Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
FEBRUARY
20
PSALMS: 20, 50, 80, 110,
140
PROVERBS: 20
OLD
TESTAMENT: 1 SAMUEL 12:1 - 13:23
NEW
TESTAMENT: JOHN 7:1 - 30
PSALMS: 20
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
May
the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
may
the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2
May
he send you help from the sanctuary
and
grant you support from Zion.
3
May
he remember all your sacrifices
and
accept your burnt offerings.
Selah
4
May
he give you the desire of your heart
and
make all your plans succeed.
5
We
will shout for joy when you are victorious
and
will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May
the LORD grant all your requests.
6
Now
I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he
answers him from his holy heaven
with
the saving power of his right hand.
7
Some
trust in chariots and some in horses,
but
we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8
They
are brought to their knees and fall,
but
we rise up and stand firm.
9
O
LORD, save the king!
Answer
A us when we call! [1]
PSALMS: 50
A
psalm of Asaph.
1
The
Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks
and summons the earth
from
the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.
2
From
Zion, perfect in beauty,
God
shines forth.
3
Our
God comes and will not be silent;
a
fire devours before him,
and
around him a tempest rages.
4
He
summons the heavens above,
and
the earth, that he may judge his people:
5
"Gather to me my consecrated
ones,
who
made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
6
And
the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for
God himself is judge.
Selah
7
"Hear, O my people, and I will
speak,
O
Israel, and I will testify against you:
I
am God, your God.
8 I
do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or
your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9 I
have no need of a bull from your stall
or
of goats from your pens,
10 for
every animal of the forest is mine,
and
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I
know every bird in the mountains,
and
the creatures of the field are mine.
12 If
I were hungry I would not tell you, [2]
for
the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13 Do
I eat the flesh of bulls
or
drink the blood of goats?
14 Sacrifice
thank offerings to God,
fulfill
your vows to the Most High,
15 and
call upon me in the day of trouble;
I
will deliver you, and you will honor me."
16
But
to the wicked, God says:
"What right have you to recite my
laws
or
take my covenant on your lips?
17 You
hate my instruction
and
cast my words behind you.
18 When
you see a thief, you join with him;
you
throw in your lot with adulterers.
19 You
use your mouth for evil
and
harness your tongue to deceit.
20 You
speak continually against your brother
and
slander your own mother's son.
21 These
things you have done and I kept silent;
you
thought I was altogetherA like you.
But
I will rebuke you
and
accuse you to your face.
22
"Consider this, you who forget
God,
or
I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:
23 He
who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,
and
he prepares the way
PSALMS: 80
For
the director of music. To the tune of "The Lilies of the Covenant." Of Asaph. A
psalm.
1
Hear
us, O Shepherd of Israel,
you
who lead Joseph like a flock;
you
who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
2
before
Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken
your might;
come
and save us.
3
Restore
us, O God;
make
your face shine upon us,
that
we may be saved.
4
O
LORD God Almighty,
how
long will your anger smolder
against
the prayers of your people?
5
You
have fed them with the bread of tears;
you
have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
6
You
have made us a source of contention to our neighbors,
and
our enemies mock us.
7
Restore
us, O God Almighty;
make
your face shine upon us,
that
we may be saved.
8
You
brought a vine out of Egypt;
you
drove out the nations and planted it.
9
You
cleared the ground for it,
and
it took root and filled the land.
10
The
mountains were covered with its shade,
the
mighty cedars with its branches. [4]
11
It
sent out its boughs to the Sea, A
its
shoots as far as the River. B
12
Why
have you broken down its walls
so
that all who pass by pick its grapes?
13
Boars
from the forest ravage it
and
the creatures of the field feed on it.
14
Return
to us, O God Almighty!
Look
down from heaven and see!
Watch
over this vine,
15
the
root your right hand has planted,
the
son C you have raised up for yourself.
16
Your
vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
at
your rebuke your people perish.
17
Let
your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the
son of man you have raised up for yourself.
18
Then
we will not turn away from you;
revive
us, and we will call on your name.
19
Restore
us, O LORD God Almighty;
make
your face shine upon us,
that
we may be saved. [5]
PSALMS: 110
Of
David. A psalm.
