DECEMBER
24
PSALMS: 24,
54, 84, 114, 144
PROVERBS: 24
OLD TESTAMENT: NUMBERS 22:21 - 22:30
NEW TESTAMENT: LUKE 1:57 - 80
PSALMS: 24
Of
David. A psalm.
1
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the
world, and all who live in it;
2
for he founded it upon the seas
and
established it upon the waters.
3
Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who
may stand in his holy place?
4
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who
does not lift up his soul to an idol
or
swear by what is false. A
5
He will receive blessing from the LORD
and
vindication from God his Savior.
6
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who
seek your face, O God of Jacob. B
Selah
7
Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be
lifted up, you ancient doors,
that
the King of glory may come in.
8
Who is this King of glory?
The
LORD strong and mighty,
the
LORD mighty in battle.
9
Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift
them up, you ancient doors,
that
the King of glory may come in.
10
Who is he, this King of glory?
The
LORD Almighty--
he
is the King of glory. [1]
Selah
[2]
PSALMS: 54
For
the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil A
of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, "Is not David
hiding among us?"
1
Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate
me by your might.
2
Hear my prayer, O God;
listen
to the words of my mouth.
3
Strangers are attacking me;
ruthless
men seek my life--
men
without regard for God.
Selah
4
Surely God is my help;
the
Lord is the one who sustains me.
5
Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in
your faithfulness destroy them.
6
I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I
will praise your name, O LORD,
for
it is good.
7
For he has delivered me from all my troubles,
and
my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes. [3]
PSALMS: 84
For
the director of music. According to gittith. A Of the Sons of
Korah. A psalm.
1
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O
LORD Almighty!
2
My soul yearns, even faints,
for
the courts of the LORD;
my
heart and my flesh cry out
for
the living God.
3
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and
the swallow a nest for herself,
where
she may have her young--
a
place near your altar,
O
LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they
are ever praising you.
Selah
5
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who
have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they
make it a place of springs;
the
autumn rains also cover it with pools.B
7
They go from strength to strength,
till
each appears before God in Zion.
8
Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen
to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah
9
Look upon our shield, C O God;
look
with favor on your anointed one. [4]
10
Better is one day in your courts
than
a thousand elsewhere;
I
would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than
dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the
LORD bestows favor and honor;
no
good thing does he withhold
from
those whose walk is blameless.
12
O LORD Almighty,
blessed
is the man who trusts in you. [5]
PSALMS: 114
1
When Israel came out of Egypt,
the
house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2
Judah became God's sanctuary,
Israel
his dominion.
3
The sea looked and fled,
the
Jordan turned back;
4
the mountains skipped like rams,
the
hills like lambs.
5
Why was it, O sea, that you fled,
O
Jordan, that you turned back,
6
you mountains, that you skipped like rams,
you
hills, like lambs?
7
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at
the presence of the God of Jacob,
8
who turned the rock into a pool,
the
hard rock into springs of water. [6]
PSALMS: 144
Of
David.
1
Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who
trains my hands for war,
my
fingers for battle.
2
He is my loving God and my fortress,
my
stronghold and my deliverer,
my
shield, in whom I take refuge,
who
subdues peoples A under me.
3
O LORD, what is man that you care for him,
the
son of man that you think of him?
4
Man is like a breath;
his
days are like a fleeting shadow.
5
Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down;
touch
the mountains, so that they smoke.
6
Send forth lightning and scatter the enemies;
shoot
your arrows and rout them.
7
Reach down your hand from on high;
deliver
me and rescue me
from
the mighty waters,
from
the hands of foreigners
8
whose mouths are full of lies,
whose
right hands are deceitful.
9
I will sing a new song to you, O God;
on
the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,
10
to the One who gives victory to kings,
who
delivers his servant David from the deadly sword. [7]
11
Deliver me and rescue me
from
the hands of foreigners
whose
mouths are full of lies,
whose
right hands are deceitful.
12
Then our sons in their youth
will
be like well-nurtured plants,
and
our daughters will be like pillars
carved
to adorn a palace.
13
Our barns will be filled
with
every kind of provision.
Our
sheep will increase by thousands,
by
tens of thousands in our fields;
14
our oxen will draw heavy loads. B
There
will be no breaching of walls,
no
going into captivity,
no
cry of distress in our streets.
15
Blessed are the people of whom this is true;
blessed
are the people whose God is the LORD. [8]
PROVERBS: 24
24
1 Do not envy wicked men,
do
not desire their company;
2
for their hearts plot violence,
and
their lips talk about making trouble.
3
By wisdom a house is built,
and
through understanding it is established;
4
through knowledge its rooms are filled
with
rare and beautiful treasures.
5
A wise man has great power,
and
a man of knowledge increases strength;
6
for waging war you need guidance,
and
for victory many advisers.
7
Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in
the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say.
8
He who plots evil
will
be known as a schemer.
9
The schemes of folly are sin,
and
men detest a mocker.
10
If you falter in times of trouble,
how
small is your strength!
11
Rescue those being led away to death;
hold
back those staggering toward slaughter.
12
If you say, "But we knew nothing about this,"
does
not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does
not he who guards your life know it?
Will
he not repay each person according to what he has done? [9]
13
Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey
from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14
Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul;
if
you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and
your hope will not be cut off.
