THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation - November 26 - Full Text!

Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

THEINC-HIM Daily Bible Meditation

NOVEMBER 26

PSALMS: 26, 56, 86, 116, 146

PROVERBS: 26

OLD TESTAMENT: EXODUS 39:1 - 40:38

NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 1:1 - 28

PSALMS: 26

Of David.

¹ Vindicate me, O LORD,

for I have led a blameless life;

I have trusted in the LORD

without wavering.

² Test me, O LORD, and try me,

examine my heart and my mind;

³ for your love is ever before me,

and I walk continually in your truth.

⁴ I do not sit with deceitful men,

nor do I consort with hypocrites;

⁵ I abhor the assembly of evildoers

and refuse to sit with the wicked.

⁶ I wash my hands in innocence,

and go about your altar, O LORD,

⁷ proclaiming aloud your praise

and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

⁸ I love the house where you live, O LORD,

the place where your glory dwells.

⁹ Do not take away my soul along with sinners,

my life with bloodthirsty men,

¹⁰ in whose hands are wicked schemes,

whose right hands are full of bribes.

¹¹ But I lead a blameless life;

redeem me and be merciful to me.

¹² My feet stand on level ground;

in the great assembly I will praise the LORD. ¹

PSALMS: 56

For the director of music. To the tune of "A Dove on Distant Oaks." Of David. A miktam. ^A When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.

¹ Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me;

all day long they press their attack.

² My slanderers pursue me all day long;

many are attacking me in their pride.

³ When I am afraid,

I will trust in you.

⁴ In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can mortal man do to me?

⁵ All day long they twist my words;

they are always plotting to harm me.

⁶ They conspire, they lurk,

they watch my steps,

eager to take my life.

⁷ On no account let them escape;

in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.

⁸ Record my lament;

list my tears on your scroll ^B--

are they not in your record?

⁹ Then my enemies will turn back

when I call for help.

By this I will know that God is for me.

¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise,

in the LORD, whose word I praise--

¹¹ in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me? ²

¹² I am under vows to you, O God;

I will present my thank offerings to you.

¹³ For you have delivered me ^C from death

and my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before God

in the light of life. ^{D 3}

PSALMS: 86

A prayer of David.

¹ Hear, O LORD, and answer me,

for I am poor and needy.

² Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.

You are my God; save your servant

who trusts in you.

³ Have mercy on me, O Lord,

for I call to you all day long.

⁴ Bring joy to your servant,

for to you, O Lord,

I lift up my soul.

⁵ You are forgiving and good, O Lord,

abounding in love to all who call to you.

⁶ Hear my prayer, O LORD;

listen to my cry for mercy.

⁷ In the day of my trouble I will call to you,

for you will answer me.

⁸ Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;

no deeds can compare with yours.

⁹ All the nations you have made

will come and worship before you, O Lord;

they will bring glory to your name.

¹⁰ For you are great and do marvelous deeds;

you alone are God. ⁴

¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD,

and I will walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear your name.

¹² I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;

I will glorify your name forever.

¹³ For great is your love toward me;

you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. ^A

¹⁴ The arrogant are attacking me, O God;

a band of ruthless men seeks my life--

men without regard for you.

¹⁵ But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,

slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy on me;

grant your strength to your servant

and save the son of your maidservant. ^B

¹⁷ Give me a sign of your goodness,

that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,

for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me. ⁵

PSALMS: 116

¹ I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;

he heard my cry for mercy.

² Because he turned his ear to me,

I will call on him as long as I live.

³ The cords of death entangled me,

the anguish of the grave ^A came upon me;

I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

⁴ Then I called on the name of the LORD:

"O LORD, save me!"

⁵ The LORD is gracious and righteous;

our God is full of compassion.

⁶ The LORD protects the simplehearted;

when I was in great need, he saved me.

⁷ Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you.

⁸ For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling,

⁹ that I may walk before the LORD

in the land of the living.

¹⁰ I believed; therefore ^B I said,

"I am greatly afflicted."

¹¹ And in my dismay I said,

"All men are liars."

¹² How can I repay the LORD

for all his goodness to me?

¹³ I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

¹⁴ I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people. ⁶

¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his saints.

¹⁶ O LORD, truly I am your servant;

I am your servant, the son of your maidservant ^C;

you have freed me from my chains.

¹⁷ I will sacrifice a thank offering to you

and call on the name of the LORD.

¹⁸ I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people,

¹⁹ in the courts of the house of the LORD--

in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD. ^{D 7}

PSALMS: 146

¹ Praise the LORD. ^A

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

² I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

³ Do not put your trust in princes,

in mortal men, who cannot save.

⁴ When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

on that very day their plans come to nothing.

⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God,

⁶the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them--

the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

⁷ He upholds the cause of the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets prisoners free,

⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind,

the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,

the LORD loves the righteous.

⁹ The LORD watches over the alien

and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

¹⁰ The LORD reigns forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD. ⁸

PROVERBS: 26

26 ¹ Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,

honor is not fitting for a fool.

² Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,

an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

³ A whip for the horse, a halter for the donkey,

and a rod for the backs of fools!

⁴ Do not answer a fool according to his folly,

or you will be like him yourself.

⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,

or he will be wise in his own eyes.

⁶ Like cutting off one's feet or drinking violence

is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.

⁷ Like a lame man's legs that hang limp

is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

⁸ Like tying a stone in a sling

is the giving of honor to a fool.

