Simon reads the Bible

1 Samuel 21 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. “Why are you alone?” he asked. “Why is no one with you?” 2  “The king has sent me on a private matter,” David said. “He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later. 3  Now, what is there to eat...

1 Samuel 20 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. “What have I done?” he exclaimed. “What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?” 2  “That’s not true!” Jonathan protested. “You’re not going to die. He always tells me everything he’s going to do, even the little things. I know my fath...

1 Samuel 19 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, 2  told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields. 3  I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about...

1 Samuel 18 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. 2  From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home. 3  And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself. 4  Jonatha...

1 Samuel 17 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. 2  Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. 3  So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them. 4  Then Goliath, a Philistine...

1 Samuel 16 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask 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 king.” 2  But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill...

1 Samuel 15 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  One day Samuel said to Saul, “It was the Lord who told me to anoint you as king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the Lord! 2  This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. 3  Now go and comp...

1 Samuel 14 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  One day Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to where the Philistines have their outpost.” But Jonathan did not tell his father what he was doing. 2  Meanwhile, Saul and his 600 men were camped on the outskirts of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree at Migron. 3  Among Saul’s men was Ahijah the priest, wh...

1 Samuel 13 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years. 2  Saul selected 3,000 special troops from the army of Israel and sent the rest of the men home. He took 2,000 of the chosen men with him to Micmash and the hill country of Bethel. The other 1,000 went with Saul’s son Jonathan to Gibeah in the land o...

1 Samuel 12 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Then Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have done as you asked and given you a king. 2  Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. 3  Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his...

1 Samuel 11 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane 1  About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded. 2  “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace t...

1 Samuel 10 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession. 2  When you leave me today, you will see two men beside Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you that t...

1 Samuel 9 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2  His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land. 3  One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he t...

1 Samuel 8 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. 2  Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. 3  But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. 4  Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with S...

1 Samuel 7 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the Lord. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. 2  The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the Lord had abandoned them. 3  Then S...

1 Samuel 6 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  The Ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory seven months in all. 2  Then the Philistines called in their priests and diviners and asked them, “What should we do about the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how to return it to its own country.” 3  “Send the Ark of the God of Israel back with a gift,” they were told. “Send a guilt...

1 Samuel 5 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  5  After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. 2  They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon. 3  But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in f...

1 Samuel 4 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  And Samuel’s words went out to all the people of Israel. At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at Aphek. 2  The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men. 3  After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their...

1 Samuel 3 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. 2  One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. 3  The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. 4  Sud...

1 Samuel 2 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Then Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me. 2  No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 3  “Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the Lord...

1 Samuel 1 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. 2  Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not. 3  Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship an...

2 Peter 3 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. 2  I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles. 3  Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days...

2 Peter 2 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. 2  Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teac...

2 Peter 1 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. 2  May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our...

Judges 21 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  The Israelites had vowed at Mizpah, “We will never give our daughters in marriage to a man from the tribe of Benjamin.” 2  Now the people went to Bethel and sat in the presence of God until evening, weeping loudly and bitterly. 3  “O Lord, God of Israel,” they cried out, “why has this happened in Israel? Now one of our tribes is...