JULY
5
PSALMS: 5
PROVERBS: 5, 35, 65, 95, 125
OLD TESTAMENT: ISAIAH 43:14 - 45:10
NEW TESTAMENT: EPHESIANS 3:1 - 21
PSALMS: 5
For
the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.
1
Give ear to my words, O LORD,
consider
my sighing.
2
Listen to my cry for help,
my
King and my God,
for
to you I pray.
3
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in
the morning I lay my requests before you
and
wait in expectation.
4
You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with
you the wicked cannot dwell.
5
The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you
hate all who do wrong.
6
You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty
and deceitful men
the
LORD abhors.
7
But I, by your great mercy,
will
come into your house;
in
reverence will I bow down
toward
your holy temple.
8
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because
of my enemies--
make
straight your way before me. [1]
9
Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their
heart is filled with destruction.
Their
throat is an open grave;
with
their tongue they speak deceit.
10
Declare them guilty, O God!
Let
their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish
them for their many sins,
for
they have rebelled against you.
11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let
them ever sing for joy.
Spread
your protection over them,
that
those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12
For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
you
surround them with your favor as with a shield. [2]
PSALMS: 35
Of
David.
1
Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight
against those who fight against me.
2
Take up shield and buckler;
arise
and come to my aid.
3
Brandish spear and javelin A
against
those who pursue me.
Say
to my soul,
"I am your salvation."
4
May those who seek my life
be
disgraced and put to shame;
may
those who plot my ruin
be
turned back in dismay.
5
May they be like chaff before the wind,
with
the angel of the LORD driving them away;
6
may their path be dark and slippery,
with
the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7
Since they hid their net for me without cause
and
without cause dug a pit for me,
8
may ruin overtake them by surprise--
may
the net they hid entangle them,
may
they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
9
Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD
and
delight in his salvation.
10
My whole being will exclaim,
"Who
is like you, O LORD?
You
rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
the
poor and needy from those who rob them." [3]
11
Ruthless witnesses come forward;
they
question me on things I know nothing about.
12
They repay me evil for good
and
leave my soul forlorn.
13
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
and
humbled myself with fasting.
When
my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14
I went about mourning
as
though for my friend or brother.
I
bowed my head in grief
as
though weeping for my mother.
15
But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
attackers
gathered against me when I was unaware.
They
slandered me without ceasing.
16
Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked B;
they
gnashed their teeth at me.
17
O Lord, how long will you look on?
Rescue
my life from their ravages,
my
precious life from these lions.
18
I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
among
throngs of people I will praise you.
19
Let not those gloat over me
who
are my enemies without cause;
let
not those who hate me without reason
maliciously
wink the eye.
20
They do not speak peaceably,
but
devise false accusations
against
those who live quietly in the land.
21
They gape at me and say, "Aha! Aha!
With
our own eyes we have seen it." [4]
22
O LORD, you have seen this; be not silent.
Do
not be far from me, O Lord.
23
Awake, and rise to my defense!
Contend
for me, my God and Lord.
24
Vindicate me in your righteousness, O LORD my God;
do
not let them gloat over me.
25
Do not let them think, "Aha, just what we wanted!"
or
say, "We have swallowed him up."
26
May all who gloat over my distress
be
put to shame and confusion;
may
all who exalt themselves over me
be
clothed with shame and disgrace.
27
May those who delight in my vindication
shout
for joy and gladness;
may
they always say, "The LORD be exalted,
who
delights in the well-being of his servant."
28
My tongue will speak of your righteousness
and
of your praises all day long. [5]
PSALMS: 65
For
the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.
1
Praise awaits A you, O God, in Zion;
to
you our vows will be fulfilled.
2
O you who hear prayer,
to
you all men will come.
3
When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you
forgave B our transgressions.
4
Blessed are those you choose
and
bring near to live in your courts!
We
are filled with the good things of your house,
of
your holy temple.
5
You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness,
O
God our Savior,
the
hope of all the ends of the earth
and
of the farthest seas,
6
who formed the mountains by your power,
having
armed yourself with strength,
7
who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the
roaring of their waves,
and
the turmoil of the nations.
8
Those living far away fear your wonders;
where
morning dawns and evening fades
you
call forth songs of joy.
9
You care for the land and water it;
you
enrich it abundantly.
The
streams of God are filled with water
to
provide the people with grain, [6]
for
so you have ordained it. C
10
You drench its furrows
and
level its ridges;
you
soften it with showers
and
bless its crops.
11
You crown the year with your bounty,
and
your carts overflow with abundance.
12
The grasslands of the desert overflow;
the
hills are clothed with gladness.
13
The meadows are covered with flocks
and
the valleys are mantled with grain;
they
shout for joy and sing. [7]
PSALMS: 95
1
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let
us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and
extol him with music and song.
3
For the LORD is the great God,
the
great King above all gods.
