JUNE
13
PSALMS: 13, 43, 73, 103, 133
PROVERBS: 13
OLD TESTAMENT: ECCLESIASTES 1:1 - 3:22
NEW TESTAMENT: 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1 - 13
PSALMS: 13
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How
long will you hide your face from me?
2
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and
every day have sorrow in my heart?
How
long will my enemy triumph over me?
3
Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give
light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
4
my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and
my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my
heart rejoices in your salvation.
6
I will sing to the LORD,
for
he has been good to me. [1]
PSALMS: 43
1
Vindicate A me, O God,
and
plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
rescue
me from deceitful and wicked men.
2
You are God my stronghold.
Why
have you rejected me?
Why
must I go about mourning,
oppressed
by the enemy?
3
Send forth your light and your truth,
let
them guide me;
let
them bring me to your holy mountain,
to
the place where you dwell.
4
Then will I go to the altar of God,
to
God, my joy and my delight.
I
will praise you with the harp,
O
God, my God.
5
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why
so disturbed within me?
Put
your hope in God,
for
I will yet praise him,
my
Savior and my God.[2]
PSALMS: 73
A
psalm of Asaph.
1
Surely God is good to Israel,
to
those who are pure in heart.
2
But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I
had nearly lost my foothold.
3
For I envied the arrogant
when
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4
They have no struggles;
their
bodies are healthy and strong. A
5
They are free from the burdens common to man;
they
are not plagued by human ills.
6
Therefore pride is their necklace;
they
clothe themselves with violence.
7
From their callous hearts comes iniquity B;
the
evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
8
They scoff, and speak with malice;
in
their arrogance they threaten oppression.
9
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and
their tongues take possession of the earth.
10
Therefore their people turn to them
and
drink up waters in abundance. C
11
They say, "How can God know?
Does
the Most High have knowledge?"
12
This is what the wicked are like--
always
carefree, they increase in wealth. [3]
A
psalm of Asaph.
13
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in
vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
14
All day long I have been plagued;
I
have been punished every morning.
15
If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
I
would have betrayed your children.
16
When I tried to understand all this,
it
was oppressive to me
17
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then
I understood their final destiny.
18
Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you
cast them down to ruin.
19
How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely
swept away by terrors!
20
As a dream when one awakes,
so
when you arise, O Lord,
you
will despise them as fantasies.
21
When my heart was grieved
and
my spirit embittered,
22
I was senseless and ignorant;
I
was a brute beast before you.
23
Yet I am always with you;
you
hold me by my right hand.
24
You guide me with your counsel,
and
afterward you will take me into glory.
25
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And
earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but
God is the strength of my heart
and
my portion forever. [4]
27
Those who are far from you will perish;
you
destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I
have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I
will tell of all your deeds. [5]
PSALMS: 103
Of
David.
1
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all
my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and
forget not all his benefits--
3
who forgives all your sins
and
heals all your diseases,
4
who redeems your life from the pit
and
crowns you with love and compassion,
5
who satisfies your desires with good things
so
that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6
The LORD works righteousness
and
justice for all the oppressed.
7
He made known his ways to Moses,
his
deeds to the people of Israel:
8
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow
to anger, abounding in love.
9
He will not always accuse,
nor
will he harbor his anger forever;
10
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or
repay us according to our iniquities.
11
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so
great is his love for those who fear him;
12
as far as the east is from the west,
so
far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13
As a father has compassion on his children,
so
the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14
for he knows how we are formed, [6]
he
remembers that we are dust.
15
As for man, his days are like grass,
he
flourishes like a flower of the field;
16
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and
its place remembers it no more.
17
But from everlasting to everlasting
the
LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and
his righteousness with their children's children--
18
with those who keep his covenant
and
remember to obey his precepts.
19
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and
his kingdom rules over all.
20
Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you
mighty ones who do his bidding,
who
obey his word.
21
Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you
his servants who do his will.
22
Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere
in his dominion.
Praise
the LORD, O my soul. [7]
PSALMS: 133
A
song of ascents. Of David.
1
How good and pleasant it is
when
brothers live together in unity!
2
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running
down on the beard,
running
down on Aaron's beard,
down
upon the collar of his robes.
3
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were
falling on Mount Zion.
For
there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even
life forevermore. [8]
PROVERBS: 13
13
1 A wise son heeds his
father's instruction,
but
a mocker does not listen to rebuke.
2
From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things,
but
the unfaithful have a craving for violence.
3
He who guards his lips guards his life,
but
he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
4
The sluggard craves and gets nothing,
but
the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
5
The righteous hate what is false,
but
the wicked bring shame and disgrace.
6
Righteousness guards the man of integrity,
but
wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7
One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another
pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8
A man's riches may ransom his life,
but
a poor man hears no threat.
