The Daily Audio Bible

¹⁸ The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh numbered forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty valiant men, men able to bear shield and sword, to shoot with a bow, and who were skillful in battle, who went to war. ¹⁹ They made war with the Hagrites, namely Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. ²⁰ They were helped against them, and the Hagrites and all who were with them were delivered into their hand, for they cried to God in the battle, and He heard their prayer because they trusted in Him. ²¹ They captured their livestock: fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys, and one hundred thousand men. ²² So many fell slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their place until the exile.

The Half-Tribe of Manasseh

²³ The children of the half-tribe of Manasseh also dwelt in the land. They increased from Bashan as far as Baal Hermon and Senir, even to Mount Hermon.

²⁴ These were the heads of their fathers’ houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, men of reputation, and heads of their fathers’ houses. ²⁵ They were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had wiped out before them. ²⁶ So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul the king of Assyria, even the spirit of Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and he led the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the river of Gozan to this day.

Sons of Levi

6 The sons of Levi were

The Temple Musicians^(A)

³¹ These are the ones whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after the ark rested there. ³² Now they were ministering before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of meeting with singing until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they were arranged by their order according to their service.

³³ These are the ones standing in order with their sons.

⁴⁸ Their brothers the Levites also were appointed for all kinds of service to the tabernacle of the house of God. ⁴⁹ But Aaron and his sons were making sacrifices on the altar of the burnt offering and on the altar of incense for all the work of the Most Holy Place and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

⁵⁴ And these are their dwelling places according to their walled settlements in their territory, for they were given to them, namely to the sons of Aaron and to the families of the Kohathites, by lot.

⁵⁵ They gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and its surrounding outlands. ⁵⁶ But the open fields of the city, and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

⁵⁷ To the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah with the cities of refuge: Hebron and Libnah with its outlands, Jattir and Eshtemoa with their outlands, ⁵⁸ Hilen with its outlands, Debir with its outlands, ⁵⁹ Ashan with its outlands, and Beth Shemesh with its outlands. ⁶⁰ From the tribe of Benjamin, they gave Geba with its outlands, Alemeth with its outlands, and Anathoth with its outlands.

All their cities throughout their families were thirteen.

⁶¹ To the sons of Kohath, those remaining from the family of that tribe, they gave ten cities by lot from half the tribe of Manasseh.

⁶² To the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, they gave from the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities in all.

⁶³ To the sons of Merari, throughout their families, they gave by lot from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities in all.

⁶⁴ Thus, the sons of Israel gave cities with their outlands to the Levites. ⁶⁵ They gave by lot from the tribe of the sons of Judah, and from the tribe of the sons of Simeon, and from the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, these cities, which are called by their names.

⁶⁶ Then some from the families of the sons of Kohath received cities for their territory from the tribe of Ephraim.

⁶⁷ They gave to them with the cities of refuge: Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim with its outlands, Gezer with its outlands, ⁶⁸ Jokmeam with its outlands, Beth Horon with its outlands, ⁶⁹ Aijalon with its outlands, and Gath Rimmon with its outlands.

⁷⁰ Also the half-tribe of Manasseh gave Aner with its outlands and Bileam with its outlands for the remaining family of the sons of Kohath.

⁷¹ To the sons of Gershom, the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh gave Golan in Bashan with its outlands and Ashtaroth with its outlands.

⁷² From the tribe of Issachar, they received Kedesh with its outlands, Daberath with its outlands, ⁷³ Ramoth with its outlands, and Anem with its outlands.

⁷⁴ From the tribe of Asher, they received Mashal with its outlands, Abdon with its outlands, ⁷⁵ Hukok with its outlands, and Rehob with its outlands.

⁷⁶ From the tribe of Naphtali, they received Kedesh in Galilee with its outlands, Hammon with its outlands, and Kiriathaim with its outlands.

⁷⁷ To the remaining sons of Merari, the tribe of Zebulun gave Rimmono with its outlands and Tabor with its outlands.

⁷⁸ Then on the other side of the Jordan opposite Jericho, to the east of the Jordan, from the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer in the wilderness with its outlands, Jahzah with its outlands, ⁷⁹ Kedemoth with its outlands, and Mephaath with its outlands.

⁸⁰ And from the tribe of Gad, they received Ramoth in Gilead with its outlands, Mahanaim with its outlands, ⁸¹ Heshbon with its outlands, and Jazer with its outlands.

Paul’s Defense Before Agrippa

26 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”

So Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: ² “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that today I shall make my defense before you against all the accusations of the Jews, ³ especially because you are an expert in all customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to patiently listen to me.

⁴ “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning in my own nation and at Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. ⁵ They knew me from the beginning and could testify, if they wished, how according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee. ⁶ And now I stand on trial for hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, ⁷ to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God day and night. Concerning this hope, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. ⁸ Why is it judged incredible by you that God raises the dead?

⁹ “I, too, thought that I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, ¹⁰ which I indeed did in Jerusalem and locked up many of the saints in prison by authority from the chief priests. And when they were killed, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme. And being extremely enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Paul Tells of His Conversion^(A)

¹² “So I went to Damascus with authority and a commission from the chief priests. ¹³ At midday, O King, I saw along the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴ When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

¹⁵ “I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’

“He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness both of what you have seen and of what I will yet reveal to you. ¹⁷ I will deliver you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom I now send you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

Paul’s Testimony to Jews and Gentiles

¹⁹ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do works proving their repentance. ²¹ For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²² Therefore having obtained help from God, I continue to this day, testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen: ²³ that the Christ must suffer, that He would be the first who would rise from the dead, and would announce light to His own people and to the Gentiles.”

Paul Appeals to Agrippa to Believe

²⁴ So as he made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are mad. Much learning is turning you to madness.”

²⁵ Paul said, “I am not mad, most excellent Festus. I speak the words of truth and reason. ²⁶ The king, before whom I also speak freely, knows about these things. For I am persuaded that none of this is hidden from him, for this was not done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”

²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to be a Christian.”

²⁹ Paul said, “I pray to God that not only you, but all who hear me this day, might become not only almost, but thoroughly and altogether, what I am, except for these chains.”

³⁰ When he had said this, the king rose, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them. ³¹ When they had gone aside, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing deserving death or imprisonment.”

³² And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Psalm 6

For the Music Director. With stringed instruments. According to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.