Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
AUGUST
20
PSALMS:
20, 50, 80, 110, 140
PROVERBS:
20
OLD
TESTAMENT:
EZEKIEL 20:1 - 49
NEW
TESTAMENT:
HEBREWS 9:11 - 27
PSALMS:
20
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
May
the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
may
the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2
May
he send you help from the sanctuary
and
grant you support from Zion.
3
May
he remember all your sacrifices
and
accept your burnt offerings.
Selah
4
May
he give you the desire of your heart
and
make all your plans succeed.
5
We
will shout for joy when you are victorious
and
will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May
the LORD grant all your requests.
6
Now
I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he
answers him from his holy heaven
with
the saving power of his right hand.
7
Some
trust in chariots and some in horses,
but
we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8
They
are brought to their knees and fall,
but
we rise up and stand firm.
9
O
LORD, save the king!
PSALMS:
50
A
psalm of Asaph.
1
The
Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks
and summons the earth
from
the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.
2
From
Zion, perfect in beauty,
God
shines forth.
3
Our
God comes and will not be silent;
a
fire devours before him,
and
around him a tempest rages.
4
He
summons the heavens above,
and
the earth, that he may judge his people:
5
"Gather
to me my consecrated ones,
who
made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
6
And
the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for
God himself is judge.
Selah
7
"Hear,
O my people, and I will speak,
O
Israel, and I will testify against you:
I
am God, your God.
8
I
do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or
your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9
I
have no need of a bull from your stall
or
of goats from your pens,
10
for
every animal of the forest is mine,
and
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11
I
know every bird in the mountains,
and
the creatures of the field are mine.
for
the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13
Do
I eat the flesh of bulls
or
drink the blood of goats?
14
Sacrifice
thank offerings to God,
fulfill
your vows to the Most High,
15
and
call upon me in the day of trouble;
I
will deliver you, and you will honor me."
16
But
to the wicked, God says:
"What
right have you to recite my laws
or
take my covenant on your lips?
17
You
hate my instruction
and
cast my words behind you.
18
When
you see a thief, you join with him;
you
throw in your lot with adulterers.
19
You
use your mouth for evil
and
harness your tongue to deceit.
20
You
speak continually against your brother
and
slander your own mother's son.
21
These
things you have done and I kept silent;
you
thought I was altogether A
like you.
But
I will rebuke you
and
accuse you to your face.
22
"Consider
this, you who forget God,
or
I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:
23
He
who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,
and
he prepares the way
PSALMS:
80
For
the director of music. To the tune of "The Lilies of the
Covenant." Of Asaph. A psalm.
1
Hear
us, O Shepherd of Israel,
you
who lead Joseph like a flock;
you
who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
2
before
Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken
your might;
come
and save us.
3
Restore
us, O God;
make
your face shine upon us,
that
we may be saved.
4
O
LORD God Almighty,
how
long will your anger smolder
against
the prayers of your people?
5
You
have fed them with the bread of tears;
you
have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
6
You
have made us a source of contention to our neighbors,
and
our enemies mock us.
7
Restore
us, O God Almighty;
make
your face shine upon us,
that
we may be saved.
8
You
brought a vine out of Egypt;
you
drove out the nations and planted it.
9
You
cleared the ground for it,
and
it took root and filled the land.
10
The
mountains were covered with its shade,
the
mighty cedars with its branches. 4
11
It
sent out its boughs to the Sea, A
its
shoots as far as the River. B
12
Why
have you broken down its walls
so
that all who pass by pick its grapes?
13
Boars
from the forest ravage it
and
the creatures of the field feed on it.
14
Return
to us, O God Almighty!
Look
down from heaven and see!
Watch
over this vine,
15
the
root your right hand has planted,
the
son C
you have raised up for yourself.
16
Your
vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
at
your rebuke your people perish.
17
Let
your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the
son of man you have raised up for yourself.
18
Then
we will not turn away from you;
revive
us, and we will call on your name.
19
Restore
us, O LORD God Almighty;
make
your face shine upon us,
that
we may be saved. 5
PSALMS:
110
Of
David. A psalm.
1
The
LORD says to my Lord:
"Sit
at my right hand
until
I make your enemies
a
footstool for your feet."
2
The
LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;
you
will rule in the midst of your enemies.
3
Your
troops will be willing
on
your day of battle.
