FEBRUARY
17
PSALMS: 17,
47, 77, 107, 137
PROVERBS: 17
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 SAMUEL 5:1 - 7:17
NEW TESTAMENT: JOHN 6:1 - 21
PSALMS: 17
A
prayer of David.
1
Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;
listen
to my cry.
Give
ear to my prayer--
it
does not rise from deceitful lips.
2
May my vindication come from you;
may
your eyes see what is right.
3
Though you probe my heart and examine me at night,
though
you test me, you will find nothing;
I
have resolved that my mouth will not sin.
4
As for the deeds of men--
by
the word of your lips
I
have kept myself
from
the ways of the violent.
5
My steps have held to your paths;
my
feet have not slipped.
6
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give
ear to me and hear my prayer.
7
Show the wonder of your great love,
you
who save by your right hand
those
who take refuge in you from their foes.
8
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide
me in the shadow of your wings
9
from the wicked who assail me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me. [1]
10
They close up their callous hearts,
and
their mouths speak with arrogance.
11
They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with
eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12
They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like
a great lion crouching in cover.
13
Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down;
rescue
me from the wicked by your sword.
14
O LORD, by your hand save me from such men,
from
men of this world whose reward is in this life.
You
still the hunger of those you cherish;
their
sons have plenty,
and
they store up wealth for their children.
15
And I--in righteousness I will see your face;
when
I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing
your
likeness. [2]
PSALMS: 47
For
the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1
Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout
to God with cries of joy.
2
How awesome is the LORD Most High,
the
great King over all the earth!
3
He subdued nations under us,
peoples
under our feet.
4
He chose our inheritance for us,
the
pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
Selah
5
God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the
LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
6
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing
praises to our King, sing praises.
7
For God is the King of all the earth;
sing
to him a psalm A of praise.
8
God reigns over the nations;
God
is seated on his holy throne.
9
The nobles of the nations assemble
as
the people of the God of Abraham,
for
the kings B of the earth belong to God;
he
is greatly exalted. [3]
PSALMS: 77
For
the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1
I cried out to God for help;
I
cried out to God to hear me.
2
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at
night I stretched out untiring hands
and
my soul refused to be comforted.
3
I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I
mused, and my spirit grew faint.
Selah
4
You kept my eyes from closing;
I
was too troubled to speak.
5
I thought about the former days,
the
years of long ago;
6
I remembered my songs in the night.
My
heart mused and my spirit inquired:
7
"Will the Lord reject forever?
Will
he never show his favor again?
8
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has
his promise failed for all time?
9
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has
he in anger withheld his compassion?"
Selah
[4]
10
Then I thought, "To this I will appeal:
the
years of the right hand of the Most High."
11
I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes,
I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12
I will meditate on all your works
and
consider all your mighty deeds.
13
Your ways, O God, are holy.
What
god is so great as our God?
14
You are the God who performs miracles;
you
display your power among the peoples.
15
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the
descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
16
The waters saw you, O God,
the
waters saw you and writhed;
the
very depths were convulsed.
17
The clouds poured down water,
the
skies resounded with thunder;
your
arrows flashed back and forth.
18
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your
lightning lit up the world;
the
earth trembled and quaked.
19
Your path led through the sea,
your
way through the mighty waters,
though
your footprints were not seen.
20
You led your people like a flock
by
the hand of Moses and Aaron. [5]
PSALMS: 107
1
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his
love endures forever.
2
Let the redeemed of the LORD say this--
those
he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3
those he gathered from the lands,
from
east and west, from north and south. A
4
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding
no way to a city where they could settle.
5
They were hungry and thirsty,
and
their lives ebbed away.
6
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and
he delivered them from their distress.
7
He led them by a straight way
to
a city where they could settle.
8
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing
love
and
his wonderful deeds for men,
9
for he satisfies the thirsty
and
fills the hungry with good things.
10
Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,
prisoners
suffering in iron chains,
11
for they had rebelled against the words of God
and
despised the counsel of the Most High.
12
So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they
stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and
he saved them from their distress.
14
He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom
and
broke away their chains.