1
The
LORD says to my Lord:
"Sit
at my right hand
until
I make your enemies
a
footstool for your feet."
2
The
LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;
you
will rule in the midst of your enemies.
3
Your
troops will be willing
on
your day of battle.
Arrayed
in holy majesty,
from
the womb of the dawn
you
will receive the dew of your youth. A
4
The
LORD has sworn
and
will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever,
in
the order of Melchizedek."
5
The
Lord is at your right hand;
he
will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6
He
will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and
crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
7
He
will drink from a brook beside the way B;
therefore
he will lift up his head. [6]
PSALMS: 140
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
Rescue
me, O LORD, from evil men;
protect
me from men of violence,
2
who
devise evil plans in their hearts
and
stir up war every day.
3
They
make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's;
the
poison of vipers is on their lips.
Selah
4
Keep
me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
protect
me from men of violence
who
plan to trip my feet.
5
Proud
men have hidden a snare for me;
they
have spread out the cords of their net
and
have set traps for me along my path.
Selah
6
O
LORD, I say to you, "You are my God."
Hear,
O LORD, my cry for mercy.
7
O
Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer,
who
shields my head in the day of battle--
8
do
not grant the wicked their desires, O LORD;
do
not let their plans succeed,
or
they will become proud.
Selah
9
Let
the heads of those who surround me
be
covered with the trouble their lips have caused.
10Let
burning coals fall upon them;
may
they be thrown into the fire,
into
miry pits, never to rise. [7]
11
Let
slanderers not be established in the land;
may
disaster hunt down men of violence.
12
I
know that the LORD secures justice for the poor
and
upholds the cause of the needy.
13
Surely
the righteous will praise your name
and
the upright will live before you. [8]
PROVERBS: 20
20
1
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
whoever
is led astray by them is not wise.
2
A
king's wrath is like the roar of a lion;
he
who angers him forfeits his life.
3
It
is to a man's honor to avoid strife,
but
every fool is quick to quarrel.
4
A
sluggard does not plow in season;
so
at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.
5
The
purposes of a man's heart are deep waters,
but
a man of understanding draws them out.
6
Many
a man claims to have unfailing love,
but
a faithful man who can find?
7
The
righteous man leads a blameless life;
blessed
are his children after him.
8
When
a king sits on his throne to judge,
he
winnows out all evil with his eyes.
9
Who
can say, "I have kept my heart pure;
I
am clean and without sin"?
10
Differing
weights and differing measures--
the
LORD detests them both.
11
Even
a child is known by his actions,
by
whether his conduct is pure and right. [9]
12
Ears
that hear and eyes that see--
the
LORD has made them both.
13
Do
not love sleep or you will grow poor;
stay
awake and you will have food to spare.
14
"It's
no good, it's no good!" says the buyer;
then
off he goes and boasts about his purchase.
15
Gold
there is, and rubies in abundance,
but
lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.
16
Take
the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold
it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.
17
Food
gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man,
but
he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.
18
Make
plans by seeking advice;
if
you wage war, obtain guidance.
19
A
gossip betrays a confidence;
so
avoid a man who talks too much.
20
If
a man curses his father or mother,
his
lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.
21
An
inheritance quickly gained at the beginning
will
not be blessed at the end.
22
Do
not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!"
Wait
for the LORD, and he will deliver you.[10]
23
The
LORD detests differing weights,
and
dishonest scales do not please him.
24
A
man's steps are directed by the LORD.
How
then can anyone understand his own way?
25
It
is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly
and
only later to consider his vows.
26
A
wise king winnows out the wicked;
he
drives the threshing wheel over them.
27
The
lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man
A;
it
searches out his inmost being.
28
Love
and faithfulness keep a king safe;
through
love his throne is made secure.
29
The
glory of young men is their strength,
gray
hair the splendor of the old.
30
Blows
and wounds cleanse away evil,
and
beatings purge the inmost being. [11]
OLD
TESTAMENT: 1 SAMUEL 12:1 - 13:23
12
1
Samuel
said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a
king over you. 2 Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am
old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my
youth until this day. 3 Here I stand. Testify against me in the
presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have
I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I
accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will
make it right."
4
"You
have not cheated or oppressed us," they replied. "You have not taken anything
from anyone's hand."
