Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
DECEMBER
4
PSALMS: 4, 34, 64, 94,
124
PROVERBS: 4
OLD
TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 14:1 - 57
NEW
TESTAMENT: MARK 6:30 - 56
PSALMS:
4
For
the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of
David.
1
Answer
me when I call to you,
O
my righteous God.
Give
me relief from my distress;
be
merciful to me and hear my prayer.
2
How
long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame
A?
How
long will you love delusions and seek false gods
B?
Selah
3
Know
that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the
LORD will hear when I call to him.
4
In
your anger do not sin;
when
you are on your beds,
search
your hearts and be silent.
Selah
5
Offer
right sacrifices
and
trust in the LORD.
6
Many
are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let
the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.
7
You
have filled my heart with greater joy
than
when their grain and new wine abound.
8
I
will lie down and sleep in peace,
for
you alone, O LORD,
make
me dwell in safety. [1]
PSALMS: 34
Of
David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and
he left.
1
I
A will extol the LORD at all times;
his
praise will always be on my lips.
2
My
soul will boast in the LORD;
let
the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3
Glorify
the LORD with me;
let
us exalt his name together.
4
I
sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he
delivered me from all my fears.
5
Those
who look to him are radiant;
their
faces are never covered with shame.
6
This
poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he
saved him out of all his troubles.
7
The
angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and
he delivers them.
8
Taste
and see that the LORD is good;
blessed
is the man who takes refuge in him.
9
Fear
the LORD, you his saints,
for
those who fear him lack nothing.
10
The
lions may grow weak and hungry,
but
those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11
Come,
my children, listen to me;
I
will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12
Whoever
of you loves life
and
desires to see many good days, [2]
13
keep
your tongue from evil
and
your lips from speaking lies.
14
Turn
from evil and do good;
seek
peace and pursue it.
15
The
eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and
his ears are attentive to their cry;
16
the
face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to
cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17
The
righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he
delivers them from all their troubles.
18
The
LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and
saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19
A
righteous man may have many troubles,
but
the LORD delivers him from them all;
20
he
protects all his bones,
not
one of them will be broken.
21
Evil
will slay the wicked;
the
foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22
The
LORD redeems his servants;
no
one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. [3]
PSALMS: 64
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
Hear
me, O God, as I voice my complaint;
protect
my life from the threat of the enemy.
2
Hide
me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
from
that noisy crowd of evildoers.
3
They
sharpen their tongues like swords
and
aim their words like deadly arrows.
4
They
shoot from ambush at the innocent man;
they
shoot at him suddenly, without fear.
5
They
encourage each other in evil plans,
they
talk about hiding their snares;
they
say, "Who will see them A?"
6
They
plot injustice and say,
"We
have devised a perfect plan!"
Surely
the mind and heart of man are cunning.
7
But
God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly
they will be struck down.
8
He
will turn their own tongues against them
and
bring them to ruin;
all
who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9
All
mankind will fear;
they
will proclaim the works of God
and
ponder what he has done.
10
Let
the righteous rejoice in the LORD
and
take refuge in him;
let
all the upright in heart praise him![4]
PSALMS: 94
1
O
LORD, the God who avenges,
O
God who avenges, shine forth.
2
Rise
up, O Judge of the earth;
pay
back to the proud what they deserve.
3
How
long will the wicked, O LORD,
how
long will the wicked be jubilant?
4
They
pour out arrogant words;
all
the evildoers are full of boasting.
5
They
crush your people, O LORD;
they
oppress your inheritance.
6
They
slay the widow and the alien;
they
murder the fatherless.
7
They
say, "The LORD does not see;
the
God of Jacob pays no heed."
8
Take
heed, you senseless ones among the people;
you
fools, when will you become wise?
9
Does
he who implanted the ear not hear?
Does
he who formed the eye not see?
10
Does
he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does
he who teaches man lack knowledge?
11
The
LORD knows the thoughts of man;
he
knows that they are futile.
