MAY
12
PSALMS: 12,
42, 72, 102, 132
PROVERBS: 12
OLD TESTAMENT: 2 CHRONICLES 30:1 - 31:21
NEW TESTAMENT: ROMANS 15:1 - 22
PSALMS: 12
For
the director of music. According to sheminith. A A psalm of
David.
1
Help, LORD, for the godly are no more;
the
faithful have vanished from among men.
2
Everyone lies to his neighbor;
their
flattering lips speak with deception.
3
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips
and
every boastful tongue
4
that says, "We will triumph with our tongues;
we
own our lips B--who is our master?"
5
"Because of the
oppression of the weak
and the groaning of the needy,
I will now arise," says the LORD.
"I will protect them from those who malign them."
6
And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like
silver refined in a furnace of clay,
purified
seven times.
7
O LORD, you will keep us safe
and
protect us from such people forever.
8
The wicked freely strut about
when
what is vile is honored among men. [1]
PSALMS: 42
For
A the director of music. A maskil B of the Sons of
Korah.
1
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so
my soul pants for you, O God.
2
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When
can I go and meet with God?
3
My tears have been my food
day
and night,
while
men say to me all day long,
"Where
is your God?"
4
These things I remember
as
I pour out my soul:
how
I used to go with the multitude,
leading
the procession to the house of God,
with
shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among
the festive throng.
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 6 my God.
My
C soul is downcast within me;
therefore
I will remember you
from
the land of the Jordan,
the
heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar.
7
Deep calls to deep
in
the roar of your waterfalls;
all
your waves and breakers
have
swept over me.
8
By day the LORD directs his love,
at
night his song is with me--
a
prayer to the God of my life.
9
I say to God my Rock,
"Why
have you forgotten me?
Why
must I go about mourning,
oppressed
by the enemy?"
10
My bones suffer mortal agony
as
my foes taunt me,
saying
to me all day long,
"Where
is your God?"
11
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: 72
Of
Solomon.
1
Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the
royal son with your righteousness.
2
He will A judge your people in
righteousness,
your
afflicted ones with justice.
3
The mountains will bring prosperity to the people,
the
hills the fruit of righteousness.
4
He will defend the afflicted among the people
and
save the children of the needy;
he
will crush the oppressor.
5
He will endure B as long as the sun,
as
long as the moon, through all generations.
6
He will be like rain falling on a mown field,
like
showers watering the earth.
7
In his days the righteous will flourish;
prosperity
will abound till the moon is no more.
8
He will rule from sea to sea
and
from the River C to the ends of the earth. D
9
The desert tribes will bow before him
and
his enemies will lick the dust.
10
The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
will
bring tribute to him;
the
kings of Sheba and Seba
will
present him gifts.
11
All kings will bow down to him
and
all nations will serve him. [3]
Of
Solomon.
12
For
he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the
afflicted who have no one to help.
13
He
will take pity on the weak and the needy
and
save the needy from death.
14
He
will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for
precious is their blood in his sight.
15
Long
may he live!
May
gold from Sheba be given him.
May
people ever pray for him
and
bless him all day long.
16
Let
grain abound throughout the land;
on
the tops of the hills may it sway.
Let
its fruit flourish like Lebanon;
let
it thrive like the grass of the field.
17
May
his name endure forever;
may
it continue as long as the sun.
All
nations will be blessed through him,
and
they will call him blessed. [4]
18
Praise
be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who
alone does marvelous deeds.
19
Praise
be to his glorious name forever;
may
the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen
and Amen.
20 This concludes the
prayers of David son of Jesse. [5]
PSALMS: 102
A
prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before
the LORD.
1
Hear my prayer, O LORD;
let
my cry for help come to you.
2
Do not hide your face from me
when
I am in distress.
Turn
your ear to me;
when
I call, answer me quickly.
3
For my days vanish like smoke;
my
bones burn like glowing embers.
4
My heart is blighted and withered like grass;
I
forget to eat my food.
5
Because of my loud groaning
I
am reduced to skin and bones.
6
I am like a desert owl,
like
an owl among the ruins.
7
I lie awake; I have become
like
a bird alone on a roof.
8
All day long my enemies taunt me;
those
who rail against me use my name as a curse.
9
For I eat ashes as my food
and
mingle my drink with tears
10
because of your great wrath,
for
you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
11
My days are like the evening shadow;
I
wither away like grass. [6]
12
But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;
your
renown endures through all generations.
13
You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for
it is time to show favor to her;
the
appointed time has come.
14
For her stones are dear to your servants;
her
very dust moves them to pity.
15
The nations will fear the name of the LORD,
all
the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
16
For the LORD will rebuild Zion
and
appear in his glory.
