Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
DECEMBER
14
PSALMS: 14, 44, 74, 104,
134
PROVERBS: 14
OLD
TESTAMENT: NUMBERS 4:1 - 5:31
NEW
TESTAMENT: MARK 12:18 - 37
PSALMS: 14
For
the director of music. Of David.
1
The
fool A says in his heart,
"There
is no God."
They
are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there
is no one who does good.
2
The
LORD looks down from heaven
on
the sons of men
to
see if there are any who understand,
any
who seek God.
3
All
have turned aside,
they
have together become corrupt;
there
is no one who does good,
not
even one.
4
Will
evildoers never learn--
those
who devour my people as men eat bread
and
who do not call on the LORD?
5
There
they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for
God is present in the company of the righteous.
6
You
evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but
the LORD is their refuge.
7
Oh,
that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When
the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
let
Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! [1]
PSALMS: 44
For
the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
A
1
We
have heard with our ears, O God;
our
fathers have told us
what
you did in their days,
in
days long ago.
2
With
your hand you drove out the nations
and
planted our fathers;
you
crushed the peoples
and
made our fathers flourish.
3
It
was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor
did their arm bring them victory;
it
was your right hand, your arm,
and
the light of your face, for you loved them.
4
You
are my King and my God,
who
decrees B victories for Jacob.
5
Through
you we push back our enemies;
through
your name we trample our foes.
6
I
do not trust in my bow,
my
sword does not bring me victory;
7
but
you give us victory over our enemies,
you
put our adversaries to shame.
8
In
God we make our boast all day long,
and
we will praise your name forever.
Selah
9
But
now you have rejected and humbled us;
you
no longer go out with our armies.
10
You
made us retreat before the enemy,
and
our adversaries have plundered us. [2]
11
You
gave us up to be devoured like sheep
and
have scattered us among the nations.
12
You
sold your people for a pittance,
gaining
nothing from their sale.
13
You
have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
the
scorn and derision of those around us.
14
You
have made us a byword among the nations;
the
peoples shake their heads at us.
15
My
disgrace is before me all day long,
and
my face is covered with shame
16
at
the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
because
of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
17
All
this happened to us,
though
we had not forgotten you
or
been false to your covenant.
18 Our
hearts had not turned back;
our
feet had not strayed from your path.
19
But
you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals
and
covered us over with deep darkness.
20
If
we had forgotten the name of our God
or
spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21
would
not God have discovered it,
since
he knows the secrets of the heart?
22
Yet
for your sake we face death all day long;
we
are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23
Awake,
O Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse
yourself! Do not reject us forever. [3]
24
Why
do you hide your face
and
forget our misery and oppression?
25
We
are brought down to the dust;
our
bodies cling to the ground.
26
Rise
up and help us;
redeem
us because of your unfailing love. [4]
PSALMS: 74
A
maskil A of Asaph.
1
Why
have you rejected us forever, O God?
Why
does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2
Remember
the people you purchased of old,
the
tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed--
Mount
Zion, where you dwelt.
3
Turn
your steps toward these everlasting ruins,
all
this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4
Your
foes roared in the place where you met with us;
they
set up their standards as signs.
5
They
behaved like men wielding axes
to
cut through a thicket of trees.
6
They
smashed all the carved paneling
with
their axes and hatchets.
7
They
burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they
defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
8
They
said in their hearts, "We will crush them completely!"
They
burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9
We
are given no miraculous signs;
no
prophets are left,
and
none of us knows how long this will be.
10
How
long will the enemy mock you, O God?
Will
the foe revile your name forever?
11
Why
do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take
it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
12
But
you, O God, are my king from of old;
you
bring salvation upon the earth. [5]
13
It
was you who split open the sea by your power;
you
broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
14
It
was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan
and
gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.
15
It
was you who opened up springs and streams;
you
dried up the ever flowing rivers.
16
The
day is yours, and yours also the night;
you
established the sun and moon.
17
It
was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you
made both summer and winter.
18
Remember
how the enemy has mocked you, O LORD,
how
foolish people have reviled your name.
