AUGUST
1
PSALMS: 1, 31,
61, 91, 121
PROVERBS: 1
OLD
TESTAMENT
JEREMIAH
37:1 - 38: - 28
NEW
TESTAMENT
1
TIMOTHY 6:1 - 21
PSALMS: 1
1
Blessed is the man
who
does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or
stand in the way of sinners
or
sit in the seat of mockers.
2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and
on his law he meditates day and night.
3
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which
yields its fruit in season
and
whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever
he does prospers.
4
Not so the wicked!
They
are like chaff
that
the wind blows away.
5
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor
sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but
the way of the wicked will perish. [1]
PSALMS: 31
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let
me never be put to shame;
deliver
me in your righteousness.
2
Turn your ear to me,
come
quickly to my rescue;
be
my rock of refuge,
a
strong fortress to save me.
3
Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for
the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4
Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for
you are my refuge.
5
Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem
me, O LORD, the God of truth.
6
I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I
trust in the LORD.
7
I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for
you saw my affliction
and
knew the anguish of my soul.
8
You have not handed me over to the enemy
but
have set my feet in a spacious place.
9
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my
eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my
soul and my body with grief.
10
My life is consumed by anguish
and
my years by groaning;
my
strength fails because of my affliction, A
and
my bones grow weak. [2]
11
Because of all my enemies,
I
am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I
am a dread to my friends--
those
who see me on the street flee from me.
12
I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I
have become like broken pottery.
13
For I hear the slander of many;
there
is terror on every side;
they
conspire against me
and
plot to take my life.
14
But I trust in you, O LORD;
I
say, "You are my God."
15
My times are in your hands;
deliver
me from my enemies
and
from those who pursue me.
16
Let your face shine on your servant;
save
me in your unfailing love.
17
Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,
for
I have cried out to you;
but
let the wicked be put to shame
and
lie silent in the grave. B
18
Let their lying lips be silenced,
for
with pride and contempt
they
speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19
How great is your goodness,
which
you have stored up for those who fear you,
which
you bestow in the sight of men
on
those who take refuge in you.
20
In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from
the intrigues of men;
in
your dwelling you keep them safe [3]
from
accusing tongues.
21
Praise be to the LORD,
for
he showed his wonderful love to me
when
I was in a besieged city.
22
In my alarm I said,
"I
am cut off from your sight!"
Yet
you heard my cry for mercy
when
I called to you for help.
23
Love the LORD, all his saints!
The
LORD preserves the faithful,
but
the proud he pays back in full.
24
Be strong and take heart,
all
you who hope in the LORD. [4]
PSALMS: 61
For
the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.
1
Hear my cry, O God;
listen
to my prayer.
2
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I
call as my heart grows faint;
lead
me to the rock that is higher than I.
3
For you have been my refuge,
a
strong tower against the foe.
4
I long to dwell in your tent forever
and
take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
Selah
5
For you have heard my vows, O God;
you
have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6
Increase the days of the king's life,
his
years for many generations.
7
May he be enthroned in God's presence forever;
appoint
your love and faithfulness to protect him.
8
Then will I ever sing praise to your name
and
fulfill my vows day after day. [5]
PSALMS: 91
1
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will
rest in the shadow of the Almighty. A
2
I will say B of the LORD, "He is my
refuge and my fortress,
my
God, in whom I trust."
3
Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and
from the deadly pestilence.
4
He will cover you with his feathers,
and
under his wings you will find refuge;
his
faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor
the arrow that flies by day,
6
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor
the plague that destroys at midday.
7
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten
thousand at your right hand,
but
it will not come near you.
8
You will only observe with your eyes
and
see the punishment of the wicked.
9
If you make the Most High your dwelling--
even
the LORD, who is my refuge--
10
then no harm will befall you,
no
disaster will come near your tent.
11
For he will command his angels concerning you
to
guard you in all your ways;
12
they will lift you up in their hands,
so
that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you
will trample the great lion and the serpent. [6]
14
"Because he loves me,"
says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will
call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation." [7]
PSALMS: 121
A
song of ascents.
1
I lift up my eyes to the hills--
where
does my help come from?
2
My help comes from the LORD,
the
Maker of heaven and earth.
3
He will not let your foot slip--
he
who watches over you will not slumber;
4
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will
neither slumber nor sleep.
5
The LORD watches over you--
the
LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor
the moon by night.
7
The LORD will keep you from all harm--
he
will watch over your life;
8
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both
now and forevermore. [8]
PROVERBS: 1
1
1 The proverbs of Solomon
son of David, king of Israel:
2
for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for
understanding words of insight;
3
for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
doing
what is right and just and fair;
4
for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge
and discretion to the young--
5
let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and
let the discerning get guidance--
6
for understanding proverbs and parables,
the
sayings and riddles of the wise.
7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but
foolsA despise wisdom and discipline.
8
Listen, my son, to your father's instruction
and
do not forsake your mother's teaching.
9
They will be a garland to grace your head
and
a chain to adorn your neck.
10
My son, if sinners entice you,
do
not give in to them.
11
If they say, "Come along with us;
let's
lie in wait for someone's blood,
let's
waylay some harmless soul;
12
let's swallow them alive, like the grave, B
[9]
and
whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13
we will get all sorts of valuable things
and
fill our houses with plunder;
14
throw in your lot with us,
and
we will share a common purse"--
15
my son, do not go along with them,
do
not set foot on their paths;
16
for their feet rush into sin,
they
are swift to shed blood.
17
How useless to spread a net
in
full view of all the birds!
