's camp (an Amalekite) comes to him and reports that Saul and Jonathan are dead. David asks how the man knows this, and the man explains that he came upon Saul and Saul instructed him to kill him so the Amalekites would not (a lie). He presents Saul's crown and armlet.
• David tears his clothes, as do the men with him. They mourn and fast for Saul, Jonathan, and the Israelites who were killed. He then has the Amalekite killed for taking the life of the Lord's anointed.

David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan

• David laments the death of Saul and Jonathan, a profound expression of public and personal grief.

April 18: 1 Samuel 26:1 – 1 Samuel 27:7; 1 Chronicles 12:1–7; 1 Samuel 27:8 – 1 Samuel 29:11; Psalm 56

David Spares Saul Again – 1 Samuel 26

• The Ziphites again tell Saul where David is hiding, and Saul and his men pursue him. David sends out spies, then goes out and finds where Saul is sleeping within the encampment. Abishai, who is David's nephew, tells him that God has given Saul over to him, but David refuses to let Abishai kill him, saying that God will strike Saul if He chooses. David takes the spear and water jar from near Saul's head, and they leave.
• David goes and stands on a far-off hill, then calls to Abner, Saul's commander. He shows him Saul's spear and water jar. Saul also comes and sees what David has done (spared him again), and he tells David he will do him no more harm. David goes his way, and Saul returns home.

David Flees to the Philistines – 1 Samuel 27:1–7

• David and his 600 men flee to the Philistines, where they feel they will be safe from Saul. He lives with Achish at Gath along with his two wives. Achish gives him land in Ziklag. Saul learns where David is but doesn't pursue him.

The Mighty Men Join David – 1 Chronicles 12:1–7

• Mighty Benjamites come to David while he is at Ziklag.

David Flees to the Philistines – 1 Samuel 27:8–12

• David lives in Gath for sixteen months, making raids against enemies, taking all the peoples lives and bringing their livestock and belongings back to Gath. When Achish asks where David has been raiding, he tells him that he was raiding Israelite settlements (or settlements of those who were friendly to the Israelites). Achish trusts him.

Saul and the Medium of En-dor – 1 Samuel 28

• The Philistines gather their forces to go to war against Israel. Achish tells David that he is to go with his men, and David agrees.
• Saul gathers all the Israelite warriors, and when he sees the Philistine army, he is afraid. He inquires of the Lord, but God does not answer him, so he sends his men to find a medium. They do, and tell him there is a woman medium in En-dor.
• Saul disguises himself, and he and some of his servants go to her during the night. He asks the medium to summon the spirit of Samuel. She does, and when she sees Samuel, she asks Saul why he has deceived her. He promises her that no harm will come to her, and she tells him that she sees a god coming up out of the earth; Saul knows it is Samuel. Samuel tells him that the Lord has given the kingdom to David, and that God will give Israel and him into the hands of the Philistines and that tomorrow Saul and all his sons will be with Samuel (dead).
• Saul has not eaten, and the woman kills a fattened calf and makes unleavened bread. Saul and his servants eat, then leave by night.

The Philistines Reject David – 1 Samuel 29:1–11

• Although Achish trusts David, the other Philistine commanders fear David may betray them. They have Achish send him and his men home (in God's providence, David is spared the occasion to shed Israelite blood). David does as instructed.

In God I Trust – Psalm 56

• David pens a psalm of thanksgiving for God hearing and acting as He has done in the past.

April 17: 1 Samuel 23:13–29; Psalm 54; 1 Samuel 24:1 – 1 Samuel 25:44

David Saves the City of Keilah – 1 Samuel 23:13–29

• David asks God if the people of Keilah will surrender him to Saul's men, and God tells him that they will. David and his 600 men depart from Keilah and go wherever they can go. Saul hears this and gives up his expedition. David hides in the wilderness of Ziph, and though Saul seeks him every day, God does not give David into his hand.

Saul Pursues David 

• Jonathan comes to David at Horesh (in the wilderness of Ziph), and tells him not to fear, for Saul will not find him and he will be king over Israel (with Jonathan next to him). The two continue their covenant.
• The Ziphites go to Saul and tell him that David is hiding in Horesh. Saul has them go and confirm David's position and then return to them with the information.
• David learns of what has happened and goes down into the wilderness of Maon. Saul pursues him there, and as David is fleeing him, Saul's messengers come and tell him that the Philistines have made a raid against the land. Saul and his men instead go after the Philistines, and David escapes and goes to live in the strongholds of Engedi.

The Lord Upholds My Life – Psalm 54

• Another psalm of David, asking for God's help against those who threaten the lives of the faithful.

David Spares Saul's Life – 1 Samuel 24

• When Saul returns from fighting the Philistines, he is told that David is in the wilderness of Engedi. He takes 3,000 men there. Saul goes into a cave to relieve himself, not knowing that David and his men were in the inmost parts of the cave. David's men encourage him to kill Saul, but he instead cuts off a piece of his robe. Afterward, David realizes he must not kill Saul since he is God's anointed and doesn't allow him men to attack Saul.
• When Saul leaves the cave, David follows him and shows him the he spared his life (he believes God should be the one to avenge Saul's wrongdoing). Saul acknowledges that David is more righteous than he and that David will be king. He asks David to swear that he will not cut off Saul's offspring after him or destroy his name, and David agrees. They go their separate ways.

The Death of Samuel  – 1 Samuel 25

• Samuel dies, and all of Israel mourns for him. He is buried in his house at Ramah.

David and Abigail

• David goes to the wilderness of Paran, where there is a cruel man named Nabal and his beautiful wife Abigail. While Nabal is out sheepshearing, David sends ten of his man to politely request food from Nabal, but Nabal responds with comtempt and refuses. David sends about 400 armed men to Nabal.
• Abigail learns about David's men and prepares much food for the men, not telling Nabal. She and her servants go out to meet David and his men and she begs them to forgive her husband and accept what she has brought. David realizes she has stopped him from doing  a foolish thing, accepts her gifts, and promises not to harm her husband.
• When Abigail returns, Nabal is holding a feast in his house and is drunk. The next morning, Abigail tells him what she has done, and Nabal's heart dies within him (he has a heart attack or stroke). Ten days later, God strikes Nabal and he dies.
• When David learns of Nabal's death, he sends his servants to ask Abigail to come and be his wife. She agrees, and Ahinoam of Jezreel also becomes his wife. Saul has given Michal to another man.

