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, DanielA 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]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
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[2]
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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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[9]
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[10] Excerpted from Compton's
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[11] Excerpted from Compton's
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[12] Excerpted from Compton's
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[13]Excerpted from Compton's
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[14]Excerpted from Compton's
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[15]Excerpted from Compton's
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[16]Excerpted from Compton's
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[17]Excerpted from Compton's
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[18]Excerpted from Compton's
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