Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
FEBRUARY
21
PSALMS: 21, 51, 81, 111,
141
PROVERBS: 21
OLD
TESTAMENT: 1 SAMUEL 14:1 - 52
NEW
TESTAMENT: JOHN 7:31 - 53
PSALMS: 21
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
O
LORD, the king rejoices in your strength.
How
great is his joy in the victories you give!
2
You
have granted him the desire of his heart
and
have not withheld the request of his lips.
Selah
3
You
welcomed him with rich blessings
and
placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4
He
asked you for life, and you gave it to him--
length
of days, for ever and ever.
5
Through
the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you
have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6
Surely
you have granted him eternal blessings
and
made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7
For
the king trusts in the LORD;
through
the unfailing love of the Most High
he
will not be shaken.
8
Your
hand will lay hold on all your enemies;
your
right hand will seize your foes.
9
At
the time of your appearing
you
will make them like a fiery furnace.
In
his wrath the LORD will swallow them up,
and
his fire will consume them.
10
You
will destroy their descendants from the earth,
their
posterity from mankind.
11
Though
they plot evil against you
and
devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed;
12
for
you will make them turn their backs
when
you aim at them with drawn bow. [1]
13
Be
exalted, O LORD, in your strength;
we
will sing and praise your might. [2]
PSALMS: 51
For
the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him
after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1
Have
mercy on me, O God,
according
to your unfailing love;
according
to your great compassion
blot
out my transgressions.
2
Wash
away all my iniquity
and
cleanse me from my sin.
3
For
I know my transgressions,
and
my sin is always before me.
4
Against
you, you only, have I sinned
and
done what is evil in your sight,
so
that you are proved right when you speak
and
justified when you judge.
5
Surely
I was sinful at birth,
sinful
from the time my mother conceived me.
6
Surely
you desire truth in the inner parts A;
you
teach B me wisdom in the inmost place.
7
Cleanse
me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash
me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8
Let
me hear joy and gladness;
let
the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9
Hide
your face from my sins
and
blot out all my iniquity. [3]
10
Create
in me a pure heart, O God,
and
renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11
Do
not cast me from your presence
or
take your Holy Spirit from me.
12
Restore
to me the joy of your salvation
and
grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13
Then
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and
sinners will turn back to you.
14
Save
me from bloodguilt, O God,
the
God who saves me,
and
my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15
O
Lord, open my lips,
and
my mouth will declare your praise.
16
You
do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you
do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17
The
sacrifices of God are C a broken spirit;
a
broken and contrite heart,
O
God, you will not despise.
18
In
your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build
up the walls of Jerusalem.
19
Then
there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole
burnt offerings to delight you;
then
bulls will be offered on your altar. [4]
PSALMS:
81
For
the director of music. According to gittith. A Of
Asaph.
1
Sing
for joy to God our strength;
shout
aloud to the God of Jacob!
2
Begin
the music, strike the tambourine,
play
the melodious harp and lyre.
3
Sound
the ram's horn at the New Moon,
and
when the moon is full, on the day of our Feast;
4
this
is a decree for Israel,
an
ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5
He
established it as a statute for Joseph
when
he went out against Egypt,
where
we heard a language we did not understand. B
6
He
says, "I removed the burden from their
shoulders;
their
hands were set free from the basket.
7
In
your distress you called and I rescued you,
I
answered you out of a thundercloud;
I
tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Selah
8
"Hear, O my people, and I will warn
you--
if
you would but listen to me, O Israel!
9 You
shall have no foreign god among you;
you
shall not bow down to an alien god.
10 I
am the LORD your God,
who
brought you up out of Egypt.
Open
wide your mouth and I will fill it.
[5]
11
"But my people would not listen to
me;
Israel
would not submit to me.
12 So
I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to
follow their own devices.
13
"If my people would but listen to
me,
if
Israel would follow my ways,
14 how
quickly would I subdue their enemies
and
turn my hand against their foes!
15 Those
who hate the LORD would cringe before him,
and
their punishment would last forever.
16 But
you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
with
honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
[6]
PSALMS: 111
1
Praise
A the LORD. B
I
will extol the LORD with all my heart
in
the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2
Great
are the works of the LORD;
they
are pondered by all who delight in them.
3
Glorious
and majestic are his deeds,
and
his righteousness endures forever.