15
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing
love
and
his wonderful deeds for men,
16
for he breaks down gates of bronze
and
cuts through bars of iron. [6]
17
Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and
suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18
They loathed all food
and
drew near the gates of death.
19
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and
he saved them from their distress.
20
He sent forth his word and healed them;
he
rescued them from the grave.
21
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing
love
and
his wonderful deeds for men.
22
Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and
tell of his works with songs of joy.
23
Others went out on the sea in ships;
they
were merchants on the mighty waters.
24
They saw the works of the LORD,
his
wonderful deeds in the deep.
25
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that
lifted high the waves.
26
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the
depths;
in
their peril their courage melted away.
27
They reeled and staggered like drunken men;
they
were at their wits' end.
28
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and
he brought them out of their distress.
29
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the
waves of the sea were hushed.
30
They were glad when it grew calm,
and
he guided them to their desired haven.
31
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing
love
and
his wonderful deeds for men.
32
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people [7]
and
praise him in the council of the elders.
33
He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing
springs into thirsty ground,
34
and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because
of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35
He turned the desert into pools of water
and
the parched ground into flowing springs;
36
there he brought the hungry to live,
and
they founded a city where they could settle.
37
They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that
yielded a fruitful harvest;
38
he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and
he did not let their herds diminish.
39
Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by
oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40
he who pours contempt on nobles
made
them wander in a trackless waste.
41
But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and
increased their families like flocks.
42
The upright see and rejoice,
but
all the wicked shut their mouths.
43
Whoever is wise, let him heed these things
and
consider the great love of the LORD. [8]
PSALMS: 137
1
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when
we remembered Zion.
2
There on the poplars
we
hung our harps,
3
for there our captors asked us for songs,
our
tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they
said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4
How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while
in a foreign land?
5
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may
my right hand forget its skill.
6
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if
I do not remember you,
if
I do not consider Jerusalem
my
highest joy.
7
Remember, O LORD, what the Edomites did
on
the day Jerusalem fell.
"Tear
it down," they cried,
"tear
it down to its foundations!"
8
O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy
is he who repays you
for
what you have done to us--
9
he who seizes your infants
and
dashes them against the rocks. [9]
PROVERBS: 17
17
1 Better a dry crust with
peace and quiet
than
a house full of feasting, A with strife.
2
A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son,
and
will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3
The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but
the LORD tests the heart.
4
A wicked man listens to evil lips;
a
liar pays attention to a malicious tongue.
5
He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever
gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
6
Children's children are a crown to the aged,
and
parents are the pride of their children.
7
Arrogant B lips are unsuited to a fool--
how
much worse lying lips to a ruler!
8
A bribe is a charm to the one who gives it;
wherever
he turns, he succeeds.
9
He who covers over an offense promotes love,
but
whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
10
A rebuke impresses a man of discernment
more
than a hundred lashes a fool.
11
An evil man is bent only on rebellion;
a
merciless official will be sent against him. [10]
12
Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than
a fool in his folly.
13
If a man pays back evil for good,
evil
will never leave his house.
14
Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so
drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15
Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent--
the
LORD detests them both.
16
Of what use is money in the hand of a fool,
since
he has no desire to get wisdom?
17
A friend loves at all times,
and
a brother is born for adversity.
18
A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge
and
puts up security for his neighbor.
19
He who loves a quarrel loves sin;
he
who builds a high gate invites destruction.
20
A man of perverse heart does not prosper;
he
whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
21
To have a fool for a son brings grief;
there
is no joy for the father of a fool. [11]
22
A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but
a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23
A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret
to
pervert the course of justice.
24
A discerning man keeps wisdom in view,
but
a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25
A foolish son brings grief to his father
and
bitterness to the one who bore him.
26
It is not good to punish an innocent man,
or
to flog officials for their integrity.
27
A man of knowledge uses words with restraint,
and
a man of understanding is even-tempered.
28
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and
discerning if he holds his tongue. [12]
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 SAMUEL 5:1 - 7:17
5 1
After the Philistines had captured the ark of God,
they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then they carried the ark
into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon.
