Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
MAY
31
PSALMS: 31,
61, 91, 121
PROVERBS: 31
OLD TESTAMENT: ESTHER 8:1 - 10:3
NEW TESTAMENT: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:27 - 13:13
PSALMS: 31
For the director of music.
A psalm of David.
1 In you, O LORD, I have
taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your
righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save
me.
3 Since you are my rock and
my fortress,
for the sake of your name
lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that
is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit
my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God
of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to
worthless idols;
I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice
in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my
soul.
8 You have not handed me
over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a
spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD,
for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with
sorrow,
my soul and my body with
grief.
10 My life is consumed by
anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because
of my affliction, A
and my bones grow weak. [1]
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of
my neighbors;
I am a dread to my
friends--
those who see me on the
street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten by them as
though I were dead;
I have become like broken
pottery.
13 For I hear the slander of
many;
there is terror on every
side;
they conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O
LORD;
I say, "You are my
God."
15 My times are in your
hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue
me.
16 Let your face shine on
your servant;
save me in your unfailing
love.
17 Let me not be put to
shame, O LORD,
for I have cried out to
you;
but let the wicked be put
to shame
and lie silent in the
grave. B
18 Let their lying lips be
silenced,
for with pride and
contempt
they speak arrogantly
against the righteous.
19 How great is your
goodness,
which you have stored up
for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the
sight of men
on those who take refuge
in you.
20 In the shelter of your
presence you hide them
from the intrigues of men;
in your dwelling you keep
them safe [2]
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed his
wonderful love to me
when I was in a besieged
city.
22 In my alarm I said,
"I am cut off from
your sight!"
Yet you heard my cry for
mercy
when I called to you for
help.
23 Love the LORD, all his
saints!
The LORD preserves the
faithful,
but the proud he pays back
in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the
LORD. [3]
PSALMS: 61
For the director of music.
With stringed instruments. Of David.
1 Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
2 From the ends of the earth
I call to you,
I call as my heart grows
faint;
lead me to the rock that
is higher than I.
3 For you have been my
refuge,
a strong tower against the
foe.
4 I long to dwell in your
tent forever
and take refuge in the
shelter of your wings.
Selah
5 For you have heard my
vows, O God;
you have given me the
heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Increase the days of the
king's life,
his years for many
generations.
7 May he be enthroned in
God's presence forever;
appoint your love and
faithfulness to protect him.
8 Then will I ever sing
praise to your name
and fulfill my vows day
after day. [4]
PSALMS: 91
1 He who dwells in the
shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of
the Almighty. A
2 I will say B of
the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I
trust."
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly
pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his
feathers,
and under his wings you
will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be
your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror
of night,
nor the arrow that flies
by day,
6 nor the pestilence that
stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that
destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at
your side,
ten thousand at your right
hand,
but it will not come near
you.
8 You will only observe with
your eyes
and see the punishment of
the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High
your dwelling--
even the LORD, who is my
refuge--
10 then no harm will befall
you,
no disaster will come near
your tent.
11 For he will command his
angels concerning you
to guard you in all your
ways;
12 they will lift you up in
their hands,
so that you will not
strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the
lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great
lion and the serpent. [5]
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will
protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15
He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be
with him in trouble,
I will
deliver him and honor him.
16
With long life will I satisfy him
and show him
my salvation."
[6]
PSALMS: 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the
hills--
where does my help come
from?
2 My help comes from the
LORD,
the Maker of heaven and
earth.
3 He will not let your foot
slip--
he who watches over you
will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches
over Israel
will neither slumber nor
sleep.
5 The LORD watches over
you--
the LORD is your shade at
your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you
by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you
from all harm--
he will watch over your
life;
8 the LORD will watch over
your coming and going
both now and forevermore. [7]
PROVERBS:
31
31 1 The
sayings of King Lemuel--an oracle A his mother taught him:
2 "O my son, O son of
my womb,
O son of my vows, B
3 do not spend your strength
on women,
your vigor on those who
ruin kings.
4 "It is not for kings,
O Lemuel--
not for kings to drink
wine,
not for rulers to crave
beer,
5 lest they drink and forget
what the law decrees,
and deprive all the
oppressed of their rights.
6 Give beer to those who are
perishing,
wine to those who are in
anguish;
7 let them drink and forget
their poverty
and remember their misery
no more.
8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the
rights of all who are destitute.
9
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the
rights of the poor and needy." [8]
10 C A wife of noble character
who can find?
She is worth far more than
rubies.
11 Her husband has full
confidence in her
and lacks nothing of
value.
12 She brings him good, not
harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager
hands.
14 She is like the merchant
ships,
bringing her food from
afar.
15 She gets up while it is
still dark;
she provides food for her
family
and portions for her
servant girls.
