Formation Journal Reading Plan

6:1 The ark of Yahweh was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

6:2 The Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Show us with which we shall send it to its place.”

6:3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don’t send it empty; but by all means return him a trespass offering: then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.”

6:4 Then they said, “What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him?” They said, “Five golden tumors, and five golden mice, for the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

6:5 Therefore you shall make images of your tumors, and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

6:6 Why then do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully among them, didn’t they let the people go, and they departed?

6:7 “Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a new cart, and two milk cows, on which there has come no yoke; and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them;

6:8 and take the ark of Yahweh, and lay it on the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which you return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by its side; and send it away, that it may go.

6:9 Behold; if it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it was a chance that happened to us.”

6:10 The men did so, and took two milk cows, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home;

6:11 and they put the ark of Yahweh on the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors.

6:12 The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn’t turn aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

6:13 They of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

6:14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they split the wood of the cart, and offered up the cows for a burnt offering to Yahweh.

6:15 The Levites took down the ark of Yahweh, and the coffer that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to Yahweh.

6:16 When the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

6:17 These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to Yahweh: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;

6:18 and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages, even to the great stone, whereon they set down the ark of Yahweh. That stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

6:19 He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of Yahweh, he struck of the people fifty thousand seventy men; and the people mourned, because Yahweh had struck the people with a great slaughter.

6:20 The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?”

6:21 They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of Yahweh; come down, and bring it up to yourselves.”

7:1 The men of Kiriath Jearim came, and fetched up the ark of Yahweh, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Yahweh.

7:2 It happened, from the day that the ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after Yahweh.

7:3 Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you do return to Yahweh with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to Yahweh, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”

7:4 Then the children of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served Yahweh only.

7:5 Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you to Yahweh.”

7:6 They gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before Yahweh, and fasted on that day, and said there, “We have sinned against Yahweh.” Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.

7:7 When the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

7:8 The children of Israel said to Samuel, “Don’t cease to cry to Yahweh our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.”

7:9 Samuel took a suckling lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt offering to Yahweh: and Samuel cried to Yahweh for Israel; and Yahweh answered him.

7:10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but Yahweh thundered with a great thunder on that day on the Philistines, and confused them; and they were struck down before Israel.

7:11 The men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and struck them, until they came under Beth Kar.

7:12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Yahweh helped us until now.”

7:13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the border of Israel. The hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

7:14 The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel recovered its border out of the hand of the Philistines. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

7:15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

7:16 He went from year to year in circuit to Bethel and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places.

7:17 His return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel: and he built there an altar to Yahweh.

141:1 A Psalm by David. Yahweh, I have called on you. Come to me quickly! Listen to my voice when I call to you.

141:2 Let my prayer be set before you like incense; the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.

141:3 Set a watch, Yahweh, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips.

141:4 Don’t incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who work iniquity. Don’t let me eat of their delicacies.

141:5 Let the righteous strike me, it is kindness; let him reprove me, it is like oil on the head; don’t let my head refuse it; Yet my prayer is always against evil deeds.

141:6 Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock. They will hear my words, for they are well spoken.

141:7 “As when one plows and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.”

141:8 For my eyes are on you, Yahweh, the Lord. In you, I take refuge. Don’t leave my soul destitute.

141:9 Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, from the traps of the workers of iniquity.

141:10 Let the wicked fall together into their own nets, while I pass by.

3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

3:2 The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”

3:3 Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see the Kingdom of God.”

3:4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

3:5 Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into the Kingdom of God!

3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

3:7 Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’

3:8 The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

3:9 Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

3:10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things?

3:11 Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness.

3:12 If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

3:13 No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.

3:14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

3:15 that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

3:17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

3:18 He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

3:19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

3:20 For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.

3:21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”