JULY
4
PSALMS: 4, 34,
64, 94, 124
PROVERBS: 4
OLD TESTAMENT: ISAIAH 41:17 - 43:13
NEW TESTAMENT: EPHESIANS 2:1 - 22
PSALMS: 4
For
the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1
Answer me when I call to you,
O
my righteous God.
Give
me relief from my distress;
be
merciful to me and hear my prayer.
2
How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame A?
How
long will you love delusions and seek false gods B?
Selah
3
Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the
LORD will hear when I call to him.
4
In your anger do not sin;
when
you are on your beds,
search
your hearts and be silent.
Selah
5
Offer right sacrifices
and
trust in the LORD.
6
Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let
the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.
7
You have filled my heart with greater joy
than
when their grain and new wine abound.
8
I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for
you alone, O LORD,
make
me dwell in safety. [1]
PSALMS: 34
Of
David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and
he left.
1
I A will extol the LORD at all times;
his
praise will always be on my lips.
2
My soul will boast in the LORD;
let
the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3
Glorify the LORD with me;
let
us exalt his name together.
4
I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he
delivered me from all my fears.
5
Those who look to him are radiant;
their
faces are never covered with shame.
6
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he
saved him out of all his troubles.
7
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear
him,
and
he delivers them.
8
Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed
is the man who takes refuge in him.
9
Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for
those who fear him lack nothing.
10
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but
those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11
Come, my children, listen to me;
I
will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12
Whoever of you loves life
and
desires to see many good days, [2]
13
keep your tongue from evil
and
your lips from speaking lies.
14
Turn from evil and do good;
seek
peace and pursue it.
15
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and
his ears are attentive to their cry;
16
the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to
cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he
delivers them from all their troubles.
18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and
saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19
A righteous man may have many troubles,
but
the LORD delivers him from them all;
20
he protects all his bones,
not
one of them will be broken.
21
Evil will slay the wicked;
the
foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22
The LORD redeems his servants;
no
one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. [3]
PSALMS: 64
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint;
protect
my life from the threat of the enemy.
2
Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
from
that noisy crowd of evildoers.
3
They sharpen their tongues like swords
and
aim their words like deadly arrows.
4
They shoot from ambush at the innocent man;
they
shoot at him suddenly, without fear.
5
They encourage each other in evil plans,
they
talk about hiding their snares;
they
say, "Who will see them A?"
6
They plot injustice and say,
"We
have devised a perfect plan!"
Surely
the mind and heart of man are cunning.
7
But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly
they will be struck down.
8
He will turn their own tongues against them
and
bring them to ruin;
all
who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9
All mankind will fear;
they
will proclaim the works of God
and
ponder what he has done.
10
Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD
and
take refuge in him;
let
all the upright in heart praise him! [4]
PSALMS: 94
1
O LORD, the God who avenges,
O
God who avenges, shine forth.
2
Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
pay
back to the proud what they deserve.
3
How long will the wicked, O LORD,
how
long will the wicked be jubilant?
4
They pour out arrogant words;
all
the evildoers are full of boasting.
5
They crush your people, O LORD;
they
oppress your inheritance.
6
They slay the widow and the alien;
they
murder the fatherless.
7
They say, "The LORD does not see;
the
God of Jacob pays no heed."
8
Take heed, you senseless ones among the people;
you
fools, when will you become wise?
9
Does he who implanted the ear not hear?
Does
he who formed the eye not see?
10
Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does
he who teaches man lack knowledge?
11
The LORD knows the thoughts of man;
he
knows that they are futile.
12
Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD,
the
man you teach from your law;
13
you grant him relief from days of trouble,
till
a pit is dug for the wicked.
14
For the LORD will not reject his people;
he
will never forsake his inheritance.
15
Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and
all the upright in heart will follow it.[5]
16
Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who
will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17
Unless the LORD had given me help,
I
would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18
When I said, "My foot is slipping,"
your
love, O LORD, supported me.
19
When anxiety was great within me,
your
consolation brought joy to my soul.
20
Can a corrupt throne be allied with you--
one
that brings on misery by its decrees?