April 16: 1 Samuel 22:1–2; Psalm 57; Psalm 142; 1 Chronicles 12:8–18; 1 Samuel 22:3–23; Psalm 52; 1 Samuel 23:1–12

David at the Cave of Adullam – 1 Samuel 22:1–2

• David flees to the cave of Adullam. His father and brothers go to him, and everyone who is distressed, in debt, or bitter gathers there. He becomes their leader, approximately 400 men.

Let Your Glory Be Over All the Earth – Psalm 57

• David's psalm asking for God's mercy and showing his confidence in danger as well as his expectation of God's victory and vindication.

You Are My Refuge – Psalm 142

• David cries out for God, praying for protection from his persecutors.

The Mighty Men Join David – 1 Chronicles 12:8–18

• Mighty warriors from the Gadites go to David, as do men from Benjamin and Judah. David receives them and makes them officers of his troops.

David at the Cave of Adullam – 1 Samuel 22:3–23

• David takes his father and mother to the king of Moab, where they stay. The prophet Gad goes to David and tells him to go to the land of Judah, which he does.

Saul Kills the Priests at Nob

• Saul, in Gilbeah, asks his servants if David will make them commanders and give them much land, then points out that none of them told him that Jonathan had made a covenant with David. Doeg the Edomite, who had seen David with Ahimelech, tells Saul that Ahimelech gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath.
• Saul summons Ahimelech and all his sons, the priests, to him. He questions Ahimelech about David (who nothing of David's break with Saul), and Ahimelech tells him what happened. Saul instructs his servants to kill the priests, but they refuse, so he has Doeg the Edomite kill Ahimelech and all his sons (85 people). Saul also has everyone in the city of Nob killed, as well as the livestock.
• One of Ahimelech's sons, Abiathar, escapes and goes to tell David what has happened. David, who had expected Doeg would tell Saul about him, tells Abiathar to stay with him for safety.

The Steadfast Love of God Endures – Psalm 52

• Another of David's psalms about God's protection from ruthless enemies.

David Saves the City of Keilah – 1 Samuel 23:1–12

• David's men tell him that the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and David inquires of the Lord if he should attack them. God instructs him to attack them and save the city, but David's men are afraid. David inquires of the Lord again, and He says he will give the Philistines into his hand. David conquers the Philistines and saves Keilah.
• Saul learns that David had overtaken the Philistines in Keilah, and sends his army to besiege David and his men. David asks God if Saul will come after him in Keilah, and God confirms that Saul will do so.

April 15: 1 Samuel 20:1 – 1 Samuel 21:15; Psalm 34

Jonathan Warns David – 1 Samuel 20

• David flees from Naioth and goes to Jonathan. He asks Jonathan what he has done that Saul wants to kill him. He reminds Jonathan that Saul knows of their friendship and he won't tell Jonathan of his plans for David, and tells him he will hide instead of going to eat with the king at the new moon festival. Jonathan is to tell Saul that David has gone home to Bethlehem, and if Saul becomes mad, he will know Saul's ill will toward David.
• This comes to pass, and Saul becomes angry when Jonathan tells him David has gone to Bethlehem. He curses him and throws his spear at him. The next day, Jonathan takes a young boy and goes in search of David. He shoots the arrows ahead of him and sends the boy to retrieve them, then sends him back to town. When the boy is gone, David comes to meet Jonathan and bows before him three times. They embrace and say their goodbyes.

David and the Holy Bread – 1 Samuel 21

• David goes to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech asks why he is alone, and David tells him he is sent by Saul and cannot tell anyone why he is there, that he will meet his men later. He asks for bread, and Ahimelech has no common bread, so he gives David holy bread. David asks if he has a sword, since he had no time to bring one, and Ahimelech gives him the sword of Goliath.

David Flees to Gath

• David flees to Gath, to Achish the king (with hope of serving him as a mercenary, but the kings men recognize him). He is brought to the king, where he pretends to be insane. Achish believes he is mad.

Taste and See that the Lord is Good – Psalm 34

• David writes of paslm of thanksgiving for God's care and protection of those who trust in Him.

April 14: 1 Samuel 17:32 – 1 Samuel 19:17; Psalm 59; 1 Samuel 19:18–24

David and Goliath – 1 Samuel 17:32–58

• David tells Saul not to fear, because he will go and fight the Philistine. Saul points out that David is a youth, and David reminds him that as a shepherd he has killed lions and bears. Saul tells him to go, and may the Lord be with him.
• Saul clothes David in armor, and David takes a staff, his sling, and five smooth stones from the  brook. Goliath comes at David and asks if he is a dog, that David comes at him with sticks. David tells him that the Lord will deliver him into his hand, and David will strike him down and cut off his head, for the battle is the Lord's.
• David slings a stone, striking Goliath in the head, and he falls face down on the ground. David runs forward and draws his sword, then beheads Goliath. When the Philistines hear that their champion is dead, they flee. The men of Israel and Judah pursue them, and David brings Goliath's head to Jerusalem.
• Saul asks Abner whose son David is, but Abner doesn't know. Saul has David brought to him, and David tells him he is the son of Jesse the Bethlehemite.

David and Jonathan's Friendship – 1 Samuel 18

• David and Jonathan become good friends, and Saul has David brought into his house. Jonathan gives David his robe, armor, sword, and belt. David is successful in whatever he does, so Saul sets him over the men of war.

Saul's Jealousy of David

• Saul hears the women singing about Saul killing his thousands and David killing his ten thousands, and he is jealous of David. The next day a harmful spirit rushed onto Saul, and he calls for David to play his lyre. Twice while David is playing, Saul throws his speak at him, but David evades him. Saul is afraid of David because God is with him, Saul stands in fearful awe of him, and Israel and Judah loves David.

David Marries Michal

• Saul tries to give David his daughter Merab, telling him to be valiant in the Lord's battles (he hope the Philistines will take his life). David asks who he is to be the son-in-law to the king, and Saul gives Merab to another man.
• Saul's daughter Michal loves David, and Saul hopes to use her as a snare for him (that the hands of the Philistines would be against him). David again asks who is he to be a son-in-law to the king, and Saul says that he requires no bride-price except 100 foreskins of Philistines. David brings back 200 foreskins, and Saul gives him Michal for a wife. When Saul realizes the Lord is with David, and that his daughter loves David, Saul is even more afraid. David continues to have success in fighting the Philistines.

