1 Samuel 16

• 1. Finally, the LORD said to Samuel, "You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel. Now fill your horn with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my new king."
• 2. But Samuel asked, "How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.Take a heifer with you," the LORD replied, "and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the LORD.
• 3. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me."
• 4. So Samuel did as the LORD instructed him. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the leaders of the town became afraid. "What's wrong?" they asked. "Do you come in peace?"
• 5. "Yes," Samuel replied. "I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them, too.
• 6. When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Surely this is the LORD's anointed!"
• 7. But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person's thoughts and intentions."
• 8. Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "This is not the one the LORD has chosen."
• 9. Next Jesse summoned Shammah, but Samuel said, "Neither is this the one the LORD has chosen."
• 10. In the same way all seven of Jesse's sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these."
• 11. Then Samuel asked, "Are these all the sons you have?There is still the youngest," Jesse replied. "But he's out in the fields watching the sheep.Send for him at once," Samuel said. "We will not sit down to eat until he arrives."
• 12. So Jesse sent for him. He was ruddy and handsome, with pleasant eyes. And the LORD said, "This is the one; anoint him."
• 13. So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the olive oil he had brought and poured it on David's head. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.
• 14. Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.
• 15. Some of Saul's servants suggested a remedy. "It is clear that a spirit from God is tormenting you," they said.
• 16. "Let us find a good musician to play the harp for you whenever the tormenting spirit is bothering you. The harp music will quiet you, and you will soon be well again."
• 17. "All right," Saul said. "Find me someone who plays well and bring him here."
• 18. One of the servants said to Saul, "The son of Jesse is a talented harp player. Not only that; he is brave and strong and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the LORD is with him."
• 19. So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, "Send me your son David, the shepherd."
• 20. Jesse responded by sending David to Saul, along with a young goat and a donkey loaded down with food and wine.
• 21. So David went to Saul and served him. Saul liked David very much, and David became one of Saul's armor bearers.
• 22. Then Saul sent word to Jesse asking, "Please let David join my staff, for I am very pleased with him."
• 23. And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away.

Romans 14

• 1. Accept Christians who are weak in faith, and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
• 2. For instance, one person believes it is all right to eat anything. But another believer who has a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.
• 3. Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not look down on those who won't. And those who won't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.
• 4. Who are you to condemn God's servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord's power will help them do as they should.
• 5. In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. Each person should have a personal conviction about this matter.
• 6. Those who have a special day for worshiping the Lord are trying to honor him. Those who eat all kinds of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who won't eat everything also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.
• 7. For we are not our own masters when we live or when we die.
• 8. While we live, we live to please the Lord. And when we die, we go to be with the Lord. So in life and in death, we belong to the Lord.
• 9. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that he might be Lord of those who are alive and of those who have died.
• 10. So why do you condemn another Christian? Why do you look down on another Christian? Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God.
• 11. For the Scriptures say, "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow to me and every tongue will confess allegiance to God.'"
• 12. Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God.
• 13. So don't condemn each other anymore. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an obstacle in another Christian's path.
• 14. I know and am perfectly sure on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.
• 15. And if another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don't let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.
• 16. Then you will not be condemned for doing something you know is all right.
• 17. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
• 18. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too.
• 19. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
• 20. Don't tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble.
• 21. Don't eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble.
• 22. You may have the faith to believe that there is nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves by doing something they know is all right.
• 23. But if people have doubts about whether they should eat something, they shouldn't eat it. They would be condemned for not acting in faith before God. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

Lamentations 1

• 1. Jerusalem's streets, once bustling with people, are now silent. Like a widow broken with grief, she sits alone in her mourning. Once the queen of nations, she is now a slave.
• 2. She sobs through the night; tears stream down her cheeks. Among all her lovers, there is no one left to help her. All her friends have betrayed her; they are now her enemies.
• 3. Judah has been led away into captivity, afflicted and enslaved. She lives among foreign nations and has no place of rest. Her enemies have chased her down, and she has nowhere to turn.
• 4. The roads to Jerusalem are in mourning, no longer filled with crowds on their way to celebrate the Temple festivals. The city gates are silent, her priests groan, her young women are crying--how bitterly Jerusalem weeps!
• 5. Her oppressors have become her masters, and her enemies prosper, for the LORD has punished Jerusalem for her many sins. Her children have been captured and taken away to distant lands.
• 6. All the beauty and majesty of Jerusalem are gone. Her princes are like starving deer searching for pasture, too weak to run from the pursuing enemy.
• 7. And now in the midst of her sadness and wandering, Jerusalem remembers her ancient splendor. But then she fell to her enemy, and there was no one to help her. Her enemy struck her down and laughed as she fell.
• 8. Jerusalem has sinned greatly, so she has been tossed away like a filthy rag. All who once honored her now despise her, for they have seen her stripped naked and humiliated. All she can do is groan and hide her face.
• 9. She defiled herself with immorality with no thought of the punishment that would follow. Now she lies in the gutter with no one to lift her out. "LORD, see my deep misery," she cries. "The enemy has triumphed."
• 10. The enemy has plundered her completely, taking everything precious that she owns. She has seen foreigners violate her sacred Temple, the place the LORD had forbidden them to enter.
• 11. Her people groan as they search for bread. They have sold their treasures for food to stay alive. "O LORD, look," she mourns, "and see how I am despised.
• 12. "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see if there is any suffering like mine, which the LORD brought on me in the day of his fierce anger.
• 13. "He has sent fire from heaven that burns in my bones. He has placed a trap in my path and turned me back. He has made me desolate, racked with sickness all day long.
• 14. "He wove my sins into ropes to hitch me to a yoke of captivity. The Lord sapped my strength and gave me to my enemies; I am helpless in their hands.
• 15. "The Lord has treated my mighty men with contempt. At his command a great army has come to crush my young warriors. The Lord has trampled his beloved city as grapes are trampled in a winepress.
• 16. "For all these things I weep; tears flow down my cheeks. No one is here to comfort me; any who might encourage me are far away. My children have no future, for the enemy has conquered us."
• 17. Jerusalem pleads for help, but no one comforts her. Regarding his people, the LORD has said, "Let their neighbors be their enemies! Let them be thrown away like a filthy rag!"
• 18. "And the LORD is right," she groans, "for I rebelled against him. Listen, people everywhere; look upon my anguish and despair, for my sons and daughters have been taken captive to distant lands.
• 19. "I begged my allies for help, but they betrayed me. My priests and leaders starved to death in the city, even as they searched for food to save their lives.
• 20. "LORD, see my anguish! My heart is broken and my soul despairs, for I have rebelled against you. In the streets the sword kills, and at home there is only death.
• 21. "Others heard my groans, but no one turned to comfort me. When my enemies heard of my troubles, they were happy to see what you had done. Oh, bring the day you promised, when you will destroy them as you have destroyed me.
• 22. "Look at all their evil deeds, LORD. Punish them, as you have punished me for all my sins. My groans are many, and my heart is faint."

New Living Translation: 236 of 365 days.