18
These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they
waylay only themselves!
19
Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it
takes away the lives of those who get it.
20
Wisdom calls aloud in the street,
she
raises her voice in the public squares;
21
at the head of the noisy streets C she
cries out,
in
the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
22
"How long will you simple ones D love
your simple ways?
How
long will mockers delight in mockery
and
fools hate knowledge?
23
If you had responded to my rebuke,
I
would have poured out my heart to you
and
made my thoughts known to you.
24
But since you rejected me when I called
and
no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
25
since you ignored all my advice
and
would not accept my rebuke,
26
I in turn will laugh at your disaster; [10]
I
will mock when calamity overtakes you--
27
when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when
disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when
distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28
"Then they will call
to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me.
29 Since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the LORD,
30 since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm." [11]
OLD TESTAMENT: JEREMIAH 37:1 - 38: - 28
37 1
Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin A
son of Jehoiakim. 2 Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of
the land paid any attention to the words the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah
the prophet.
3 King
Zedekiah, however, sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah son
of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: "Please pray to the
LORD our God for us."
4 Now
Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for he had not yet been put
in prison. 5 Pharaoh's army had marched out of Egypt, and when the
Babylonians B who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about
them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
6 Then
the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet: 7 "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the
king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of me,
`Pharaoh's army, which has marched out to support you, will go back to its own
land, to Egypt.
8 Then the Babylonians will return and attack
this city; they will capture it and burn it down.'
9 "This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves, thinking, `The Babylonians will
surely leave us.' They will not! 10 Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian C army that is attacking you and only wounded men were left
in their tents, they would come out and burn this city down."
11 After
the Babylonian army had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh's army, 12
Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to
get his share of the property among the people there. 13 But when he
reached the Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son
of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, "You are
deserting to the Babylonians!"
14 "That's
not true!" Jeremiah said. "I am not deserting to the
Babylonians." But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested
Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 They were angry with
Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the
secretary, which they had made into a prison.
16 Jeremiah
was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time.
17 Then King Zedekiah sent for him
and had him brought to the palace, where he asked him privately, "Is there
any word from the LORD?"
"Yes,"
Jeremiah replied, "you will be handed over to the king of Babylon."
18 Then
Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, "What crime have I committed against you
or your officials or this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Where
are your prophets who prophesied to you, `The king of Babylon will not attack
you or this land'? 20 But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let
me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan
the secretary, or I will die there."
21 King
Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the
guard and given bread from the street of the bakers each [12]
day until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the
courtyard of the guard.
38 1
Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur,
Jehucal A son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what
Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, 2 "This is what the LORD says: `Whoever stays in this city
will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the
Babylonians B will live. He will
escape with his life; he will live.' 3 And this is what the LORD says: `This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the
king of Babylon, who will capture it.' "
4 Then
the officials said to the king, "This man should be put to death. He is
discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people,
by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these
people but their ruin."
5 "He
is in your hands," King Zedekiah answered. "The king can do nothing
to oppose you."
6 So
they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son,
which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into
the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the
mud.
7 But
Ebed-Melech, a Cushite, C an official D in the royal
palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was
sitting in the Benjamin Gate, 8 Ebed-Melech went out of the palace
and said to him, 9 "My lord the king, these men have acted
wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him
into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread
in the city."
10 Then
the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite, "Take thirty men from here
with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies."
11 So
Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the
palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down
with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-Melech the Cushite
said to Jeremiah, "Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms
to pad the ropes." Jeremiah did so, 13 and they pulled him up
with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the
courtyard of the guard.
14 Then
King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third
entrance to the temple of the LORD. "I am going to ask you
something," the king said to Jeremiah. "Do not hide anything from
me."
15 Jeremiah
said to Zedekiah, "If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if
I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me."
16 But
King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly to Jeremiah: "As surely as the LORD
lives, who has given us breath, I will neither kill you nor [13]
hand you over to those who are seeking your life."
17 Then
Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "This is what the
LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: `If you surrender to the officers
of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be
burned down; you and your family will live. 18 But if you will
not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed
over to the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will not
escape from their hands.' "
19 King
Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to
the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will
mistreat me."
20 "They
will not hand you over," Jeremiah replied. "Obey the LORD by doing
what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared. 21
But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD has revealed to me:
22 All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be
brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to
you:
"`They misled you
and overcame you--
those trusted friends of
yours.
Your feet are sunk in
the mud;
your friends have
deserted you.'
23 "All
your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself
will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon;
and this city willE be burned down."
24 Then
Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone know about this
conversation, or you may die. 25 If the officials hear that I talked
with you, and they come to you and say, `Tell us what you said to the king and
what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,' 26
then tell them, `I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan's
house to die there.'"
27 All
the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them
everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no
one had heard his conversation with the king.
28 And
Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was
captured.
This is how Jerusalem
was taken: [14]
NEW TESTAMENT: 1 TIMOTHY 6:1 - 21
6 1
All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider
their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may
not be slandered. 2 Those who have believing masters are not to show
less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve
them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers,
and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.
3 If
anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of
our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and
understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels
about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5
and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed
of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
6 But
godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing
into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have
food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want
to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful
desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love
of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have
wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
11 But
you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of
the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made
your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the
sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while
testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14
to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our
Lord Jesus Christ,
15 which
God will bring about in his own time--God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King
of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives
in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and
might forever. Amen.
17 Command
those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their
hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly
provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
18 Command
them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to
share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a
firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that
is truly life.
20 Timothy,
guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and
the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which
some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. [15]
Grace be with you. [16]
[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
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