9
The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but
the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.
10
Pride only breeds quarrels,
but
wisdom is found in those who take advice.
11
Dishonest money dwindles away,
but
he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. [9]
12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but
a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
13
He who scorns instruction will pay for it,
but
he who respects a command is rewarded.
14
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning
a man from the snares of death.
15
Good understanding wins favor,
but
the way of the unfaithful is hard. A
16
Every prudent man acts out of knowledge,
but
a fool exposes his folly.
17
A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but
a trustworthy envoy brings healing.
18
He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame,
but
whoever heeds correction is honored.
19
A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
but
fools detest turning from evil.
20
He who walks with the wise grows wise,
but
a companion of fools suffers harm.
21
Misfortune pursues the sinner,
but
prosperity is the reward of the righteous.
22
A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's
children,
but
a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous. [10]
23
A poor man's field may produce abundant food,
but
injustice sweeps it away.
24
He who spares the rod hates his son,
but
he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
25
The righteous eat to their hearts' content,
but
the stomach of the wicked goes hungry. [11]
OLD TESTAMENT: ECCLESIASTES 1:1 - 3:22
1 1
The words of the Teacher, A son of David,
king in Jerusalem:
2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is
meaningless."
3 What
does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under
the sun?
4 Generations
come and generations go,
but the earth remains
forever.
5 The
sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to
where it rises.
6 The
wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its
course.
7 All
streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never
full.
To the place the streams
come from,
there they return again.
8 All
things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough
of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of
hearing.
9 What
has been will be again,
what has been done will
be done again; [12]
there is nothing new
under the sun.
10 Is
there anything of which one can say,
"Look! This is
something new"?
It was here already,
long ago;
it was here before our
time.
11 There
is no remembrance of men of old,
and even those who are
yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow.
12 I,
the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself
to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy
burden God has laid on men! 14 I have seen all the things that are
done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What
is twisted cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot
be counted.
16 I
thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than
anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of
wisdom and knowledge." 17 Then I applied myself to the
understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that
this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18 For
with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the
more grief. [13]
2 1
I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you
with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless.
2 "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does
pleasure accomplish?" 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and
embracing folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was
worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
4 I
undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5
I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6
I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I
bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I
also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I
amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I
acquired men and women singers, and a harem A as well--the delights
of the heart of man. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in
Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I
denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no
pleasure.
My heart took delight in
all my work,
and this was the reward
for all my labor.
11 Yet
when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to
achieve,
everything was
meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under
the sun. [14]
12 Then
I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
and also madness and
folly.
What more can the king's
successor do
than what has already
been done?
13 I
saw that wisdom is better than folly,
just as light is better
than darkness.
14 The
wise man has eyes in his head,
while the fool walks in
the darkness;
but I came to realize
that the same fate
overtakes them both.
15 Then
I thought in my heart,
"The fate of the
fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by
being wise?"
I said in my heart,
"This too is
meaningless."
16 For
the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
in days to come both
will be forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise
man too must die!
17 So
I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me.
All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all
the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one
who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man
or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured
my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my
heart began to despair [15]over
all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a man may do his work
with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone
who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.
22 What
does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under
the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night
his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.
24 A
man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his
work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him,
who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God
gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of
gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.
This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
3 1
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every
activity under heaven:
2
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a
time to uproot,
3
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and
a time to build, [16]
4
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a
time to dance,
5
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a
time to refrain,
6
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a
time to throw away,
7
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and
a time to speak,
8
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a
time for peace.
9 What
does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God
has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He
has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has
done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better
for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That
everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the
gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever;
nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men
will revere him.
15 Whatever
is has already been,
and what will be has
been before;
and God will call the
past to account. A
16 And
I saw something else under the sun: [17]
In the place of
judgment--wickedness was there,
in the place of
justice--wickedness was there.
17 I
thought in my heart,
"God will bring to
judgment
both the righteous and
the wicked,
for there will be a time
for every activity,
a time for every
deed."
18 I
also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they
are like the animals. 19 Man's fate is like that of the animals; the
same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same
breath B; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is
meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to
dust all return. 21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and
if the spirit of the animal C goes down into the earth?"
22 So
I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because
that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? [18]
NEW TESTAMENT: 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1 - 13
6 1
As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive
God's grace in vain. 2 For he says,
"In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the
day of salvation I helped you." A
I tell you, now is the
time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.
3 We
put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be
discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in
every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in
beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6
in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and
in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with
weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through
glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as
impostors;
9 known,
yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;
10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich;
having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
11 We
have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. 12
We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding
yours from us.
13 As
a fair exchange--I speak as to my children--open wide your hearts also. [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
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