JULY
7
PSALMS: 7, 37,
67, 97, 127
PROVERBS: 7
OLD TESTAMENT: ISAIAH 48:12 - 50:11
NEW TESTAMENT: EPHESIANS 4:17 - 32
PSALMS: 7
A
shiggaion A of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning
Cush, a Benjamite.
1
O LORD my God, I take refuge in you;
save
and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2
or they will tear me like a lion
and
rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3
O LORD my God, if I have done this
and
there is guilt on my hands--
4
if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me
or
without cause have robbed my foe--
5
then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let
him trample my life to the ground
and
make me sleep in the dust.
Selah
6
Arise, O LORD, in your anger;
rise
up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake,
my God; decree justice.
7
Let the assembled peoples gather around you.
Rule
over them from on high;
8
let the LORD judge the peoples.
Judge
me, O LORD, according to my righteousness,
according
to my integrity, O Most High.
9
O righteous God,
who
searches minds and hearts,
bring
to an end the violence of the wicked
and
make the righteous secure. [1]
10
My shield B is God Most High,
who
saves the upright in heart.
11
God is a righteous judge,
a
God who expresses his wrath every day.
12
If he does not relent,
he
C will sharpen his sword;
he
will bend and string his bow.
13
He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he
makes ready his flaming arrows.
14
He who is pregnant with evil
and
conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.
15
He who digs a hole and scoops it out
falls
into the pit he has made.
16
The trouble he causes recoils on himself;
his
violence comes down on his own head.
17
I will give thanks to the LORD because of his
righteousness
and
will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. [2]
PSALMS: 37
Of
David.
1
Do A not fret because of evil men
or
be envious of those who do wrong;
2
for like the grass they will soon wither,
like
green plants they will soon die away.
3
Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell
in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4
Delight yourself in the LORD
and
he will give you the desires of your heart.
5
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust
in him and he will do this:
6
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the
justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do
not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when
they carry out their wicked schemes.
8
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do
not fret--it leads only to evil.
9
For evil men will be cut off,
but
those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10
A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though
you look for them, they will not be found.
11
But the meek will inherit the land
and
enjoy great peace. [3]
12
The wicked plot against the righteous
and
gnash their teeth at them;
13
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for
he knows their day is coming.
14
The wicked draw the sword
and
bend the bow
to
bring down the poor and needy,
to
slay those whose ways are upright.
15
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and
their bows will be broken.
16
Better the little that the righteous have
than
the wealth of many wicked;
17
for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but
the LORD upholds the righteous.
18
The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and
their inheritance will endure forever.
19
In times of disaster they will not wither;
in
days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20
But the wicked will perish:
The
LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they
will vanish--vanish like smoke.
21
The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but
the righteous give generously;
22
those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but
those he curses will be cut off.[4]
23
If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he
makes his steps firm;
24
though he stumble, he will not fall,
for
the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25
I was young and now I am old,
yet
I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or
their children begging bread.
26
They are always generous and lend freely;
their
children will be blessed.
27
Turn from evil and do good;
then
you will dwell in the land forever.
28
For the LORD loves the just
and
will not forsake his faithful ones.
They
will be protected forever,
but
the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
29
the righteous will inherit the land
and
dwell in it forever.
30
The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and
his tongue speaks what is just.
31
The law of his God is in his heart;
his
feet do not slip.
32
The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking
their very lives;
33
but the LORD will not leave them in their power
or
let them be condemned when brought to trial. [5]
34
Wait for the LORD
and
keep his way.
He
will exalt you to inherit the land;
when
the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing
like a green tree in its native soil,
36
but he soon passed away and was no more;
though
I looked for him, he could not be found.
37
Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there
is a future B for the man of peace.
38
But all sinners will be destroyed;
the
future C of the wicked will be cut off.
39
The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he
is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40
The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he
delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because
they take refuge in him. [6]
PSALMS: 67
For
the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
1
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and
make his face shine upon us,
Selah
2
that your ways may be known on earth,
your
salvation among all nations.
3
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may
all the peoples praise you.
4
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for
you rule the peoples justly
and
guide the nations of the earth.
Selah
5
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may
all the peoples praise you.
6
Then the land will yield its harvest,
and
God, our God, will bless us.
7
God will bless us,
and
all the ends of the earth will fear him. [7]
PSALMS: 97
1
The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let
the distant shores rejoice.
2
Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness
and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3
Fire goes before him
and
consumes his foes on every side.
4
His lightning lights up the world;
the
earth sees and trembles.
5
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before
the Lord of all the earth.
6
The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and
all the peoples see his glory.
7
All who worship images are put to shame,
those
who boast in idols--
worship
him, all you gods!
8
Zion hears and rejoices
and
the villages of Judah are glad
because
of your judgments, O LORD.