Arrayed
in holy majesty,
from
the womb of the dawn
you
will receive the dew of your youth. A
4
The
LORD has sworn
and
will not change his mind:
"You
are a priest forever,
in
the order of Melchizedek."
5
The
Lord is at your right hand;
he
will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6
He
will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and
crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
7
He
will drink from a brook beside the way B;
therefore
he will lift up his head. 6
PSALMS:
140
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
Rescue
me, O LORD, from evil men;
protect
me from men of violence,
2
who
devise evil plans in their hearts
and
stir up war every day.
3
They
make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's;
the
poison of vipers is on their lips.
Selah
4
Keep
me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
protect
me from men of violence
who
plan to trip my feet.
5
Proud
men have hidden a snare for me;
they
have spread out the cords of their net
and
have set traps for me along my path.
Selah
6
O
LORD, I say to you, "You are my God."
Hear,
O LORD, my cry for mercy.
7
O
Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer,
who
shields my head in the day of battle--
8
do
not grant the wicked their desires, O LORD;
do
not let their plans succeed,
or
they will become proud.
Selah
9
Let
the heads of those who surround me
be
covered with the trouble their lips have caused.
10Let
burning coals fall upon them;
may
they be thrown into the fire,
into
miry pits, never to rise. 7
11
Let
slanderers not be established in the land;
may
disaster hunt down men of violence.
12
I
know that the LORD secures justice for the poor
and
upholds the cause of the needy.
13
Surely
the righteous will praise your name
and
the upright will live before you. 8
PROVERBS:
20
20
1
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
whoever
is led astray by them is not wise.
2
A
king's wrath is like the roar of a lion;
he
who angers him forfeits his life.
3
It
is to a man's honor to avoid strife,
but
every fool is quick to quarrel.
4
A
sluggard does not plow in season;
so
at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.
5
The
purposes of a man's heart are deep waters,
but
a man of understanding draws them out.
6
Many
a man claims to have unfailing love,
but
a faithful man who can find?
7
The
righteous man leads a blameless life;
blessed
are his children after him.
8
When
a king sits on his throne to judge,
he
winnows out all evil with his eyes.
9
Who
can say, "I have kept my heart pure;
I
am clean and without sin"?
10
Differing
weights and differing measures--
the
LORD detests them both.
11
Even
a child is known by his actions,
by
whether his conduct is pure and right. 9
12
Ears
that hear and eyes that see--
the
LORD has made them both.
13
Do
not love sleep or you will grow poor;
stay
awake and you will have food to spare.
14
"It's
no good, it's no good!" says the buyer;
then
off he goes and boasts about his purchase.
15
Gold
there is, and rubies in abundance,
but
lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.
16
Take
the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold
it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.
17
Food
gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man,
but
he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.
18
Make
plans by seeking advice;
if
you wage war, obtain guidance.
19
A
gossip betrays a confidence;
so
avoid a man who talks too much.
20
If
a man curses his father or mother,
his
lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.
21
An
inheritance quickly gained at the beginning
will
not be blessed at the end.
22
Do
not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!"
Wait
for the LORD, and he will deliver you.10
23
The
LORD detests differing weights,
and
dishonest scales do not please him.
24
A
man's steps are directed by the LORD.
How
then can anyone understand his own way?
25
It
is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly
and
only later to consider his vows.
26
A
wise king winnows out the wicked;
he
drives the threshing wheel over them.
27
The
lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man A;
it
searches out his inmost being.
28
Love
and faithfulness keep a king safe;
through
love his throne is made secure.
29
The
glory of young men is their strength,
gray
hair the splendor of the old.
30
Blows
and wounds cleanse away evil,
and
beatings purge the inmost being. 11
OLD
TESTAMENT:
EZEKIEL 20:1 - 49
20
1
In
the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the
elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down in
front of me.
2
Then
the word of the LORD came to me: 3
"Son
of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, `This is what
the Sovereign LORD says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as
I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign
LORD.'
4
"Will
you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them
with the detestable practices of their fathers 5
and
say to them: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I
chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of the
house of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted
hand I said to them, "I am the LORD your God."
6
On
that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a
land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey,
the most beautiful of all lands. 7
And
I said to them, "Each
of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do
not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your
God."
