Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
AUGUST
17
PSALMS:
17, 47, 77, 107, 137
PROVERBS:
17
OLD
TESTAMENT:
EZEKIEL 14:12 – 16:41
NEW
TESTAMENT:
HEBREWS 7:18 - 28
PSALMS:
17
A
prayer of David.
1
Hear,
O LORD, my righteous plea;
listen
to my cry.
Give
ear to my prayer--
it
does not rise from deceitful lips.
2
May
my vindication come from you;
may
your eyes see what is right.
3
Though
you probe my heart and examine me at night,
though
you test me, you will find nothing;
I
have resolved that my mouth will not sin.
4
As
for the deeds of men--
by
the word of your lips
I
have kept myself
from
the ways of the violent.
5
My
steps have held to your paths;
my
feet have not slipped.
6
I
call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give
ear to me and hear my prayer.
7
Show
the wonder of your great love,
you
who save by your right hand
those
who take refuge in you from their foes.
8
Keep
me as the apple of your eye;
hide
me in the shadow of your wings
9
from
the wicked who assail me,
from
my mortal enemies who surround me. 1
10
They
close up their callous hearts,
and
their mouths speak with arrogance.
11
They
have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with
eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12
They
are like a lion hungry for prey,
like
a great lion crouching in cover.
13
Rise
up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down;
rescue
me from the wicked by your sword.
14
O
LORD, by your hand save me from such men,
from
men of this world whose reward is in this life.
You
still the hunger of those you cherish;
their
sons have plenty,
and
they store up wealth for their children.
15
And
I--in righteousness I will see your face;
when
I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing
your
likeness. 2
PSALMS:
47
For
the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1
Clap
your hands, all you nations;
shout
to God with cries of joy.
2
How
awesome is the LORD Most High,
the
great King over all the earth!
3
He
subdued nations under us,
peoples
under our feet.
4
He
chose our inheritance for us,
the
pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
Selah
5
God
has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the
LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
6
Sing
praises to God, sing praises;
sing
praises to our King, sing praises.
7
For
God is the King of all the earth;
sing
to him a psalm A
of praise.
8
God
reigns over the nations;
God
is seated on his holy throne.
9
The
nobles of the nations assemble
as
the people of the God of Abraham,
for
the kings B
of the earth belong to God;
he
is greatly exalted. 3
PSALMS:
77
For
the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1
I
cried out to God for help;
I
cried out to God to hear me.
2
When
I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at
night I stretched out untiring hands
and
my soul refused to be comforted.
3
I
remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I
mused, and my spirit grew faint.
Selah
4
You
kept my eyes from closing;
I
was too troubled to speak.
5
I
thought about the former days,
the
years of long ago;
6
I
remembered my songs in the night.
My
heart mused and my spirit inquired:
7
"Will
the Lord reject forever?
Will
he never show his favor again?
8
Has
his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has
his promise failed for all time?
9
Has
God forgotten to be merciful?
Has
he in anger withheld his compassion?"
Selah
4
10
Then
I thought, "To this I will appeal:
the
years of the right hand of the Most High."
11
I
will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes,
I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12
I
will meditate on all your works
and
consider all your mighty deeds.
13
Your
ways, O God, are holy.
What
god is so great as our God?
14
You
are the God who performs miracles;
you
display your power among the peoples.
15
With
your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the
descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
16
The
waters saw you, O God,
the
waters saw you and writhed;
the
very depths were convulsed.
17
The
clouds poured down water,
the
skies resounded with thunder;
your
arrows flashed back and forth.
18
Your
thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your
lightning lit up the world;
the
earth trembled and quaked.
19
Your
path led through the sea,
your
way through the mighty waters,
though
your footprints were not seen.
20
You
led your people like a flock
by
the hand of Moses and Aaron. 5
PSALMS:
107
1
Give
thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his
love endures forever.
2
Let
the redeemed of the LORD say this--
those
he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3
those
he gathered from the lands,
from
east and west, from north and south. A
4
Some
wandered in desert wastelands,
finding
no way to a city where they could settle.
5
They
were hungry and thirsty,
and
their lives ebbed away.
6
Then
they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and
he delivered them from their distress.
7
He
led them by a straight way
to
a city where they could settle.
8
Let
them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and
his wonderful deeds for men,
9
for
he satisfies the thirsty
and
fills the hungry with good things.
10
Some
sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,
prisoners
suffering in iron chains,
11
for
they had rebelled against the words of God
and
despised the counsel of the Most High.
12
So
he subjected them to bitter labor;
they
stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13
Then
they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and
he saved them from their distress.
14
He
brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom
and
broke away their chains.