4
He
has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the
LORD is gracious and compassionate.
5
He
provides food for those who fear him;
he
remembers his covenant forever.
6
He
has shown his people the power of his works,
giving
them the lands of other nations.
7
The
works of his hands are faithful and just;
all
his precepts are trustworthy.
8
They
are steadfast for ever and ever,
done
in faithfulness and uprightness.
9
He
provided redemption for his people;
he
ordained his covenant forever--
holy
and awesome is his name.
10
The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all
who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To
him belongs eternal praise. [7]
PSALMS: 141
A
psalm of David.
1
O
LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me.
Hear
my voice when I call to you.
2
May
my prayer be set before you like incense;
may
the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
3
Set
a guard over my mouth, O LORD;
keep
watch over the door of my lips.
4
Let
not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to
take part in wicked deeds
with
men who are evildoers;
let
me not eat of their delicacies.
5
Let
a righteous man A strike me--it is a kindness;
let
him rebuke me--it is oil on my head.
My
head will not refuse it.
Yet
my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers;
6
their
rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,
and
the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
7
They
will say, "As one plows and breaks up the earth,
so
our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.
B"
8
But
my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD;
in
you I take refuge--do not give me over to death.
9
Keep
me from the snares they have laid for me,
from
the traps set by evildoers.
10
Let
the wicked fall into their own nets,
while
I pass by in safety. [8]
PROVERBS: 21
21
1
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD;
he
directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.
2
All
a man's ways seem right to him,
but
the LORD weighs the heart.
3
To
do what is right and just
is
more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4
Haughty
eyes and a proud heart,
the
lamp of the wicked, are sin!
5
The
plans of the diligent lead to profit
as
surely as haste leads to poverty.
6
A
fortune made by a lying tongue
is
a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare. A
7
The
violence of the wicked will drag them away,
for
they refuse to do what is right.
8
The
way of the guilty is devious,
but
the conduct of the innocent is upright.
9
Better
to live on a corner of the roof
than
share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
10
The
wicked man craves evil;
his
neighbor gets no mercy from him. [9]
11
When
a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
when
a wise man is instructed, he gets knowledge.
12
The
Righteous One B takes note of the house of the
wicked
and
brings the wicked to ruin.
13
If
a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,
he
too will cry out and not be answered.
14
A
gift given in secret soothes anger,
and
a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.
15
When
justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
but
terror to evildoers.
16
A
man who strays from the path of understanding
comes
to rest in the company of the dead.
17
He
who loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever
loves wine and oil will never be rich.
18
The
wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
and
the unfaithful for the upright.
19
Better
to live in a desert
than
with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.
20
In
the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil,
but
a foolish man devours all he has.
21
He
who pursues righteousness and love
finds
life, prosperity C and honor. [10]
22
A
wise man attacks the city of the mighty
and
pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.
23
He
who guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps
himself from calamity.
24
The
proud and arrogant man--"Mocker" is his name;
he
behaves with overweening pride.
25
The
sluggard's craving will be the death of him,
because
his hands refuse to work.
26
All
day long he craves for more,
but
the righteous give without sparing.
27
The
sacrifice of the wicked is detestable--
how
much more so when brought with evil intent!
28
A
false witness will perish,
and
whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.
D
29
A
wicked man puts up a bold front,
but
an upright man gives thought to his ways.
30
There
is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that
can succeed against the LORD.
31
The
horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but
victory rests with the LORD. [11]
OLD
TESTAMENT: 1 SAMUEL 14:1 - 52
14
1
One
day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, "Come, let's
go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side." But he did not tell his
father.
2
Saul
was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With
him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was
wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the
son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had
left.
4
On
each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine
outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez, and the other Seneh. 5 One
cliff stood to the north toward Micmash, the other to the south toward Geba.
6
Jonathan
said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those
uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can
hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."
7
"Do
all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you
heart and soul."
8
Jonathan
said, "Come, then; we will cross over toward the men and let them see us. 9
If they say to us, `Wait there until we come to you,' we will stay where
we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, `Come up to us,' we
will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into
our hands."
11
So
both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. "Look!" said the
Philistines. "The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in."
12 The men of the outpost shouted to [12]
Jonathan and his armor-bearer, "Come up to us and we'll teach you a lesson."
So
Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, "Climb up after me; the LORD has given them
into the hand of Israel."
