APRIL
21
PSALMS: 20,
50, 80, 110, 140
PROVERBS: 20
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 CHRONICLES 11:1 - 12:18
NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 28:1 - 31
PSALMS: 21
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength.
How
great is his joy in the victories you give!
2
You have granted him the desire of his heart
and
have not withheld the request of his lips.
Selah
3
You welcomed him with rich blessings
and
placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4
He asked you for life, and you gave it to him--
length
of days, for ever and ever.
5
Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you
have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6
Surely you have granted him eternal blessings
and
made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7
For the king trusts in the LORD;
through
the unfailing love of the Most High
he
will not be shaken.
8
Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;
your
right hand will seize your foes.
9
At the time of your appearing
you
will make them like a fiery furnace.
In
his wrath the LORD will swallow them up,
and
his fire will consume them.
10
You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
their
posterity from mankind.
11
Though they plot evil against you
and
devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed;
12
for you will make them turn their backs
when
you aim at them with drawn bow. [1]
13
Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength;
we
will sing and praise your might. [2]
PSALMS: 51
For
the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him
after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1
Have mercy on me, O God,
according
to your unfailing love;
according
to your great compassion
blot
out my transgressions.
2
Wash away all my iniquity
and
cleanse me from my sin.
3
For I know my transgressions,
and
my sin is always before me.
4
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and
done what is evil in your sight,
so
that you are proved right when you speak
and
justified when you judge.
5
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful
from the time my mother conceived me.
6
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts A;
you
teach B me wisdom in the inmost place.
7
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash
me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let
the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9
Hide your face from my sins
and
blot out all my iniquity. [3]
10
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and
renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11
Do not cast me from your presence
or
take your Holy Spirit from me.
12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and
grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and
sinners will turn back to you.
14
Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the
God who saves me,
and
my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15
O Lord, open my lips,
and
my mouth will declare your praise.
16
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you
do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17
The sacrifices of God are C a broken
spirit;
a
broken and contrite heart,
O
God, you will not despise.
18
In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build
up the walls of Jerusalem.
19
Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole
burnt offerings to delight you;
then
bulls will be offered on your altar. [4]
PSALMS: 81
For
the director of music. According to gittith. A Of Asaph.
1
Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout
aloud to the God of Jacob!
2
Begin the music, strike the tambourine,
play
the melodious harp and lyre.
3
Sound the ram's horn at the New Moon,
and
when the moon is full, on the day of our Feast;
4
this is a decree for Israel,
an
ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5
He established it as a statute for Joseph
when
he went out against Egypt,
where
we heard a language we did not understand. B
6
He says, "I removed
the burden from their shoulders;
their hands were set free from the basket.
7 In your distress you called and I
rescued you,
I answered you out of a thundercloud;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Selah
8
"Hear, O my people,
and I will warn you--
if you would but listen to me, O Israel!
9 You shall
have no foreign god among you;
you shall not bow down to an alien god.
10 I am the
LORD your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. [5]
11
"But my people would
not listen to me;
Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave
them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
13
"If my people would
but listen to me,
if Israel would follow my ways,
14 how
quickly would I subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes!
15 Those who
hate the LORD would cringe before him,
and their punishment would last forever.
16 But you
would be fed with the finest of wheat;
with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
[6]
PSALMS: 111
1 Praise A the
LORD. B
I
will extol the LORD with all my heart
in
the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2
Great are the works of the LORD;
they
are pondered by all who delight in them.
3
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and
his righteousness endures forever.
4
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the
LORD is gracious and compassionate.
5
He provides food for those who fear him;
he
remembers his covenant forever.
6
He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving
them the lands of other nations.
7
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all
his precepts are trustworthy.
8
They are steadfast for ever and ever,
done
in faithfulness and uprightness.
9
He provided redemption for his people;
he
ordained his covenant forever--
holy
and awesome is his name.
10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all
who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To
him belongs eternal praise. [7]
PSALMS: 141
A
psalm of David.
1
O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me.
Hear
my voice when I call to you.
2
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may
the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
3
Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD;
keep
watch over the door of my lips.
