Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
DECEMBER
31
PSALMS: 31, 61, 91, 121
PROVERBS: 31
OLD
TESTAMENT: NUMBERS 33:40 - 35:34
NEW
TESTAMENT: LUKE 5:12 - 28
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--
10then 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: NUMBERS 33:40 - 35:34
41 They left Mount Hor and
camped at Zalmonah.
42 They left Zalmonah and
camped at Punon.
43 They left Punon and
camped at Oboth.
44 They left Oboth and
camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.
45 They left Iyim
C and camped at Dibon Gad.
46They left Dibon Gad and
camped at Almon Diblathaim.
47They left Almon
Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, near Nebo.
48 They left the mountains
of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
D 49 There on the plains of Moab they camped along the
Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.
50 On the plains of Moab by
the Jordan across from Jericho the LORD said to Moses,
51 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: `When you cross the
Jordan into Canaan,
52 drive out
all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and
their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. 53 Take
possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to
possess. 54 Distribute
the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger
inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot
will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.
55 "`But if
you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will
become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble
in the land where you will live. 56 And then I
will do to you what I plan to do to them.'"
34 1 The LORD
said to Moses, 2 "Command the Israelites
and say to them: `When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you
as an inheritance will have these boundaries:
3 "`Your
southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom.
On the east, your southern boundary will start from the end of the Salt Sea,
A 4 cross south of Scorpion B Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea.
Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, 5 where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the
Sea. C [11]
6 "`Your
western boundary will be the coast of the Great Sea. This will be your boundary
on the west.
7 "`For your
northern boundary, run a line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor 8and from
Mount Hor to Lebo D Hamath.
Then the boundary will go to Zedad, 9 continue
to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary on the
north.
10 "`For your
eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. 11 The
boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and
continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Kinnereth. E 12 Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at
the Salt Sea.
"`This will
be your land, with its boundaries on every side.'"
13 Moses commanded the
Israelites: "Assign this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has ordered
that it be given to the nine and a half tribes, 14 because the
families of the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh
have received their inheritance.
15 These two and a half
tribes have received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan of
Jericho, F toward the sunrise."
16 The LORD said to Moses,
17 "These are the names of the men who are
to assign the land for you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son
of Nun. 18 And appoint one leader
from each tribe to help assign the land. 19 These are their names:
Caleb son
of Jephunneh,
from the
tribe of Judah;
20 Shemuel
son of Ammihud,
from the
tribe of Simeon;
21 Elidad son
of Kislon,
from the
tribe of Benjamin;
22 Bukki son
of Jogli,
the leader
from the tribe of Dan;
23 Hanniel
son of Ephod,
the leader
from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph;
24 Kemuel son
of Shiphtan,
the leader
from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph;
25 Elizaphan
son of Parnach,
26 Paltiel
son of Azzan,
the leader
from the tribe of Issachar;
27 Ahihud son
of Shelomi,
the leader
from the tribe of Asher;
28 Pedahel
son of Ammihud,
the leader
from the tribe of Naphtali."
29 These are the men the
LORD commanded to assign the inheritance to the Israelites in the land of
Canaan.
35 1 On the
plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, A the LORD said to
Moses, 2 "Command the Israelites to give
the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess.
And give them pasturelands around the towns.
3 Then they
will have towns to live in and pasturelands for their cattle, flocks and all
their other livestock.
4 "The
pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend out fifteen
hundred feet B from the
town wall. 5 Outside
the town, measure three thousand feet C on the
east side, three thousand on the south side, three thousand on the west and
three thousand on the north, with the town in the center. They will have this
area as pastureland for the towns.
6 "Six of
the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who
has killed someone may flee. In addition, give them forty-two other towns.
7
In all you
must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands.
8 The towns
you give the Levites from the land the Israelites possess are to be given in
proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that
has many, but few from one that has few."
9 Then the LORD said to
Moses: 10" Speak to the Israelites and say
to them: `When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 11 select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a
person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. 12 They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that a
person accused of murder may not die before he stands trial before the assembly.
13 These six towns you give will be
your cities of refuge. 14 Give three
on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge.
15 These six towns will be a place
of refuge for Israelites, aliens and any other people living among them, so that
anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.
16 "`If a man
strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the
murderer shall be put to death. 17 Or if
anyone has a stone in his hand that could kill, and he strikes someone so that
he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. 18 Or if
anyone has a [13]
wooden object in his hand that could kill, and he hits someone so that he
dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. 19 The
avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall
put him to death. 20 If anyone
with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at him intentionally
so that he dies 21 or if in
hostility he hits him with his fist so that he dies, that person shall be put to
death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death
when he meets him.
22 "`But if
without hostility someone suddenly shoves another or throws something at him
unintentionally
23 or,
without seeing him, drops a stone on him that could kill him, and he dies, then
since he was not his enemy and he did not intend to harm him, 24 the
assembly must judge between him and the avenger of blood according to these
regulations. 25 The
assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and
send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled. He must stay there until
the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 "`But if
the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he has
fled
27 and the
avenger of blood finds him outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the
accused without being guilty of murder. 28 The accused
must stay in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after
the death of the high priest may he return to his own property.
29 "`These
are to be legal requirements for you throughout the generations to come,
wherever you live.
30 "`Anyone
who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of
witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one
witness.
31 "`Do not
accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. He must surely
be put to death.
32 "`Do not
accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow him to
go back and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.
33 "`Do not
pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement
cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of
the one who shed it. 34 Do not
defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among
the Israelites.'"[14]
NEW
TESTAMENT: LUKE 5:12 - 28
12 While Jesus was in one
of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. C When
he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you
are willing, you can make me clean."
13 Jesus reached out his
hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he
said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left
him.
14 Then Jesus ordered him,
"Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the
priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a
testimony to them."
15 Yet the news about him
spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed
of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and
prayed.
17 One day as he was
teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of
Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the
Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying
a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before
Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the
crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles
into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their
faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are
forgiven."
21 The Pharisees and the
teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks
blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
22 Jesus knew what they
were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these
things in your hearts?
23 Which is
easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Get up and
walk'?
24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth
to forgive sins. . . ." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."
25Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been
lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave
praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable
things today."
27 After this, Jesus went
out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi
got up, left everything and followed him. [15]
[1]
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Compton
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Compton
[13][13]
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Compton
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Compton
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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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