MARCH
22
PSALMS: 22, 52, 82, 112, 142
PROVERBS: 22
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 KINGS 8:1 - 66
NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 7:51 - 8:13
PSALMS: 22
For
the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning." A
psalm of David.
1
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why
are you so far from saving me,
so
far from the words of my groaning?
2
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by
night, and am not silent.
3
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you
are the praise of Israel. A
4
In you our fathers put their trust;
they
trusted and you delivered them.
5
They cried to you and were saved;
in
you they trusted and were not disappointed.
6
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned
by men and despised by the people.
7
All who see me mock me;
they
hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8
"He trusts in the LORD;
let
the LORD rescue him.
Let
him deliver him,
since
he delights in him."
9
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you
made me trust in you
even
at my mother's breast.
10
From birth I was cast upon you;
from
my mother's womb you have been my God. [1]
11
Do not be far from me,
for
trouble is near
and
there is no one to help.
12
Many bulls surround me;
strong
bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13
Roaring lions tearing their prey
open
their mouths wide against me.
14
I am poured out like water,
and
all my bones are out of joint.
My
heart has turned to wax;
it
has melted away within me.
15
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you
lay me B in the dust of death.
16
Dogs have surrounded me;
a
band of evil men has encircled me,
they
have pierced C my hands and my feet.
17
I can count all my bones;
people
stare and gloat over me.
18
They divide my garments among them
and
cast lots for my clothing.
19
But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O
my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20
Deliver my life from the sword,
my
precious life from the power of the dogs.
21
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save
D me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22
I will declare your name to my brothers;
in
the congregation I will praise you.
23
You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All
you descendants of Jacob, honor him! [2]
Revere
him, all you descendants of Israel!
24
For he has not despised or disdained
the
suffering of the afflicted one;
he
has not hidden his face from him
but
has listened to his cry for help.
25
From you comes the theme of my praise in the great
assembly;
before
those who fear you E will I fulfill my vows.
26
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they
who seek the LORD will praise him--
may
your hearts live forever!
27
All the ends of the earth
will
remember and turn to the LORD,
and
all the families of the nations
will
bow down before him,
28
for dominion belongs to the LORD
and
he rules over the nations.
29
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all
who go down to the dust will kneel before him--
those
who cannot keep themselves alive.
30
Posterity will serve him;
future
generations will be told about the Lord.
31
They will proclaim his righteousness
to
a people yet unborn--
for
he has done it. [3]
PSALMS: 52
For
the director of music. A maskil A of David. When Doeg the
Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: "David has gone to the house of
Ahimelech."
1
Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
Why
do you boast all day long,
you
who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2
Your tongue plots destruction;
it
is like a sharpened razor,
you
who practice deceit.
3 You
love evil rather than good,
falsehood
rather than speaking the truth.
Selah
4
You love every harmful word,
O
you deceitful tongue!
5
Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He
will snatch you up and tear you from your tent;
he
will uproot you from the land of the living.
Selah
6
The righteous will see and fear;
they
will laugh at him, saying,
7
"Here now is the man
who
did not make God his stronghold
but
trusted in his great wealth
and
grew strong by destroying others!"
8
But I am like an olive tree
flourishing
in the house of God;
I
trust in God's unfailing love
for
ever and ever.
9
I will praise you forever for what you have done; [4]
in
your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I
will praise you in the presence of your saints. [5]
PSALMS: 82
A
psalm of Asaph.
1
God presides in the great assembly;
he
gives judgment among the "gods":
2
"How long will you A defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?
Selah
3
Defend the cause of the weak and
fatherless;
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
4 Rescue the
weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5
"They know nothing,
they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6
"I said, `You are
"gods";
you are all sons of the Most High.'
7 But you
will die like mere men;
you will fall like every other ruler."
8 Rise up, O
God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance. [6]
PSALMS: 112
1
Praise A the LORD. B
Blessed
is the man who fears the LORD,
who
finds great delight in his commands.