19
Do
not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts;
do
not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
20
Have
regard for your covenant,
because
haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
21
Do
not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;
may
the poor and needy praise your name.
22
Rise
up, O God, and defend your cause;
remember
how fools mock you all day long.
23
Do
not ignore the clamor of your adversaries,
the
uproar of your enemies, which rises continually. [6]
PSALMS: 104
1
Praise
the LORD, O my soul.
O
LORD my God, you are very great;
you
are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2
He
wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he
stretches out the heavens like a tent
3
and
lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He
makes the clouds his chariot
and
rides on the wings of the wind.
4
He
makes winds his messengers, A
flames
of fire his servants.
5
He
set the earth on its foundations;
it
can never be moved.
6
You
covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the
waters stood above the mountains.
7
But
at your rebuke the waters fled,
at
the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8
they
flowed over the mountains,
they
went down into the valleys,
to
the place you assigned for them.
9
You
set a boundary they cannot cross;
never
again will they cover the earth.
10
He
makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it
flows between the mountains.
11
They
give water to all the beasts of the field;
the
wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12
The
birds of the air nest by the waters;
they
sing among the branches.
13
He
waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the
earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14
He
makes grass grow for the cattle,
and
plants for man to cultivate--
bringing
forth food from the earth: [7]
15
wine
that gladdens the heart of man,
oil
to make his face shine,
and
bread that sustains his heart.
16
The
trees of the LORD are well watered,
the
cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17
There
the birds make their nests;
the
stork has its home in the pine trees.
18
The
high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the
crags are a refuge for the coneys. B
19
The
moon marks off the seasons,
and
the sun knows when to go down.
20
You
bring darkness, it becomes night,
and
all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21
The
lions roar for their prey
and
seek their food from God.
22
The
sun rises, and they steal away;
they
return and lie down in their dens.
23
Then
man goes out to his work,
to
his labor until evening.
24
How
many are your works, O LORD!
In
wisdom you made them all;
the
earth is full of your creatures.
25
There
is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming
with creatures beyond number--
living
things both large and small.
26
There
the ships go to and fro,
and
the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. [8]
27
These
all look to you
to
give them their food at the proper time.
28
When
you give it to them,
they
gather it up;
when
you open your hand,
they
are satisfied with good things.
29
When
you hide your face,
they
are terrified;
when
you take away their breath,
they
die and return to the dust.
30
When
you send your Spirit,
they
are created,
and
you renew the face of the earth.
31
May
the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may
the LORD rejoice in his works--
32
he
who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who
touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I
will sing to the LORD all my life;
I
will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34May
my meditation be pleasing to him,
as
I rejoice in the LORD.
35
But
may sinners vanish from the earth
and
the wicked be no more.
Praise
the LORD, O my soul.
Praise
the LORD. C [9]
PSALMS: 134
A
song of ascents.
1
Praise
the LORD, all you servants of the LORD
who
minister by night in the house of the LORD.
2
Lift
up your hands in the sanctuary
and
praise the LORD.
3
May
the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth,
bless
you from Zion. [10]
PROVERBS: 14
14
1
The wise woman builds her house,
but
with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
2
He
whose walk is upright fears the LORD,
but
he whose ways are devious despises him.
3
A
fool's talk brings a rod to his back,
but
the lips of the wise protect them.
4
Where
there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
but
from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.
5
A
truthful witness does not deceive,
but
a false witness pours out lies.
6
The
mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,
but
knowledge comes easily to the discerning.
7
Stay
away from a foolish man,
for
you will not find knowledge on his lips.
8
The
wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,
but
the folly of fools is deception.
9
Fools
mock at making amends for sin,
but
goodwill is found among the upright.
10
Each
heart knows its own bitterness,
and
no one else can share its joy.
11
The
house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but
the tent of the upright will flourish. [11]
12
There
is a way that seems right to a man,
but
in the end it leads to death.
13
Even
in laughter the heart may ache,
and
joy may end in grief.
14
The
faithless will be fully repaid for their ways,
and
the good man rewarded for his.
15
A
simple man believes anything,
but
a prudent man gives thought to his steps.
16
A
wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil,
but
a fool is hotheaded and reckless.