9
For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth;
you
are exalted far above all gods.
10
Let those who love the LORD hate evil,
for
he guards the lives of his faithful ones
and
delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11
Light is shed upon the righteous
and
joy on the upright in heart.
12
Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,
and
praise his holy name. [8]
PSALMS: 127
A
song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1
Unless the LORD builds the house,
its
builders labor in vain.
Unless
the LORD watches over the city,
the
watchmen stand guard in vain.
2
In vain you rise early
and
stay up late,
toiling
for food to eat--
for
he grants sleep toA those he loves.
3
Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children
a reward from him.
4
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are
sons born in one's youth.
5
Blessed is the man
whose
quiver is full of them.
They
will not be put to shame
when
they contend with their enemies in the gate. [9]
PROVERBS: 7
7
1 My son, keep my words
and
store up my commands within you.
2
Keep my commands and you will live;
guard
my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3
Bind them on your fingers;
write
them on the tablet of your heart.
4
Say to wisdom, "You
are my sister,"
and
call understanding your kinsman;
5
they will keep you from the adulteress,
from
the wayward wife with her seductive words.
6
At the window of my house
I
looked out through the lattice.
7
I saw among the simple,
I
noticed among the young men,
a
youth who lacked judgment.
8
He was going down the street near her corner,
walking
along in the direction of her house
9
at twilight, as the day was fading,
as
the dark of night set in.
10
Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed
like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11
(She is loud and defiant,
her
feet never stay at home;
12
now in the street, now in the squares,
at
every corner she lurks.)
13
She took hold of him and kissed him
and
with a brazen face she said:
14
"I have fellowship offerings A at
home;
today
I fulfilled my vows.
15
So I came out to meet you; [10]
I
looked for you and have found you!
16
I have covered my bed
with
colored linens from Egypt.
17
I have perfumed my bed
with
myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
18
Come, let's drink deep of love till morning;
let's
enjoy ourselves with love!
19
My husband is not at home;
he
has gone on a long journey.
20
He took his purse filled with money
and
will not be home till full moon."
21
With persuasive words she led him astray;
she
seduced him with her smooth talk.
22
All at once he followed her
like
an ox going to the slaughter,
like
a deer B stepping into a noose C
23
till an arrow pierces his liver,
like
a bird darting into a snare,
little
knowing it will cost him his life.
24
Now then, my sons, listen to me;
pay
attention to what I say.
25
Do not let your heart turn to her ways
or
stray into her paths.
26
Many are the victims she has brought down;
her
slain are a mighty throng.
27
Her house is a highway to the grave, D
leading
down to the chambers of death. [11]
OLD TESTAMENT: ISAIAH 48:12 - 50:11
12 "Listen to me, O Jacob,
Israel, whom
I have called:
I am he;
I am the
first and I am the last.
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,
and my right
hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon
them,
they all
stand up together.
14 "Come together, all of you, and listen:
Which of the
idols has foretold these things?
The LORD's
chosen ally
will carry
out his purpose against Babylon;
his arm will
be against the Babylonians. A
15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have
called him.
I will bring
him,
and he will
succeed in his mission.
16 "Come near me and listen to this:
"From
the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;
at the time
it happens, I am there."
And now the Sovereign
LORD has sent me,
with his Spirit.
17 This
is what the LORD says--
your Redeemer, the Holy
One of Israel: [12]
"I am the LORD your God,
who teaches
you what is best for you,
who directs
you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention to my commands,
your peace
would have been like a river,
your
righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants would have been like the sand,
your children
like its numberless grains;
their name
would never be cut off
nor destroyed
from before me."
20 Leave
Babylon,
flee from the
Babylonians!
Announce this with
shouts of joy
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends
of the earth;
say, "The LORD has
redeemed his servant Jacob."
21 They
did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow for
them from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.
22 "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked." [13]
49 1
Listen to me, you islands;
hear this, you distant
nations:
Before I was born the
LORD called me;
from my birth he has
made mention of my name.
2 He
made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of his
hand he hid me;
he made me into a
polished arrow
and concealed me in his
quiver.
3 He
said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, in
whom I will display my splendor."
4 But
I said, "I have labored to no purpose;
I have spent my strength
in vain and for nothing.
Yet what is due me is in
the LORD's hand,
and my reward is with my
God."
5 And
now the LORD says--
he who formed me in the
womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to
him
and gather Israel to
himself,
for I am honored in the
eyes of the LORD
and my God has been my
strength--
6 he
says:
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore
the tribes of Jacob
and bring
back those of Israel I have kept. [14]
I will also
make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may
bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."
7 This
is what the LORD says--
the Redeemer and Holy
One of Israel--
to him who was despised
and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of
rulers:
"Kings will see you and rise up,
princes will
see and bow down,
because of
the LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One
of Israel, who has chosen you."