4
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and
the mountain peaks belong to him.
5
The sea is his, for he made it,
and
his hands formed the dry land.
6
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let
us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
7
for he is our God
and
we are the people of his pasture,
the
flock under his care.
Today,
if you hear his voice,
8
do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, A
as
you did that day at Massah B in the desert,
9
where your fathers tested and tried me,
though
they had seen what I did.
10
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I
said, "They are a people whose hearts go
astray,
and they have not known my ways."
11
So I declared on oath in my anger,
"They shall never enter my rest." [8]
PSALMS: 125
A
song of ascents.
1
Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which
cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so
the LORD surrounds his people
both
now and forevermore.
3
The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over
the land allotted to the righteous,
for
then the righteous might use
their
hands to do evil.
4
Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
to
those who are upright in heart.
5
But those who turn to crooked ways
the
LORD will banish with the evildoers.
Peace
be upon Israel. [9]
PROVERBS: 5
5
1 My son, pay attention
to my wisdom,
listen
well to my words of insight,
2
that you may maintain discretion
and
your lips may preserve knowledge.
3
For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and
her speech is smoother than oil;
4
but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp
as a double-edged sword.
5
Her feet go down to death;
her
steps lead straight to the grave. A
6
She gives no thought to the way of life;
her
paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
7
Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do
not turn aside from what I say.
8
Keep to a path far from her,
do
not go near the door of her house,
9
lest you give your best strength to others
and
your years to one who is cruel,
10
lest strangers feast on your wealth
and
your toil enrich another man's house.
11
At the end of your life you will groan,
when
your flesh and body are spent.
12
You will say, "How I hated discipline!
How
my heart spurned correction!
13
I would not obey my teachers
or
listen to my instructors.
14
I have come to the brink of utter ruin
in
the midst of the whole assembly."
15
Drink water from your own cistern,
running
water from your own well.
16
Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your
streams of water in the public squares?
17
Let them be yours alone, [10]
never
to be shared with strangers.
18
May your fountain be blessed,
and
may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19
A loving doe, a graceful deer--
may
her breasts satisfy you always,
may
you ever be captivated by her love.
20
Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress?
Why
embrace the bosom of another man's wife?
21
For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD,
and
he examines all his paths.
22
The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him;
the
cords of his sin hold him fast.
23
He will die for lack of discipline,
led
astray by his own great folly. [11]
OLD TESTAMENT: ISAIAH 43:14 - 45:10
14 This
is what the LORD says--
your Redeemer, the Holy
One of Israel:
"For your sake I will send to Babylon
and bring
down as fugitives all the Babylonians, B
in the ships
in which they took pride.
15 I am the LORD, your Holy One,
Israel's
Creator, your King."
16 This
is what the LORD says--
he who made a way
through the sea,
a path through the
mighty waters,
17 who
drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and
reinforcements together,
and they lay there,
never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed
out like a wick:
18 "Forget the former things;
do not dwell
on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it
springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a
way in the desert
and streams
in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me,
the jackals
and the owls,
because I
provide water in the desert
and streams
in the wasteland,
to give drink
to my people, my chosen,
that they may
proclaim my praise.
22 "Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob,
you have not
wearied yourselves for me, O Israel.
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,
nor honored
me with your sacrifices.
I have not
burdened you with grain offerings
nor wearied
you with demands for incense.
24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me,
or lavished
on me the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have
burdened me with your sins
and wearied
me with your offenses.
25 "I, even I, am he who blots out
your
transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers
your sins no more.
26 Review the past for me,
let us argue
the matter together;
state the
case for your innocence.
27 Your first father sinned;
your
spokesmen rebelled against me.
28 So I will disgrace the dignitaries of your temple,
and I will
consign Jacob to destruction C
and Israel to
scorn. [13]
44 1
"But now listen, O Jacob, my servant,
Israel, whom
I have chosen.
2 This is what the LORD says--
he who made
you, who formed you in the womb,
and who will
help you:
Do not be
afraid, O Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun, whom
I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams
on the dry ground;
I will pour
out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my
blessing on your descendants.
4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar
trees by flowing streams.
5 One will say, `I belong to the LORD';
another will
call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another
will write on his hand, `The LORD's,'
and will take
the name Israel.
6 "This is what the LORD says--
Israel's King
and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:
I am the
first and I am the last;
apart from me
there is no God.
7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him
declare and lay out before me
what has
happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is
yet to come--
yes, let him
foretell what will come. [14]
8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not
proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
You are my
witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
No, there is
no other Rock; I know not one."
9 All
who make idols are nothing,
and the things they
treasure are worthless.
Those who would speak up
for them are blind;
they are ignorant, to
their own shame.
10 Who
shapes a god and casts an idol,
which can profit him
nothing?
11 He
and his kind will be put to shame;
craftsmen are nothing
but men.