Saul Tries to Kill David – 1 Samuel 19

• Saul tries to talk Jonathan and his servants into killing David, but Jonathan loves David and tells him what his father is planning. He tells him to go into hiding and that he will convey to him his father's plans. Jonathan then points out to Saul that David has done nothing wrong and has brought great salvation to Israel. He questions his father why he would have him put to death. Saul listens and decrees that David will not be put to death, and Jonathan calls David back to Saul.
• A war again breaks out, and David goes to fight the Philistines. A harmful spirit comes upon Saul, and David is called to play the lyre. Saul again throws his spear at him, and David flees. Saul sends messengers to David's house to watch him, and Michal lets him down through a window so he can escape. She makes a form of David, and when the messengers come, she tells them he is sick. Saul sends the messengers back to bring David to him, and when he learns David has fled, he questions Michal why she deceived him.

Deliver Me from My Enemies – Psalm 59

• David laments, seeking God's protection from Saul. In the first half, David cries for help, and in the second he voices confidence that God will protect him and make an example of his persecutors.

Saul Tries to Kill David – 1 Samuel 19 continued

• David escapes to Samuel in Ramah, and tells him what Saul has done. Samuel and David go to live in Naioth, and Saul finds out. He sends messengers to them three times, but God humbles the messengers each time. Then Saul goes to them himself, and God humbles him as well (he also prophesies before Samuel).

April 13: 1 Samuel 15:1 – 1 Samuel 17:31

The Lord Rejects Saul – 1 Samuel 15

• Samuel tells Saul that the Lord has sent him to anoint Saul over Israel and the God instructs Saul to destroy Amalek and all that they have. Saul summons the people (numbering 200,000 plus 10,000 men of Judah). He tells the Kenites to flee since they were kind to Israel, then destroys the Amalekites. He spares Agag, king of the Amalekites and the best of their livestock.
• The Lord sends word to Samuel that He is sorry that He made Saul king, because Saul has turned his back on Him and not followed His commandments. He then learns that Saul has erected a monument to himself. The next day Samuel goes to Saul and questions why he did not obey God's commands, and points out that he has rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord has rejected Saul as king.
• Saul begs for forgiveness, but Samuel refuses. As Samuel turns to leave, Saul seizes the skirt of his robe and the fabric tears. Samuel tells him that on this day the Lord has torn the kingdom from him. Saul bows before the Lord.
• Samuel has Agag brought to him. Agag thinks the bitterness of death is past, but Samuel hacks him to pieces with a sword because he has left so many women childless. Samuel goes to Ramah, and Saul goes to Gilbeah. (Samuel does not see him again until the day of his death, but he grieves over Saul, and God regrets making Saul king of Israel.

David Anointed King – 1 Samuel 16

• God asks Samuel how long he will grieve over Saul. He tells Samuel to fill his horn with oil and go to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for He will choose a king from his sons. Samuel fears Saul will kill him, but God tells him that He will show him what to do.
• Samuel goes to Bethlehem, and the elders ask if he has come peaceably. He tells them he has. He tells them to consecrate themselves and come to a sacrifice. He consecrates Jesse and invites him and his sons to the sacrifice as well.
• Samuel thinks Eliab will be God's chosen, but God tells him not to look at appearance or stature. The rest of Jesse's sons are brought before Samuel, but none of them are chosen either. Samuel asks Jesse if he has other sons, and Jesse tells him about his youngest, who is tending sheep. Samuel has Jesse send for him, and when David arrives, God tells Samuel to anoint him. Samuel does, and the Spirit of God rushes upon David. Samuel returns to Ramah.

David in Saul's Service

• The Spirit of the Lord leaves Saul, and a harmful spirit torments him. His servants suggest finding a servant to play the lyre so he will be well. Saul does so, and David is brought to him. David enters Saul's service, and Saul loves him. Whenever the harmful spirit is upon Saul, David refreshes him by playing the lyre.

David and Goliath – 1 Samuel 17

• The Philistines gather their armies for battle. Saul and his men go to meet them, with Saul and his men on mountains and the Philistines on other mountains, with a valley between. The Philistines have a warrior named Goliath (about 9 feet 9 inches) who goes forward and calls for an Israelite man to go against him. For forty days and nights he does this. Saul and all his men are greatly afraid.
• Jesse sends David with food for his three brothers who are fighting with Saul. While he is there, Goliath comes forward and calls for a man to fight him. David asks who this uncircumcised Philistine is, that he should defy the armies of God?
• When Saul hears about what David has said, he sends for David.

April 12: 1 Chronicles 9:35–39; 1 Samuel 13:1 – 1 Samuel 14:52

Saul's Genealogy Repeated – 1 Chronicles 9:35–39

• Saul's genealogy is given.

Saul Fights the Philistines – 1 Samuel 13

• Saul becomes king at thirty years old.
• Saul selects 3,000 men of Israel, 2,000 of which went with Saul and 1,000 with his son Jonathan. Jonathan defeats the Philistine garrison and Geba, and the Philistines fight back. The Israelites hide in caves and holes, and some cross the Jordan to Gad.

Saul's Unlawful Sacrifice

• Saul waits seven days, as instructed by Samuel, but Samuel doesn't come to Gilgal, and many of the men flee. Saul calls for the burnt offerings and peace offerings to be brought to him. Samuel arrives as he is offering the burnt offering and asks what Saul has done. Saul explains  that he was trying to seek the Lord's favor, but Samuel tells him he has done foolishly and it will cause his kingdom to end.
• Saul numbers the men with him, about six hundred. While Saul and Jonathan have swords, the others don't (Israel had no blacksmiths). The Philistines approach.

Jonathan Defeats the Philistines – 1 Samuel 14

• Jonathan and his men leave their place without Saul's knowledge. They set out toward the Philistines, determining that if they approach them and the Philistine invite them closer, then God has given them into his hand. Jonathan and his armor-bearer kill about twenty Philistines, and fear spreads through their camp.
• Saul's soldiers in Gilbeah see the army of the Philistines dispersing, and instruct that role be called to see which soldiers are missing. They realize that Jonathan and his armor-bearer are gone. The confusion in the Philistine camp intensifies and Saul and his men set out for the battle. They find the Philistines killing each other. The Lord saves Israel that day.

