Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
DECEMBER
7
PSALMS:
7, 37, 67, 97, 127
PROVERBS:
7
OLD
TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 19:1 - 20:21
NEW
TESTAMENT: MARK 8:11 - 38
PSALMS:
7
A
shiggaion
A
of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
1
O
LORD my God, I take refuge in you;
save
and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2
or
they will tear me like a lion
and
rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3
O
LORD my God, if I have done this
and
there is guilt on my hands--
4
if
I have done evil to him who is at peace with me
or
without cause have robbed my foe--
5
then
let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let
him trample my life to the ground
and
make me sleep in the dust.
Selah
6
Arise,
O LORD, in your anger;
rise
up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake,
my God; decree justice.
7
Let
the assembled peoples gather around you.
Rule
over them from on high;
8
let
the LORD judge the peoples.
Judge
me, O LORD, according to my righteousness,
according
to my integrity, O Most High.
9
O
righteous God,
who
searches minds and hearts,
bring
to an end the violence of the wicked
and
make the righteous secure. 1
10
My
shield B
is God Most High,
who
saves the upright in heart.
11
God
is a righteous judge,
a
God who expresses his wrath every day.
12
If
he does not relent,
he
C
will sharpen his sword;
he
will bend and string his bow.
13
He
has prepared his deadly weapons;
he
makes ready his flaming arrows.
14
He
who is pregnant with evil
and
conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.
15
He
who digs a hole and scoops it out
falls
into the pit he has made.
16
The
trouble he causes recoils on himself;
his
violence comes down on his own head.
17
I
will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness
and
will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. 2
PSALMS:
37
Of
David.
1
Do
A
not fret because of evil men
or
be envious of those who do wrong;
2
for
like the grass they will soon wither,
like
green plants they will soon die away.
3
Trust
in the LORD and do good;
dwell
in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4
Delight
yourself in the LORD
and
he will give you the desires of your heart.
5
Commit
your way to the LORD;
trust
in him and he will do this:
6
He
will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the
justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7
Be
still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do
not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when
they carry out their wicked schemes.
8
Refrain
from anger and turn from wrath;
do
not fret--it leads only to evil.
9
For
evil men will be cut off,
but
those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10
A
little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though
you look for them, they will not be found.
11
But
the meek will inherit the land
and
enjoy great peace. 3
12
The
wicked plot against the righteous
and
gnash their teeth at them;
13
but
the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for
he knows their day is coming.
14
The
wicked draw the sword
and
bend the bow
to
bring down the poor and needy,
to
slay those whose ways are upright.
15
But
their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and
their bows will be broken.
16
Better
the little that the righteous have
than
the wealth of many wicked;
17
for
the power of the wicked will be broken,
but
the LORD upholds the righteous.
18
The
days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and
their inheritance will endure forever.
19
In
times of disaster they will not wither;
in
days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20
But
the wicked will perish:
The
LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they
will vanish--vanish like smoke.
21
The
wicked borrow and do not repay,
but
the righteous give generously;
22
those
the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but
those he curses will be cut off. 4
23
If
the LORD delights in a man's way,
he
makes his steps firm;
24
though
he stumble, he will not fall,
for
the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25
I
was young and now I am old,
yet
I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or
their children begging bread.
26
They
are always generous and lend freely;
their
children will be blessed.
27
Turn
from evil and do good;
then
you will dwell in the land forever.
28
For
the LORD loves the just
and
will not forsake his faithful ones.
They
will be protected forever,
but
the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
29
the
righteous will inherit the land
and
dwell in it forever.
30
The
mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and
his tongue speaks what is just.
31
The
law of his God is in his heart;
his
feet do not slip.
32
The
wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking
their very lives;
33
but
the LORD will not leave them in their power
or
let them be condemned when brought to trial. 5
34
Wait
for the LORD
and
keep his way.
He
will exalt you to inherit the land;
when
the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35
I
have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing
like a green tree in its native soil,
36
but
he soon passed away and was no more;
though
I looked for him, he could not be found.
37
Consider
the blameless, observe the upright;
there
is a future B
for the man of peace.
38
But
all sinners will be destroyed;
the
future C
of the wicked will be cut off.
39
The
salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he
is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40
The
LORD helps them and delivers them;
he
delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because
they take refuge in him. 6
PSALMS:
67
For
the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
1
May
God be gracious to us and bless us
and
make his face shine upon us,
Selah
2
that
your ways may be known on earth,
your
salvation among all nations.
3
May
the peoples praise you, O God;
may
all the peoples praise you.
4
May
the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for
you rule the peoples justly
and
guide the nations of the earth.
