AUGUST
2
PSALMS: 2, 32, 62, 92, 122
PROVERBS: 2
OLD TESTAMENT: JEREMIAH 39:1 - 41:18
NEW TESTAMENT: 2 TIMOTHY 1:1 - 18
PSALMS: 2
1
Why do the nations conspire A
and
the peoples plot in vain?
2
The kings of the earth take their stand
and
the rulers gather together
against
the LORD
and
against his Anointed One. B
3
"Let us break their chains," they say,
"and
throw off their fetters."
4
The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the
Lord scoffs at them.
5
Then he rebukes them in his anger
and
terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6
"I have installed my
King C
on Zion, my holy hill."
7
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
He
said to me, "You are my Son D;
today
I have become your Father. E
8
Ask of me,
and
I will make the nations your inheritance,
the
ends of the earth your possession.
9
You will rule them with an iron scepter F;
you
will dash them to pieces like pottery."
10
Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be
warned, you rulers of the earth.
11
Serve the LORD with fear
and
rejoice with trembling.
12
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and
you be destroyed in your way,
for
his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed
are all who take refuge in him. [1]
PSALMS: 32
Of
David. A maskil. A
1
Blessed is he
whose
transgressions are forgiven,
whose
sins are covered.
2
Blessed is the man
whose
sin the LORD does not count against him
and
in whose spirit is no deceit.
3
When I kept silent,
my
bones wasted away
through
my groaning all day long.
4
For day and night
your
hand was heavy upon me;
my
strength was sapped
as
in the heat of summer.
Selah
5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and
did not cover up my iniquity.
I
said, "I will confess
my
transgressions to the LORD"--
and
you forgave
the
guilt of my sin.
Selah
6
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while
you may be found;
surely
when the mighty waters rise,
they
will not reach him.
7
You are my hiding place; [2]
you
will protect me from trouble
and
surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah
8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you
should go;
I
will counsel you and watch over you.
9
Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which
have no understanding
but
must be controlled by bit and bridle
or
they will not come to you.
10
Many are the woes of the wicked,
but
the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds
the man who trusts in him.
11
Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing,
all you who are upright in heart! [3]
PSALMS: 62
For
the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1
My soul finds rest in God alone;
my
salvation comes from him.
2
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he
is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3
How long will you assault a man?
Would
all of you throw him down--
this
leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4
They fully intend to topple him
from
his lofty place;
they
take delight in lies.
With
their mouths they bless,
but
in their hearts they curse.
Selah
5
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my
hope comes from him.
6
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he
is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7
My salvation and my honor depend on God A;
he
is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour
out your hearts to him,
for
God is our refuge.
Selah
9
Lowborn men are but a breath, [4]
the
highborn are but a lie;
if
weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together
they are only a breath.
10
Do not trust in extortion
or
take pride in stolen goods;
though
your riches increase,
do
not set your heart on them.
11
One thing God has spoken,
two
things have I heard:
that
you, O God, are strong,
12
and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Surely
you will reward each person
according
to what he has done. [5]
PSALMS: 92
A
psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.
1
It is good to praise the LORD
and
make music to your name, O Most High,
2
to proclaim your love in the morning
and
your faithfulness at night,
3
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and
the melody of the harp.
4
For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;
I
sing for joy at the works of your hands.
5
How great are your works, O LORD,
how
profound your thoughts!
6
The senseless man does not know,
fools
do not understand,
7
that though the wicked spring up like grass
and
all evildoers flourish,
they
will be forever destroyed.
8
But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.
9
For surely your enemies, O LORD,
surely
your enemies will perish;
all
evildoers will be scattered.
10
You have exalted my horn A like that of a
wild ox;
fine
oils have been poured upon me.
11
My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
my
ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
12
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they
will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13
planted in the house of the LORD, [6]
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they
will stay fresh and green,
15
proclaiming, "The LORD is upright;
he
is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." [7]
PSALMS: 122
A
song of ascents. Of David.
1
I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."
2
Our feet are standing
in
your gates, O Jerusalem.
3
Jerusalem is built like a city
that
is closely compacted together.
4
That is where the tribes go up,
the
tribes of the LORD,
to
praise the name of the LORD
according
to the statute given to Israel.
5
There the thrones for judgment stand,
the
thrones of the house of David.
6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.
7 May there
be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels."
8 For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."
9
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I
will seek your prosperity. [8]
PROVERBS: 2
2
1 My son, if you accept
my words
and
store up my commands within you,
2
turning your ear to wisdom
and
applying your heart to understanding,
3
and if you call out for insight
and
cry aloud for understanding,
4
and if you look for it as for silver
and
search for it as for hidden treasure,
5
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and
find the knowledge of God.
6
For the LORD gives wisdom,
and
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7
He holds victory in store for the upright,
he
is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8
for he guards the course of the just
and
protects the way of his faithful ones.
9
Then you will understand what is right and just
and
fair--every good path.
10
For wisdom will enter your heart,
and
knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11
Discretion will protect you,
and
understanding will guard you.