Saul's Rash Vow

• Saul makes an oath saying that cursed be the man that eats food before it is evening and Saul is avenged of his enemies. His men eat nothing that day. That evening, Jonathan finds honey in the forest and, not knowing his father's vow, eats it. When the men tell Jonathan about his father's curse, Jonathan thinks his father foolish for starving the men.
• The men take the Philistine spoils and the men eat of the oxen, sheep, and calves, including the blood. Saul is made aware that the Israelites have been sinning by eating the blood. He instructs all the men to bring the animals to him and slaughter it there, and not eat of its blood. Saul builds an altar to the Lord.
• Saul instructs his men to plunder the Philistines, but the priest suggests they ask God first. God doesn't answer, and Saul has the army commanders brought to him to find out which man sinned. After the casting of lots, Jonathan is shown to be the guilty one, and he admits to eating the honey. Saul declares that Jonathan must die, but the people object because Jonathan has conquered the Philistines. He is not put to death, and the army is called back from chasing the Philistines.

Saul Fights Israel's Enemies

• Saul continues to fight Israel's enemies around them.

April 11: 1 Samuel 9:1 – 1 Samuel 12:25

Saul Chosen to Be King – 1 Samuel 9

• In the land of Benjamin lives a man of wealth named Saul. He was taller than all others from his shoulders upward and was more handsome than any other man. The donkeys of Saul's father, Kish, are lost, so Kish sends Saul in search of them. He passes through the lands of Ephraim and Benjamin but is unable to find them.
• While in the land of Zuph, Saul tells his servant that they should return home, but the servant points out that a man of God (a seer) who lives in the city and they should ask him the way to go. They agree to take a quarter of a shekel of silver to the man.
• God has already told Samuel that He would send him the man to be anointed king. When Samuel sees Saul, God tells him that this is the man. He invites Saul and the servant to go an eat with him and tells them that their donkeys have been found. Saul asks why Samuel would invite him, because he is of the least of the tribes. Samuel gives the men places at the head of the table. Saul sleeps on the roof of Samuel's home that night, then in the morning he and the servant take leave, but Samuel sends the servant on so he can make know to Saul the word of the Lord.

Saul Anointed King – 1 Samuel 10

• Samuel takes a flask of oil and anoints Saul's head and kisses him, telling him he has been anointed by God as price of Israel. He tells Saul that when he and his servant leave, they will find men by Rachel's tomb. They will then find men, at the oak of Tabor, going up to God at Bethel. He is to receive to loaves of bread from them and go to Gilbeath-elohim, where a group of prophets will meet him. The Spirit of God will rush upon Saul, and he will prophesy and be turned into another man. He is then to go to Gilgal, where Samuel will meet him to offer burnt and peace offerings. He is to wait there seven days for Samuel.
• God gives Saul another heart, he meets the prophets and the Spirit of the Lord rushes on him. Saul's uncle asks him where he has been, and Saul tells him that he has been seeking his father's donkeys, which have been found, but he doesn't tell him about Samuel and the anointing.

Saul Proclaimed King

• Samuel calls the people together in Mizpah and reminds them that they have rejected God and asked for a king. All the tribes are brought together, and Saul is chosen by lot. Samuel presents him, and the people shout, "Long live the king!" Samuel writes the rights and duties of kingship in a book, and sends the people away. Some men of valor go home with Saul, but some worthless fellows despise him. Saul holds his peace.

Saul Defeats the Ammonites – 1 Samuel 11

• Nahash the Ammonite besieges Jabesh-gilead, and the people there ask him to make a treaty with them and they will serve him. Nahash agrees if he can gouge out their right eyes, bringing disgrace on all Israel. The elders ask for seven days' time to send messengers to the rest of Israel, and if no one comes to their aid, they will give themselves up to Nahash.
• Saul is in the field working and people tell him the news about Jabesh. The Spirit of God rushes upon Saul and he is greatly angered. He takes a yoke of oxen, cuts them in pieces, and sends the pieces to all the tribes, warning them that if they do not help, their oxen will be cut up as well. The men muster together, 100,000 of Israel and 30,000 of Judah. They strike down the Ammonites.

The Kingdom Is Renewed

• The people ask Samuel to bring out the people who questioned Saul's rule, that they might be put to death. Saul replies that no one is to be executed, because God has worked salvation for Israel. Samuel summons the people to Gilgal, where the kingdom is renewed and Saul is made king.

Samuel's Farewell Address – 1 Samuel 12

• Samuel tells the people that he has obeyed their command by placing a king over them, and asks them to testify to his integrity. They do, and say the Lord is witness to this. Samuel reminds the people of all God has done for them since bringing them out of Egypt and exhorts them to fear and worship the Lord. He then tells them to watch the great thing that the Lord will do (send thunder and rain when it doesn't rain during the wheat harvest).
• God sends thunder and rain, and the people are terrified. Samuel tells them not to be afraid and again exhorts them to not go back to worshiping their idols and tells them that God will not abandon them. He also warns them that if they continue to sin, they and their king will be swept away.

April 10: 1 Samuel 4:12 – 1 Samuel 8:22

The Death of Eli – 1 Samuel 4

• A man from the tribe of Benjamin runs from the battle and into Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. He tells the city of the news and a great cry comes from the people. When Eli asks what has happened, the man tells him that Israel has fled from the Philistines, his sons have been killed, and the ark has been captured. Eli, who is ninety-eight years old and mostly blind, falls over backward in his chair when he hears about the ark, breaking his neck, and dies. He had judged Israel for forty years.
• When the wife of Phinehas, who was about to give birth, hears that the ark has been taken and that her husband and father-in-law are dead. She goes into labor and dies shortly after hearing that she has birthed a son, whom she names Ichabod, which means "the glory has departed from Israel."

The Philistines and the Ark – 1 Samuel 5

• The Philistines bring the ark from Ebenezer to Ashdod, into the temple of Dagon (their god). The next morning the people find Dagon face down in front of the ark. The people put him back in his place, but the next morning they again find him face down in front of the ark. This time, his head and his hands were cut off and lying on the threshold of the temple.
• The Lord afflicts the people of Ashdod with tumors (?bubonic plague, since mice are mentioned in the next chapter). They take the ark to Gath, but the people there are afflicted with tumors, and then when they go on to Ekron, they people there insist that the ark be taken away. The people there are afflicted with a deathly panic, and those who don't die from that are struck with tumors.