Selah
5
May
the peoples praise you, O God;
may
all the peoples praise you.
6
Then
the land will yield its harvest,
and
God, our God, will bless us.
7
God
will bless us,
and
all the ends of the earth will fear him. 7
PSALMS:
97
1
The
LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let
the distant shores rejoice.
2
Clouds
and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness
and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3
Fire
goes before him
and
consumes his foes on every side.
4
His
lightning lights up the world;
the
earth sees and trembles.
5
The
mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before
the Lord of all the earth.
6
The
heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and
all the peoples see his glory.
7
All
who worship images are put to shame,
those
who boast in idols--
worship
him, all you gods!
8
Zion
hears and rejoices
and
the villages of Judah are glad
because
of your judgments, O LORD.
9
For
you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth;
you
are exalted far above all gods.
10
Let
those who love the LORD hate evil,
for
he guards the lives of his faithful ones
and
delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11
Light
is shed upon the righteous
and
joy on the upright in heart.
12
Rejoice
in the LORD, you who are righteous,
and
praise his holy name. 8
PSALMS:
127
A
song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1
Unless
the LORD builds the house,
its
builders labor in vain.
Unless
the LORD watches over the city,
the
watchmen stand guard in vain.
2
In
vain you rise early
and
stay up late,
toiling
for food to eat--
for
he grants sleep to A
those he loves.
3
Sons
are a heritage from the LORD,
children
a reward from him.
4
Like
arrows in the hands of a warrior
are
sons born in one's youth.
5
Blessed
is the man
whose
quiver is full of them.
They
will not be put to shame
when
they contend with their enemies in the gate. 9
PROVERBS:
7
7
1
My son, keep my words
and
store up my commands within you.
2
Keep
my commands and you will live;
guard
my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3
Bind
them on your fingers;
write
them on the tablet of your heart.
4
Say
to wisdom, "You
are my sister,"
and
call understanding your kinsman;
5
they
will keep you from the adulteress,
from
the wayward wife with her seductive words.
6
At
the window of my house
I
looked out through the lattice.
7
I
saw among the simple,
I
noticed among the young men,
a
youth who lacked judgment.
8
He
was going down the street near her corner,
walking
along in the direction of her house
9
at
twilight, as the day was fading,
as
the dark of night set in.
10
Then
out came a woman to meet him,
dressed
like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11
(She
is loud and defiant,
her
feet never stay at home;
12
now
in the street, now in the squares,
at
every corner she lurks.)
13
She
took hold of him and kissed him
and
with a brazen face she said:
14
"I
have fellowship offerings A
at home;
today
I fulfilled my vows.
15
So
I came out to meet you; 10
I
looked for you and have found you!
16
I
have covered my bed
with
colored linens from Egypt.
17
I
have perfumed my bed
with
myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
18
Come,
let's drink deep of love till morning;
let's
enjoy ourselves with love!
19
My
husband is not at home;
he
has gone on a long journey.
20
He
took his purse filled with money
and
will not be home till full moon."
21
With
persuasive words she led him astray;
she
seduced him with her smooth talk.
22
All
at once he followed her
like
an ox going to the slaughter,
like
a deer B
stepping into a noose C
23
till an arrow pierces his liver,
like
a bird darting into a snare,
little
knowing it will cost him his life.
24
Now
then, my sons, listen to me;
pay
attention to what I say.
25
Do
not let your heart turn to her ways
or
stray into her paths.
26
Many
are the victims she has brought down;
her
slain are a mighty throng.
27
Her
house is a highway to the grave, D
leading
down to the chambers of death. 11
OLD
TESTAMENT:
LEVITICUS 19:1 - 20:21
19
1
The
LORD said to Moses, 2
"Speak
to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them:
`Be
holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
3
"`Each
of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my
Sabbaths.
I am the LORD your God.
4
"`Do
not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the
LORD your God.
5
"`When
you sacrifice a fellowship offering A
to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on
your behalf.
6
It
shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day;
anything left over until the third day must be burned up.
7
If
any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be
accepted.
8
Whoever
eats it will be held responsible because he has desecrated what is
holy to the LORD;
that person must be cut off from his people.
9
"`When
you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of
your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
10
Do
not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that
have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD
your God.
11
"`Do
not steal.
"`Do
not lie.
"`Do
not deceive one another.
12
"`Do
not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God.
I am the LORD.
13
"`Do
not defraud your neighbor or rob him.
"`Do
not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.
14
"`Do
not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but fear your God.
I am the LORD.
15
"`Do
not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism
to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
16
"`Do
not go about spreading slander among your people.
"`Do
not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life.
I am the LORD.
17
"`Do
not hate your brother in your heart.
Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
18
"`Do
not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but
love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
19
"`Keep
my decrees.
"`Do
not mate different kinds of animals.
"`Do
not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
20
"`If
a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man
but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due
punishment.
Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed.
21
The
man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting
for a guilt offering to the LORD.
22
With
the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him
before the LORD for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be
forgiven.
23
"`When
you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit
as forbidden. B
For three years you are to consider it forbidden C;
it must not be eaten.
24
In
the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to
the LORD.
25
But
in the fifth year you may eat its fruit.
In
this way your harvest will be increased.
I
am the LORD your God.
26
"`Do
not eat any meat with the blood still in it.
"
`Do
not practice divination or sorcery.
27
"`Do
not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of
your beard.
28
"`Do
not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves.
I
am the LORD.
29
"`Do
not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land
will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.
30
"`Observe
my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary.
I am the LORD.
31
"
`Do
not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled
by them. I am the LORD your God.
32
"
`Rise
in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere
your God.
I am the LORD.
33
"`When
an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him.
34
The
alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born.
Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt.
I am the LORD your God.
35
"`Do
not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or
quantity.
36
Use
honest scales and honest weights, an honest Ephah D
and an honest hin. E
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
37
"`Keep
all my decrees and all my laws and follow them.
I
am the LORD.'
"
20
1
The
LORD said to Moses, 2
"Say
to the Israelites:
`Any
Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives A
any of his children to Molech must be put to death.
The people of the community are to stone him.
3
I
will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from his
people;
for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and
profaned my holy name.
4
If
the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one
of his children to Molech and they fail to put him to death,
5
I
will set my face against that man and his family and will cut off 13
from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting
themselves to Molech.
6
"`I
will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and
spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut
him off from his people.
7
"`Consecrate
yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. 8
Keep
my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
B
9
"`If
anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death.
He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his
own head.
10
"`If
a man commits adultery with another man's wife--with the wife of his
neighbor--both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
11
"`If
a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonored his father.
Both the man and the woman must be put to death;
their blood will be on their own heads.
12
"`If
a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to
death.
What
they have done is a perversion;
their blood will be on their own heads.
13
"`If
a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have
done what is detestable.
They must be put to death;
their blood will be on their own heads.
14
"`If
a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked.
Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness
will be among you.
15
"
`If
a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death,
and you must kill the animal.
16
"`If
a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill
both the woman and the animal.
They must be put to death;
their blood will be on their own heads.
17
"`If
a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his
mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace.
They must be cut off before the eyes of their people.
He
has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.
18
"`If
a man lies with a woman during her monthly period and has sexual
relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she
has also uncovered it.
Both of them must be cut off from their people.
19
"`Do
not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or
your father, for that would dishonor a close relative;
both of you would be held responsible.
14
20
"`If
a man sleeps with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle.
They
will be held responsible;
they will die childless.
21
"`If
a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity;
he
has dishonored his brother.
They
will be childless.
15
NEW
TESTAMENT:
MARK 8:11 - 38
11
The
Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked
him for a sign from heaven. 12
He
sighed deeply and said, "Why
does this generation ask for a miraculous sign?
I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."
13
Then
he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.
14
The
disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had
with them in the boat. 15
"Be
careful,"
Jesus warned them. "Watch
out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."
16
They
discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have
no bread."
17
Aware
of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why
are you talking about having no bread?
Do you still not see or understand?
Are your hearts hardened?
18
Do
you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?
And don't you remember?
19
When
I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of
pieces did you pick up?"
"Twelve,"
they replied.
20
"And
when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many
basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"
They
answered, "Seven."
21
He
said to them, "Do
you still not understand?"
22
They
came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged
Jesus to touch him. 23
He
took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When
he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked,
"Do
you see anything?"
24
He
looked up and said, "I
see people; they look like trees walking around."
25
Once
more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were
opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26
Jesus
sent him home, saying, "Don't
go into the village.
A"
27
Jesus
and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi.
On the way he asked them, "Who
do people say I am?"
28
They
replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and
still others, one of the prophets."
29
"But
what about you?"
he asked. "Who
do you say I am?"
Peter
answered, "You are the Christ.
B"
30
Jesus
warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31
He
then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things
and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the 16
law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32
He
spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to
rebuke him.
33
But
when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get
behind me, Satan!"
he said. "You
do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
34
Then
he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If
anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me
35
For
whoever wants to save his life C
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel
will save it.
36
What
good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
37
Or
what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
38
If
anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in
his Father's glory with the holy angels."
17
1
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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10
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11
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12
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15
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16 Excerpted
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17 Excerpted
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Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights
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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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