12
Blessed
is the man you discipline, O LORD,
the
man you teach from your law;
13
you
grant him relief from days of trouble,
till
a pit is dug for the wicked.
14
For
the LORD will not reject his people;
he
will never forsake his inheritance.
15
Judgment
will again be founded on righteousness,
and
all the upright in heart will follow it.[5]
16
Who
will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who
will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17
Unless
the LORD had given me help,
I
would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18
When
I said, "My foot is slipping,"
your
love, O LORD, supported me.
19
When
anxiety was great within me,
your
consolation brought joy to my soul.
20
Can
a corrupt throne be allied with you--
one
that brings on misery by its decrees?
21
They
band together against the righteous
and
condemn the innocent to death.
22
But
the LORD has become my fortress,
and
my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23
He
will repay them for their sins
and
destroy them for their wickedness;
the
LORD our God will destroy them. [6]
PSALMS: 124
A
song of ascents. Of David.
1
If
the LORD had not been on our side--
let
Israel say--
2
if
the LORD had not been on our side
when
men attacked us,
3
when
their anger flared against us,
they
would have swallowed us alive;
4
the
flood would have engulfed us,
the
torrent would have swept over us,
5
the
raging waters
would
have swept us away.
6
Praise
be to the LORD,
who
has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7
We
have escaped like a bird
out
of the fowler's snare;
the
snare has been broken,
and
we have escaped.
8
Our
help is in the name of the LORD,
the
Maker of heaven and earth. [7]
PROVERBS: 4
4
1
Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction;
pay
attention and gain understanding.
2
I
give you sound learning,
so
do not forsake my teaching.
3
When
I was a boy in my father's house,
still
tender, and an only child of my mother,
4
he
taught me and said,
"Lay
hold of my words with all your heart;
keep
my commands and you will live.
5
Get
wisdom, get understanding;
do
not forget my words or swerve from them.
6
Do
not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love
her, and she will watch over you.
7
Wisdom
is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though
it cost all you have, A get understanding.
8
Esteem
her, and she will exalt you;
embrace
her, and she will honor you.
9
She
will set a garland of grace on your head
and
present you with a crown of splendor."
10
Listen,
my son, accept what I say,
and
the years of your life will be many.
11
I
guide you in the way of wisdom
and
lead you along straight paths.
12
When
you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when
you run, you will not stumble.
13
Hold
on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard
it well, for it is your life.
14
Do
not set foot on the path of the wicked
or
walk in the way of evil men.
15
Avoid
it, do not travel on it;
turn
from it and go on your way.
16
For
they cannot sleep till they do evil; [8]
they
are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.
17
They
eat the bread of wickedness
and
drink the wine of violence.
18
The
path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining
ever brighter till the full light of day.
19
But
the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they
do not know what makes them stumble.
20
My
son, pay attention to what I say;
listen
closely to my words.
21
Do
not let them out of your sight,
keep
them within your heart;
22
for
they are life to those who find them
and
health to a man's whole body.
23
Above
all else, guard your heart,
for
it is the wellspring of life.
24
Put
away perversity from your mouth;
keep
corrupt talk far from your lips.
25
Let
your eyes look straight ahead,
fix
your gaze directly before you.
26
Make
level B paths for your feet
and
take only ways that are firm.
27
Do
not swerve to the right or the left;
keep
your foot from evil. [9]
OLD
TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 14:1 - 57
14
1
The
LORD said to Moses, 2 "These are the
regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing,
when he is brought to the priest: 3
The priest is to go outside the camp and
examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin
disease,A 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some
cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed.
5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed
over fresh water in a clay pot. 6
He is then to take the live bird and dip
it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the
blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 Seven times he shall
sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him
clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields.
8 "The
person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe
with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. After this he may come into the
camp, but he must stay outside his tent for seven days. 9 On
the seventh day he must shave off all his hair; he must shave his head, his
beard, his eyebrows and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe
himself with water, and he will be clean.
