DECEMBER
8
PSALMS: 8, 38, 68, 98, 128
PROVERBS: 8
OLD TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 20:22 - 22:16
NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 9:1 - 29
PSALMS: 8
For
the director of music. According to gittith. A A psalm of
David.
1
O LORD, our Lord,
how
majestic is your name in all the earth!
You
have set your glory
above
the heavens.
2
From the lips of children and infants
you
have ordained praise B
because
of your enemies,
to
silence the foe and the avenger.
3
When I consider your heavens,
the
work of your fingers,
the
moon and the stars,
which
you have set in place,
4
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the
son of man that you care for him?
5
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings C
and
crowned him with glory and honor.
6
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you
put everything under his feet:
7
all flocks and herds,
and
the beasts of the field,
8
the birds of the air,
and
the fish of the sea,
all
that swim the paths of the seas. [1]
9
O LORD, our Lord,
how
majestic is your name in all the earth! [2]
PSALMS: 38
A
psalm of David. A petition.
1
O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or
discipline me in your wrath.
2
For your arrows have pierced me,
and
your hand has come down upon me.
3
Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
my
bones have no soundness because of my sin.
4
My guilt has overwhelmed me
like
a burden too heavy to bear.
5
My wounds fester and are loathsome
because
of my sinful folly.
6
I am bowed down and brought very low;
all
day long I go about mourning.
7
My back is filled with searing pain;
there
is no health in my body.
8
I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I
groan in anguish of heart.
9
All my longings lie open before you, O Lord;
my
sighing is not hidden from you.
10
My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even
the light has gone from my eyes.
11
My friends and companions avoid me because of my
wounds;
my
neighbors stay far away.
12
Those who seek my life set their traps,
those
who would harm me talk of my ruin;
all
day long they plot deception. [3]
13
I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear,
like
a mute, who cannot open his mouth;
14
I have become like a man who does not hear,
whose
mouth can offer no reply.
15
I wait for you, O LORD;
you
will answer, O Lord my God.
16
For I said, "Do not let them gloat
or
exalt themselves over me when my foot slips."
17
For I am about to fall,
and
my pain is ever with me.
18
I confess my iniquity;
I
am troubled by my sin.
19
Many are those who are my vigorous enemies;
those
who hate me without reason are numerous.
20
Those who repay my good with evil
slander
me when I pursue what is good.
21
O LORD, do not forsake me;
be
not far from me, O my God.
22
Come quickly to help me,
O
Lord my Savior. [4]
PSALMS: 68
For
the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.
1
May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may
his foes flee before him.
2
As smoke is blown away by the wind,
may
you blow them away;
as
wax melts before the fire,
may
the wicked perish before God.
3
But may the righteous be glad
and
rejoice before God;
may
they be happy and joyful.
4
Sing to God, sing praise to his name,
extol
him who rides on the clouds A--
his
name is the LORD--
and
rejoice before him.
5
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is
God in his holy dwelling.
6
God sets the lonely in families, B
he
leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but
the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
7
When you went out before your people, O God,
when
you marched through the wasteland,
Selah
8
the earth shook,
the
heavens poured down rain,
before
God, the One of Sinai,
before
God, the God of Israel.
9
You gave abundant showers, O God;
you
refreshed your weary inheritance. [5]
10
Your people settled in it,
and
from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.
11
The Lord announced the word,
and
great was the company of those who proclaimed it:
12
"Kings and armies
flee in haste;
in the camps men divide the plunder.
Even
while you sleep among the campfires, C
the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
its feathers with shining gold."
14
When the Almighty D scattered the kings in
the land,
it
was like snow fallen on Zalmon.
15
The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains;
rugged
are the mountains of Bashan.
16
Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains,
at
the mountain where God chooses to reign,
where
the LORD himself will dwell forever?
17
The chariots of God are tens of thousands
and
thousands of thousands;
the
Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.