4
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to
take part in wicked deeds
with
men who are evildoers;
let
me not eat of their delicacies.
5
Let a righteous man A strike me--it is a
kindness;
let
him rebuke me--it is oil on my head.
My
head will not refuse it.
Yet
my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers;
6
their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,
and
the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
7
They will say, "As one plows and breaks up the
earth,
so
our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave. B"
8
But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD;
in
you I take refuge--do not give me over to death.
9
Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,
from
the traps set by evildoers.
10
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while
I pass by in safety. [8]
PROVERBS: 21
21
1 The king's heart is in
the hand of the LORD;
he
directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.
2
All a man's ways seem right to him,
but
the LORD weighs the heart.
3
To do what is right and just
is
more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4
Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
the
lamp of the wicked, are sin!
5
The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as
surely as haste leads to poverty.
6
A fortune made by a lying tongue
is
a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare. A
7
The violence of the wicked will drag them away,
for
they refuse to do what is right.
8
The way of the guilty is devious,
but
the conduct of the innocent is upright.
9
Better to live on a corner of the roof
than
share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
10
The wicked man craves evil;
his
neighbor gets no mercy from him. [9]
11
When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
when
a wise man is instructed, he gets knowledge.
12
The Righteous One B takes note of the house
of the wicked
and
brings the wicked to ruin.
13
If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,
he
too will cry out and not be answered.
14
A gift given in secret soothes anger,
and
a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.
15
When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
but
terror to evildoers.
16
A man who strays from the path of understanding
comes
to rest in the company of the dead.
17
He who loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever
loves wine and oil will never be rich.
18
The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
and
the unfaithful for the upright.
19
Better to live in a desert
than
with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.
20
In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and
oil,
but
a foolish man devours all he has.
21
He who pursues righteousness and love
finds
life, prosperity C and honor. [10]
22
A wise man attacks the city of the mighty
and
pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.
23
He who guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps
himself from calamity.
24
The proud and arrogant man--"Mocker" is his
name;
he
behaves with overweening pride.
25
The sluggard's craving will be the death of him,
because
his hands refuse to work.
26
All day long he craves for more,
but
the righteous give without sparing.
27
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable--
how
much more so when brought with evil intent!
28
A false witness will perish,
and
whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever. D
29
A wicked man puts up a bold front,
but
an upright man gives thought to his ways.
30
There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that
can succeed against the LORD.
31
The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but
victory rests with the LORD. [11]
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 CHRONICLES 11:1 - 12:18
11 1
All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said,
"We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, even while
Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And
the LORD your God said to you, `You will shepherd my
people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'"
3 When
all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a compact
with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel,
as the LORD had promised through Samuel.
4 David
and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). The Jebusites who
lived there 5 said to David, "You will not get in here."
Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.
6 David
had said, "Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become
commander-in-chief." Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and so he received
the command.
7 David
then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the City of David.
8 He
built up the city around it, from the supporting terraces A to the
surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city. 9 And
David became more and more powerful, because the LORD Almighty was with him.
10 These
were the chiefs of David's mighty men--they, together with all Israel, gave his
kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the LORD had
promised—
11 this
is the list of David's mighty men: [12]
Jashobeam, B a Hacmonite, was chief of the officers C; he
raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.
12 Next
to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men.
13 He
was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At
a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the
Philistines. 14 But they took their stand in the middle of the field.
They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a
great victory.
15 Three
of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam,
while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16 At
that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at
Bethlehem. 17 David longed for water and said, "Oh, that
someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of
Bethlehem!" 18 So the Three broke through the Philistine lines,
drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to
David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. 19
"God forbid that I should do this!" he said. "Should I
drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?" Because
they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits
of the three mighty men.
20 Abishai
the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three
hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 21 He
was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he
was not [13]
included among them.
22 Benaiah
son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great
exploits. He struck down two of Moab's best men. He also went down into a pit
on a snowy day and killed a lion. 23 And he struck down an Egyptian
who was seven and a half feet D tall. Although the Egyptian had a
spear like a weaver's rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He
snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 24
Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous
as the three mighty men. 25 He was held in greater honor than any of
the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in
charge of his bodyguard.
