April 2

Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

APRIL 2

PSALMS:   2, 32, 63, 92, 122

PROVERBS:  2

OLD TESTAMENT:  2 KINGS 3:1 - 4:17

NEW TESTAMENT:  ACTS 14:8 - 28

PSALMS:  2

¹ Why do the nations conspire ^A

and the peoples plot in vain?

² The kings of the earth take their stand

and the rulers gather together

against the LORD

and against his Anointed One. ^B

³ "Let us break their chains," they say,

"and throw off their fetters."

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord scoffs at them.

⁵ Then he rebukes them in his anger

and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

⁶ "I have installed my King ^C

on Zion, my holy hill."

⁷ I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:

He said to me, "You are my Son ^D;

today I have become your Father. ^E

⁸ Ask of me,

and I will make the nations your inheritance,

the ends of the earth your possession.

⁹ You will rule them with an iron scepter ^F;

you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;

be warned, you rulers of the earth.

¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear

and rejoice with trembling.

¹² Kiss the Son, lest he be angry

and you be destroyed in your way,

for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. ^[1]

PSALMS:  32

Of David. A maskil. ^A

¹ Blessed is he

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

² Blessed is the man

whose sin the LORD does not count against him

and in whose spirit is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent,

my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

⁴ For day and night

your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was sapped

as in the heat of summer.

Selah

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you

and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, "I will confess

my transgressions to the LORD"--

and you forgave

the guilt of my sin.

Selah

⁶ Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you

while you may be found;

surely when the mighty waters rise,

they will not reach him.

⁷ You are my hiding place; ^[2]

you will protect me from trouble

and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.

⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,

which have no understanding

but must be controlled by bit and bridle

or they will not come to you.

¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,

but the LORD's unfailing love

surrounds the man who trusts in him.

¹¹ Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;

sing, all you who are upright in heart! ^[3]

PSALMS:  62

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

¹ My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

² He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

³ How long will you assault a man?

Would all of you throw him down--

this leaning wall, this tottering fence?

⁴ They fully intend to topple him

from his lofty place;

they take delight in lies.

With their mouths they bless,

but in their hearts they curse.

Selah

⁵ Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God^A;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.

Selah

⁹ Lowborn men are but a breath, ^[4]

the highborn are but a lie;

if weighed on a balance, they are nothing;

together they are only a breath.

¹⁰ Do not trust in extortion

or take pride in stolen goods;

though your riches increase,

do not set your heart on them.

¹¹ One thing God has spoken,

two things have I heard:

that you, O God, are strong,

¹² and that you, O Lord, are loving.

Surely you will reward each person

according to what he has done. ^[5]

PSALMS:  92

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

¹ It is good to praise the LORD

and make music to your name, O Most High,

² to proclaim your love in the morning

and your faithfulness at night,

³ to the music of the ten-stringed lyre

and the melody of the harp.

⁴ For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;

I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

⁵ How great are your works, O LORD,

how profound your thoughts!

⁶ The senseless man does not know,

fools do not understand,

⁷ that though the wicked spring up like grass

and all evildoers flourish,

they will be forever destroyed.

⁸ But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.

⁹ For surely your enemies, O LORD,

surely your enemies will perish;

all evildoers will be scattered.

¹⁰ You have exalted my horn^A like that of a wild ox;

fine oils have been poured upon me.

¹¹ My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;

my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

¹² The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

¹³ planted in the house of the LORD, ^[6]they will flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴ They will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

¹⁵ proclaiming, "The LORD is upright;

he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." ^[7]

PSALMS:  122

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ I rejoiced with those who said to me,

"Let us go to the house of the LORD."

² Our feet are standing

in your gates, O Jerusalem.

³ Jerusalem is built like a city

that is closely compacted together.

⁴ That is where the tribes go up,

the tribes of the LORD,

to praise the name of the LORD

according to the statute given to Israel.

⁵ There the thrones for judgment stand,

the thrones of the house of David.

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

"May those who love you be secure.

⁷ May there be peace within your walls

and security within your citadels."

⁸ For the sake of my brothers and friends,

I will say, "Peace be within you."