8
"`But
they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get
rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they
forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on
them and spend my anger against them in Egypt. 9
But
for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned
in the eyes of the nations they lived among and in whose sight I had
revealed myself to the Israelites by bringing them out of Egypt. 10
Therefore
I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the desert. 11
I
gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, for the man who
obeys them will live by them. 12
Also
I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that
I the LORD made them holy.
13
"`Yet
the people of Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They did not
follow my decrees but rejected my laws--although the man who obeys
them will live by them--and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I
said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the
desert. 14
But
for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned
in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 15
Also
with uplifted hand I swore to them in the desert that I would not
bring them into the land I had given them--a land flowing with milk
and honey, most beautiful of all lands—16
because
they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my
Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols. 17
Yet
I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to
them in the desert. 18
I
said to their children in the desert, "Do not follow the
statutes of your fathers or keep their laws or defile yourselves with
their idols.
19
I
am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my
laws. 20
Keep
my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will
know that I am the LORD your God."
12
21
"`But
the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees,
they were not careful to keep my laws--although the man who obeys
them will live by them--and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I
would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in
the desert. 22
But
I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what would keep
it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I
had brought them out. 23
Also
with uplifted hand I swore to them in the desert that I would
disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the
countries, 24
because
they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and
desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their fathers'
idols. 25
I
also gave them over to statutes that were not good and laws they
could not live by; 26
I
let them become defiled through their gifts--the sacrifice of every
firstborn A--that
I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the LORD.'
27
"Therefore,
son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, `This is
what the Sovereign LORD says: In this also your fathers blasphemed me
by forsaking me:
28
When
I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw
any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices,
made offerings that provoked me to anger, presented their fragrant
incense and poured out their drink offerings. 29
Then
I said to them: What is this high place you go to?'"
(It is called Bamah B
to this day.)
30
"Therefore
say to the house of Israel: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did and lust after
their vile images? 31
When
you offer your gifts--the sacrifice of your sons in C
the fire--you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to
this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, O house of Israel? As surely
as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will not let you inquire of
me.
32
"`You
say, "We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the
world, who serve wood and stone." But what you have in mind will
never happen. 33
As
surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will rule over you
with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.
34
I
will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries
where you have been scattered--with a mighty hand and an outstretched
arm and with outpoured wrath. 35
I
will bring you into the desert of the nations and there, face to
face, I will execute judgment upon you. 36
As
I judged your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will
judge you, declares the Sovereign LORD. 37
I
will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you
into the bond of the covenant. 38
I
will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I
will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will
not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
39
"`As
for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go
and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely
listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and
idols. 40
For
on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the
Sovereign LORD, there in the land the entire house of Israel will
serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your 13
offerings and your choice gifts, D
along with all your holy sacrifices. 41
I
will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the
nations and gather you from the countries where you have been
scattered, and I will show myself holy among you in the sight of the
nations. 42
Then
you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of
Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your
fathers.
43
There
you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have
defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil
you have done. 44
You
will know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name's sake
and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, O
house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"
45
The
word of the LORD came to me: 46
"Son
of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and
prophesy against the forest of the southland. 47
Say
to the southern forest: `Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will
consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will
not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched
by it.
48
Everyone
will see that I the LORD have kindled it; it will not be quenched.'"
NEW
TESTAMENT:
HEBREWS 9:11 - 27
11
When
Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here,
B
he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not
man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12
He
did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he
entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having
obtained eternal redemption. 13
The
blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those
who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly
clean. 14
How
much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences
from acts that lead to death, C
so that we may serve the living God!
15
For
this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who
are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he
has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under
the first covenant.
16In
the case of a will, D
it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,
17
because
a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect
while the one who made it is living. 18
This
is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.
19
When
Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people,
he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and
branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20
He
said, "This
is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep."
E
21
In
the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and
everything used in its ceremonies. 22
In
fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,
and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23
It
was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be
purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves
with better sacrifices than these. 24
For
Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the
true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's
presence. 25
Nor
did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the
high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is
not his own. 26
Then
Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the
world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to
do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27
Just
as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28
so
Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and
he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation
to those who are waiting for him. 15
1
Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights
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2
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3
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4
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Interactive Bible NIV.
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5
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Reserved
6
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Interactive Bible NIV.
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Reserved
7
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8
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Interactive Bible NIV.
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9
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10
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Interactive Bible NIV.
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11
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Interactive Bible NIV.
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12
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Interactive Bible NIV.
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13
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14
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15
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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
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