Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
AUGUST
23
PSALMS: 23, 53, 83, 113,
143
PROVERBS: 23
OLD
TESTAMENT: EZEKIEL 24:1 - 26:21
NEW
TESTAMENT: HEBREWS 11:1 -
16
PSALMS: 23
A
psalm of David.
1
The
LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2
He
makes me lie down in green pastures,
he
leads me beside quiet waters,
3
he
restores my soul.
He
guides me in paths of righteousness
for
his name's sake.
4
Even
though I walk
through
the valley of the shadow of death, A
I
will fear no evil,
for
you are with me;
your
rod and your staff,
they
comfort me.
5
You
prepare a table before me
in
the presence of my enemies.
You
anoint my head with oil;
my
cup overflows.
6
Surely
goodness and love will follow me
all
the days of my life,
and
I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
[1]
PSALMS: 53
For
the director of music. According to mahalath. A A maskil
B of David.
1
The
fool says in his heart,
"There
is no God."
They
are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there
is no one who does good.
2
God
looks down from heaven
on
the sons of men
to
see if there are any who understand,
any
who seek God.
3
Everyone
has turned away,
they
have together become corrupt;
there
is no one who does good,
not
even one.
4
Will
the evildoers never learn--
those
who devour my people as men eat bread
and
who do not call on God?
5
There
they were, overwhelmed with dread,
where
there was nothing to dread.
God
scattered the bones of those who attacked you;
you
put them to shame, for God despised them.
6
Oh,
that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When
God restores the fortunes of his people,
let
Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! [2]
PSALMS: 83
A
song. A psalm of Asaph.
1
O
God, do not keep silent;
be
not quiet, O God, be not still.
2
See
how your enemies are astir,
how
your foes rear their heads.
3
With
cunning they conspire against your people;
they
plot against those you cherish.
4
"Come,"
they say, "let us destroy them as a nation,
that
the name of Israel be remembered no more."
5
With
one mind they plot together;
they
form an alliance against you--
6
the
tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of
Moab and the Hagrites,
7
Gebal,
A Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia,
with the people of Tyre.
8
Even
Assyria has joined them
to
lend strength to the descendants of Lot.
Selah
9
Do
to them as you did to Midian,
as
you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10
who
perished at Endor
and
became like refuse on the ground.
11
Make
their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all
their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12
who
said, "Let us take possession
of
the pasturelands of God." [3]
13
Make
them like tumbleweed, O my God,
like
chaff before the wind.
14
As
fire consumes the forest
or
a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15
so
pursue them with your tempest
and
terrify them with your storm.
16
Cover
their faces with shame
so
that men will seek your name, O LORD.
17
May
they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
may
they perish in disgrace.
18
Let
them know that you, whose name is the LORD--
that
you alone are the Most High over all the earth. [4]
PSALMS: 113
1
Praise
the LORD. A
Praise,
O servants of the LORD,
praise
the name of the LORD.
2
Let
the name of the LORD be praised,
both
now and forevermore.
3
From
the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the
name of the LORD is to be praised.
4
The
LORD is exalted over all the nations,
his
glory above the heavens.
5
Who
is like the LORD our God,
the
One who sits enthroned on high,
6
who
stoops down to look
on
the heavens and the earth?
7
He
raises the poor from the dust
and
lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8
he
seats them with princes,
with
the princes of their people.
9
He
settles the barren woman in her home
as
a happy mother of children.
Praise
the LORD. [5]
PSALMS: 143
A
psalm of David.
1
O
LORD, hear my prayer,
listen
to my cry for mercy;
in
your faithfulness and righteousness
come
to my relief.
2
Do
not bring your servant into judgment,
for
no one living is righteous before you.
3
The
enemy pursues me,
he
crushes me to the ground;
he
makes me dwell in darkness
like
those long dead.
4
So
my spirit grows faint within me;
my
heart within me is dismayed.
5
I
remember the days of long ago;
I
meditate on all your works
and
consider what your hands have done.
6
I
spread out my hands to you;
my
soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Selah
7
Answer
me quickly, O LORD;
my
spirit fails.
Do
not hide your face from me
or
I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8
Let
the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for
I have put my trust in you.
Show
me the way I should go,
for
to you I lift up my soul.
9
Rescue
me from my enemies, O LORD, [6]
for
I hide myself in you.
10
Teach
me to do your will,
for
you are my God;
may
your good Spirit
lead
me on level ground.
11
For
your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life;
in
your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12In
your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy
all my foes,
for
I am your servant. [7]
PROVERBS: 23
23
1
When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note
well what A is before you,
2
and
put a knife to your throat
if
you are given to gluttony.