The Ark Returned to Israel – 1 Samuel 6

• The Philistines have had the ark for seven months, and they consult their priests about what to do with the ark. The priests tell them to return it with a guilt offering (five golden tumors and five golden mice), then prepare a cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked and place the ark on it. They determine that if the cart goes to the land of the Israelites, it is God's hand that struck them.
• The cows take the ark to Beth-shemesh, and the Israelites working in the fields there rejoice when they see the ark. The cart and cows stop in the field of Joshua. The Israelites split up the wood of the cart and offer the cows as a burnt offering. The Levites come and get the ark and the box of golden items and place them on a large stone. When the five lords of the Philistines who had followed the ark see this, they return to Ekron. (The five golden tumors and mice were offered one for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.)
• Some of the Israelites are gloating at the ark, and God strikes down seventy men. The local people send work to Kiriath-jearim that the ark has been returned. It is brought to the house of Abinidab, and his son Eleazar s given charge over it. For twenty years, Israel laments after the Lord.

Samuel Judges Israel – 1 Samuel 7

• Samuel tells Israel that if they are returning to the Lord in their hearts, they must put away their foreign gods and serve Him only. He gathers Israel at Mizpah and prays for them. The Philistine hears about the gathering and go to Mizpah, which terrifies Israel. Samuel takes a nursing lamb and offers it as a sacrifice of atonement, then cries out to the Lord. The Lord sends a mighty sound which confuses the Philistines, and Israel defeats them. 
• The Philistines do not enter Israel's territory again, and the hand of the Lord is against them during the days of Samuel. The cities taken from the Israelites are returned to them. There is peace between the Israelites and the Amorites, and Samuel judges Israel for all his days.

Israel Demands a King – 1 Samuel 8

• When Samuel is old, he makes his sons (Joel and Abijah) judges over Israel. They do not walk in the ways of the Lord, taking bribes and perverting justice. The elders come to Samuel in Ramah and tell him to appoint a king to judge them, like all the other nations do. Samuel is displeased by this, but when he prays, God tells him to obey them, for they have not rejected Samuel but God from being King over them. God instructs him to warn them and tell them the ways of the king who will reign over them. 

Samuel's Warning Against Kings

• Samuel informs Israel that a king will take their sons and appoint them to his chariots and horsemen, he will make them plow his ground and reap his harvest, he will make their daughters perfumers and cooks and bakers, and he will take their fields and vineyards and give them to his servants. He will also take a tenth of their grain and vineyards give it to his servants, and will take their best servants, donkeys, and flocks, making them slaves. The people will cry out to God, but He will not answer them.

The Lord Grants Israel's Request

• The people refuse to listen to Samuel, insisting they be given a king. Samuel tells God, and He tells Samuel to give them a king.

April 9: 1 Samuel 1:9 – 1 Samuel 4:11

The Birth of Samuel – 1 Samuel 1

• While they are in Shiloh, Hannah suffers great sadness and refuses to eat. Her husband asks her if he is not worth more to her than ten sons. She goes to the temple, and prays and weeps bitterly, and promises the Lord that if he will grant her a son, she will give him to the Lord and a servant son (a Nazirite).
• Eli the priest sees her moving her mouth but not speaking as she prays, and tells her to stop drinking wine. She objects, saying she is only pouring out her soul to the Lord. Eli tells her to go in peace, and may God grant her petition. Hannah goes back to Elkanah, no longer sad.
• The next morning, after worshiping the Lord, Elkanah, Hannah, and Peninnah return home to Ramah. God remembers Hannah, and she bears a son and calls him Samuel.

Samuel Given to the Lord

• Elkanah continues to go to Shiloh to worship, but Hannah stays home with Samuel until he is old enough to be weaned. Then they take him to Shiloh, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. They slaughter the bull and then bring Samuel to Eli. Hannah tells him that God granted her petition, and she now brings Samuel to serve the Lord.

Hannah's Prayer – 1 Samuel 2

• Hannah prays, exulting the Lord. Elkanah and Hannah return to Ramah, leaving Samuel with Eli to serve God.

Eli's Worthless Sons

• The sons of Eli are worthless men who don't know the Lord. When people would bring sacrifices, they would send over a servant and instruct the servant to offer the sacrifice in a way different from God's command.
• Samuel ministers before the Lord, clothed in a linen ephod. Every year, Hannah brings his a robe. Each year Eli blesses Elkanah and Hannah, and she bears three sons and two daughters. Samuel grows up in the presence of the Lord.

Eli Rebukes His Sons

• Eli is very old, and he hears what his sons are doing to Israel and how they lie with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Eli rebukes their behavior, but they don't listen to him. At the same time, Samuel grows in stature and in favor with God and man.

The Lord Rejects Eli's Household

• A man of God comes to Eli and reminds him of His instructions for sacrifice, then asks why he scorns His sacrifices and offerings by the actions of Eli's sons. God tells Eli that the time is coming when He will put an end to Eli's family serving as priests. They will die before their time, and only a few will survive, but those will lose their sight, have their hearts broken, and lose their children to violent deaths. He tells Eli that to prove it, his sons' Hophni and Phinehas will die on the same day. God will then raise up a faithful priest.

The Lord Calls Samuel – 1 Samuel 3:1

• The Lord calls Samuel while he is lying down, and the boy runs to Eli and says, "Here I am." Eli tells him that he didn't call him and that he should go lie down again. Two more times the Lord calls Samuel again, and he runs to Eli again. After the third time, Eli tells him to go lie down again, and if he is called again, to respond, "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears."
• Samuel does as instructed, and God calls to him again. This time Samuel does as Eli instructed, and God tells him that He is about to punish Eli's household. The next morning, Eli asks Samuel what God told him, but Samuel is afraid to tell him. Eli asks again, and Samuel finally tells him. Samuel states that may God do what seems good to him.
• Samuel grows, and all of Israel knows he is a prophet. The Lord appears at Shiloh, revealing himself to Samuel by the word of the Lord.

The Philistines Capture the Ark – 1 Samuel 4:1–11

• Israel goes to battle against the Philistines at Ebenezer, and the Philistine defeat them. The Israelites bring the ark of the covenant to Ebenezer, hoping it will give them power against their enemies. When it comes into camp, the Israelites give a great shout, and when the Philistine hear that the ark is now in their camp, they are afraid. The Philistines again fight the Israelites, and they slaughter 30,000 men and capture the ark of the covenant and Eli's two sons.

