DECEMBER
1
PSALMS: 1, 31,
61, 91, 121
PROVERBS: 1
OLD TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 9:7 - 10:20
NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 4:26 - 5:20
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 sayB 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
fools A 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,
2
5since 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: LEVITICUS 9:7 - 10:20
7 Moses
said to Aaron, "Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your
burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the
offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has
commanded."
8 So
Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself.
9 His sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger into
the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured
out at the base of the altar. 10 On the altar he burned the fat, the
kidneys and the covering of the liver from the sin offering, as the LORD
commanded Moses; 11 the flesh and the hide he burned up outside the
camp.
12 Then
he slaughtered the burnt offering. His sons handed him the blood, and he
sprinkled it against the altar on all sides. 13 They handed him the
burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the
altar. 14 He washed the inner parts and the legs and burned them on
top of the burnt offering on the altar.
15 Aaron
then brought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat for the
people's sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as
he did with the first one.
16He
brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way. 17 He
also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the
altar in addition to the morning's burnt offering.
18He
slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people. His
sons handed him the blood, and he sprinkled it against the altar on all sides. 19
But the fat portions of the ox and the ram--the fat tail, the layer of
fat, the kidneys and the covering of the liver—20 these they laid on
the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. 21 Aaron
waved the breasts and the right thigh before the LORD as a wave offering, as
Moses commanded.
22 Then
Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having
sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he
stepped down.
23 Moses
and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed
the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24 Fire
came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the
fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy
and fell facedown.
10 1
Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put
fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the
LORD, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence
of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 3 Moses
then said [12]
to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when he
said:
"`Among
those who approach me
I will show
myself holy;
in the sight
of all the people
I will be
honored.'"
Aaron remained silent.
4 Moses
summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel, and said to them,
"Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of
the sanctuary." 5 So they came and carried them, still in their
tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered.
6 Then
Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your
hair become unkempt, A and do not tear your clothes, or you will die
and the LORD will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all
the house of Israel, may mourn for those the LORD has destroyed by fire. 7
Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting or you will die, because
the LORD's anointing oil is on you." So they did as Moses said.
8 Then
the LORD said to Aaron, 9 "You and
your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into
the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the
generations to come. 10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common,
between the unclean and the clean, 11 and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the LORD
has given them through Moses."
12 Moses
said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Take the grain
offering left over from the offerings made to the LORD by fire and eat it
prepared without yeast beside the altar, for it is most holy. 13 Eat
it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons' share of the
offerings made to the LORD by fire; for so I have been commanded. 14 But
you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast that was waved and the
thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place; they have
been given to you and your children as your share of the Israelites' fellowship
offerings. B 15 The thigh that was presented and the
breast that was waved must be brought with the fat portions of the offerings
made by fire, to be waved before the LORD as a wave offering. This will be the
regular share for you and your children, as the LORD has commanded."
16 When
Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering and found that it had been
burned up, he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and
asked, 17 "Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary
area? It is most holy; it was given to you to take away [13]
the guilt of the community by making atonement for them before the LORD. 18
Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you should have eaten
the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded."
19 Aaron
replied to Moses, "Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their
burnt offering before the LORD, but such things as this have happened to me.
Would the LORD have been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?" 20
When Moses heard this, he was satisfied. [14]
NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 4:26 - 5:20
26 He
also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is
like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27
Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets
up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the
soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in
the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it,
because the harvest has come."
30 Again
he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is
like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
31 It is like a
mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when
planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big
branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."
33 With
many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could
understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a
parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
35 That
day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let
us go over to the other side." 36 Leaving the crowd
behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other
boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke
over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the
stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him,
"Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
39 He
got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet!
Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He
said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid?
Do you still have no faith?"
41 They
were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the
waves obey him!"
5 1
They went across the lake to the region of the
Gerasenes. A 2 When
Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil B spirit came from the
tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could
bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been
chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his
feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among
the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6 When
he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7
He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me,
Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 8
For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of
this man, you evil spirit!"
9 Then
Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"
[15]
"My name is
Legion," he replied, "for we are many." 10 And he
begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11A
large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons
begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." 13He gave them permission, and the
evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in
number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
14 Those
tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the
people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to
Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting
there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those
who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed
man--and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to
plead with Jesus to leave their region.
18 As
Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to
go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord
has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20 So
the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis C how much
Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
[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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