⁹ Like a thornbush in a drunkard's hand

is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds at random

is he who hires a fool or any passer-by.

¹¹ As a dog returns to its vomit,

so a fool repeats his folly.

^{9 12} Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

¹³ The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road,

a fierce lion roaming the streets!"

¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges,

so a sluggard turns on his bed.

¹⁵ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;

he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶ The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes

than seven men who answer discreetly.

¹⁷ Like one who seizes a dog by the ears

is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

¹⁸ Like a madman shooting

firebrands or deadly arrows

¹⁹ is a man who deceives his neighbor

and says, "I was only joking!"

²⁰ Without wood a fire goes out;

without gossip a quarrel dies down.

²¹ As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,

so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. ¹⁰

²² The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;

they go down to a man's inmost parts.

²³ Like a coating of glaze ^A over earthenware

are fervent lips with an evil heart.

²⁴ A malicious man disguises himself with his lips,

but in his heart he harbors deceit.

²⁵ Though his speech is charming, do not believe him,

for seven abominations fill his heart.

²⁶ His malice may be concealed by deception,

but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

²⁷ If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it;

if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.

²⁸ A lying tongue hates those it hurts,

and a flattering mouth works ruin. ¹¹

OLD TESTAMENT: EXODUS 39:1 - 40:38

39 ¹ From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the LORD commanded Moses.

² They ^A made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. ³ They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen--the work of a skilled craftsman.

⁴ They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. ⁵ Its skillfully woven waistband was like it--of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the LORD commanded Moses.

⁶ They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings and engraved them like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. ⁷ Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.

⁸ They fashioned the breastpiece--the work of a skilled craftsman. They made it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. ⁹ It was square--a span ^B long and a span wide--and folded double. ¹⁰ Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; ¹¹ in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire ^C and an emerald; ¹² in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; ¹³ in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. ^D They were mounted in gold filigree settings. ¹⁴ There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

¹⁵ For the breastpiece they made braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. ¹⁶ They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the rings to two of the corners of the breastpiece. ¹⁷ They fastened the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, ¹⁸ and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. ¹⁹ They made two gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod.

²⁰ Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. ²¹ They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod--as the LORD commanded Moses.

²² They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth--the work of a weaver—

²³ with an opening in the center of the robe like the opening of a collar, ^E and a band around this opening, so that it would not tear. ²⁴ They made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen around the hem of the robe. ²⁵ And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates. ²⁶ The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the LORD commanded Moses.

²⁷ For Aaron and his sons, they made tunics of fine linen--the work of a weaver—

²⁸ and the turban of fine linen, the linen headbands and the undergarments of finely twisted linen. ²⁹ The sash was of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn--the work of an embroiderer--as the LORD commanded Moses. ¹²

³⁰ They made the plate, the sacred diadem, out of pure gold and engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. ³¹ Then they fastened a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban, as the LORD commanded Moses.

³² So all the work on the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD commanded Moses. ³³ Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; ³⁴ the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of hides of sea cows ^F and the shielding curtain; ³⁵ the ark of the Testimony with its poles and the atonement cover; ³⁶ the table with all its articles and the bread of the Presence; ³⁷ the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its accessories, and the oil for the light;

³⁸ the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; ³⁹ the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; ⁴⁰ the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs for the courtyard; all the furnishings for the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting; ⁴¹ and the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when serving as priests.

⁴² The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁴³ Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

40 ¹ Then the LORD said to Moses: ² "Set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the first month. ³ Place the ark of the Testimony in it and shield the ark with the curtain. ⁴ Bring in the table and set out what belongs on it. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. ⁵ Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

⁶ "Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting; ⁷ place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it. ⁸ Set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.

⁹ "Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. ¹⁰ Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it will be most holy. ¹¹ Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.

¹² "Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. ¹³ Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. ¹⁴ Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. ¹⁵ Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue for all generations to come." ¹⁶ Moses did ¹³ everything just as the LORD commanded him.

¹⁷ So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.

¹⁸ When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. ¹⁹ Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the LORD commanded him.

²⁰ He took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it. ²¹ Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the Testimony, as the LORD commanded him.

²² Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain ²³ and set out the bread on it before the LORD, as the LORD commanded him.

²⁴ He placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle ²⁵ and set up the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD commanded him.

²⁶ Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting in front of the curtain

²⁷ and burned fragrant incense on it, as the LORD commanded him. ²⁸ Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

²⁹ He set the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it burnt offerings and grain offerings, as the LORD commanded him.

³⁰ He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, ³¹ and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet.

³² They washed whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, as the LORD commanded Moses.

³³ Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

³⁶ In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; ³⁷ but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out--until the day it lifted. ³⁸ So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels. ¹⁴

NEW TESTAMENT: MARK 1:1 - 28

1 ¹ The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ^A

² It is written in Isaiah the prophet:

"I will send my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way" ^B--

³ "a voice of one calling in the desert,

`Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.'" ^C

⁴ And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I baptize you with ^D water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

⁹ At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

¹² At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, ¹³ and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

¹⁴ After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵ "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

¹⁶ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." ¹⁸ At once they left their nets and followed him.

¹⁹ When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰ Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. ^{15 19} When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰ Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

²¹ They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. ²² The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. ²³ Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an ^{evil E} spirit cried out, ²⁴ "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"

²⁵ "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" ²⁶ The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

²⁷ The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching--and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him."

²⁸ News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. ¹⁶

1 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

2 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

3 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

4 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

5 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

6 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

7 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

8 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

9 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

10 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

11 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

12 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

13 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

14 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

15 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

16 Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved

 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