10
"On
the eighth day he must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old, each
without defect, along with three-tenths of an Ephah B
of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and one log C
of oil. 11 The
priest who pronounces him clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and
his offerings before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
12 "Then
the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering,
along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the LORD as a wave
offering. 13
He
is to slaughter the lamb in the holy place where the sin offering and the burnt
offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to
the priest; it is most holy. 14 The
priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe
of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and
on the big toe of his right foot. 15 The
priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own
left hand, 16 dip
his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some
of it before the LORD seven times. 17 The
priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right
ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe
of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18
The
rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be
cleansed and make atonement for him before the LORD.
19 "Then
the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be
cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt
offering 20 and
offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for
him, and he will be clean.
21 "If,
however, he is poor and cannot afford these, he must take one male lamb as a
guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, together with a tenth of
an Ephah D
of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, a log of oil,
22 and
two doves or two young pigeons, which he can afford, one for a sin offering and
the other for a burnt offering.
23 "On
the eighth day he must bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting, before the LORD. 24 The
priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering, together with the log of oil,
and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. 25 He
shall slaughter the [10]
lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of
the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on
the big toe of his right foot. 26
The
priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand,
27 and
with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times
before the LORD. 28 Some
of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the
guilt offering--on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on
the
thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his
right foot. 29 The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the
head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD.
30 Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons,
which the person can afford, 31
one E as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering,
together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement
before the LORD on behalf of the one to be cleansed."
32 These
are the regulations for anyone who has an infectious skin disease and who cannot
afford the regular offerings for his cleansing.
33
The
LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 34 "When you
enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a
spreading mildew in a house in that land, 35 the owner of the
house must go and tell the priest, `I have seen something that looks like mildew
in my house.' 36 The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he
goes in to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced
unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house.
37 He is to examine the mildew on the walls, and if it has
greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the
wall, 38 the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close
it up for seven days. 39
On the seventh day the priest shall
return to inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls,
40 he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and
thrown into an unclean place outside the town. 41 He must have all the
inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped
into an unclean place outside the town. 42
Then they are to take other stones to
replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.
43 "If
the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the
house scraped and plastered, 44 the
priest is to go and examine it and, if the mildew has spread in the house, it is
a destructive mildew; the house is unclean. 45 It
must be torn down--its stones, timbers and all the plaster--and taken out of the
town to an unclean place.
46 "Anyone
who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening.
47
Anyone
who sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes.
48 "But
if the priest comes to examine it and the mildew has not spread after the house
has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is
gone.
49
To
purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and
hyssop. 50
He
shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. 51 Then
he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird,
dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the
house seven times. 52
He
shall purify the house with the bird's blood, the fresh water, the live bird,
the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. 53 Then
he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In [11]this
way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean."
54
These
are the regulations for any infectious skin disease, for an itch, 55
for mildew in clothing or in a house, 56 and for a swelling, a
rash or a bright spot, 57 to determine when something is clean or
unclean.
These
are the regulations for infectious skin diseases and mildew.[12]
NEW
TESTAMENT: MARK 6:30 - 56
30
The
apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.
31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did
not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come
with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
32
So
they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But
many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and
got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd,
he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So
he began teaching them many things.
35
By
this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a
remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36 Send the
people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy
themselves something to eat."
37
But
he answered, "You give them something to eat."
They
said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages E! Are we
to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"
38
"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see."
When
they found out, they said, "Five--and two fish."
39
Then
Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green
grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave
thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before
the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all
ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve
basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the
men who had eaten was five thousand.
45
Immediately
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a
mountainside to pray.
47
When
evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.
48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was
against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking
on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him
walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50
because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately
he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I.
Don't be afraid." 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them,
and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had
not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
53
When
they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.
54As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus.
55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went--into
villages, towns or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They
begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him
were healed.[13]
[1]
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[9]
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[10]
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[12]
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[13]
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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
