Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
DECEMBER
23
PSALMS:
23, 53, 83, 113, 143
PROVERBS:
23
OLD
TESTAMENT:
NUMBERS 21:1 - 22:20
NEW
TESTAMENT:
LUKE 1:26 - 56
PSALMS:
24
Of
David. A psalm.
1
The
earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the
world, and all who live in it;
2
for
he founded it upon the seas
and
established it upon the waters.
3
Who
may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who
may stand in his holy place?
4
He
who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who
does not lift up his soul to an idol
or
swear by what is false. A
5
He
will receive blessing from the LORD
and
vindication from God his Savior.
6
Such
is the generation of those who seek him,
who
seek your face, O God of Jacob. B
Selah
7
Lift
up your heads, O you gates;
be
lifted up, you ancient doors,
that
the King of glory may come in.
8
Who
is this King of glory?
The
LORD strong and mighty,
the
LORD mighty in battle.
9
Lift
up your heads, O you gates;
lift
them up, you ancient doors,
that
the King of glory may come in.
10
Who
is he, this King of glory?
The
LORD Almighty--
he
is the King of glory. 1
Selah
2
PSALMS:
54
For
the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil
A
of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, "Is not
David hiding among us?"
1
Save
me, O God, by your name;
vindicate
me by your might.
2
Hear
my prayer, O God;
listen
to the words of my mouth.
3
Strangers
are attacking me;
ruthless
men seek my life--
men
without regard for God.
Selah
4
Surely
God is my help;
the
Lord is the one who sustains me.
5
Let
evil recoil on those who slander me;
in
your faithfulness destroy them.
6
I
will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I
will praise your name, O LORD,
for
it is good.
7
For
he has delivered me from all my troubles,
and
my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes. 3
PSALMS:
84
For
the director of music. According to gittith.
A
Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1
How
lovely is your dwelling place,
O
LORD Almighty!
2
My
soul yearns, even faints,
for
the courts of the LORD;
my
heart and my flesh cry out
for
the living God.
3
Even
the sparrow has found a home,
and
the swallow a nest for herself,
where
she may have her young--
a
place near your altar,
O
LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4
Blessed
are those who dwell in your house;
they
are ever praising you.
Selah
5
Blessed
are those whose strength is in you,
who
have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6
As
they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they
make it a place of springs;
the
autumn rains also cover it with pools. B
7
They
go from strength to strength,
till
each appears before God in Zion.
8
Hear
my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen
to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah
9
Look
upon our shield, C
O God;
look
with favor on your anointed one. 4
10
Better
is one day in your courts
than
a thousand elsewhere;
I
would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than
dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11
For
the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the
LORD bestows favor and honor;
no
good thing does he withhold
from
those whose walk is blameless.
12
O
LORD Almighty,
blessed
is the man who trusts in you. 5
PSALMS:
114
1
When
Israel came out of Egypt,
the
house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2
Judah
became God's sanctuary,
Israel
his dominion.
3
The
sea looked and fled,
the
Jordan turned back;
4
the
mountains skipped like rams,
the
hills like lambs.
5
Why
was it, O sea, that you fled,
O
Jordan, that you turned back,
6
you
mountains, that you skipped like rams,
you
hills, like lambs?
7
Tremble,
O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at
the presence of the God of Jacob,
8
who
turned the rock into a pool,
the
hard rock into springs of water. 6
PSALMS:
144
Of
David.
1
Praise
be to the LORD my Rock,
who
trains my hands for war,
my
fingers for battle.
2
He
is my loving God and my fortress,
my
stronghold and my deliverer,
my
shield, in whom I take refuge,
who
subdues peoples A
under me.
3
O
LORD, what is man that you care for him,
the
son of man that you think of him?
4
Man
is like a breath;
his
days are like a fleeting shadow.
5
Part
your heavens, O LORD, and come down;
touch
the mountains, so that they smoke.
6
Send
forth lightning and scatter the enemies;
shoot
your arrows and rout them.
7
Reach
down your hand from on high;
deliver
me and rescue me
from
the mighty waters,
from
the hands of foreigners
8
whose
mouths are full of lies,
whose
right hands are deceitful.
9
I
will sing a new song to you, O God;
on
the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,
10
to
the One who gives victory to kings,
who
delivers his servant David from the deadly sword. 7
11
Deliver
me and rescue me
from
the hands of foreigners
whose
mouths are full of lies,
whose
right hands are deceitful.
12
Then
our sons in their youth
will
be like well-nurtured plants,
and
our daughters will be like pillars
carved
to adorn a palace.
13
Our
barns will be filled
with
every kind of provision.
Our
sheep will increase by thousands,
by
tens of thousands in our fields;
14
our
oxen will draw heavy loads. B
There
will be no breaching of walls,
no
going into captivity,
no
cry of distress in our streets.
15
Blessed
are the people of whom this is true;
blessed
are the people whose God is the LORD. 8
PROVERBS:
24
24
1
Do not envy wicked men,
do
not desire their company;
2
for
their hearts plot violence,
and
their lips talk about making trouble.
3
By
wisdom a house is built,
and
through understanding it is established;
4
through
knowledge its rooms are filled
with
rare and beautiful treasures.