18
When you ascended on high,
you
led captives in your train;
you
received gifts from men,
even
from E the rebellious--
that
you, F O LORD God, might dwell there.
19
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who
daily bears our burdens.
Selah
20
Our God is a God who saves;
from
the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death. [6]
21
Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,
the
hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
22
The Lord says, "I
will bring them from Bashan;
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes,
while the tongues of your dogs have their share."
24
Your procession has come into view, O God,
the
procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.
25
In front are the singers, after them the musicians;
with
them are the maidens playing tambourines.
26
Praise God in the great congregation;
praise
the LORD in the assembly of Israel.
27
There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them,
there
the great throng of Judah's princes,
and
there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.
28
Summon your power, O God G;
show
us your strength, O God, as you have done before.
29
Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings
will bring you gifts.
30
Rebuke the beast among the reeds,
the
herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.
Humbled,
may it bring bars of silver.
Scatter
the nations who delight in war.
31
Envoys will come from Egypt;
CushH
will submit herself to God.
32
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
sing
praise to the Lord,
Selah
[7]
33
to him who rides the ancient skies above,
who
thunders with mighty voice.
34
Proclaim the power of God,
whose
majesty is over Israel,
whose
power is in the skies.
35
You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the
God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise
be to God! [8]
PSALMS: 98
A
psalm.
1
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for
he has done marvelous things;
his
right hand and his holy arm
have
worked salvation for him.
2
The LORD has made his salvation known
and
revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3
He has remembered his love
and
his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all
the ends of the earth have seen
the
salvation of our God.
4
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst
into jubilant song with music;
5make
music to the LORD with the harp,
with
the harp and the sound of singing,
6
with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn--
shout
for joy before the LORD, the King.
7
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the
world, and all who live in it.
8
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let
the mountains sing together for joy;
9
let them sing before the LORD,
for
he comes to judge the earth.
He
will judge the world in righteousness
and
the peoples with equity. [9]
PSALMS: 128
A
song of ascents.
1n
Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who
walk in his ways.
2
You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings
and prosperity will be yours.
3
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within
your house;
your
sons will be like olive shoots
around
your table.
4
Thus is the man blessed
who
fears the LORD.
5
May the LORD bless you from Zion
all
the days of your life;
may
you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,
6
and may you live to see your children's children.
Peace
be upon Israel. [10]
PROVERBS: 8
8
1 Does not wisdom call
out?
Does
not understanding raise her voice?
2
On the heights along the way,
where
the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3
beside the gates leading into the city,
at
the entrances, she cries aloud:
4
"To you, O men, I
call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
5 You who
are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, gain understanding.
6
Listen, for I have worthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
7 My mouth
speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.
8 All the
words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
9 To the
discerning all of them are right;
they are faultless to those who have knowledge.
10 Choose my
instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for wisdom
is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
12
"I, wisdom, dwell
together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear
the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
14 Counsel
and sound judgment are mine;
I have understanding and power.
15 By me
kings reign
and rulers make laws that are just;
16 by me
princes govern, [11]
and all nobles who rule on earth. A
17 I love
those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.
18 With me
are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
19
My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.
20 I walk in
the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
21 bestowing
wealth on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.
22
"The LORD brought me
forth as the first of his works, BC
before his deeds of old;
23 I was
appointed D from
eternity,
from the beginning, before the world began.
24 When there
were no oceans, I was given birth,
when there were no springs abounding with water;
25 before the
mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
26 before he
made the earth or its fields
or any of the dust of the world.
27 I was
there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
28 when he
established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
29 when he
gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 Then I was the craftsman at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
31rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind. [12]
32
"Now then, my sons,
listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Listen to
my instruction and be wise;
do not ignore it.
34 Blessed is
the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
35 For
whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the LORD.
36 But
whoever fails to find me harms himself;
all who hate me love death." [13]
OLD TESTAMENT: LEVITICUS 20:22 - 22:16
22 "`Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the
land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 You must not live
according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you.
Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. 24 But I said to you,
"You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a
land flowing with milk and honey." I am the LORD your God, who has set you
apart from the nations.
25 "`You
must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between
unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or
anything that moves along the ground--those which I have set apart as unclean
for you. 26 You are to be holy to me C because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the
nations to be my own.
27 “`A man or
woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to
stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.'"
21 1
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak
to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: `A priest must not make
himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die,
2 except for a close relative, such as his
mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, 3 or an
unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband--for her he
may make himself unclean. 4 He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,A and so defile himself.
5 "`Priests must not shave their heads or
shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies. 6 They must be
holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Because they
present the offerings made to the LORD by fire, the food of their God, they are
to be holy.
7 "`They must not marry women defiled by
prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their
God. 8 Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God.
Consider them holy, because I the LORD am holy--I who make you holy.B
9 "`If a priest's daughter defiles
herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned
in the fire.
10 "`The
high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on
his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let
his hair become unkempt C or tear his clothes. 11 He must not
enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean,
even for his father or mother, 12 nor leave the
sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the
anointing oil of his God. I am the LORD.
13 "`The
woman he marries must be a virgin. 14 He must not
marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a
virgin from his own people, 15 so he will
not defile his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy. D'"
16 The LORD said to Moses, 17
"Say to Aaron: `For the generations to come
none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of
his God. 18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind
or lame, disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is hunchbacked
or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or
damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to
come near to present the offerings made to the LORD by fire. He has a defect;
he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He may eat the most
holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his
defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate
my sanctuary. I am the LORD, who makes them holy. E'"
24 So Moses told this to
Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
22 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2
"Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with
respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not
profane my holy name. I am the LORD.
3 "Say to them: `For the generations to come, if any of your
descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings
that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from my
presence. I am the LORD.
4 "`If a descendant of Aaron has an infectious skin disease A or a bodily
discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will
also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse or by anyone who
has an emission of semen, 5 or if he
touches any crawling thing that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him
unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. 6 The one who
touches any such thing will be unclean till evening. He must not eat any of the
sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water. 7 When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat
the sacred offerings, for they are his food. 8 He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so
become unclean through it. I am the LORD.
9 "`The priests are to keep my requirements so that they do not
become guilty and die for treating them with contempt. I am the LORD, who makes
them holy. B
10 "`No one outside a priest's
family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired
worker eat it. 11 But if a priest buys a slave with
money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food. 12 If a priest's daughter marries anyone
other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. 13 But if a priest's daughter becomes a
widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her
father's house as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food. No
unauthorized person, however, may eat any of it.
14 "`If
anyone eats a sacred offering by mistake, he must make restitution to the
priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value to it. 15 The priests
must not desecrate the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the LORD 16
by allowing them to eat the sacred offerings and so bring upon [14] them guilt
requiring payment. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.'" [15]
NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 9:1 - 29
9 1
And he said to them, "I
tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they
see the kingdom of God come with power."
2 After
six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain,
where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His
clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach
them.
4 And
there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter
said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three
shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." 6 (He
did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then
a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"
8 Suddenly,
when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As
they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone
what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They
kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead"
meant.
11 And
they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come
first?"
12 Jesus
replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and
restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer
much and be rejected? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him
everything they wished, just as it is written about him."
14 When
they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the
teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people
saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
16 "What are you arguing with them about?" he
asked.
17 A
man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is
possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it
seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his
teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but
they could not."
19 "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with
you? Bring the boy to me."
20 So
they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into
a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus
asked the boy's father, "How long has he been
like this?"
"From
childhood," he answered. 22 "It has often thrown him into
fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help
us."
23 "`If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." [16]
24 Immediately
the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my
unbelief!"
25 When
Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil A
spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit,"
he said, "I command you, come out of him and
never enter him again."
26 The
spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much
like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." 27 But Jesus
took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 After
Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't
we drive it out?"
29 He
replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer.
B" [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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