April 8: Ruth 4:13–22; 1 Chronicles 2:9-55; 1 Chronicles 4:1–23; 1 Samuel 1:1–8

Ruth and Boaz Marry – Ruth 4

• Ruth and Boaz marry, and she conceives a son. The women bless the Lord and tell Naomi that God has restored life to her. Naomi becomes the child's nurse, and they name him Obed. He would later become the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The Genealogy of David – Ruth 4:18–22

• The genealogy of David is given, from Perez (Judah's son) to David.

A Genealogy of David – 1 Chronicles 2:9–55

• The descendants of Judah's grandson Hezron are given.
• The descendants of Hezron's son Caleb are given.
• The descendants of Hezron's son Jerahmeel are given.
• More descendants of Hezron's son Caleb (by other women) are given.
• The descendants of Hezron's son Hur are given. 

The Descendants of Judah – 1 Chronicles 4:1–23

• The descendants of Judah are given and Judah's son Shelah are given.

The Birth of Samuel – 1 Samuel 1:1–8 

• In the land of Ephraim lives a man named Elkanah. He has two wives, Hannah (who has no children) and Peninnah (who has children). Every year, he goes up to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord. On the days he did so, he would give a portion to Peninnah and a double portion to Hannah, because he loved her even though the Lord had closed her womb (and Peninnah would provoke her).

April 7: Ruth 1:1 – Ruth 4:12

Naomi Widowed – Ruth 1

• Late in the time when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. Elimelech, a man of Bethlehem in Judah (an Ephraimite), goes to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife Ruth and sons Mahlon and Chillion. While they are there, Elimelech dies and the sons take wives, named Orpah and Ruth. They live there for about ten years, then Mahlon and Chillion also die.

Ruth's Loyalty to Naomi

• Naomi decides to return to her people, as she has heard that the famine has passed. She sets out with her daughters-in-law, but then she tells them to return to their mothers' houses and may God bless them. 
• When she kisses them, they weep and tell her they will return with her to her people. She responds that she is too old to have sons who could marry them. Orpah agrees to return to her mother's house, but Ruth insists she will go with Naomi.

Naomi and Ruth Return

• Naomi returns to Bethlehem with Ruth. She tells the people there to call her Mara now, for she left full and returned empty. They reach Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Ruth Meets Boaz – Ruth 2

• Naomi had a relative of her husband's named Boaz. Ruth asks Naomi if she may go to the field to glean among the ears of grain, in hopes that she might find favor with him. Naomi agrees.
• When Boaz sees her in the fields, he asks who she is and the man in charge of the reapers tells him she is the Moabite woman who returned with Naomi and that she has been working all day with only a short rest. 
• Boaz tells Ruth to stay in his field and keep close to the other young women. He continues that he has told his men to leave her alone and that she may drink of his waters when she is thirsty. She falls on her face before him and asks what she has done to find favor in his eyes. He tells her that he is repaying her for all she has done for Naomi.
• At mealtime, Boaz asks Ruth to eat with him and his reapers. When she leaves, he tells him men to allow her to glean among the sheaves, and to leave her alone. She gleans until evening and then beats out what she gleaned (about an ephah of barley), then takes it home to Naomi. Naomi asks who allowed her to glean in the field, and Ruth tells her. Naomi informs her that he is one of her kinsman redeemers and that Ruth should follow his instructions and stay in his fields.

Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor – Ruth 3

• Naomi tells Ruth to wash and anoint herself and then go down to the threshing floor, where Boaz is winnowing. She is to not make herself known to him until he is finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, she is to uncover his feet and lie at them, and he will tell her what to do. Ruth does as instructed.
• At midnight Boaz awakens and finds her there. He asks her who she is, and she gives her name and tells him he is a redeemer. He tells her not to fear, that because she has not gone after younger men, she has found favor with him. He points out that there is a closer redeemer than he, so if that man will redeem her, fine, but if not, then he will redeem her.
• She lays at his feet until morning, then wakes before anyone else will see her there with him. He gives her six measures of barley, and she returns to Naomi.

Boaz Redeems Ruth – Ruth 4

• Boaz goes to the city elders and when Ruth's closer redeemer walks by, he tells him that Naomi has returned and plans to sell her parcel of land in Bethlehem. The closer redeemer agrees to buy it until he learns that he must also take Ruth (a foreigner) along with it. The closer redeemer refuses, as marrying a foreigner would impair his inheritance. He tells Boaz to redeem the field and Ruth instead and takes off his sandal. Boaz announces that all the surrounding people are witnesses to his buying Naomi's land and taking Ruth as a wife. The people bless Boaz.

April 6: Judges 19:1 – Judges 21:25

A Levite and His Concubine – Judges 19

• A Levite sojourns in the remote parts of the land of Ephraim and takes a concubine from Bethlehem of Judah. She is unfaithful to him, and returns to the house of her father. After four months, the Levite goes to her father's house to try to take her back, bringing with him a servant and two donkeys.
• His woman's father greets him warmly and encourages him to stay with them. The Levite does, and after three days determines to return home. The woman's father talks him into staying another night. The next day the Levite intends to leave again, taking the woman with him, but her father again tries to get him to stay the night. 
• The Levite leaves anyway. As they near (Jebus) Jerusalem, the servant suggests they spend the night there. The Levite refuses since the city is full of foreigners, and determines that they will travel on to Gilbeah or Ramah. The sun sets as they near Gilbeah (in the land of Benjamin), and they go to the center square since no one will take them into their home.
• An old man returns from the fields at dusk and asks the Levite where he is going and where he is from. The Levite explains, and the man invites them to stay at his house so they will not spend the night in the square. 

Gilbeah's Crime

• As the Levite, his servant, his concubine, and the man are eating and drinking, the men of the city surround the house and beat on the door. They tell the old man to bring out the Levite so they can have sexual relations with him. The man offers them his virgin daughter and the concubine instead, and though the men protested, he seized the concubine and gave her over to the men. They abuse her all night, then let her go at daybreak. She falls down at the old man's door.
• The Levite awakes in the morning and finds her lying outside the door. She doesn't answer him (she has died) when he tells her to get up so they can leave, so he puts her on one of his donkeys. When they returns home, he takes a knife and cuts her into twelve pieces and sends the pieces of her throughout the territory of Israel to rally them against the people of Gilbeah.