26 The
mighty men were:
Asahel the brother of
Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo from
Bethlehem,
27 Shammoth
the Harorite,
Helez the Pelonite,
28 Ira
son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,
Abiezer from Anathoth,
29 Sibbecai
the Hushathite,
Ilai the Ahohite,
30 Maharai
the Netophathite,
Heled son of Baanah the
Netophathite,
31 Ithai
son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin,
Benaiah the Pirathonite,
[14]
32 Hurai
from the ravines of Gaash,
Abiel the Arbathite,
33 Azmaveth
the Baharumite,
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
34 the
sons of Hashem the Gizonite,
Jonathan son of Shagee
the Hararite,
35 Ahiam
son of Sacar the Hararite,
Eliphal son of Ur,
36 Hepher
the Mekerathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,
37 Hezro
the Carmelite,
Naarai son of Ezbai,
38 Joel
the brother of Nathan,
Mibhar son of Hagri,
39 Zelek
the Ammonite,
Naharai the Berothite,
the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
40 Ira
the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
41 Uriah
the Hittite,
Zabad son of Ahlai,
42 Adina
son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty
with him,
43 Hanan
son of Maacah,
Joshaphat the Mithnite,
44 Uzzia
the Ashterathite,
Shama and Jeiel the sons
of Hotham the Aroerite, [15]
45 Jediael
son of Shimri,
his brother Joha the
Tizite,
46 Eliel
the Mahavite,
Jeribai and Joshaviah
the sons of Elnaam,
Ithmah the Moabite,
47 Eliel,
Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
12 1
These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while
he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the
warriors who helped him in battle;
2 they
were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones
right-handed or left-handed; they were kinsmen of Saul from the tribe of
Benjamin):
3 Ahiezer their chief and Joash the
sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah,
Jehu the Anathothite, 4 and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man
among the Thirty, who was a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan,
Jozabad the Gederathite, 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and
Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer and
Jashobeam the Korahites; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of
Jeroham from Gedor. [16]
8 Some
Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave
warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces
were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains.
9 Ezer
was the chief,
Obadiah the second in
command, Eliab the third,
10 Mishmannah
the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
11 Attai
the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
12 Johanan
the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
13 Jeremiah the tenth and
Macbannai the eleventh.
14 These
Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the
greatest for a thousand. 15 It was they who crossed the Jordan in
the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight
everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
16 Other
Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold.
17 David
went out to meet them and said to them, "If you have come to me in peace,
to help me, I am ready to have you unite with me. But if you have come to
betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of
our fathers see it and judge you."
18 Then
the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said:
"We are yours, O David! [17]
We are
with you, O son of Jesse!
Success,
success to you,
and
success to those who help you,
for your God will help you."
So David received them
and made them leaders of his raiding bands. [18]
NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 28:1 - 31
28 1
Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was
called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built
a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul
gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out
by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw
the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must
be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him
to live." 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and
suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or
suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual
happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
7 There
was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the
island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us
hospitably. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and
dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him
and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on
the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways and
when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.
11 After
three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island. It
was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux.
12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From
there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up,
and on [19]the
following day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers
who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The
brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the
Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men
Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul
was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
17 Three
days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled,
Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our
people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and
handed over to the Romans.
18 They
examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving
death. 19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to
Caesar--not that I had any charge to bring against my own people. 20 For
this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the
hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."
21 They
replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and
none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad
about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know
that people everywhere are talking against this sect."
23 They
arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the
place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared
to them the kingdom of God and [20]
tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not
believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after
Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to
your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
26"`Go to this people and say,
"You
will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be
ever seeing but never perceiving."
27 For this
people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly
hear with their ears,
and they have
closed their eyes.
Otherwise
they might see with their eyes,
hear with
their ears,
understand
with their hearts
and turn, and
I would heal them.' A
28 "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has
been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" B
30 For
two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who
came to see him. 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the
kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. [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
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
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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