3
Do
not crave his delicacies,
for
that food is deceptive.
4
Do
not wear yourself out to get rich;
have
the wisdom to show restraint.
5
Cast
but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
for
they will surely sprout wings
and
fly off to the sky like an eagle.
6
Do
not eat the food of a stingy man,
do
not crave his delicacies;
7
for
he is the kind of man
who
is always thinking about the cost. B
"Eat
and drink," he says to you,
but
his heart is not with you.
8
You
will vomit up the little you have eaten
and
will have wasted your compliments.
9
Do
not speak to a fool,
for
he will scorn the wisdom of your words.
10
Do
not move an ancient boundary stone
or
encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11
for
their Defender is strong;
he
will take up their case against you.
12
Apply
your heart to instruction
and
your ears to words of knowledge. [8]
13
Do
not withhold discipline from a child;
if
you punish him with the rod, he will not die.
14
Punish
him with the rod
and
save his soul from death. C
15
My
son, if your heart is wise,
then
my heart will be glad;
16
my
inmost being will rejoice
when
your lips speak what is right.
17
Do
not let your heart envy sinners,
but
always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.
18
There
is surely a future hope for you,
and
your hope will not be cut off.
19
Listen,
my son, and be wise,
and
keep your heart on the right path.
20
Do
not join those who drink too much wine
or
gorge themselves on meat,
21
for
drunkards and gluttons become poor,
and
drowsiness clothes them in rags.
22
Listen
to your father, who gave you life,
and
do not despise your mother when she is old.
23
Buy
the truth and do not sell it;
get
wisdom, discipline and understanding.
24
The
father of a righteous man has great joy;
he
who has a wise son delights in him.
25
May
your father and mother be glad;
may
she who gave you birth rejoice! [9]
26
My
son, give me your heart
and
let your eyes keep to my ways,
27
for
a prostitute is a deep pit
and
a wayward wife is a narrow well.
28
Like
a bandit she lies in wait,
and
multiplies the unfaithful among men.
29
Who
has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who
has strife? Who has complaints?
Who
has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30
Those
who linger over wine,
who
go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31
Do
not gaze at wine when it is red,
when
it sparkles in the cup,
when
it goes down smoothly!
32
In
the end it bites like a snake
and
poisons like a viper.
33
Your
eyes will see strange sights
and
your mind imagine confusing things.
34
You
will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying
on top of the rigging. [10]
OLD
TESTAMENT: EZEKIEL 24:1 - 26:21
24
1
In
the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the LORD came
to me: 2 "Son of man, record this date,
this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this
very day. 3 Tell this rebellious house a parable and say to them: `This
is what the Sovereign LORD says:
"`Put on the cooking pot; put it on
and
pour water into it.
4 Put
into it the pieces of meat,
all
the choice pieces--the leg and the shoulder.
Fill
it with the best of these bones;
5 take
the pick of the flock.
Pile
wood beneath it for the bones;
bring
it to a boil
and
cook the bones in it.
6 "`For
this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
"`Woe
to the city of bloodshed,
to
the pot now encrusted,
whose
deposit will not go away!
Empty
it piece by piece
without
casting lots for them.
7 "`For
the blood she shed is in her midst:
She
poured it on the bare rock;
she
did not pour it on the ground,
where
the dust would cover it.
8 To
stir up wrath and take revenge
I
put her blood on the bare rock,
so
that it would not be covered.
9
"`Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: [11]
"`Woe to the city of bloodshed!
I,
too, will pile the wood high.
10 So
heap on the wood
and
kindle the fire.
Cook
the meat well,
mixing
in the spices;
and
let the bones be charred.
11
Then
set the empty pot on the coals
till
it becomes hot and its copper glows
so
its impurities may be melted
and
its deposit burned away.
12
It
has frustrated all efforts;
its
heavy deposit has not been removed,
not
even by fire.
13
"`Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse
you but you would not be cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean
again until my wrath against you has subsided.
14
"`I
the LORD have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I
will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your
conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"
15 The
word of the LORD came to me: 16 "Son
of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes.
Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.
17 Groan
quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals
on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food
of mourners."
18
So
I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next
morning I did as I had been commanded.
19
Then
the people asked me, "Won't you tell us what these things have to do with us?"
20
So
I said to them, "The word of the LORD came to me:
21 Say to the house of Israel, `This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: I am about to [12] desecrate my sanctuary--the stronghold in which you take
pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and
daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. 22 And you will do as I
have done. You will not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary
food of mourners. 23 You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on
your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of
A your sins and groan among
yourselves. 24 Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has
done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.'