21
They band together against the righteous
and
condemn the innocent to death.
22
But the LORD has become my fortress,
and
my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23
He will repay them for their sins
and
destroy them for their wickedness;
the
LORD our God will destroy them. [6]
PSALMS: 124
A
song of ascents. Of David.
1
If the LORD had not been on our side--
let
Israel say--
2
if the LORD had not been on our side
when
men attacked us,
3
when their anger flared against us,
they
would have swallowed us alive;
4
the flood would have engulfed us,
the
torrent would have swept over us,
5
the raging waters
would
have swept us away.
6
Praise be to the LORD,
who
has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7
We have escaped like a bird
out
of the fowler's snare;
the
snare has been broken,
and
we have escaped.
8
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the
Maker of heaven and earth. [7]
PROVERBS: 4
4
1 Listen, my sons, to a
father's instruction;
pay
attention and gain understanding.
2
I give you sound learning,
so
do not forsake my teaching.
3
When I was a boy in my father's house,
still
tender, and an only child of my mother,
4
he taught me and said,
"Lay
hold of my words with all your heart;
keep
my commands and you will live.
5
Get wisdom, get understanding;
do
not forget my words or swerve from them.
6
Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love
her, and she will watch over you.
7
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though
it cost all you have, A get understanding.
8
Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
embrace
her, and she will honor you.
9
She will set a garland of grace on your head
and
present you with a crown of splendor."
10
Listen, my son, accept what I say,
and
the years of your life will be many.
11
I guide you in the way of wisdom
and
lead you along straight paths.
12
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when
you run, you will not stumble.
13
Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard
it well, for it is your life.
14
Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or
walk in the way of evil men.
15
Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn
from it and go on your way.
16
For they cannot sleep till they do evil; [8]
they
are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.
17
They eat the bread of wickedness
and
drink the wine of violence.
18
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of
dawn,
shining
ever brighter till the full light of day.
19
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they
do not know what makes them stumble.
20
My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen
closely to my words.
21
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep
them within your heart;
22
for they are life to those who find them
and
health to a man's whole body.
23
Above all else, guard your heart,
for
it is the wellspring of life.
24
Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep
corrupt talk far from your lips.
25
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix
your gaze directly before you.
26
Make level B paths for your feet
and
take only ways that are firm.
27
Do not swerve to the right or the left;
keep
your foot from evil. [9]
OLD TESTAMENT: ISAIAH 41:17 - 43:13
17 "The poor and needy search for water,
but there
is none;
their tongues
are parched with thirst.
But I the
LORD will answer them;
I, the God
of Israel, will not forsake them.
18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and
springs within the valleys.
I will
turn the desert into pools of water,
and the
parched ground into springs.
19 I will put in the desert
the cedar
and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set
pines in the wasteland,
the fir
and the cypress together,
20 so that people may see and know,
may
consider and understand,
that the
hand of the LORD has done this,
that the
Holy One of Israel has created it.
21 "Present your case," says the LORD.
"Set forth your arguments," says Jacob's King.
22 "Bring in your idols to tell us
what is
going to happen.
Tell us
what the former things were,
so that we
may consider them
and know
their final outcome.
Or declare
to us the things to come,
23
tell us what the future holds, [10]
so we may
know that you are gods.
Do
something, whether good or bad,
so that we
will be dismayed and filled with fear.
24 But you are less than nothing
and your
works are utterly worthless;
he who
chooses you is detestable.
25 "I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes--
one from
the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads
on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he
were a potter treading the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know,
or
beforehand, so we could say, `He was right'?
No one
told of this,
no one
foretold it,
no one
heard any words from you.
27 I was the first to tell Zion, `Look, here they are!'
I gave to
Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings.
28 I look but there is no one--
no one
among them to give counsel,
no one to
give answer when I ask them.
29 See, they are all false!
Their
deeds amount to nothing;
their
images are but wind and confusion. [11]
42 1
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen
one in whom I delight;
I will put
my Spirit on him
and he
will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise
his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a
smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In
faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he
establishes justice on earth.