2
His children will be mighty in the land;
the
generation of the upright will be blessed.
3
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and
his righteousness endures forever.
4
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for
the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. C
5
Good will come to him who is generous and lends
freely,
who
conducts his affairs with justice.
6
Surely he will never be shaken;
a
righteous man will be remembered forever.
7
He will have no fear of bad news;
his
heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8
His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in
the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
9
He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his
righteousness endures forever;
his
horn D will be lifted high in honor.
10
The wicked man will see and be vexed,
he
will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the
longings of the wicked will come to nothing. [7]
PSALMS: 142
A
maskil A of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.
1
I cry aloud to the LORD;
I
lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.
2
I pour out my complaint before him;
before
him I tell my trouble.
3
When my spirit grows faint within me,
it
is you who know my way.
In
the path where I walk
men
have hidden a snare for me.
4
Look to my right and see;
no
one is concerned for me.
I
have no refuge;
no
one cares for my life.
5
I cry to you, O LORD;
I
say, "You are my refuge,
my
portion in the land of the living."
6
Listen to my cry,
for
I am in desperate need;
rescue
me from those who pursue me,
for
they are too strong for me.
7
Set me free from my prison,
that
I may praise your name.
Then
the righteous will gather about me
because
of your goodness to me. [8]
PROVERBS: 22
22
1 A good name is more
desirable than great riches;
to
be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
2
Rich and poor have this in common:
The
LORD is the Maker of them all.
3
A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge,
but
the simple keep going and suffer for it.
4
Humility and the fear of the LORD
bring
wealth and honor and life.
5
In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares,
but
he who guards his soul stays far from them.
6
Train A a child in the way he should go,
and
when he is old he will not turn from it.
7
The rich rule over the poor,
and
the borrower is servant to the lender.
8
He who sows wickedness reaps trouble,
and
the rod of his fury will be destroyed.
9
A generous man will himself be blessed,
for
he shares his food with the poor.
10
Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels
and insults are ended.
11
He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious
will
have the king for his friend. [9]
12
The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge,
but
he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.
13
The sluggard says, "There is a lion
outside!"
or,
"I will be murdered in the streets!"
14
The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;
he
who is under the LORD's wrath will fall into it.
15
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but
the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.
16
He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and
he who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty.
17
Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise;
apply
your heart to what I teach,
18
for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and
have all of them ready on your lips.
19
So that your trust may be in the LORD,
I
teach you today, even you.
20
Have I not written thirty B sayings for
you,
sayings
of counsel and knowledge,
21
teaching you true and reliable words,
so
that you can give sound answers
to
him who sent you?
22
Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and
do not crush the needy in court,
23
for the LORD will take up their case
and
will plunder those who plunder them. [10]
24
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man,
do
not associate with one easily angered,
25
or you may learn his ways
and
get yourself ensnared.
26
Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge
or
puts up security for debts;
27
if you lack the means to pay,
your
very bed will be snatched from under you.
28
Do not move an ancient boundary stone
set
up by your forefathers.
29
Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He
will serve before kings;
he
will not serve before obscure men. [11]
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 KINGS 8:1 - 66
8 1
Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at
Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of
the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD's covenant from Zion,
the City of David. 2 All the men of Israel came together to King
Solomon at the time of the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.
3 When
all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, 4 and
they brought up the ark of the LORD and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred
furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, 5 and
King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were
before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be
recorded or counted.
6 The
priests then brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its place in the inner
sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of
the cherubim. 7 The cherubim spread their wings over the place of
the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. 8 These
poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front
of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still
there today. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone
tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant
with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
10 When
the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the
LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of
the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled [12]
his temple.
12 Then
Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; 13
I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to
dwell forever."
14 While
the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and
blessed them. 15 Then he said:
"Praise be to the
LORD, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised
with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 16 `Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I
have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built for my
Name to be there, but I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.'
17 "My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for
the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to my father David, `Because it was in
your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your
heart. 19 Nevertheless, you are not
the one to build the temple, but your son, who is your own flesh and blood--he
is the one who will build the temple for my Name.'
20 "The LORD has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded
David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the LORD
promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of
Israel. 21 I have provided a place
there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that he made with our
fathers when he brought them out of Egypt." [13]
22 Then
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of
Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23 and said:
"O LORD, God of
Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below--you who
keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in
your way. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David my
father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled
it--as it is today.
25 "Now
LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you
made to him when you said, `You shall never fail to
have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are
careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.' 26 And
now, O God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my
father come true.
27 "But
will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot
contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 28 Yet give
attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear
the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29
May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of
which you said, `My Name shall be there,' so
that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear
the supplication of your [14]
servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from
heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
31 "When
a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and
swears the oath before your altar in this temple, 32 then hear from
heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing
down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty, and so
establish his innocence.
33 "When
your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned
against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name, praying and
making supplication to you in this temple, 34 then hear from heaven
and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you
gave to their fathers.
35 "When
the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned
against you, and when they pray toward this place and confess your name and
turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36 then hear
from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach
them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for
an inheritance.
37 "When
famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or
grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever
disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made
by any of your people Israel--each [15]one
aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward
this temple—39 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive
and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart
(for you alone know the hearts of all men), 40 so that they will
fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.
41 "As
for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a
distant land because of your name—42 for men will hear of your great
name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm--when he comes and prays
toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place,
and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth
may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know
that this house I have built bears your Name.
44 "When
your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when
they pray to the LORD toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have
built for your Name, 45 then hear from heaven their prayer and their
plea, and uphold their cause.
46 "When
they sin against you--for there is no one who does not sin--and you become
angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his
own land, far away or near; 47 and if they have a change of heart in
the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land
of their conquerors and say, `We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted
wickedly'; 48 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and
soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, [16]
and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you
have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; 49 then from
heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their
cause. 50 And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive
all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to
show them mercy; 51 for they are your people and your inheritance,
whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.
52 "May
your eyes be open to your servant's plea and to the plea of your people Israel,
and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you. 53 For you
singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance,
just as yo declared through your servant Moses when you, O Sovereign LORD,
brought our fathers out of Egypt."
54 When
Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the LORD, he rose
from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands
spread out toward heaven. 55 He stood and blessed the whole assembly
of Israel in a loud voice, saying:
56 "Praise
be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised.
Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant
Moses.
57 May
the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us
nor forsake us. 58 May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his
[17]
ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. 59
And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near
to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant
and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, 60 so
that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there
is no other. 61 But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD
our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time."
62 Then
the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. 63 Solomon
offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings A to the LORD:
twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats.
So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the LORD.
64 On
that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of
the temple of the LORD, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings
and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar before the
LORD was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat
of the fellowship offerings.
65 So
Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him--a vast
assembly, people from Lebo B Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They
celebrated it before the LORD our God for seven days and seven days more,
fourteen days in all. 66 On the following day he sent the people
away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for
all the good things the LORD had [18]
done for his servant David and his people Israel. [19]
NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 7:51 - 8:13
5 1"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears!
You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?
They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now
you have betrayed and murdered him—53
you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have
not obeyed it."
54 When
they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But
Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God,
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I
see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
57 At
this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all
rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone
him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man
named Saul.
59 While
they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit."
60 Then
he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against
them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
8 1
And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.
On that day a great
persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the
apostles were scattered throughout [20]
Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for
him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to
house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
4 Those
who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip
went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ A there. 6
When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they
all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil B
spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So
there was great joy in that city.
9 Now
for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed
all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and
all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed,
"This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." 11 They
followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12
But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom
of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13
Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip
everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. [21]
[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]
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[4]
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[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]
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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
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Inc. All Rights Reserved
[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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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
[20] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[21] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
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