17
A
quick-tempered man does foolish things,
and
a crafty man is hated.
18
The
simple inherit folly,
but
the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19
Evil
men will bow down in the presence of the good,
and
the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20
The
poor are shunned even by their neighbors,
but
the rich have many friends.
21
He
who despises his neighbor sins,
but
blessed is he who is kind to the needy.
22
Do
not those who plot evil go astray?
But
those who plan what is good find A love and faithfulness. [12]
23
All
hard work brings a profit,
but
mere talk leads only to poverty.
24
The
wealth of the wise is their crown,
but
the folly of fools yields folly.
25
A
truthful witness saves lives,
but
a false witness is deceitful.
26
He
who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,
and
for his children it will be a refuge.
27
The
fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
turning
a man from the snares of death.
28
A
large population is a king's glory,
but
without subjects a prince is ruined.
29
A
patient man has great understanding,
but
a quick-tempered man displays folly.
30
A
heart at peace gives life to the body,
but
envy rots the bones.
31
He
who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but
whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
32
When
calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,
but
even in death the righteous have a refuge.
33
Wisdom
reposes in the heart of the discerning
and
even among fools she lets herself be known. B [13]
34
Righteousness
exalts a nation,
but
sin is a disgrace to any people.
35
A
king delights in a wise servant,
but
a shameful servant incurs his wrath. [14]
OLD
TESTAMENT: NUMBERS 4:1 - 5:31
4
1
The
LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 2 "Take a
census of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families.
3 Count all the men from thirty to
fifty years of age who come to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting.
4
"This is the work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: the care of the most
holy things. 5
When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the
shielding curtain and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. 6
Then they are to cover this with hides of sea cows,
A spread a cloth of solid blue over that
and put the poles in place.
7
"Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it
the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings; the bread that
is continually there is to remain on it. 8
Over these they are to spread a scarlet cloth, cover that with hides of sea cows
and put its poles in place.
9
"They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that is for light,
together with its lamps, its wick trimmers and trays, and all its jars for the
oil used to supply it.
10
Then they are to wrap it and all its accessories in a covering of hides of sea
cows and put it on a carrying frame.
11
"Over
the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth and cover that with hides of sea
cows and put its poles in place.
12
"They
are to take all the articles used for ministering in the sanctuary, wrap them in
a blue cloth, cover that with hides of sea cows and put them on a carrying
frame.
13
"They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth
over it. 14
Then they are to place on it all the utensils used for ministering at the altar,
including the firepans, meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. Over it they
are to spread a covering of hides of sea cows and put its poles in place.
15
"After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all
the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites are to
come to do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will
die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the Tent of Meeting.
16
"Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light,
the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to
be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy
furnishings and articles."
17
The
LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 18 "See that
the Kohathite tribal clans are not cut off from the Levites.
19 So that they may live and not die
when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons
are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to
carry. 20 But the Kohathites must
not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die."
21
The LORD said to Moses, 22
"Take a census also of the Gershonites by their families and clans.
23
Count all the men from thirty to fifty years [15]
of age who come to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
24
"This is the service of the Gershonite clans as they work and carry burdens:
25
They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, its
covering and the outer covering of hides of sea cows, the curtains for the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting, 26
the curtains of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, the curtain
for the entrance, the ropes and all the equipment used in its service. The
Gershonites are to do all that needs to be done with these things.
27
All their service, whether carrying or doing other work, is to be done under the
direction of Aaron and his sons. You shall assign to them as their
responsibility all they are to carry. 28
This is the service of the Gershonite clans at the Tent of Meeting. Their duties
are to be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest.
29
"Count the Merarites by their clans and families. 30
Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the
work at the Tent of Meeting. 31
This is their duty as they perform service at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the
frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases, 32
as
well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs,
ropes, all their equipment and everything related to their use. Assign to each
man the specific things he is to carry. 33
This
is the service of the Merarite clans as they work at the Tent of Meeting under
the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest."
34
Moses,
Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the Kohathites by their clans and
families. 35 All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came
to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, 36 counted by clans,
were 2,750. 37 This was the total of all those in the Kohathite clans
who served in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the
LORD's command through Moses.