5
Samuel
said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness
this day, that you have not found anything in my hand."
"He
is witness," they said.
6
Then
Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and
brought your forefathers up out of Egypt. 7 Now then, stand here,
because I am going to confront you with evidence before the LORD as to all the
righteous acts performed by the LORD for you and your fathers.
8
"After
Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the LORD for help, and the LORD sent Moses
and Aaron, who brought your forefathers out of Egypt and settled them in this
place.
9
"But
they forgot the LORD their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the
commander of the army of Hazor, and into the [12]
hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. 10
They cried out to the LORD and said, `We have sinned; we have forsaken the
LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands
of our enemies, and we will serve you.' 11 Then the LORD sent
Jerub-Baal, A Barak, B Jephthah and Samuel, C
and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, so that you
lived securely.
12
"But
when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said
to me, `No, we want a king to rule over us'--even though the LORD your God was
your king. 13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked
for; see, the LORD has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the LORD
and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you
and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God--good! 15
But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands,
his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16
"Now
then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your
eyes! 17 Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon the LORD to
send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the
eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king."
18
Then
Samuel called upon the LORD, and that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain.
So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel.
19
The
people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for [13]
your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins
the evil of asking for a king."
20
"Do
not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn
away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 Do not
turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you,
because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name the LORD
will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.
23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by
failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.
24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all
your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25 Yet if
you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away."
13
1
Saul
was thirty A years old when he became king, and he reigned over
Israel forty- B two years.
2
Saul
C chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at
Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at
Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
3
Jonathan
attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it.
Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, "Let the Hebrews
hear!" 4 So all Israel heard the news: "Saul has attacked the
Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines." And
the people were [14]summoned
to join Saul at Gilgal.
5
The
Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand D
chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the
seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven. 6
When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that
their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks,
and in pits and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to
the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul
remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8
He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to
Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. 9 So he said, "Bring me the
burnt offering and the fellowship offerings. E" And Saul offered up
the burnt offering. 10Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel
arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
11
"What
have you done?" asked Samuel.
Saul
replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at
the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, 12
I thought, `Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I
have not sought the LORD's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt
offering."
13
"You
acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God
gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all
time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought
out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because
you [15]
have not kept the LORD's command."
15
Then
Samuel left Gilgal F and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul
counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.
16
Saul
and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah G
in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Micmash. 17 Raiding
parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned
toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual,
18
another
toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of
Zeboim facing the desert.
19
Not
a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines
had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!" 20 So
all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes
and sickles H sharpened. 21 The price was two thirds of a
shekelI for sharpening plowshares and mattocks, and a third of a
shekelJ for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.
22
So
on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or
spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
23
Now
a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash. [16]
NEW
TESTAMENT: JOHN 7:1 - 30
7
1
After
this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because
the Jews there were waiting to take his life. 2 But when the Jewish
Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus' brothers said to him, "You
ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles
you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret.
Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." 5 For
even his own brothers did not believe in him.
6
Therefore
Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet
come; for you any time is right. 7
The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does
is evil. 8 You go to the Feast. I am
not yet A going up to this Feast,
because for me the right time has not yet come." 9 Having said
this, he stayed in Galilee.
10
However,
after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in
secret. 11 Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and
asking, "Where is that man?"
12
Among
the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, "He is a good
man."
Others
replied, "No, he deceives the people." 13 But no one would say
anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.
14
Not
until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin
to teach. 15 The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man get
such learning without having studied?"
16
Jesus
answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from [17]him
who sent me. 17 If anyone
chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or
whether I speak on my own. 18 He who
speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the
honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about
him. 19 Has not Moses given you the
law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?"
20
"You
are demon-possessed," the crowd answered. "Who is trying to kill you?"
21
Jesus
said to them, "I did one miracle, and you are all
astonished. 22 Yet, because Moses
gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the
patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that
the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the
whole man on the Sabbath? 24 Stop
judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."
25
At
that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, "Isn't this the man
they are trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they
are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is
the Christ B? 27 But we know where this man is from; when
the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."
28
Then
Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not
here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,
29 but I know [18] him because I am from him and he sent me."
30
At
this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time
had not yet come. [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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