12
Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from
men whose words are perverse,
13
who leave the straight paths
to
walk in dark ways,
14
who delight in doing wrong
and
rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15
whose paths are crooked
and
who are devious in their ways.
16
It will save you also from the adulteress,
from
the wayward wife with her seductive words [9]
17
who has left the partner of her youth
and
ignored the covenant she made before God. A
18
For her house leads down to death
and
her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19
None who go to her return
or
attain the paths of life.
20
Thus you will walk in the ways of good men
and
keep to the paths of the righteous.
21
For the upright will live in the land,
and
the blameless will remain in it;
22
but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and
the unfaithful will be torn from it. [10]
OLD TESTAMENT: JEREMIAH 39:1 - 41:18
39 1
In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the
tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his
whole army and laid siege to it.
2 And
on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year, the city wall
was broken through.
3 Then
all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle
Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim A a chief officer,
Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of
Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw
them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king's garden,
through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah. B
5 But
the Babylonian C army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the
plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. 6
There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah
before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. 7 Then he
put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to
Babylon.
8 The
Babylonians D set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the
people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan
commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who
remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest
of the people. 10 But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left
behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at
that time he gave them vineyards and fields.
11 Now
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through
Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: 12 "Take him and
look after him; don't harm him but do for him whatever he asks." 13 So
Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer,
Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers of the king of
Babylon 14 sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the
guard. They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to
take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.
15 While
Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD
came to him: 16 "Go and tell
Ebed-Melech the Cushite, `This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel,
says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city through disaster, not
prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. 17 But I will rescue you
on that day, declares the LORD; you will not be handed over to those you fear.
18 I will
save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life,
because you trust in me, declares the LORD.'" [11]
40 1
The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after
Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah. He had
found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah
who were being carried into exile to Babylon. 2 When the commander
of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, "The
LORD your God decreed this disaster for this place. 3 And now the LORD has
brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened
because you people sinned against the LORD and did not obey him. 4 But today I am
freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you
like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don't come.
Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please." 5
However, before Jeremiah turned to go, A Nebuzaradan added,
"Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon
has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or
go anywhere else you please."
Then the commander gave
him provisions and a present and let him go. 6 So Jeremiah went to
Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were
left behind in the land.
7 When
all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard
that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor over
the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the
poorest in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon,
8 they
came to Gedaliah at Mizpah--Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the
sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite,
and JaazaniahB the son of the Maacathite, and their men. 9 Gedaliah
son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men.
"Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians, C" he said.
"Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go
well with you. 10 I myself will stay at Mizpah to represent you
before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine, summer
fruit and oil, and put them in your storage jars, and live in the towns you
have taken over."
11 When
all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom and all the other countries heard that the
king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of
Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 they all came
back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where
they had been scattered. And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer
fruit.
13 Johanan
son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to
Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, "Don't you know that
Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your
life?" But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15 Then
Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, "Let me go and
kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your
life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the
remnant of Judah to perish?"
16 But
Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Don't do such a
thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true." [12]
41 1
In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son
of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king's officers,
came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating
together there, 2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were
with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan,
with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as
governor over the land. 3 Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were
with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian A soldiers who
were there.
4 The
day after Gedaliah's assassination, before anyone knew about it, 5 eighty
men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came
from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with
them to the house of the LORD. 6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out
from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met them, he said,
"Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam."
7 When
they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him
slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern. 8 But ten of them
said to Ishmael, "Don't kill us! We have wheat and barley, oil and honey,
hidden in a field." So he let them alone and did not kill them with the
others. 9 Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men
he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa had made as part of his
defense against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with
the dead.
10 Ishmael
made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah--the king's
daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan
commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael
son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.
11 When
Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about
all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, 12 they took
all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with
him near the great pool in Gibeon. 13 When all the people Ishmael
had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him,
they were glad. 14 All the people Ishmael had taken captive at
Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah.
15 But
Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and fled to
the Ammonites.
16 Then
Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led away all
the survivors from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah
after he had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers, women, children
and court officials he had brought from Gibeon. 17 And they went on,
stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt 18 to
escape the Babylonians. B They were afraid of them because Ishmael
son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon
had appointed as governor over the land. [13]
NEW TESTAMENT: 2 TIMOTHY 1:1 - 18
1 1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2 To
Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace
from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 I
thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as
night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling
your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I
have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother
Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is
in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us
a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
8 So
do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But
join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, [14]
9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of
anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was
given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has
now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has
destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel.
11 And
of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That
is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have
believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to
him for that day.
13What
you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love
in Christ Jesus.
14 Guard
the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy
Spirit who lives in us.
15 You
know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus
and Hermogenes.
16 May
the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed
me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the contrary, when he was
in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord
grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in
how many ways he helped me in Ephesus. [15]
[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.
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[3]
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Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[4]
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[5]
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Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[6]
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Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[7]
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Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[8]
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Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[9]
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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
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Inc. All Rights Reserved
[14] Excerpted from Compton's
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Inc. All Rights Reserved
[15] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
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