16 She considers a field and
buys it;
out of her earnings she
plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work
vigorously;
her arms are strong for
her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading
is profitable,
and her lamp does not go
out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the
distaff
and grasps the spindle
with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the
poor
and extends her hands to
the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no
fear for her household;
for all of them are
clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for
her bed;
she is clothed in fine
linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected
at the city gate,
where he takes his seat
among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments
and sells them,
and supplies the merchants
with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength
and dignity;
she can laugh at the days
to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom, [9]
and faithful instruction
is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the
affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread
of idleness.
28 Her children arise and
call her blessed;
her husband also, and he
praises her:
29 "Many women do noble
things,
but you surpass them
all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and
beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the
LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her the reward she
has earned,
and let her works bring
her praise at the city gate. [10]
OLD TESTAMENT: ESTHER 8:1 - 10:3
8 1 That
same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the
Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how
he was related to her. 2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from
Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman's
estate.
3 Esther again pleaded with the king,
falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan
of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the
king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him.
5 "If it pleases the king,"
she said, "and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing
to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the
dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to
destroy the Jews in all the king's provinces. 6 For how can I bear to see disaster
fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?"
7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther
and to Mordecai the Jew, "Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given
his estate to Esther, and they have hanged him on the gallows. 8 Now write
another decree in the king's name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you,
and seal it with the king's signet ring--for no document written in the king's
name and sealed with his ring can be revoked."
9 At once the royal secretaries were
summoned--on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They
wrote out all Mordecai's orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and
nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. A These orders were written in the script of
each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own
script and language. 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the
dispatches with the king's signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who
rode fast horses especially bred for the king.
11 The king's edict granted the Jews in
every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and
annihilate any armed force of any nationality or province that might attack
them and their women and children; and to plunder the property of their
enemies. 12 The
day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was
the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. 13 A copy of
the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known
to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day
to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14 The couriers, riding the royal horses,
raced out, spurred on by the king's command. And the edict was also issued in
the citadel of Susa.
15 Mordecai left the king's presence
wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple
robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. 16 For the
Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor.
17 In every province and in every city, wherever
the edict of the king went, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with
feasting and celebrating. And many people of other [11]
nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.
9 1 On
the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded
by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had
hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the
upper hand over those who hated them. 2 The Jews assembled in their cities in
all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those seeking their destruction. No
one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities
were afraid of them. 3 And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors
and the king's administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had
seized them.
4 Mordecai was prominent in the palace;
his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more
powerful.
5 The Jews struck down all their enemies
with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to
those who hated them. 6 In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five
hundred men. 7 They
also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta,
Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the
enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.
11 The number of those slain in the
citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day. 12 The king said to Queen
Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten
sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the
king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your
request? It will also be granted."
13 "If it pleases the king,"
Esther answered, "give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day's
edict tomorrow also, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on gallows."
14 So the king commanded that this be
done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman. 15 The Jews in
Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to
death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the
plunder.
16 Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews
who were in the king's provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get
relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did
not lay their hands on the plunder. 17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the
month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting
and joy.
18 The Jews in Susa, however, had
assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they
rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. [12]
19 That is why rural Jews--those living
in villages--observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and
feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.
20 Mordecai recorded these events, and he
sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and
far, 21 to
have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of
Adar 22 as
the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when
their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.
He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving
presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
23 So the Jews agreed to continue the
celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman
son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against
the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for
their ruin and destruction. 25 But when the plot came to the king's attention,
A he issued written orders that the evil scheme
Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that
he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 (Therefore these days were called
Purim, from the word pur.) Because of everything written in this letter
and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews
took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants
and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in
the way prescribed and at the time appointed. 28 These days should be remembered and
observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in
every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the
Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants.
29 So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail,
along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second
letter concerning Purim. 30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces
of the kingdom of Xerxes--words of goodwill and assurance—31 to
establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew
and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for
themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and
lamentation.
32 Esther's decree confirmed these
regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records. [13]
10 1 King
Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores. 2 And all his
acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of
Mordecai to which the king had raised him, are they not written in the book of
the annals of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 Mordecai the Jew was second in rank
to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many
fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the
welfare of all the Jews. [14]
NEW TESTAMENT: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:27 - 13:13
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and
each one of you is a part of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of
all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also
those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of
administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all
apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have
gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues D? Do all interpret?
31 But eagerly desire E the greater gifts.
And now I will show you
the most excellent way.
13 1 If
I speak in the tongues A of men and of angels, but
have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have
the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I
have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give
all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, B but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does
not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but
rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are
prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy
in part, 10 but
when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a
child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I
put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a
mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know
fully, even as I am fully known.
[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
[11] Excerpted from Compton
[12] Excerpted from Compton
[13] Excerpted from Compton
[14] Excerpted from Compton
[15] Excerpted from Compton
John 3:16-21 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, F that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.G 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." H
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