Let them all come
together and take their stand;
they will be brought
down to terror and infamy.
12 The
blacksmith takes a tool
and works with it in the
coals;
he shapes an idol with
hammers,
he forges it with the
might of his arm.
He gets hungry and loses
his strength;
he drinks no water and
grows faint.
13 The
carpenter measures with a line
and makes an outline
with a marker;
he roughs it out with
chisels
and marks it with
compasses. [15]
He shapes it in the form
of man,
of man in all his glory,
that it may dwell in a
shrine.
14 He
cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a
cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the
trees of the forest,
or planted a pine, and
the rain made it grow.
15 It
is man's fuel for burning;
some of it he takes and
warms himself,
he kindles a fire and
bakes bread.
But he also fashions a
god and worships it;
he makes an idol and
bows down to it.
16 Half
of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his
meal,
he roasts his meat and
eats his fill.
He also warms himself
and says,
"Ah! I am warm; I
see the fire."
17 From
the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and
worships.
He prays to it and says,
"Save me; you are
my god."
18 They
know nothing, they understand nothing;
their eyes are plastered
over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed
so they cannot understand.
19 No
one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge
or understanding to say, [16]
"Half of it I used
for fuel;
I even baked bread over
its coals,
I roasted meat and I
ate.
Shall I make a
detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a
block of wood?"
20 He
feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself,
or say,
"Is not this thing
in my right hand a lie?"
21 "Remember these things, O Jacob,
for you
are my servant, O Israel.
I have
made you, you are my servant;
O Israel,
I will not forget you.
22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins
like the morning mist.
Return to
me,
for I have
redeemed you."
23 Sing
for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this;
shout aloud, O earth
beneath.
Burst into song, you
mountains,
you forests and all your
trees,
for the LORD has
redeemed Jacob,
he displays his glory in
Israel.
24 "This is what the LORD says-- [17]
your
Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
I am the
LORD,
who has made
all things,
who alone
stretched out the heavens,
who spread
out the earth by myself,
25 who foils the signs of false prophets
and makes
fools of diviners,
who overthrows
the learning of the wise
and turns it
into nonsense,
26 who carries out the words of his servants
and fulfills
the predictions of his messengers,
who says of
Jerusalem, `It shall be inhabited,'
of the towns
of Judah, `They shall be built,'
and of their
ruins, `I will restore them,'
27 who says to the watery deep, `Be dry,
and I will
dry up your streams,'
28 who says of Cyrus, `He is my shepherd
and will
accomplish all that I please;
he will say
of Jerusalem, "Let it be rebuilt,"
and of the
temple, "Let its foundations be laid."' [18]
45 1
"This is what the LORD says to his anointed,
to Cyrus,
whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue
nations before him
and to strip
kings of their armor,
to open doors
before him
so that gates
will not be shut:
2 I will go before you
and will
level the mountains A;
I will break
down gates of bronze
and cut
through bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored
in secret places,
so that you may
know that I am the LORD,
the God of
Israel, who summons you by name.
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my
chosen,
I summon you
by name
and bestow on
you a title of honor,
though you do
not acknowledge me.
5 I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me
there is no God.
I will
strengthen you,
though you
have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place
of its setting
men may know
there is none besides me.
I am the
LORD, and there is no other. [19]
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I bring
prosperity and create disaster;
I, the LORD,
do all these things.
8 "You heavens above, rain down righteousness;
let the
clouds shower it down.
Let the earth
open wide,
let salvation
spring up,
let righteousness
grow with it;
I, the LORD,
have created it.
9 "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is
but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay
say to the potter,
`What are you
making?'
Does your
work say,
`He has no
hands'?
10 Woe to him who says to his father,
`What have
you begotten?'
or to his
mother,
`What have
you brought to birth?' [20]
NEW TESTAMENT: EPHESIANS 3:1 - 21
3 1
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus
for the sake of you Gentiles--
2 Surely
you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for
you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I
have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be
able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which
was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by
the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is
that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members
together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I
became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the
working of his power.
8 Although
I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to
preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to
make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past
was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was
that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known
to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
1 according
to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In
him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13
I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for
you, which are your glory.
14 For
this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family
A in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that
out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit
in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 may
have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high
and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that
surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness
of God.
20 Now
to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory
in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and
ever! Amen. [21]
[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.
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[3]
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[4]
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[5]
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[6]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[7]
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Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[8]
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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
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Inc. All Rights Reserved
[13] Excerpted from Compton's
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[14] Excerpted from Compton's
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Inc. All Rights Reserved
[15] Excerpted from Compton's
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Inc. All Rights Reserved
[16] Excerpted from Compton's
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Inc. All Rights Reserved
[17] Excerpted from Compton's
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Inc. All Rights Reserved
[18] Excerpted from Compton's
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[19] Excerpted from Compton's
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Inc. All Rights Reserved
[20] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[21] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
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