In his law
the islands will put their hope."
5 This
is what God the LORD says--
he who created the
heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth
and all that comes out of it,
who gives breath to its
people,
and life to those who
walk on it:
6 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take
hold of your hand.
I will keep
you and will make you
to be a
covenant for the people
and a light
for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free
captives from prison
and to
release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
[12]
8 "I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not
give my glory to another
or my praise
to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
and new
things I declare;
before they
spring into being
I announce
them to you."
10 Sing
to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the ends
of the earth,
you who go down to the
sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who
live in them.
11 Let
the desert and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements
where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela
sing for joy;
let them shout from the
mountaintops.
12 Let
them give glory to the LORD
and proclaim his praise
in the islands.
13 The
LORD will march out like a mighty man,
like a warrior he will
stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will
raise the battle cry
and will triumph over
his enemies.
14 "For a long time I have kept silent,
I have
been quiet and held myself back. [13]
But now,
like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out,
I gasp and pant.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills
and dry up
all their vegetation;
I will
turn rivers into islands
and dry up
the pools.
16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along
unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will
turn the darkness into light before them
and make
the rough places smooth.
These are
the things I will do;
I will not
forsake them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
who say to
images, `You are our gods,'
will be
turned back in utter shame.
18 "Hear, you deaf;
look, you
blind, and see!
19 Who is blind but my servant,
and deaf
like the messenger I send?
Who is
blind like the one committed to me,
blind like
the servant of the LORD?
20 You have seen many things, but have paid no attention;
your ears
are open, but you hear nothing."
21 It
pleased the LORD
for the sake of his
righteousness [14]
to make his law great
and glorious.
22 But
this is a people plundered and looted,
all of them trapped in
pits
or hidden away in
prisons.
They have become
plunder,
with no one to rescue
them;
they have been made
loot,
with no one to say,
"Send them back."
23 Which
of you will listen to this
or pay close attention
in time to come?
24 Who
handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the
plunderers?
Was it not the LORD,
against whom we have
sinned?
For they would not
follow his ways;
they did not obey his
law.
25 So
he poured out on them his burning anger,
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in
flames, yet they did not understand;
it consumed them, but
they did not take it to heart. [15]
43 1
But now, this is what the LORD says--
he who created you, O
Jacob,
he who formed you, O
Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have
summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be
with you;
and when you
pass through the rivers,
they will not
sweep over you.
When you walk
through the fire,
you will not
be burned;
the flames
will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One
of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt
for your ransom,
Cush A and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I
love you,
I will give
men in exchange for you,
and people in
exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring
your children from the east
and gather
you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, `Give them up!'
and to the
south, `Do not hold them back.' [16]
Bring my sons
from afar
and my
daughters from the ends of the earth--
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I
created for my glory,
whom I formed
and made."
8 Lead
out those who have eyes but are blind,
who have ears but are
deaf.
9 All
the nations gather together
and the peoples
assemble.
Which of them foretold
this
and proclaimed to us the
former things?
Let them bring in their
witnesses to prove they were right,
so that others may hear
and say, "It is true."
10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
"and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you
may know and believe me
and
understand that I am he.
Before me no
god was formed,
nor will
there be one after me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD,
and apart
from me there is no savior.
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed--
I, and not
some foreign god among you.
You are my
witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God. [17]
13 Yes, and from ancient
days I am he.
No one can
deliver out of my hand.
When I act,
who can reverse it?" [18]
NEW TESTAMENT: EPHESIANS 2:1 - 22
2 1
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and
sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this
world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work
in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at
one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature A and
following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of
wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in
mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in
transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised
us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ
Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the
incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and
this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so
that no one can boast.
10 For
we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
11 Therefore,
remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called
"uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the
circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)—12 remember
that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in
Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without
God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far
away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
14 For
he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the
barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his
flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create
in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in
this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he
put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you
who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through
him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19 Consequently,
you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people
and members of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy
temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together
to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. [19]
[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
[18] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[19] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment