Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
JANUARY
18
PSALMS: 18, 48, 78, 108,
138
PROVERBS: 18
OLD
TESTAMENT: DEUTERONOMY 33:1 - 29
NEW
TESTAMENT: LUKE 13:1 - 21
PSALMS: 18
For
the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the
words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies
and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1
I
love you, O LORD, my strength.
2
The
LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my
God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He
is my shield and the horn A of my salvation, my
stronghold.
3
I
call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and
I am saved from my enemies.
4
The
cords of death entangled me;
the
torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5
The
cords of the grave B coiled around me;
the
snares of death confronted me.
6
In
my distress I called to the LORD;
I
cried to my God for help.
From
his temple he heard my voice;
my
cry came before him, into his ears.
7
The
earth trembled and quaked,
and
the foundations of the mountains shook;
they
trembled because he was angry.
8
Smoke
rose from his nostrils;
consuming
fire came from his mouth,
burning
coals blazed out of it.
9
He
parted the heavens and came down;
dark
clouds were under his feet.
10
He
mounted the cherubim and flew;
he
soared on the wings of the wind. [1]
11
He
made darkness his covering, his canopy around him--
the
dark rain clouds of the sky.
12
Out
of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with
hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13
The
LORD thundered from heaven;
the
voice of the Most High resounded. C
14
He
shot his arrows and scattered the enemies,
great
bolts of lightning and routed them.
15
The
valleys of the sea were exposed
and
the foundations of the earth laid bare
at
your rebuke, O LORD,
at
the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16
He
reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he
drew me out of deep waters.
17
He
rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from
my foes, who were too strong for me.
18
They
confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but
the LORD was my support.
19
He
brought me out into a spacious place;
he
rescued me because he delighted in me.
20
The
LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according
to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21
For
I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I
have not done evil by turning from my God.
22
All
his laws are before me;
I
have not turned away from his decrees.
23
I
have been blameless before him
and
have kept myself from sin.
24
The
LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according
to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. [2]
25
To
the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to
the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26
to
the pure you show yourself pure,
but
to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
27
You
save the humble
but
bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28
You,
O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my
God turns my darkness into light.
29
With
your help I can advance against a troop D;
with
my God I can scale a wall.
30
As
for God, his way is perfect;
the
word of the LORD is flawless.
He
is a shield
for
all who take refuge in him.
31
For
who is God besides the LORD?
And
who is the Rock except our God?
32
It
is God who arms me with strength
and
makes my way perfect.
33
He
makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he
enables me to stand on the heights.
34
He
trains my hands for battle;
my
arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35
You
give me your shield of victory,
and
your right hand sustains me;
you
stoop down to make me great.
36
You
broaden the path beneath me,
so
that my ankles do not turn.
37
I
pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I
did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38
I
crushed them so that they could not rise;
they
fell beneath my feet. [3]
39
You
armed me with strength for battle;
you
made my adversaries bow at my feet.
40
You
made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and
I destroyed my foes.
41
They
cried for help, but there was no one to save them--
to
the LORD, but he did not answer.
42
I
beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind;
I
poured them out like mud in the streets.
43
You
have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you
have made me the head of nations;
people
I did not know are subject to me.
44
As
soon as they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners
cringe before me.
45
They
all lose heart;
they
come trembling from their strongholds.
46
The
LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted
be God my Savior!
47
He
is the God who avenges me,
who
subdues nations under me,
48
who
saves me from my enemies.
You
exalted me above my foes;
from
violent men you rescued me.
49
Therefore
I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
I
will sing praises to your name.
50
He
gives his king great victories;
he
shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to
David and his descendants forever. [4]
PSALMS: 48
A
song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1
Great
is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in
the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2
It
is beautiful in its loftiness,
the
joy of the whole earth.
Like
the utmost heights of Zaphon A is Mount Zion,
The
B city of the Great King.
3
God
is in her citadels;
he
has shown himself to be her fortress.
4
When
the kings joined forces,
when
they advanced together,
5
they
saw her and were astounded;
they
fled in terror.
6
Trembling
seized them there,
pain
like that of a woman in labor.
7
You
destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
shattered
by an east wind.
8
As
we have heard,
so
have we seen
in
the city of the LORD Almighty,
in
the city of our God:
God
makes her secure forever.
Selah
9
Within
your temple, O God,
we
meditate on your unfailing love.
10
Like
your name, O God,
your
praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your
right hand is filled with righteousness. [5]
11
Mount
Zion rejoices,
the
villages of Judah are glad
because
of your judgments.
