JUNE
15
PSALMS: 15,
45, 75, 105, 135
PROVERBS: 15
OLD TESTAMENT: ECCLESIASTES 7:1 - 9:18
NEW TESTAMENT: 2 CORINTHIANS 7:7 - 16
PSALMS: 15
A
psalm of David.
1
LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who
may live on your holy hill?
2
He whose walk is blameless
and
who does what is righteous,
who
speaks the truth from his heart
3
and has no slander on his tongue,
who
does his neighbor no wrong
and
casts no slur on his fellowman,
4
who despises a vile man
but
honors those who fear the LORD,
who
keeps his oath
even
when it hurts,
5
who lends his money without usury
and
does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He
who does these things
will
never be shaken. [1]
PSALMS: 45
For
the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of the Sons of Korah.
A maskil. A A wedding song.
1
My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as
I recite my verses for the king;
my
tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2
You are the most excellent of men
and
your lips have been anointed with grace,
since
God has blessed you forever.
3
Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one;
clothe
yourself with splendor and majesty.
4
In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in
behalf of truth, humility and righteousness;
let
your right hand display awesome deeds.
5
Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's
enemies;
let
the nations fall beneath your feet.
6
Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a
scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore
God, your God, has set you above your companions
by
anointing you with the oil of joy.
8
All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and
cassia;
from
palaces adorned with ivory
the
music of the strings makes you glad.
9
Daughters of kings are among your honored women;
at
your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
10
Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear:
Forget
your people and your father's house. [2]
11
The king is enthralled by your beauty;
honor
him, for he is your lord.
12
The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift, B
men
of wealth will seek your favor.
13
All glorious is the princess within her chamber;
her
gown is interwoven with gold.
14
In embroidered garments she is led to the king;
her
virgin companions follow her
and
are brought to you.
15
They are led in with joy and gladness;
they
enter the palace of the king.
16
Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you
will make them princes throughout the land.
17
I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;
therefore
the nations will praise you for ever and ever. [3]
PSALMS: 75
For
the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." A psalm of
Asaph. A song.
1
We give thanks to you, O God,
we
give thanks, for your Name is near;
men
tell of your wonderful deeds.
2
You say, "I choose
the appointed time;
it is I who judge uprightly.
3 When the
earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm.
Selah
4
To the arrogant I say, `Boast no more,'
and to the wicked, `Do not lift up your horns.
5 Do not
lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak with outstretched neck.'"
6
No one from the east or the west
or
from the desert can exalt a man.
7
But it is God who judges:
He
brings one down, he exalts another.
8
In the hand of the LORD is a cup
full
of foaming wine mixed with spices;
he
pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink
it down to its very dregs.
9
As for me, I will declare this forever;
I
will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
10
I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but
the horns of the righteous will be lifted up. [4]
PSALMS: 105
1
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make
known among the nations what he has done.
2
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell
of all his wonderful acts.
3
Glory in his holy name;
let
the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4
Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek
his face always.
5
Remember the wonders he has done,
his
miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6
O descendants of Abraham his servant,
O
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7
He is the LORD our God;
his
judgments are in all the earth.
8
He remembers his covenant forever,
the
word he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the
oath he swore to Isaac.
10
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to
Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11
"To you I will give
the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit."
12
When they were but few in number,
few
indeed, and strangers in it,
13
they wandered from nation to nation,
from
one kingdom to another.
14
He allowed no one to oppress them;
for
their sake he rebuked kings:
15
"Do not touch my
anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm." [5]
16
He called down famine on the land
and
destroyed all their supplies of food;
17
and he sent a man before them--
Joseph,
sold as a slave.
18
They bruised his feet with shackles,
his
neck was put in irons,
19
till what he foretold came to pass,
till
the word of the LORD proved him true.
20
The king sent and released him,
the
ruler of peoples set him free.
21
He made him master of his household,
ruler
over all he possessed,
22
to instruct his princes as he pleased
and
teach his elders wisdom.
23
Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob
lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24
The LORD made his people very fruitful;
he
made them too numerous for their foes,
25
whose hearts he turned to hate his people,
to
conspire against his servants.
26
He sent Moses his servant,
and
Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27
They performed his miraculous signs among them,
his
wonders in the land of Ham.
28
He sent darkness and made the land dark--
for
had they not rebelled against his words?
29
He turned their waters into blood,
causing
their fish to die.
30
Their land teemed with frogs,
which
went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and
gnats throughout their country.
32
He turned their rain into hail,
with
lightning throughout their land; [6]
33
he struck down their vines and fig trees
and
shattered the trees of their country.
34
He spoke, and the locusts came,
grasshoppers
without number;
35
they ate up every green thing in their land,
ate
up the produce of their soil.
36
Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the
firstfruits of all their manhood.