⁹ For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,

I will seek your prosperity. ^[8]

PROVERBS:  2

2 ¹ My son, if you accept my words

and store up my commands within you,

² turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding,

³ and if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

⁴ and if you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD

and find the knowledge of God.

⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom,

and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

⁷ He holds victory in store for the upright,

he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

⁸ for he guards the course of the just

and protects the way of his faithful ones.

⁹ Then you will understand what is right and just

and fair--every good path.

¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

¹¹ Discretion will protect you,

and understanding will guard you.

¹² Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,

from men whose words are perverse,

¹³ who leave the straight paths

to walk in dark ways,

¹⁴ who delight in doing wrong

and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

¹⁵ whose paths are crooked

and who are devious in their ways.

¹⁶ It will save you also from the adulteress,

from the wayward wife with her seductive words ^[9]

¹⁷ who has left the partner of her youth

and ignored the covenant she made before God. ^A

¹⁸ For her house leads down to death

and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

¹⁹ None who go to her return

or attain the paths of life.

²⁰ Thus you will walk in the ways of good men

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

²¹ For the upright will live in the land,

and the blameless will remain in it;

²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the unfaithful will be torn from it. ^[10]

OLD TESTAMENT:  2 KINGS 3:1 - 4:17

3 ¹ Joram ^A son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. ² He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. ³ Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.

⁴ Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to supply the king of Israel with a hundred thousand lambs and with the wool of a hundred thousand rams. ⁵ But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶ So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. ⁷ He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?"

"I will go with you," he replied. "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

⁸ "By what route shall we attack?" he asked.

"Through the Desert of Edom," he answered.

⁹ So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.

¹⁰ "What!" exclaimed the king of Israel. "Has the LORD called us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?"

¹¹ But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD through him?"

An officer of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah. ^B" ^{[11] 12} Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the LORD is with him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³ Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What do we have to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother."

"No," the king of Israel answered, "because it was the LORD who called us three kings together to hand us over to Moab."

¹⁴ Elisha said, "As surely as the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or even notice you. ¹⁵ But now bring me a harpist."

While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha ¹⁶ and he said, "This is what the LORD says: Make this valley full of ditches.

¹⁷ For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley

will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. ¹⁸ This is an easy thing in the eyes of the LORD; he will also hand Moab over to you. ¹⁹ You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones."

²⁰ The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was--water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.

²¹ Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear ^[12] arms was called up and stationed on the border. ²² When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red--like blood. ²³ "That's blood!" they said. "Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!"

²⁴ But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites. ²⁵ They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well.

²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed.

²⁷ Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.

4 ¹ The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves."

² Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" ^[13] "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil."

³ Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. ⁴ Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side."

⁵ She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. ⁶ When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one."

But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing.

⁷ She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."

⁸ One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. ⁹ She said to her husband, "I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. ¹⁰ Let's make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us."

¹¹ One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. ¹² He said to his servant Gehazi, "Call the Shunammite." So he called her, and she stood before him. ¹³ Elisha said to him, "Tell her, `You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the ^[14]commander of the army?' "

She replied, "I have a home among my own people."

¹⁴ "What can be done for her?" Elisha asked.

Gehazi said, "Well, she has no son and her husband is old."

¹⁵ Then Elisha said, "Call her." So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ "About this time next year," Elisha said, "you will hold a son in your arms."

"No, my lord," she objected. "Don't mislead your servant, O man of God!"

¹⁷ But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her. ^[15]

NEW TESTAMENT:  ACTS 14:8 - 28

⁸ In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed ¹⁰ and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

¹¹ When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!"

¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: ¹⁵ "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. ¹⁶ In the past, he let all nations go their own way. ¹⁷ Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."

¹⁸ Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹ Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. ²⁰ But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and ^[16] Barnabas left for Derbe.

²¹ They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,

²² strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. ²³ Paul and Barnabas appointed elders ^A for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. ²⁴ After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, ²⁵ and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

²⁶ From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

²⁷ On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they stayed there a long time with the disciples. ^[17]

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^[1] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[2] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[3] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[4] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[5] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[6] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[7] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[8] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[9] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[10] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[11] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[12] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[13] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[14] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[15] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[16] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

^[17] Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

John 3:16-21 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, F that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.G 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." H