12
Walk
about Zion, go around her,
count
her towers,
13
consider
well her ramparts,
view
her citadels,
that
you may tell of them to the next generation.
14
For
this God is our God for ever and ever;
he
will be our guide even to the end. [6]
PSALMS: 78
A
maskil A of Asaph.
1
O
my people, hear my teaching;
listen
to the words of my mouth.
2
I
will open my mouth in parables,
I
will utter hidden things, things from of old--
3
what
we have heard and known,
what
our fathers have told us.
4
We
will not hide them from their children;
we
will tell the next generation
the
praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his
power, and the wonders he has done.
5
He
decreed statutes for Jacob
and
established the law in Israel,
which
he commanded our forefathers
to
teach their children,
6
so
the next generation would know them,
even
the children yet to be born,
and
they in turn would tell their children.
7
Then
they would put their trust in God
and
would not forget his deeds
but
would keep his commands.
8
They
would not be like their forefathers--
a
stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose
hearts were not loyal to God,
whose
spirits were not faithful to him.
9
The
men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,
turned
back on the day of battle;
10
they
did not keep God's covenant
and
refused to live by his law.
11
They
forgot what he had done,
the
wonders he had shown them.
12
He
did miracles in the sight of their fathers
in
the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13
He
divided the sea and led them through;
he
made the water stand firm like a wall.
14
He
guided them with the cloud by day
and
with light from the fire all night.
15
He
split the rocks in the desert
and
gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16
he
brought streams out of a rocky crag
and
made water flow down like rivers.
17
But
they continued to sin against him,
rebelling
in the desert against the Most High.
18
They
willfully put God to the test
by
demanding the food they craved.
19
They
spoke against God, saying,
"Can
God spread a table in the desert?
20
When
he struck the rock, water gushed out,
and
streams flowed abundantly.
But
can he also give us food?
Can
he supply meat for his people?"
21
When
the LORD heard them, he was very angry;
his
fire broke out against Jacob,
and
his wrath rose against Israel,
22
for
they did not believe in God
or
trust in his deliverance.
23
Yet
he gave a command to the skies above
and
opened the doors of the heavens;
24
he
rained down manna for the people to eat, [7]
he
gave them the grain of heaven.
25
Men
ate the bread of angels;
he
sent them all the food they could eat.
26
He
let loose the east wind from the heavens
and
led forth the south wind by his power.
27
He
rained meat down on them like dust,
flying
birds like sand on the seashore.
28
He
made them come down inside their camp,
all
around their tents.
29
They
ate till they had more than enough,
for
he had given them what they craved.
30
But
before they turned from the food they craved,
even
while it was still in their mouths,
31
God's
anger rose against them;
he
put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting
down the young men of Israel.
32
In
spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in
spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
33
So
he ended their days in futility
and
their years in terror.
34
Whenever
God slew them, they would seek him;
they
eagerly turned to him again.
35
They
remembered that God was their Rock,
that
God Most High was their Redeemer.
36
But
then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying
to him with their tongues;
37
their
hearts were not loyal to him,
they
were not faithful to his covenant.
38
Yet
he was merciful;
he
forgave their iniquities
and
did not destroy them.
Time
after time he restrained his anger
and
did not stir up his full wrath. [8]
39
He
remembered that they were but flesh,
a
passing breeze that does not return.
40
How
often they rebelled against him in the desert
and
grieved him in the wasteland!
41
Again
and again they put God to the test;
they
vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42
They
did not remember his power--
the
day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43
the
day he displayed his miraculous signs in Egypt,
his
wonders in the region of Zoan.
44
He
turned their rivers to blood;
they
could not drink from their streams.
45
He
sent swarms of flies that devoured them,
and
frogs that devastated them.
46
He
gave their crops to the grasshopper,
their
produce to the locust.
47
He
destroyed their vines with hail
and
their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48
He
gave over their cattle to the hail,
their
livestock to bolts of lightning.
49
He
unleashed against them his hot anger,
his
wrath, indignation and hostility--
a
band of destroying angels.
50
He
prepared a path for his anger;
he
did not spare them from death
but
gave them over to the plague.
51
He
struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,
the
firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
52
But
he brought his people out like a flock;
he
led them like sheep through the desert.
53
He
guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but
the sea engulfed their enemies.
54
Thus
he brought them to the border of his holy land, [9]
to
the hill country his right hand had taken.
55
He
drove out nations before them
and
allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;
he
settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.
56
But
they put God to the test
and
rebelled against the Most High;
they
did not keep his statutes.