37
He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
and
from among their tribes no one faltered.
38
Egypt was glad when they left,
because
dread of Israel had fallen on them.
39
He spread out a cloud as a covering,
and
a fire to give light at night.
40
They asked, and he brought them quail
and
satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
like
a river it flowed in the desert.
42
For he remembered his holy promise
given
to his servant Abraham.
43
He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his
chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44
he gave them the lands of the nations,
and
they fell heir to what others had toiled for--
45
that they might keep his precepts
and
observe his laws.
Praise
the LORD. A [7]
PSALMS: 135
1
Praise the LORD. A
Praise
the name of the LORD;
praise
him, you servants of the LORD,
2
you who minister in the house of the LORD,
in
the courts of the house of our God.
3
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing
praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
4
For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel
to be his treasured possession.
5
I know that the LORD is great,
that
our Lord is greater than all gods.
6
The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in
the heavens and on the earth,
in
the seas and all their depths.
7
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he
sends lightning with the rain
and
brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the
firstborn of men and animals.
9
He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, O
Egypt,
against
Pharaoh and all his servants.
10
He struck down many nations
and
killed mighty kings--
11
Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og
king of Bashan
and
all the kings of Canaan--
12
and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an
inheritance to his people Israel. [8]
13
Your name, O LORD, endures forever,
your
renown, O LORD, through all generations.
14
For the LORD will vindicate his people
and
have compassion on his servants.
15
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made
by the hands of men.
16
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes,
but they cannot see;
17
they have ears, but cannot hear,
nor
is there breath in their mouths.
18
Those who make them will be like them,
and
so will all who trust in them.
19
O house of Israel, praise the LORD;
O
house of Aaron, praise the LORD;
20
O house of Levi, praise the LORD;
you
who fear him, praise the LORD.
21
Praise be to the LORD from Zion,
to
him who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise
the LORD. [9]
PROVERBS: 15
15
1 A gentle answer turns
away wrath,
but
a harsh word stirs up anger.
2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but
the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
3
The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,
keeping
watch on the wicked and the good.
4
The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,
but
a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
5
A fool spurns his father's discipline,
but
whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
6
The house of the righteous contains great treasure,
but
the income of the wicked brings them trouble.
7
The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
not
so the hearts of fools.
8
The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but
the prayer of the upright pleases him.
9
The LORD detests the way of the wicked
but
he loves those who pursue righteousness.
10
Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path;
he
who hates correction will die.
11
Death and Destruction A lie open before the
LORD--
how
much more the hearts of men! [10]
12
A mocker resents correction;
he
will not consult the wise.
13
A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
but
heartache crushes the spirit.
14
The discerning heart seeks knowledge,
but
the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
15
All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
but
the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16
Better a little with the fear of the LORD
than
great wealth with turmoil.
17
Better a meal of vegetables where there is love
than
a fattened calf with hatred.
18
A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension,
but
a patient man calms a quarrel.
19
The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,
but
the path of the upright is a highway.
20
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but
a foolish man despises his mother.
21
Folly delights a man who lacks judgment,
but
a man of understanding keeps a straight course.
22
Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but
with many advisers they succeed. [11]
23
A man finds joy in giving an apt reply--
and
how good is a timely word!
24
The path of life leads upward for the wise
to
keep him from going down to the grave. B
25
The LORD tears down the proud man's house
but
he keeps the widow's boundaries intact.
26
The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked,
but
those of the pure are pleasing to him.
27
A greedy man brings trouble to his family,
but
he who hates bribes will live.
28
The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
but
the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
29
The LORD is far from the wicked
but
he hears the prayer of the righteous.
30
A cheerful look brings joy to the heart,
and
good news gives health to the bones.
31
He who listens to a life-giving rebuke
will
be at home among the wise.
32
He who ignores discipline despises himself,
but
whoever heeds correction gains understanding. [12]
33
The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, C
OLD TESTAMENT: ECCLESIASTES 7:1 - 9:18
7 1
A good name is better than fine perfume,
and the day of death
better than the day of birth.
2 It
is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of
feasting,
for death is the destiny
of every man;
the living should take
this to heart.
3 Sorrow
is better than laughter,
because a sad face is
good for the heart.
4 The
heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools
is in the house of pleasure.
5 It
is better to heed a wise man's rebuke
than to listen to the
song of fools.
6 Like
the crackling of thorns under the pot,
so is the laughter of
fools.
This too is meaningless.
7 Extortion
turns a wise man into a fool,
and a bribe corrupts the
heart.
8 The
end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better
than pride.
9 Do
not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the
lap of fools.
10 Do
not say, "Why were the old days better than these?"
For it is not wise to
ask such questions. [15]
11 Wisdom,
like an inheritance, is a good thing
and benefits those who
see the sun.
