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!
Answer
A us when we call! [1]
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 firstbornA--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.'"
49 Then
I said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! They are saying of
me, `Isn't he just telling parables?'” [14]
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 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
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