3 When
the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his
face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back
in his place. 4 But the following morning when they rose, there was
Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head
and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body
remained. 5 That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor
any others who enter Dagon's temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.
6 The
LORD's hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought
devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumors. A 7 When
the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The ark of the god
of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy upon us and
upon Dagon our god."
8 So
they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them,
"What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?"
They answered,
"Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath." So they moved the
ark of the God of Israel.
9 But
after they had moved it, the LORD's hand was against that city, throwing it
into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old,
with an outbreak of tumors. B 10 So they sent the ark of
God to Ekron.
As the ark of God was
entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They have brought the ark
of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people." 11 So
they called together all the rulers [13]of
the Philistines and said, "Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it
go back to its own place, or it C will kill us and our people."
For death had filled the city with panic; God's hand was very heavy upon it. 12
Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the
city went up to heaven.
6 1
When the ark of the LORD had been in Philistine
territory seven months, 2 the Philistines called for the priests and
the diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us
how we should send it back to its place."
3 They
answered, "If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it away
empty, but by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed,
and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you."
4 The
Philistines asked, "What guilt offering should we send to him?"
They replied, "Five
gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine
rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. 5 Make
models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and pay
honor to Israel's god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and
your land. 6 Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and
Pharaoh did? When he A treated them harshly, did they not send the
Israelites [14]
out so they could go on their way?
7 "Now
then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been
yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8
Take the ark of the LORD and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it
put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it
on its way, 9 but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own
territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the LORD has brought this great disaster
on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that
struck us and that it happened to us by chance."
10 So
they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned
up their calves. 11 They placed the ark of the LORD on the cart and
along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors.
12 Then
the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing
all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the
Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.
13 Now
the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when
they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. 14 The
cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a
large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows
as a burnt offering to the LORD.
15 The
Levites took down the ark of the LORD, together with the chest containing the
gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth
Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD. 16 The
five rulers of [15]
the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.
17 These
are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the LORD--one
each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 18 And the number
of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to
the five rulers--the fortified towns with their country villages. The large
rock, on which B they set the ark of the LORD, is a witness to this
day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19 But
God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy C
of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. The people
mourned because of the heavy blow the LORD had dealt them, 20 and
the men of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who can stand in the presence of the LORD,
this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?"
21 Then
they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The
Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to your
place."
7 1
So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark
of the LORD. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated
Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD.
2 It
was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim,
and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD. 3 And
Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If [16]
you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the
foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him
only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." 4 So
the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.
5 Then
Samuel said, "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the
LORD for you." 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew
water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they
confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel was leaderA
of Israel at Mizpah.
7 When
the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the
Philistines came up to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of it, they
were afraid because of the Philistines. 8 They said to Samuel,
"Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us
from the hand of the Philistines." 9 Then Samuel took a
suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried
out to the LORD on Israel's behalf, and the LORD answered him.
10 While
Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage
Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the
Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the
Israelites. 11 The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued
the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car.
12 Then
Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and [17]
Shen. He named it Ebenezer, B saying, "Thus far has the LORD
helped us." 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not
invade Israelite territory again.
Throughout Samuel's
lifetime, the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines. 14 The
towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were
restored to her, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the power
of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 Samuel
continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life. 16 From
year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging
Israel in all those places.
17 But
he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also judged
Israel. And he built an altar there to the LORD. [18]
NEW TESTAMENT: JOHN 6:1 - 21
6 1
Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore
of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great
crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had
performed on the sick.
3 Then
Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The
Jewish Passover Feast was near.
5 When
Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip,
"Where shall we buy bread for these people to
eat?" 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already
had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip
answered him, "Eight months' wages A would not buy enough bread
for each one to have a bite!"
8 Another
of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9 "Here
is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will
they go among so many?"
10 Jesus
said, "Have the people sit down."
There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five
thousand of them. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and
distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same
with the fish.
12 When
they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."
13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces
of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After
the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say,
"Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the [19]
world." 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make
him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
16 When
evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got
into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and
Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the
waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed three or three and a half
miles, B they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water;
and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, "It is I;
don't be afraid." 21 Then they were willing to take him into
the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. [20]
[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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