15
Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous
man's house,
do
not raid his dwelling place;
16
for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises
again,
but
the wicked are brought down by calamity.
17
Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when
he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,
18
or the LORD will see and disapprove
and
turn his wrath away from him.
19
Do not fret because of evil men
or
be envious of the wicked,
20
for the evil man has no future hope,
and
the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21
Fear the LORD and the king, my son,
and
do not join with the rebellious,
22
for those two will send sudden destruction upon them,
and
who knows what calamities they can bring?
23
These also are sayings of the wise:
To
show partiality in judging is not good:
24
Whoever says to the guilty, "You are
innocent"--
peoples
will curse him and nations denounce him.
25
But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and
rich blessing will come upon them. [10]
26
An honest answer
is
like a kiss on the lips.
27Finish
your outdoor work
and
get your fields ready;
after
that, build your house.
28
Do not testify against your neighbor without cause,
or
use your lips to deceive.
29
Do not say, "I'll do to him as he has done to me;
I'll
pay that man back for what he did."
30
I went past the field of the sluggard,
past
the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
31
thorns had come up everywhere,
the
ground was covered with weeds,
and
the stone wall was in ruins.
32
I applied my heart to what I observed
and
learned a lesson from what I saw:
33
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a
little folding of the hands to rest--
34
and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and
scarcity like an armed man. A [11]
OLD TESTAMENT: NUMBERS 22:21 - 22:30
21 Balaam
got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 22
But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in
the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants
were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing
in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a
field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.
24 Then
the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls
on both sides.
25 When
the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing
Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again.
26 Then
the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there
was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the
donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry
and beat her with his staff. 28 Then the LORD opened the donkey's
mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I
done to you to make you beat me these three times?"
29 Balaam
answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my
hand, I would kill you right now."
30 The
donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own
donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of
doing this to you?"
"No," he said.
31 Then
the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the
road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
32 The
angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten
your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path
is a reckless one before me.C 33 The donkey saw me and
turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would
certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her."
34 Balaam
said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were
standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go
back."
35 The
angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the
men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the
princes of Balak.
36 When
Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town
on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak said to
Balaam, "Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn't you come to me?
Am I really not able to reward you?"
38 "Well,
I have come to you now," Balaam replied. "But can I say just
anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth."
39 Then
Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40Balak sacrificed cattle
and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the princes who were with him. 41 The
next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he saw part of
the people.[12]
23 1
Balaam said, "Build me seven altars here, and
prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." 2 Balak did as
Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 Then
Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I go aside.
Perhaps the LORD will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will
tell you." Then he went off to a barren height.
4 God
met with him, and Balaam said, "I have prepared seven altars, and on each
altar I have offered a bull and a ram."
5 The
LORD put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, "Go
back to Balak and give him this message."
6 So
he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the
princes of Moab. 7 Then Balaam uttered his oracle:
"Balak brought me from Aram,
the king of
Moab from the eastern mountains.
`Come,' he
said, `curse Jacob for me;
come,
denounce Israel.'
8 How can I curse
those whom
God has not cursed?
How can I
denounce
those whom
the LORD has not denounced?
9 From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the
heights I view them.
I see a
people who live apart
and do not
consider themselves one of the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number the
fourth part of Israel?
Let me die
the death of the righteous,
and may my
end be like theirs!"
11
Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my
enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!"
12 He
answered, "Must I not speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?" [13]
13 Then
Balak said to him, "Come with me to another place where you can see them;
you will see only a part but not all of them. And from there, curse them for
me." 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of
Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each
altar.
15 Balaam
said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over
there."
16 The
LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message."
17 So
he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of
Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the LORD say?"
18 Then
he uttered his oracle:
"Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son
of Zippor.
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of
man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak
and then not act?
Does he
promise and not fulfill?
20 I have received a command to bless;
he has
blessed, and I cannot change it.
21"No misfortune is seen in Jacob,
no misery
observed in Israel.A
The LORD
their God is with them;
the shout of
the King is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the
strength of a wild ox.
23 There is no sorcery against Jacob,
no divination
against Israel.
It will now
be said of Jacob
and of
Israel, `See what God has done!' [14]
24 The people rise like a lioness;
they rouse
themselves like a lion
that does not
rest till he devours his prey
and drinks
the blood of his victims."
25 Then
Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at
all!"
26 Balaam
answered, "Did I not tell you I must do whatever the LORD says?"
27 Then
Balak said to Balaam, "Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it
will please God to let you curse them for me from there." 28 And
Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.
29 Balaam
said, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams
for me." 30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull
and a ram on each altar. [15]
NEW TESTAMENT: LUKE 1:57 - 80
57 When
it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her
neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they
shared her joy.
59 On
the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name
him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said,
"No! He is to be called John."
61 They
said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that
name."
62 Then
they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the
child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's
astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." 64 Immediately
his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising
God. 65 The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the
hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone
who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to
be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.
67 His
father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he
has come and has redeemed his people.
69He has raised up a horn D of salvation for us
in the house
of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the
hand of all who hate us--
72 to show mercy to our fathers
and to
remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable
us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will
go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, [16]
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the
forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the
rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the
shadow of death,
to guide our
feet into the path of peace."
80 And
the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he
appeared publicly to Israel.[17]
[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
[17] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
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