17
He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
he
will not despise their plea.
18
Let this be written for a future generation,
that
a people not yet created may praise the LORD:
19
"The LORD looked down
from his sanctuary on high,
from heaven he viewed the earth,
20
to hear the groans of the prisoners
and release those condemned to death."
21
So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion
and
his praise in Jerusalem
22
when the peoples and the kingdoms
assemble
to worship the LORD.
23
In the course of my life A he broke my
strength;
he
cut short my days.
24
So I said:
"Do
not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days;
your
years go on through all generations.
25
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the
earth,
and
the heavens are the work of your hands.[7]
26
They will perish, but you remain;
they
will all wear out like a garment.
Like
clothing you will change them
and
they will be discarded.
27
But you remain the same,
and
your years will never end.
28
The children of your servants will live in your
presence;
their
descendants will be established before you." [8]
PSALMS: 132
A
song of ascents.
1
O LORD, remember David
and
all the hardships he endured.
2
He swore an oath to the LORD
and
made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3
"I will not enter my house
or
go to my bed--
4
I will allow no sleep to my eyes,
no
slumber to my eyelids,
5
till I find a place for the LORD,
a
dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6
We heard it in Ephrathah,
we
came upon it in the fields of Jaar A:B
7
"Let us go to his dwelling place;
let
us worship at his footstool--
8
arise, O LORD, and come to your resting place,
you
and the ark of your might.
9
May your priests be clothed with righteousness;
may
your saints sing for joy."
10
For the sake of David your servant,
do
not reject your anointed one. [9]
11
The LORD swore an oath to David,
a
sure oath that he will not revoke:
"One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne--
12
if your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever."
13
For the LORD has chosen Zion,
he
has desired it for his dwelling:
14
"This is my resting
place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it--
15 I will
bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor will I satisfy with food.
16 I will
clothe her priests with salvation,
and her saints will ever sing for joy.
17 "Here I will make a horn C grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will
clothe his enemies with shame,
but the crown on his head will be resplendent."
[10]
PROVERBS: 12
12
1 Whoever loves
discipline loves knowledge,
but
he who hates correction is stupid.
2
A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
but
the LORD condemns a crafty man.
3
A man cannot be established through wickedness,
but
the righteous cannot be uprooted.
4
A wife of noble character is her husband's crown,
but
a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.
5
The plans of the righteous are just,
but
the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
6
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but
the speech of the upright rescues them.
7
Wicked men are overthrown and are no more,
but
the house of the righteous stands firm.
8
A man is praised according to his wisdom,
but
men with warped minds are despised.
9
Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
than
pretend to be somebody and have no food.
10
A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal,
but
the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
11
He who works his land will have abundant food,
but
he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.[11]
12
The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
but
the root of the righteous flourishes.
13
An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk,
but
a righteous man escapes trouble.
14
From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good
things
as
surely as the work of his hands rewards him.
15
The way of a fool seems right to him,
but
a wise man listens to advice.
16
A fool shows his annoyance at once,
but
a prudent man overlooks an insult.
17
A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but
a false witness tells lies.
18
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but
the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19
Truthful lips endure forever,
but
a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
20
There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but
joy for those who promote peace.
21
No harm befalls the righteous,
but
the wicked have their fill of trouble. [12]
22
The LORD detests lying lips,
but
he delights in men who are truthful.
23
A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself,
but
the heart of fools blurts out folly.
24
Diligent hands will rule,
but
laziness ends in slave labor.
25
An anxious heart weighs a man down,
but
a kind word cheers him up.
26
A righteous man is cautious in friendship, A
but
the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27
The lazy man does not roast B his game,
but
the diligent man prizes his possessions.
28
In the way of righteousness there is life;
along
that path is immortality. [13]
OLD TESTAMENT: 2 CHRONICLES 30:1 - 31:21
30 1
Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also
wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of
the LORD in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the LORD, the God of
Israel. 2 The king and his officials and the whole assembly in
Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month. 3 They
had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough
priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in
Jerusalem. 4 The plan seemed right both to the king and to the whole
assembly. 5 They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel,
from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate
the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in
large numbers according to what was written.
6 At
the king's command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from
the king and from his officials, which read:
"People of Israel,
return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to
you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7
Do not be like your fathers and brothers, who were unfaithful to the
LORD, the God of their fathers, so that he made them an object of horror, as
you see. 8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to
the LORD. Come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the
LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. 9 If
you return to the LORD, then your brothers and your children will be shown
compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your
God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you
return to him."
10 The
couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but
the people scorned and ridiculed them. 11 Nevertheless, some men of
Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. 12 Also
in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry
out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the
LORD.