25
"And you, son of man, on the day I take away their
stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart's
desire, and their sons and daughters as well—26 on that day a
fugitive will come to tell you the news. 27 At that time your
mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So
you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the
LORD."
25
1
The
word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man,
set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them.
3 Say to them, `Hear the word of the Sovereign LORD. This is
what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you said "Aha!" over my sanctuary when it
was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the
people of Judah when they went into exile, 4 therefore I am going
to give you to the people of the East as a possession. They will set up their
camps and pitch their tents among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your
milk. 5 I will turn Rabbah into a pasture for camels and Ammon into
a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
6 For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you have
clapped your hands and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your
heart against the land of Israel, 7
therefore I will stretch out my hand
against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the
nations and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will
know that I am the LORD.'"
8
"This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: `Because Moab and
Seir said, "Look, the house of Judah has become like all the other nations,"
9 therefore I will expose the flank of Moab, beginning at its
frontier towns--Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon and Kiriathaim--the glory of that
land. 10 I will give Moab along with the Ammonites to the people of
the East as a possession, so that the Ammonites will not be remembered among the
nations; 11 and I will inflict punishment on Moab. Then they will know
that I am the LORD.'"
12
"This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: `Because Edom took
revenge on the house of Judah and became very guilty by doing so,
13 therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will
stretch out my hand against Edom and kill its men and their animals. I will lay
it waste, [13]
and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. 14 I will take
vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom
in accordance with my anger and my wrath; they will know my vengeance, declares
the Sovereign LORD.' "
15
"This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: `Because the
Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts, and
with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, 16 therefore this is
what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the
Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy those remaining along
the coast. 17 I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in
my wrath. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I take vengeance on
them.'"
26
1
In
the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to
me: 2 "Son of man, because Tyre has said of
Jerusalem, `Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung
open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,'
3 therefore
this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring
many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves. 4 They
will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her
rubble and make her a bare rock. 5 Out
in the sea she will become a place to spread fishnets, for I have spoken,
declares the Sovereign LORD. She will become plunder for the nations,
6 and
her settlements on the mainland will be ravaged by the sword. Then they will
know that I am the LORD.
7 "For
this is what the Sovereign LORD says: From the north I am going to bring against
Tyre NebuchadnezzarA king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and
chariots, with horsemen and a great army. 8 He
will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up
siege works against you, build a ramp up to your walls and raise his shields
against you. 9 He
will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your
towers with his weapons. 10 His
horses will be so many that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will
tremble at the noise of the war horses, wagons and chariots when he enters your
gates as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through.
11
The
hoofs of his horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with
the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They
will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your
walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble
into the sea. 13 I
will put an end to your noisy songs, and the music of your harps will be heard
no more. 14 I
will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You
will never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.
[14]
15
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Tyre: Will not the
coastlands tremble at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan and the
slaughter takes place in you?
16 Then
all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside
their robes and take off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they
will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled at you.
17 Then
they will take up a lament concerning you and say to you:
"`How
you are destroyed, O city of renown,
peopled
by men of the sea!
You
were a power on the seas,
you
and your citizens;
you
put your terror
on
all who lived there.
18 Now
the coastlands tremble
on
the day of your fall;
the
islands in the sea
are
terrified at your collapse.'
19 "This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no
longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths over you and its vast waters
cover you, 20 then
I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of long
ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those
who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place
B
in the land of the living. 21 I
will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more. You will be sought,
but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign LORD."
[15]
NEW
TESTAMENT: HEBREWS 11:1 -
16
11
1
Now
faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
2
This
is what the ancients were commended for.
3
By
faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what
is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4
By
faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was
commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith
he still speaks, even though he is dead.
5
By
faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he
could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he
was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is
impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he
exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7
By
faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to
save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the
righteousness that comes by faith.
8
By
faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a
foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with
him of the same promise.
10
For
he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder
is God.
11
By
faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was
enabled to become a father because he A considered him faithful who
had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as
dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as
the sand on the seashore.
13
All
these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the
things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they
admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who
say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15
If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have
had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better
country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them. [16]
[1]
Excerpted from Compton
[2]
Excerpted from Compton
[3]
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[4]
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[5]
Excerpted from Compton
[6]
Excerpted from Compton
[7]
Excerpted from Compton
[8]
Excerpted from Compton
[9]
Excerpted from Compton
[10]
Excerpted from Compton
[11]
Excerpted from Compton
[12]
Excerpted from Compton
[13]
Excerpted from Compton
[14]
Excerpted from Compton
[15]
Excerpted from Compton
[16]
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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