38
The
Gershonites were counted by their clans and families. 39 All the men
from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the Tent of
Meeting, 40 counted by their clans and families, were 2,630. 41
This was the total of those in the Gershonite clans who served at the Tent
of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the LORD's command.
42
The
Merarites were counted by their clans and families. 43 All the men
from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the Tent of
Meeting, 44 counted by their clans, were 3,200. 45 This
was the total of those in the Merarite clans. Moses and Aaron counted them
according to the LORD's command through Moses.
46
So
Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans
and families. 47 All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who
came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting 48
numbered 8,580. 49 At the LORD's command through Moses, each
was assigned his work and told what to carry.
Thus
they were counted, as the LORD commanded Moses. [16]
5
1
The
LORD said to Moses, 2 "Command the
Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has an infectious skin disease
A or a discharge of any kind, or who
is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. 3 Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp
so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them."
4
The
Israelites did this; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the LORD
had instructed Moses.
5
The LORD said to Moses, 6
"Say to the Israelites: `When a man or woman wrongs another in any way
B
and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty 7
and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his
wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged.
8
But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the
wrong, the restitution belongs to the LORD and must be given to the priest,
along with the ram with which atonement is made for him. 9
All the sacred contributions the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to
him. 10
Each man's sacred gifts are his own, but what he gives to the priest will belong
to the priest.'
"
11
Then
the LORD said to Moses, 12 "Speak to the
Israelites and say to them: `If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to
him 13 by sleeping with another man,
and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there
is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act),
14 and if feelings of jealousy come
over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure--or if he is jealous
and suspects her even though she is not impure—15 then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also
take an offering of a tenth of an Ephah C of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour oil on it
or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder
offering to draw attention to guilt.
16
"`The
priest shall bring her and have her stand before the LORD. 17
Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the
tabernacle floor into the water. 18
After the priest has had the woman stand before the LORD, he shall loosen her
hair and place in her hands the reminder offering, the grain offering for
jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse.
19
Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, "If no other man
has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married
to your
husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not
harm you. 20 But if you have gone
astray while married to your husband and you have defiled yourself by sleeping
with a man other than your husband"—21 here the priest is to put the woman under this curse of the
oath--"may the LORD cause your people to curse and denounce you when he causes
your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell.D
22 May this water that brings a curse enter
your body so that your abdomen swells and your thigh wastes away.
E"
"`Then the woman is to say, "Amen. So be it."
23
"`The
priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the
bitter water. 24
He shall have the woman drink the bitter [17]
water that brings a curse, and this water will enter her and cause bitter
suffering. 25
The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it
before the LORD and bring it to the altar. 26
The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial
offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the
water. 27
If she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then when she is
made to drink the water that brings a curse, it will go into her and cause
bitter suffering; her abdomen will swell and her thigh waste
away,F
and she will become accursed among her people. 28
If, however, the woman has not defiled herself and is free from impurity, she
will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.
29
"`This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and defiles
herself while married to her husband, 30
or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The
priest is to have her stand before the LORD and is to apply this entire law to
her. 31
The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the
consequences of her sin.'"[18]
NEW
TESTAMENT: MARK 12:18 - 37
18
Then
the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.
19 "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother
dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have
children for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first
one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one
married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the
third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all,
the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection C whose wife
will she be, since the seven were married to her?"
24
Jesus
replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know
the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in
marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of
Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, `I am the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' D? 27
He is not the God of the dead, but of the
living. You are badly mistaken!"
28
One
of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had
given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the
most important?"
29
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
E 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
F 31 The second is this:
`Love your neighbor as yourself.' G
There is no commandment greater than these."
32
"Well
said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and
there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with
all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as
yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
34
When
Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from
then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
35
While
Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, "How is it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ
H is the son of David?
36 David himself, speaking by the
Holy Spirit, declared:
"`The
Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit
at my right hand
until
I put your enemies
under
your feet."' I
The
large crowd listened to him with delight. [20]
[1]
Excerpted from Compton
[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]
Excerpted from Compton
[10]
Excerpted from Compton
[11]
Excerpted from Compton
[12]
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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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