57
Like
their fathers they were disloyal and faithless,
as
unreliable as a faulty bow.
58
They
angered him with their high places;
they
aroused his jealousy with their idols.
59
When
God heard them, he was very angry;
he
rejected Israel completely.
60
He
abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the
tent he had set up among men.
61
He
sent the ark of his might into captivity,
his
splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62
He
gave his people over to the sword;
he
was very angry with his inheritance.
63
Fire
consumed their young men,
and
their maidens had no wedding songs;
64
their
priests were put to the sword,
and
their widows could not weep.
65
Then
the Lord awoke as from sleep,
as
a man wakes from the stupor of wine.
66
He
beat back his enemies;
he
put them to everlasting shame.
67
Then
he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he
did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68
but
he chose the tribe of Judah, [10]
Mount
Zion, which he loved.
69
He
built his sanctuary like the heights,
like
the earth that he established forever.
70
He
chose David his servant
and
took him from the sheep pens;
71
from
tending the sheep he brought him
to
be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of
Israel his inheritance.
72
And
David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with
skillful hands he led them. [11]
PSALMS: 108
A
song. A psalm of David.
1
My
heart is steadfast, O God;
I
will sing and make music with all my soul.
2
Awake,
harp and lyre!
I
will awaken the dawn.
3
I
will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
I
will sing of you among the peoples.
4
For
great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your
faithfulness reaches to the skies.
5
Be
exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and
let your glory be over all the earth.
6
Save
us and help us with your right hand,
that
those you love may be delivered.
7
God
has spoken from his sanctuary:
"In triumph I will parcel out
Shechem
and
measure off the Valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead
is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim
is my helmet,
Judah
my scepter.
9 Moab
is my washbasin,
upon
Edom I toss my sandal;
over
Philistia I shout in triumph."
10
Who
will bring me to the fortified city?
Who
will lead me to Edom?
11
Is
it not you, O God, you who have rejected us
and
no longer go out with our armies?
12
Give
us aid against the enemy,
for
the help of man is worthless.
13
With
God we will gain the victory, [12]
and
he will trample down our enemies. [13]
PSALMS: 138
Of
David.
1
I
will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before
the "gods" I will sing your praise.
2
I
will bow down toward your holy temple
and
will praise your name
for
your love and your faithfulness,
for
you have exalted above all things
your
name and your word.
3
When
I called, you answered me;
you
made me bold and stouthearted.
4
May
all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when
they hear the words of your mouth.
5
May
they sing of the ways of the LORD,
6
Though
the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but
the proud he knows from afar.
7
Though
I walk in the midst of trouble,
you
preserve my life;
you
stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with
your right hand you save me.
8
The
LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your
love, O LORD, endures forever--
do
not abandon the works of your hands. [14]
PROVERBS: 18
18
1
An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends;
he
defies all sound judgment.
2
A
fool finds no pleasure in understanding
but
delights in airing his own opinions.
3
When
wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and
with shame comes disgrace.
4
The
words of a man's mouth are deep waters,
but
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5
It
is not good to be partial to the wicked
or
to deprive the innocent of justice.
6
A
fool's lips bring him strife,
and
his mouth invites a beating.
7
A
fool's mouth is his undoing,
and
his lips are a snare to his soul.
8
The
words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they
go down to a man's inmost parts.
9
One
who is slack in his work
is
brother to one who destroys.
10
The
name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the
righteous run to it and are safe.
11The
wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they
imagine it an unscalable wall. [15]
12
Before
his downfall a man's heart is proud,
but
humility comes before honor.
13
He
who answers before listening--
that
is his folly and his shame.
14
A
man's spirit sustains him in sickness,
but
a crushed spirit who can bear?
15
The
heart of the discerning acquires knowledge;
the
ears of the wise seek it out.
16
A
gift opens the way for the giver
and
ushers him into the presence of the great.
17
The
first to present his case seems right,
till
another comes forward and questions him.
18
Casting
the lot settles disputes
and
keeps strong opponents apart.
19
An
offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city,
and
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20
From
the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled;
with
the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.
21
The
tongue has the power of life and death,
and
those who love it will eat its fruit.
22
He
who finds a wife finds what is good
and
receives favor from the LORD. [16]
23
A
poor man pleads for mercy,
but
a rich man answers harshly.
24
A
man of many companions may come to ruin,
but
there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. [17]
OLD
TESTAMENT: DEUTERONOMY 33:1 - 29
33
1
This
is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before
his death. 2 He said:
"The
LORD came from Sinai
and
dawned over them from Seir;
he
shone forth from Mount Paran.