12 Wisdom
is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of
knowledge is this:
that wisdom preserves
the life of its possessor.
13 Consider
what God has done:
Who can straighten
what he has made
crooked?
14 When
times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad,
consider:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, a man cannot
discover
anything about his
future.
15 In
this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:
a righteous man
perishing in his righteousness,
and a wicked man living
long in his wickedness.
16 Do
not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise-- [16]
why destroy yourself?
17 Do
not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool--
why die before your
time?
18 It
is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the
other.
The man who fears God
will avoid all extremes. A
19 Wisdom
makes one wise man more powerful
than ten rulers in a
city.
20 There
is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right
and never sins.
21 Do
not pay attention to every word people say,
or you may hear your
servant cursing you--
22 for
you know in your heart
that many times you
yourself have cursed others.
23 All
this I tested by wisdom and I said,
"I am determined to be wise"--
but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever
wisdom may be,
it is far off and most
profound--
who can discover it? [17]
25 So
I turned my mind to understand,
to investigate and to
search out wisdom and the scheme of things
and to understand the
stupidity of wickedness
and the madness of
folly.
26 I
find more bitter than death
the woman who is a
snare,
whose heart is a trap
and whose hands are
chains.
The man who pleases God
will escape her,
but the sinner she will
ensnare.
27 "Look," says the Teacher, B "this is what I have discovered:
"Adding
one thing to another to discover the scheme of things--
28 while I was still searching
but not
finding--
I found one
upright man among a thousand,
but not one
upright woman among them all.
29 This only have I found:
God made
mankind upright,
but men have
gone in search of many schemes."
81
Who is like the wise man?
Who knows the
explanation of things? [18]
Wisdom brightens a man's
face
and changes its hard
appearance.
2 Obey
the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God. 3 Do
not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. Do not stand up for a bad
cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4 Since a king's word is
supreme, who can say to him, "What are you doing?"
5 Whoever
obeys his command will come to no harm,
and the wise heart will
know the proper time and procedure.
6 For
there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,
though a man's misery
weighs heavily upon him.
7 Since
no man knows the future,
who can tell him what is
to come?
8 No
man has power over the wind to contain it A;
so no one has power over
the day of his death.
As no one is discharged
in time of war,
so wickedness will not
release those who practice it.
9 All
this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a
time when a man lords it over others to his own B hurt. 10 Then
too, I saw the wicked buried--those who used to come and go from the holy place
and receive praise C in the city where they did this. This too is
meaningless. [19]
11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the
hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.
12 Although
a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that
it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. 13 Yet
because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their
days will not lengthen like a shadow.
14 There
is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what
the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too,
I say, is meaningless. 15 So I commend the enjoyment of life,
because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be
glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has
given him under the sun.
16 When
I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe man's labor on earth--his eyes
not seeing sleep day or night—17 then I saw all that God has done.
No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to
search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he
knows, he cannot really comprehend it. [20]
9 1
So I reflected on all this and concluded that the
righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows
whether love or hate awaits him. 2 All share a common destiny--the
righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, A the clean and the
unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
As it is with the good
man,
so with the sinner;
as it is with those who
take oaths,
so with those who are
afraid to take them.
3 This
is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny
overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is
madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4
Anyone who is among the living has hope B--even a live dog is
better off than a dead lion!
5 For
the living know that they will die,
but the dead know
nothing;
they have no further
reward,
and even the memory of
them is forgotten.
6 Their
love, their hate
and their jealousy have
long since vanished;
never again will they
have a part
in anything that happens
under the sun.
7 Go,
eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a [21]
joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 8 Always be
clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life
with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God
has given you under the sun-- all your meaningless days. For this is your lot
in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your
hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, C
where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor
wisdom.
11 I
have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the
swift
or the battle to the
strong,
nor does food come to
the wise
or wealth to the
brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance
happen to them all.
12 Moreover,
no man knows when his hour will come:
As fish are caught in a
cruel net,
or birds are taken in a
snare,
so men are trapped by
evil times
that fall unexpectedly
upon them. [22]
13 I
also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14
There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful
king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. 15
Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city
by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16 So I said,
"Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is
despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
17 The
quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a
ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom
is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys
much good. [23]
NEW TESTAMENT: 2 CORINTHIANS 7:7 - 16
8 Even
if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret
it--I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—9 yet
now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led
you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not
harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that
leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11
See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what
eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what
concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved
yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote
to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured
party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to
us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged.
In addition to our own
encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because
his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 I had boasted to him
about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to
you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well.
15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers
that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. 16 I
am glad I can have complete confidence in you. [24]
[1]
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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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[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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[22] Excerpted from Compton's
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[23] Excerpted from Compton's
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[24] Excerpted from Compton's
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