8 This
is what the LORD says:
"In the time of my favor I will answer you,
and in the
day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep
you and will make you
to be a
covenant for the people,
to restore
the land
and to
reassign its desolate inheritances,
9 to say to the captives, `Come out,'
and to those
in darkness, `Be free!'
"They will feed beside the roads
and find
pasture on every barren hill.
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,
nor will the
desert heat or the sun beat upon them.
He who has
compassion on them will guide them [15]
and lead them
beside springs of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my
highways will be raised up.
12 See, they will come from afar--
some from the
north, some from the west,
some from the
region of Aswan. A"
13 Shout
for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, O
mountains!
For the LORD comforts
his people
and will have compassion
on his afflicted ones.
14 But
Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten
me."
15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no
compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she
may forget,
I will not
forget you!
16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls
are ever before me.
17 Your sons hasten back,
and those who
laid you waste depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
all your sons
gather and come to you. [16]
As surely as
I live," declares the LORD,
"you will wear them all as ornaments;
you will put
them on, like a bride.
19 "Though you were ruined and made desolate
and your land
laid waste,
now you will
be too small for your people,
and those who
devoured you will be far away.
20 The children born during your bereavement
will yet say
in your hearing,
`This place
is too small for us;
give us more
space to live in.'
21 Then you will say in your heart,
`Who bore me
these?
I was
bereaved and barren;
I was exiled
and rejected.
Who brought
these up?
I was left
all alone,
but
these--where have they come from?' "
22 This
is what the Sovereign LORD says:
"See, I will beckon to the Gentiles,
I will lift
up my banner to the peoples;
they will
bring your sons in their arms
and carry
your daughters on their shoulders. [17]
23 Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their
queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow
down before you with their faces to the ground;
they will
lick the dust at your feet.
Then you will
know that I am the LORD;
those who
hope in me will not be disappointed."
24 Can
plunder be taken from warriors,
or captives rescued from
the fierce B?
25 But
this is what the LORD says:
"Yes, captives will be taken from warriors,
and plunder
retrieved from the fierce;
I will
contend with those who contend with you,
and your
children I will save.
26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;
they will be
drunk on their own blood, as with wine.
Then all
mankind will know
that I, the
LORD, am your Savior,
your
Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."
50 1
This is what the LORD says:
"Where is your mother's certificate of divorce
with which I
sent her away? [18]
Or to which
of my creditors
did I sell
you?
Because of
your sins you were sold;
because of
your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2 When I came, why was there no one?
When I
called, why was there no one to answer?
Was my arm
too short to ransom you?
Do I lack the
strength to rescue you?
By a mere
rebuke I dry up the sea,
I turn rivers
into a desert;
their fish rot
for lack of water
and die of
thirst.
3 I clothe the sky with darkness
and make
sackcloth its covering."
4 The
Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that
sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by
morning,
wakens my ear to listen
like one being taught.
5 The
Sovereign LORD has opened my ears,
and I have not been
rebellious;
I have not drawn back.
6 I
offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who
pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and
spitting. [19]
7 Because
the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my
face like flint,
and I know I will not be
put to shame.
8 He
who vindicates me is near.
Who then will bring
charges against me?
Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!
9 It
is the Sovereign LORD who helps me.
Who is he that will
condemn me?
They will all wear out
like a garment;
the moths will eat them
up.
10 Who
among you fears the LORD
and obeys the word of
his servant?
Let him who walks in the
dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the
LORD
and rely on his God.
11 But
now, all you who light fires
and provide yourselves
with flaming torches,
go, walk in the light of
your fires
and of the torches you
have set ablaze.
This is what you shall
receive from my hand:
You will lie down in
torment. [20]
NEW TESTAMENT: EPHESIANS 4:17 - 32
17 So
I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as
the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are
darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of
the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having
lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to
indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20 You,
however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard
of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your
old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to
be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new
self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore
each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we
are all members of one body. 26 "In
your anger do not sin" D: Do not let the sun go down
while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing
something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with
those in need.
29 Do
not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful
for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen.
30 And
do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling
and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you. [21]
[1]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
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[2]
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[3]
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[4]
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[5]
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[6]
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[7]
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[8]
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[9]
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[10] Excerpted from Compton's
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Inc. All Rights Reserved
[11] Excerpted from Compton's
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[12] Excerpted from Compton's
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[13] Excerpted from Compton's
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[14] Excerpted from Compton's
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[15] Excerpted from Compton's
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[16] Excerpted from Compton's
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[17] Excerpted from Compton's
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[18] Excerpted from Compton's
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[19] Excerpted from Compton's
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[20] Excerpted from Compton's
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[21] Excerpted from Compton's
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