13
Jonathan
climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him.
The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed
behind him. 14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer
killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre. A
15
Then
panic struck the whole army--those in the camp and field, and those in the
outposts and raiding parties--and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.
B
16
Saul's
lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions.
17
Then
Saul said to the men who were with him, "Muster the forces and see who has left
us." When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.
18
Saul
said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God." (At that time it was with the
Israelites.) C 19 While Saul was talking to the priest,
the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the
priest, "Withdraw your hand."
20
Then
Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the
Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. 21
Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up
with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and
Jonathan.
22
When
all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that [13]the
Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. 23
So the LORD rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth
Aven.
24
Now
the men of Israel were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people
under an oath, saying, "Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes,
before I have avenged myself on my enemies!" So none of the troops tasted food.
25
The
entire army D entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground.
26 When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out, yet
no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. 27
But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the
oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it
into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
E 28 Then one of the soldiers told him, "Your father bound
the army under a strict oath, saying, `Cursed be any man who eats food today!'
That is why the men are faint."
29
Jonathan
said, "My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened
F when I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better
it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from
their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even
greater?"
31
That
day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Micmash to
Aijalon, they were exhausted. 32 They pounced on [14]the
plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground
and ate them, together with the blood. 33 Then someone said to Saul,
"Look, the men are sinning against the LORD by eating meat that has blood in
it."
"You
have broken faith," he said. "Roll a large stone over here at once." 34
Then he said, "Go out among the men and tell them, `Each of you bring me
your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against
the LORD by eating meat with blood still in it.' "
So
everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there. 35 Then
Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had done this.
36
Saul
said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn,
and let us not leave one of them alive."
"Do
whatever seems best to you," they replied.
But
the priest said, "Let us inquire of God here."
37
So
Saul asked God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into
Israel's hand?" But God did not answer him that day.
38
Saul
therefore said, "Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find
out what sin has been committed today. 39 As surely as the LORD who
rescues Israel lives, even if it lies with my son Jonathan, he must die." But
not one of the men said a word.
40
Saul
then said to all the Israelites, "You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son
will stand over here."
"Do
what seems best to you," the men replied. [15]
41 Then Saul prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, "Give me the
right answer." G And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men
were cleared. 42 Saul said, "Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my
son." And Jonathan was taken.
43
Then
Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done."
So
Jonathan told him, "I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And
now must I die?"
44
Saul
said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die,
Jonathan."
45
But
the men said to Saul, "Should Jonathan die--he who has brought about this great
deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his
head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God's help." So the men
rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.
46
Then
Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land.
47
After
Saul had assumed rule over Israel, he fought against their enemies on every
side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings H of Zobah, and the
Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them. I
48 He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel
from the hands of those who had plundered them.
49
Saul's
sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was
Merab, and that of the younger was Michal. 50 His wife's name was
Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of Saul's army was Abner
son of Ner, and Ner was [16]
Saul's uncle. 51 Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were sons
of Abiel.
52
All
the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines, and whenever Saul
saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service. [17]
NEW
TESTAMENT: JOHN 7:31 - 53
31
Still,
many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, "When the Christ comes,
will he do more miraculous signs than this man?"
32
The
Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief
priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.
33
Jesus
said, "I am with you for only a short time, and then I
go to the one who sent me. 34 You
will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot
come."
35
The
Jews said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find
him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the
Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, `You will look for me, but you will not find me,' and `Where
I am, you cannot come'?"
37
On
the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,
"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
38 Whoever believes in me, as
C the Scripture has said, streams of
living water will flow from within him." 39 By this he meant
the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that
time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
40
On
hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet."
41
Others
said, "He is the Christ."
Still
others asked, "How can the Christ come from Galilee? 42 Does not the
Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family D and
from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?" 43 Thus [18]
the people were divided because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize
him, but no one laid a hand on him.
45
Finally
the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them,
"Why didn't you bring him in?"
46
"No
one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared.
47
"You
mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted. 48 "Has any
of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 No! But this
mob that knows nothing of the law--there is a curse on them."
50
Nicodemus,
who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked,
51 "Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out
what he is doing?"
52
They
replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a
prophet E does not come out of Galilee."
[The
earliest and most reliable manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have
John 7:53-8:11.]
53
Then
each went to his own home. [19]
[1]
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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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