15
Let
them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and
his wonderful deeds for men,
16
for
he breaks down gates of bronze
and
cuts through bars of iron. 6
17
Some
became fools through their rebellious ways
and
suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18
They
loathed all food
and
drew near the gates of death.
19
Then
they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and
he saved them from their distress.
20
He
sent forth his word and healed them;
he
rescued them from the grave.
21
Let
them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and
his wonderful deeds for men.
22
Let
them sacrifice thank offerings
and
tell of his works with songs of joy.
23
Others
went out on the sea in ships;
they
were merchants on the mighty waters.
24
They
saw the works of the LORD,
his
wonderful deeds in the deep.
25
For
he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that
lifted high the waves.
26
They
mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in
their peril their courage melted away.
27
They
reeled and staggered like drunken men;
they
were at their wits' end.
28
Then
they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and
he brought them out of their distress.
29
He
stilled the storm to a whisper;
the
waves of the sea were hushed.
30
They
were glad when it grew calm,
and
he guided them to their desired haven.
31
Let
them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and
his wonderful deeds for men.
32
Let
them exalt him in the assembly of the people 7
and
praise him in the council of the elders.
33
He
turned rivers into a desert,
flowing
springs into thirsty ground,
34
and
fruitful land into a salt waste,
because
of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35
He
turned the desert into pools of water
and
the parched ground into flowing springs;
36
there
he brought the hungry to live,
and
they founded a city where they could settle.
37
They
sowed fields and planted vineyards
that
yielded a fruitful harvest;
38
he
blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and
he did not let their herds diminish.
39
Then
their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by
oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40
he
who pours contempt on nobles
made
them wander in a trackless waste.
41
But
he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and
increased their families like flocks.
42
The
upright see and rejoice,
but
all the wicked shut their mouths.
43
Whoever
is wise, let him heed these things
and
consider the great love of the LORD. 8
PSALMS:
137
1
By
the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when
we remembered Zion.
2
There
on the poplars
we
hung our harps,
3
for
there our captors asked us for songs,
our
tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they
said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4
How
can we sing the songs of the LORD
while
in a foreign land?
5
If
I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may
my right hand forget its skill.
6
May
my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if
I do not remember you,
if
I do not consider Jerusalem
my
highest joy.
7
Remember,
O LORD, what the Edomites did
on
the day Jerusalem fell.
"Tear
it down," they cried,
"tear
it down to its foundations!"
8
O
Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy
is he who repays you
for
what you have done to us--
9
he
who seizes your infants
and
dashes them against the rocks. 9
PROVERBS:
17
17
1
Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than
a house full of feasting, A
with strife.
2
A
wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son,
and
will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3
The
crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but
the LORD tests the heart.
4
A
wicked man listens to evil lips;
a
liar pays attention to a malicious tongue.
5
He
who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever
gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
6
Children's
children are a crown to the aged,
and
parents are the pride of their children.
7
Arrogant
B
lips are unsuited to a fool--
how
much worse lying lips to a ruler!
8
A
bribe is a charm to the one who gives it;
wherever
he turns, he succeeds.
9
He
who covers over an offense promotes love,
but
whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
10
A
rebuke impresses a man of discernment
more
than a hundred lashes a fool.
11
An
evil man is bent only on rebellion;
a
merciless official will be sent against him. 10
12
Better
to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than
a fool in his folly.
13
If
a man pays back evil for good,
evil
will never leave his house.
14
Starting
a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so
drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15
Acquitting
the guilty and condemning the innocent--
the
LORD detests them both.
16
Of
what use is money in the hand of a fool,
since
he has no desire to get wisdom?
17
A
friend loves at all times,
and
a brother is born for adversity.
18
A
man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge
and
puts up security for his neighbor.
19
He
who loves a quarrel loves sin;
he
who builds a high gate invites destruction.
20
A
man of perverse heart does not prosper;
he
whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
21
To
have a fool for a son brings grief;
there
is no joy for the father of a fool. 11
22
A
cheerful heart is good medicine,
but
a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23
A
wicked man accepts a bribe in secret
to
pervert the course of justice.
24
A
discerning man keeps wisdom in view,
but
a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25
A
foolish son brings grief to his father
and
bitterness to the one who bore him.
26
It
is not good to punish an innocent man,
or
to flog officials for their integrity.
27
A
man of knowledge uses words with restraint,
and
a man of understanding is even-tempered.
28
Even
a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and
discerning if he holds his tongue. 12
OLD
TESTAMENT:
EZEKIEL 14:12 – 16:41
12
The
word of the LORD came to me: 13
"Son
of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I
stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send
famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, 14
even
if these three men--Noah, Daniel A
and Job--were in it, they could save only themselves by their
righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD.