Israel's War with the Tribe of Benjamin – Judges 20

• The chiefs of all the tribe of Israel, 400,000 men, come together. They ask the Levite about the evil done to his concubine, and he explains to them what happened and asks for their counsel. The tribes of Israel prepare to repay Gilbeah. The men of Benjamin gather in Gilbeah to defend the city—26,700 men against the 400,000 men of Israel.
• The night, the people of Israel ask God who should go to fight first, and God tells them to send Judah first. The next morning, the fighting begins, and the men of Benjamin kill 22,000 of the Israelites. That night, the Israelites weep before the Lord and ask if they should continue to fight. God tells them to go against them again.
• The next day, the Israelites go against the men of Benjamin, and 18,000 Israelites are killed. That night they weep and fast and offer burnt offerings and peace offerings. They again ask, through Phinehas, if they should continue fighting. God tells them that tomorrow he will give the men of Benjamin into their hands.
• The Israelites set up an ambush around Gilbeah. In the end the Israelites destroy 25,100 men of Benjamin, defeating them. 600 flee into the wilderness for four months, and all the towns and cities are destroyed.

Wives Provided for the Tribe of Benjamin – Judges 21

• The men of Israel had all sworn not to give their daughters to the men of Benjamin. Israel mourns for their lost tribe and questions who will be wives for the remaining men of Benjamin. They determine that since no one had come to the camp (to fight Benjamin) from the town of Jabesh-gilead, they will destroy the entire town (men and women who have lain with a man). 400 virgins are found among the inhabitants, and they bring them to Shiloh.
• The Israelites make peace with the 600 men of Benjamin in the wilderness, and elders determine that when the virgins in Shiloh come out to dance dances, the men of Benjamin may take them as wives. The men of Benjamin do as instructed and return to their lands to rebuild their towns. There was no king of Israel at this time, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.

April 5: Judges 16:1 – Judges 18:31

Samson and Delilah – Judges 16

• Samson goes to Gaza, and there he sees and prostitute and goes in to her. When the Gazites learn he is there, they set up an ambush at the gate of the city and plan to kill him in the morning. At midnight he arises, takes hold of the city gates and two posts, and carries themto the top of the hill in front of Hebron.
• After this, Samson falls in love with Delilah, and the Philistine lords tell her to seduce him and see where his great strength lies. If she does, they will give her 1,000 pieces of silver. 
• She asks Samson where his strength lies, and he tells her that if he is bound by seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, he will be only as strong as other men. She has the lords get her the bowstrings and then binds Samson while the lords prepare to ambush him outside. When she tells Samson that the Philistine lords are upon him, he breaks the bowstrings.
• She tells him he has mocked her and again asks where his strength lies. He tells her that if she binds him with new ropes that have never been used, he will be only as strong as any other man. Again he breaks off the ropes. They do this again, and this time he tells her that if she weaves the seven locks of his head with the web and fastens it tight with the pin, he will be only as strong as other men.
• This doesn't work either, and Delilah again presses him for an answer. This time, he tells her about his being a Nazirite and how if his head is shaved, he will become weak. She calls upon the Philistine lords to lay in wait, then has Samson fall asleep on her knees and calls in a man two cut off the seven locks of his head. His strength leaves him and he is caught by the Philistines, who gouge out his eyes and take him to Gaza. While he is in prison, his hair begins to grow back.

The Death of Samson

• The lords of the Philistines gather to worship their god Dagon and rejoice that he has given Samson into their hands. They bring Samson out of prison to entertain them, and they have him stand between two pillars. He asks the man with him to place his hands on the pillars so he can lean on them, then calls out to God to remember him and strengthen him so he can avenge the Philistines. He says, "Let me die with the Philistines," and pulls down the pillars holding the house up. The house collapses, killing himself and the 3,000 men and women inside.
• Samson's family comes down to retrieve his body, then buries it in the tomb of Manoah, his father.

Micah and the Levite – Judges 17

• In the country of Ephraim there lives a man named Micah. His mother has 1,100 pieces of silver that he steals from herr, and he takes it back and gives it to her. She takes 200 pieces of silver to the silversmith and has a carved image made, which Micah uses as a shrine (there is no king, and the Israelites do what is right in their own eyes).
• A young man from Judah (a Levite) stops at the house of Micah while on a journey. Micah asks him to stay with him and be a father and priest to him in return for 10 pieces of silver a year, clothing, and shelter. The Levite dwells with Micah, and becomes like a son to him. Micah believes God will prosper him since he now has a Levite priest.

Danites Take the Levite and the Idol – Judges 18

• Israel is not ruled by a king, and the Danites (who have received no inheritance among the tribes) go in search of an inheritance to dwell in. The Danites send out five men to explore the land, and they end up staying in the house of Micah. They question the Levite why he is there, and he explains that Micah has employed him as his priest. They ask the Levite to inquire of God whether their journey will succeed, and the Levite assures them that their journey is under the eye of the Lord.
• They then travel on and come to Laish, where they find people living well. The return to their leaders and tell them of the place they have found, then 600 men are sent out with weapons of war. The five men tell the others about Micah's ephod, household gods, carved image, and metal image, and they all go to his house and the five take the items. The Levite asks them what they're doing, and they tell him to come with them and be a priest to their entire tribe. He agrees.
• Micah chases after them with his own men, but when he addresses them, he knows that he won't be able to overtake them. He returns home, and the Danites move on to Laish, where they kill the people and burn their city. They rebuild the city, naming it Dan, and live there. They set up the carved images for themselves, and Jonathan (son of Gershom, son of Moses) and his sons become their priests.

April 4: Judges 11:29 – Judges 15:20

Jephthah's Tragic Vow – Judges 11

• The Spirit of the Lord is on Jephthah, and he goes to the Ammonites. Jephthah makes a vow to the Lord that if He will give the Ammonites into his hand, whatever comes out the door of his house when he returns will be the Lord's as a burnt offering. Jephthah goes to fight the Ammonites, and God gives them into his hand.
• Jephthah returns home to Mizpah, and his daughter (his only child) comes out to meet him with tambourines and dances. As soon as he sees her, he tears his clothes and tells her of his vow to God. She tells him he must do as he vowed, but asks for two months to go up and down the mountains with her companions and weep for her virginity. When she returns, he follows through with his vow, and after that, the daughters of Israel lament Jephthah's daughter for four days each year.

