Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
DECEMBER
22
PSALMS: 22,
52, 82, 112, 142
PROVERBS: 22
OLD
TESTAMENT: NUMBERS 19:1 - 20:29
NEW
TESTAMENT: LUKE 1:1 - 25
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 maskilA 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
PraiseA
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
5Good
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
hornD 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
maskilA 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: NUMBERS 19:1 - 20:29
19
1
The
LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 2 "This is a
requirement of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring
you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke.
3 Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside
the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 4 Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his
finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting.
5 While he watches, the heifer is to
be burned--its hide, flesh, blood and offal. 6 The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet
wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7 After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe
himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially
unclean till evening. 8 The man who
burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be
unclean till evening.
9
"A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a
ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They shall be kept by the Israelite
community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin.
10
The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and
he too will be unclean till evening. This will be a lasting ordinance both for
the Israelites and for the aliens living among them.
11
"Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days.
12
He
must purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then
he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh
days, he will not be clean. 13
Whoever
touches the dead body of anyone and fails to purify himself defiles the LORD's
tabernacle. That person must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of
cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean; his uncleanness remains
on him.
14
"This
is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent
and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15
and every open container without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.
16
"Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or
someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a human bone or a
grave, will be unclean for seven days.
17
"For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering
into a jar and pour fresh water over them. 18
Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water
and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He
must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or someone who
has been killed or someone who has died a natural death.
19
The man who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh
days, and on the seventh day he is to purify him. The person being cleansed must
wash his clothes and bathe with water, and that evening he will be clean.
20
But if a person who is unclean does not purify himself, he must be cut off from
the community, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of
cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, and he is unclean. 21
This is a lasting ordinance for them.
"The
man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone
who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean [12]
till evening. 22
Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches
it becomes unclean till evening."
20
1
In
the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and
they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
2
Now
there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to
Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we
had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! 4 Why did you
bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should
die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible
place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no
water to drink!"
6
Moses
and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell
facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said
to Moses, 8 "Take the staff, and you and
your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their
eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for
the community so they and their livestock can drink."
9
So
Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. 10
He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses
said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?"
11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his
staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12
But
the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not
trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will
not bring this community into the land I give them."
13
These
were the waters of Meribah, A where the Israelites quarreled with the
LORD and where he showed himself holy among them.
14
Moses
sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying:
"This
is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardships that have
come upon us. 15 Our forefathers went down into Egypt, and we lived
there many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers, 16 but
when we cried out to the LORD, he heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us
out of Egypt.
"Now
we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17
Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field
or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king's
highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have [13]passed
through your territory."
18
But
Edom answered:
"You
may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the
sword."
19
The
Israelites replied:
"We
will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water,
we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot--nothing else."
20
Again
they answered:
"You
may not pass through."
Then
Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21 Since
Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from
them.
22
The
whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23
At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
24 "Aaron will be gathered to his people.
He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled
against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor.
26 Remove Aaron's garments and put
them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die
there."
27
Moses
did as the LORD commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole
community. 28 Moses removed Aaron's garments and put them on his son
Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar
came down from the mountain, 29 and when the whole community learned
that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him thirty days.[14]
NEW
TESTAMENT: LUKE 1:1 - 25
1
1
Many
have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been
fulfilledA among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us
by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3
Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the
beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most
excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the
things you have been taught.
5
In
the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged
to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of
Aaron.
6
Both
of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments
and regulations blamelessly. 7 But they had no children, because
Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.
8
Once
when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to
go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time
for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying
outside.
11
Then
an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of
incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped
with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name
John. 14 He will be a joy and
delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15
for he will be great in the sight of the
Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled
with the Holy Spirit even from birth.B 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the
Lord their God. 17 And he will go
on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the
fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to
make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
18
Zechariah
asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well
along in years."
19
The
angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the
presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good
news. 20 And now you will be
silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not
believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."
21
Meanwhile,
the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the
temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They
realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them
but remained unable to speak.
23
When
his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this
his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
25 "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has
shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people." [15]
[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]
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[10]
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[11]
Excerpted from Compton
[12]
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[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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