15
"Or
if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it
childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it
because of the beasts, 16
as
surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three
men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They
alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.
17
"Or
if I bring a sword against that country and say, `Let the sword pass
throughout the land,' and I kill its men and their animals, 18
as
surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three
men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They
alone would be saved.
19
"Or
if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath upon it
through bloodshed, killing its men and their animals, 20
as
surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel
and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They
would save only themselves by their righteousness.
21
"For
this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when
I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments--sword and famine
and wild beasts and plague--to kill its men and their animals! 22
Yet
there will be some survivors--sons and daughters who will be brought
out of it. They will come to you, 13
and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be
consoled regarding the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem--every
disaster I have brought upon it. 23
You
will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for
you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares
the Sovereign LORD."
15
1
The
word of the LORD came to me: 2
"Son
of man, how is the wood of a vine better than that of a branch on any
of the trees in the forest? 3
Is
wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs
from it to hang things on? 4
And
after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends
and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? 5
If
it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can
it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it
is charred?
6
"Therefore
this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As I have given the wood of the
vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I
treat the people living in Jerusalem. 7
I
will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the
fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against
them, you will know that I am the LORD.
8
I
will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful,
declares the Sovereign LORD."
16
1
The
word of the LORD came to me: 2
"Son
of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices 3
and
say, `This is what the 14
Sovereign
LORD says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry and birth were in the land of
the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
4
On
the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with
water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in
cloths. 5
No
one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of
these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open
field, for on the day you were born you were despised.
6
"`Then
I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay
there in your blood I said to you, "Live!" A
7
I
made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed
and became the most beautiful of jewels.B
Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and
bare.
8
"`Later
I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old
enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and
covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a
covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.
9
"`I
bathed C
you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on
you.
10
I
clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you.
I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. 11
I
adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace
around your neck, 12
and
I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful
crown on your head. 13
So
you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine
linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine
flour, honey and olive oil. You became very
15
beautiful
and rose to be a queen. 14
And
your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because
the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the
Sovereign LORD.
15
"`But
you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute.
You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty
became his. D
16
You
took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you
carried on your prostitution. Such things should not happen, nor
should they ever occur. 17
You
also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold
and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in
prostitution with them. 18
And
you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my
oil and incense before them.
19
Also
the food I provided for you--the fine flour, olive oil and honey I
gave you to eat--you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is
what happened, declares the Sovereign LORD.
20
"`And
you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed
them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? 21
You
slaughtered my children and sacrificed them E
to the idols. 22
In
all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not
remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare,
kicking about in your blood.
23
"`Woe!
Woe to you, declares the Sovereign LORD. In addition to all your
other wickedness, 24
you
built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine in every public
square. 25
At
the head of every 16
street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty,
offering your body with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed
by.
26
You
engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors,
and provoked me to anger with your increasing promiscuity. 27
So
I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I
gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the
Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct. 28
You
engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were
insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied. 29
Then
you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, F
a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.
30
"`How
weak-willed you are, declares the Sovereign LORD, when you do all
these things, acting like a brazen prostitute! 31
When
you built your mounds at the head of every street and made your lofty
shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because
you scorned payment.
32
"`You
adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! 33
Every
prostitute receives a fee, but you give gifts to all your lovers,
bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.
34
So
in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs
after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give
payment and none is given to you.
35
"`Therefore,
you prostitute, hear the word of the LORD! 36
This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you poured out your wealth G
and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers, and
because of all your detestable idols, and because you 17
gave them your children's blood, 37
therefore
I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure,
those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them
against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and
they will see all your nakedness. 38
I
will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and
who shed blood; I will bring upon you the blood vengeance of my wrath
and jealous anger. 39
Then
I will hand you over to your lovers, and they will tear down your
mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your
clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you naked and bare. 40
They
will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to
pieces with their swords. 41
They
will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight
of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will
no longer pay your lovers.
18
NEW
TESTAMENT:
HEBREWS 7:18 - 28
18
The
former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19
(for
the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by
which we draw near to God.
20
And
it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath,
21
but
he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
"The
Lord has sworn
and
will not change his mind:
`You
are a priest forever.'"
B
22
Because
of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
23
Now
there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them
from continuing in office; 24
but
because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25
Therefore
he is able to save completely C
those who come to God through him, because he always lives to
intercede for them.
26
Such
a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set
apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27
Unlike
the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day
after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the
people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered
himself. 28
For
the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath,
which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made
perfect forever. 19
1
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5
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12
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13 Excerpted
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14 Excerpted
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19 Excerpted
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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
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