Jephthah's Conflict with Ephraim – Judges 12

• The men of Ephraim question Jephthah why he fought the Ammonites without them, and tell him they will burn his house. Jephthah points out that they did not aid him when he asked them to go against the Ammonites with him, so he went on his own. Jephthah gathers all the men of Gilead to fight against Ephraim. 42,000 Ephraimites fall, and Jephthah judges Israel for six years before dying and being buried in Gilead.

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

• After Jephthah, Ibzan judges Israel for seven years before dying and being buried in Bethlehem. Then Elon judges Israel for ten years before dying and being buried in Aijalon. Then Abdon judges Israel for eight years before dying and being buried at Pirathon.

The Birth of Samson – Judges 13

• Israel again does what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, and He gives them over to the Philistines for forty years.
• In the town of Zorah is a man named Manoah (of the Danites). His wife is barren, and the angel of the Lord appears to her and tells her she will bear a son. She is told that the child will be a Nazirite to God from the day of his birth to the day of his death.
• Manoah prays to God, asking that the angel return and teach them how to raise this child. The angel reappears when the woman is in the field without her husband. She brings her husband to the angel, and Manoah asks what the child's manner of life and mission is to be. The angel again says that she may not eat anything from the vine or any other unclean thing. Manoah offers to prepare a young goat for the angel, but the angel suggests a burnt offering instead. The offering is prepared, and the angel is take to heaven by its fire. Manoah and his wife fall on their faces.
• The woman bears a son, whom they name Samson. He grows, and God blesses him.

Samson's Marriage – Judges 14

• Samson goes down to Timnah, and there he sees one of the daughters of the Philistines. He returns home and tells his parents that he wants her for a wife. His parents ask why he cannot pick a wife from the Israelites, but he insists he wants the Philistine woman (God was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel).
• Samson and his parents go to Timnah. There, a young lion approaches him, roaring. Though Samson has no weapons, he tears it to pieces like it was a young goat. He doesn't tell his parents what he has done, but instead goes to speak with the woman he desires for a wife.
• After some days, Samson decides to take the woman. He comes upon the lion he destroyed and there was a swarm of bees in its body as well as honey. He scrapes the honey into his hands (breaking his Nazirite law) and takes it to his parents, eating some on the way.
• Samson's father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there. He tells his 30 Philistine companions a riddle at his wedding feast, but they are unable to answer it. After three days, they talk his wife into getting the answer out of him. After seven days of weeping, she finally gets him to tell her and she tells her people.
• The Spirit of the Lord comes upon him, and Samson kills 30 men in Ashkelon, taking their spoil and using their garments to give to the thirty men he lost the bet with. In anger he returns to his father's house, and his wife is given to his best man.

Samson Defeats the Philistines – Judges 15

• At the times of the wheat harvest, Samson returns to his wife with a young goat, but her father refuses to allow Samson into her bedchamber. Her father tells him that he believed Samson hated her, so he gave her to another, and then he suggests Samson take her younger sister as a wife. In retaliation, Samson ties torches to the tails of 300 foxes and sets them loose in the grain fields and olive orchards. The Philistines burn his wife and her father with fire, and Samson swears vengeance.
• The Philistines make a raid on Lehi, in the land of Judah. When the men of Judah ask why they have done this, the Philistines tell them it is because of what Samson did to them. The men of Judah go to where Samson is hiding in the cleft of the rock of Etam and bind him with ropes to take him to the Philistines.
• When he meets the Philistines, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him and the ties on his arms catch fire and melt away. Using the jawbone of a donkey, Samson kills 1,000 men. He is then thirsty and he calls upon the Lord. God splits open the hollow place at Lehi, and water flows from it. Samson drinks and is revived. He judges Israel for twenty years.

April 3: Judges 9:22 – Judges 11:28

The Downfall of Abimelech – Judges 9

• Abimelech rules over Israel for three years. God sends an evil spirit between him and the people of Shechem, and the people treat him treacherously. Gaal, the son of Ebed, and his family move into Shechem, and the leaders put confidence in him. He asks them who Abimelech is that they should serve him. The recommend serving Hamor, son of Shechem
• Zebul, the ruler of the city learns what Gaal is doing and sends word to Abimelech. Abimelech and his men ambush them by night. He and Zebul are able to quell the revolt and raze Shechem, destroying its tower.
• Abimelech then goes to Thebez and captures it. All the men and women flee to a strong tower within the city and shutter themselves, going to its roof. As Abimelech is fighting the tower, a woman throws a millstone from the roof onto his head, crushing it. He calls over a soldier and tells him to kill him with his sword so it won't be said that he was killed by a woman. The man does as instructed, and the men of Israel return home. God has returned the evil committed by Abimelech and the Shechemites.

Tola and Jair – Chapter 10

• Tola, a man from the land of Ephraim, judges Israel for twenty-three years. After him rises Jair the Gileadite, who judged for twenty-two years. Jair had thirty sons who rode thirty donkeys and had thirty cities. He died and was buried in Kamon.

Further Disobedience and Oppression

• The people of Israel continue to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, serving the gods of the peoples around them, so God sells them into the hands of the Philistine and Ammonites, who oppress them for eighteen years.
• The Israelites cry out to the Lord, begging for deliverance.
• The Ammonites are called to arms, and they encamp at Gilead. Israel encamps at Mizpah. The leaders ask who will fight against the Ammonites.

Jephthah Delivers Israel – Judges 11

• Jephthah the Gileadite is a mighty warrior but also the son of Gilead and a prostitute. His half-brothers drive him out because he was not born of their mother, and he flees to the land of Tob, where he meets worthless fellows.
• The Ammonites make war with Israel, and the elders of Gilead summon Jephthah back to Gilead to be their leader. Jephthah eventually agrees. (He is the first leader raised up by the people and not by God.)
• Jephthah sends messengers to the Ammonites, asking them why they are coming to fight against his land. The Ammonites claim it is because of how Israel came from Egypt and claimed their land. He reminds them that it was God who gave them the land, then tells them that he has not sinned against them and that God will decide between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon. The Ammonites do not listen to the words he sends.