13 A
very large crowd of people assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of
Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14 They removed the altars in
Jerusalem and cleared away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron
Valley.
15 They
slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The
priests and the Levites were ashamed and consecrated themselves and brought
burnt offerings to the temple of the LORD.
16 Then
they took up their regular positions as prescribed in the Law of Moses the man
of God. The priests sprinkled the blood handed to them by the Levites. 17 Since
many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the
Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not
consecrate their lambs to the LORD. 18 Although most of the many
people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified
themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But
Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the LORD, who is good, pardon
everyone 19 who sets his heart on seeking God--the LORD, the God of
his fathers--even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary."
20 And the LORD heard [14]
Hezekiah and healed the people.
21 The
Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened
Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests sang
to the LORD every day, accompanied by the LORD's instruments of praise. A
22 Hezekiah
spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the
service of the LORD. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and
offered fellowship offerings B and praised the LORD, the God of
their fathers.
23 The
whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for
another seven days they celebrated joyfully. 24 Hezekiah king of
Judah provided a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats for the
assembly, and the officials provided them with a thousand bulls and ten
thousand sheep and goats. A great number of priests consecrated themselves. 25
The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, along with the priests and Levites
and all who had assembled from Israel, including the aliens who had come from
Israel and those who lived in Judah.
26 There
was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of
Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 The priests
and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for their prayer
reached heaven, his holy dwelling place.
31 1
When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there
went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the
Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah
and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them,
the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property.
2 Hezekiah
assigned the priests and Levites to divisions--each of them according to their
duties as priests or Levites--to offer burnt offerings and fellowship
offerings, A to minister, to give thanks and to sing praises at the
gates of the LORD's dwelling. 3 The king contributed from his own
possessions for the morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt
offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moons and appointed feasts as written in the Law
of the LORD. 4 He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the
portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law
of the LORD.
5 As
soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of
their grain, new wine, oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They
brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. 6 The men of Israel
and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds
and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the LORD their God, and
they piled them in heaps. 7 They began doing this in the third month
and finished in the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and his officials
came and saw the heaps, they praised the LORD and blessed his people Israel.
9 Hezekiah
asked the priests and Levites about the heaps; 10 and Azariah the
chief priest, from the family of Zadok, answered, "Since the [15]
people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the LORD, we have
had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the LORD has blessed his people,
and this great amount is left over."
11 Hezekiah
gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple of the LORD, and this was done.
12 Then they faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes and
dedicated gifts. Conaniah, a Levite, was in charge of these things, and his
brother Shimei was next in rank. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel,
Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah were supervisors under
Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by appointment of King Hezekiah and Azariah
the official in charge of the temple of God.
14 Kore
son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the East Gate, was in charge of the freewill
offerings given to God, distributing the contributions made to the LORD and
also the consecrated gifts. 15 Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah,
Amariah and Shecaniah assisted him faithfully in the towns of the priests,
distributing to their fellow priests according to their divisions, old and
young alike.
16 In
addition, they distributed to the males three years old or more whose names
were in the genealogical records--all who would enter the temple of the LORD to
perform the daily duties of their various tasks, according to their
responsibilities and their divisions. 17 And they distributed to the
priests enrolled by their families in the genealogical records and likewise to
the Levites twenty years old or more, according to their responsibilities and
their divisions. 18 They included all the little ones, the wives,
and the sons and daughters of the whole community listed in these genealogical
records. For they were faithful in consecrating themselves.
19 As
for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who lived on the farm lands around
their towns or in any other towns, men were designated by name to distribute
portions to every male among them and to all who were recorded in the
genealogies of the Levites.
20 This
is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and
faithful before the LORD his God. 21 In everything that he undertook
in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he
sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered. [16]
NEW TESTAMENT: ROMANS 15:1 - 22
15 1
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of
the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his
neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not
please himself but, as it is written: "The
insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." A 4
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so
that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have
hope.
5 May
the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among
yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and
mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Accept
one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to
God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews B
on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9
so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:
"Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing
hymns to your name." C
10 Again, it says,
"Rejoice,
O Gentiles, with his people." D
11 And again,
"Praise
the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and sing
praises to him, all you peoples." E
12 And again, Isaiah says,
"The
Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will
arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles
will hope in him." F
13 May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that
you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. [17]
14 I
myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness,
complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15 I
have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them
again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of
Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel
of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 Therefore
I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18 I will not venture
to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading
the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—19 by the
power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem
all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not
known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. 21 Rather,
as it is written:
"Those who were not told about him will see,
and those who
have not heard will understand." G
[1]
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[2]
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[3]
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[4]Excerpted from Compton's
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[5]Excerpted from Compton's
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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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