He
came withA myriads of holy ones
from
the south, from his mountain slopes. B
3
Surely
it is you who love the people;
all
the holy ones are in your hand.
At
your feet they all bow down,
and
from you receive instruction,
4
the
law that Moses gave us,
the
possession of the assembly of Jacob.
5
He
was king over Jeshurun C
when
the leaders of the people assembled,
along
with the tribes of Israel.
6
"Let
Reuben live and not die,
Nor
D his men be few."
7
And
this he said about Judah:
"Hear,
O LORD, the cry of Judah;
bring
him to his people.
With
his own hands he defends his cause.
Oh,
be his help against his foes!" [18]
8
About
Levi he said:
"Your
Thummim and Urim belong
to
the man you favored.
You
tested him at Massah;
you
contended with him at the waters of Meribah.
9
He
said of his father and mother,
`I
have no regard for them.'
He
did not recognize his brothers
or
acknowledge his own children,
but
he watched over your word
and
guarded your covenant.
10
He
teaches your precepts to Jacob
and
your law to Israel.
He
offers incense before you
and
whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11
Bless
all his skills, O LORD,
and
be pleased with the work of his hands.
Smite
the loins of those who rise up against him;
strike
his foes till they rise no more."
12
About
Benjamin he said:
"Let
the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him,
for
he shields him all day long,
and
the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders." [19]
13
About
Joseph he said:
"May
the LORD bless his land
with
the precious dew from heaven above
and
with the deep waters that lie below;
14
with
the best the sun brings forth
and
the finest the moon can yield;
15
with
the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains
and
the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
16
with
the best gifts of the earth and its fullness
and
the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.
Let
all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on
the brow of the prince among E his brothers.
17
In
majesty he is like a firstborn bull;
his
horns are the horns of a wild ox.
With
them he will gore the nations,
even
those at the ends of the earth.
Such
are the ten thousands of Ephraim;
such
are the thousands of Manasseh."
18
About
Zebulun he said:
"Rejoice,
Zebulun, in your going out,
and
you, Issachar, in your tents.
19
They
will summon peoples to the mountain
and
there offer sacrifices of righteousness; [20]
they
will feast on the abundance of the seas,
on
the treasures hidden in the sand."
20
About
Gad he said:
"Blessed
is he who enlarges Gad's domain!
Gad
lives there like a lion,
tearing
at arm or head.
21
He
chose the best land for himself;
the
leader's portion was kept for him.
When
the heads of the people assembled,
he
carried out the LORD's righteous will,
and
his judgments concerning Israel."
22
About
Dan he said:
"Dan
is a lion's cub,
springing
out of Bashan."
23
About
Naphtali he said:
"Naphtali
is abounding with the favor of the LORD
and
is full of his blessing;
he
will inherit southward to the lake."
24
About
Asher he said:
[21]
"Most blessed of sons is Asher;
let
him be favored by his brothers,
and
let him bathe his feet in oil.
25
The
bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,
and
your strength will equal your days.
26
"There
is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
who
rides on the heavens to help you
and
on the clouds in his majesty.
27
The
eternal God is your refuge,
and
underneath are the everlasting arms.
He
will drive out your enemy before you,
saying,
`Destroy him!'
28
So
Israel will live in safety alone;
Jacob's
spring is secure
in
a land of grain and new wine,
where
the heavens drop dew.
29
Blessed
are you, O Israel!
Who
is like you,
a
people saved by the LORD?
He
is your shield and helper
and
your glorious sword.
Your
enemies will cower before you,
and
you will trample down their high places. F" [22]
NEW
TESTAMENT: LUKE 13:1 - 21
13
1
Now
there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose
blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered,
"Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners
than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?
3
I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
4
Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think
they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5
I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
6
Then
he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted
in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.
7 So he said to the man who took
care of the vineyard, `For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on
this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the
soil?'
8"`Sir,'
the man replied, `leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and
fertilize it. 9
If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"
10
On
a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman
was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent
over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he
called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are
set free from your infirmity." 13 Then he put his hands on
her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14
Indignant
because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people,
"There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the
Sabbath."
15
The
Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of
you [23] on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and
lead it out to give it water? 16
Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for
eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?"
17
When
he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted
with all the wonderful things he was doing.
18
Then
Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What
shall I compare it to? 19 It is like
a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a
tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
20
Again
he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?
21 It is like yeast that a woman
took and mixed into a large amount A
of flour until it worked all through the dough." [24]
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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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