5
A
wise man has great power,
and
a man of knowledge increases strength;
6
for
waging war you need guidance,
and
for victory many advisers.
7
Wisdom
is too high for a fool;
in
the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say.
8
He
who plots evil
will
be known as a schemer.
9
The
schemes of folly are sin,
and
men detest a mocker.
10
If
you falter in times of trouble,
how
small is your strength!
11
Rescue
those being led away to death;
hold
back those staggering toward slaughter.
12
If
you say, "But we knew nothing about this,"
does
not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does
not he who guards your life know it?
Will
he not repay each person according to what he has done? 9
13
Eat
honey, my son, for it is good;
honey
from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14
Know
also that wisdom is sweet to your soul;
if
you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and
your hope will not be cut off.
15
Do
not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man's house,
do
not raid his dwelling place;
16
for
though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again,
but
the wicked are brought down by calamity.
17
Do
not gloat when your enemy falls;
when
he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,
18
or
the LORD will see and disapprove
and
turn his wrath away from him.
19
Do
not fret because of evil men
or
be envious of the wicked,
20
for
the evil man has no future hope,
and
the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21
Fear
the LORD and the king, my son,
and
do not join with the rebellious,
22
for
those two will send sudden destruction upon them,
and
who knows what calamities they can bring?
23
These
also are sayings of the wise:
To
show partiality in judging is not good:
24
Whoever
says to the guilty, "You are innocent"--
peoples
will curse him and nations denounce him.
25
But
it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and
rich blessing will come upon them. 10
26
An
honest answer
is
like a kiss on the lips.
27
Finish
your outdoor work
and
get your fields ready;
after
that, build your house.
28
Do
not testify against your neighbor without cause,
or
use your lips to deceive.
29
Do
not say, "I'll do to him as he has done to me;
I'll
pay that man back for what he did."
30
I
went past the field of the sluggard,
past
the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
31
thorns
had come up everywhere,
the
ground was covered with weeds,
and
the stone wall was in ruins.
32
I
applied my heart to what I observed
and
learned a lesson from what I saw:
33
A
little sleep, a little slumber,
a
little folding of the hands to rest--
34
and
poverty will come on you like a bandit
OLD
TESTAMENT:
NUMBERS 21:1 - 22:20
21
1
When
the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel
was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and
captured some of them. 2
Then
Israel made this vow to the LORD: "If you will deliver these
people into our hands, we will totally destroy A
their cities." 3
The
LORD listened to Israel's plea and gave the Canaanites over to them.
They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was
named Hormah. B
4
They
traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, C
to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5
they
spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you
brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread!
There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"
6
Then
the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and
many Israelites died. 7
The
people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against
the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes
away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
8
The
LORD said to Moses, "Make
a snake and put it up on a pole;
anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."
9
So
Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone
was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
10
The
Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth. 11
Then
they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the desert that
faces Moab toward the sunrise. 12
From
there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley. 13
They
set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which is in the
desert extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of
Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14
That
is why the Book of the Wars of the LORD says:
".
. . Waheb
in Suphah D
and the ravines,
the
Arnon 15
and
E
the slopes of the ravines
that
lead to the site of Ar
and
lie along the border of Moab."
16
From
there they continued on to Beer, the well where the LORD said to
Moses, "Gather
the people together and I will give them water."
12
17
Then
Israel sang this song:
"Spring
up, O well!
Sing
about it,
18
about
the well that the princes dug,
that
the nobles of the people sank--
the
nobles with scepters and staffs."
Then
they went from the desert to Mattanah, 19
from
Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20
and
from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks
the wasteland.
21
Israel
sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites:
22
"Let
us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field
or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the
king's highway until we have passed through your territory."
23
But
Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. He mustered
his entire army and marched out into the desert against Israel. When
he reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel. 24
Israel,
however, put him to the sword and took over his land from the Arnon
to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border
was fortified. 25
Israel
captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including
Heshbon and all its surrounding settlements. 26
Heshbon
was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against
the former king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as
the Arnon.
27
That
is why the poets say:
"Come
to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt;
let
Sihon's city be restored.
28
"Fire
went out from Heshbon13
a
blaze from the city of Sihon.
It
consumed Ar of Moab,
the
citizens of Arnon's heights.
29
Woe
to you, O Moab!
You
are destroyed, O people of Chemosh!
He
has given up his sons as fugitives
and
his daughters as captives
to
Sihon king of the Amorites.
30
"But
we have overthrown them;
Heshbon
is destroyed all the way to Dibon.
We
have demolished them as far as Nophah,
which
extends to Medeba."
31
So
Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.
32
After
Moses had sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its
surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33
Then
they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of
Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at
Edrei.
34
The
LORD said to Moses, "Do
not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you, with his
whole army and his land.
Do
to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in
Heshbon."
35
So
they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army,
leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.
22
1
Then
the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the
Jordan across from Jericho. A
2
Now
Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3
and
Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab
was filled with dread because of the Israelites. 14
4
The
Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde is going to
lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the
field."
So
Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5
sent
messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the
River, B
in his native land. Balak said:
"A
people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and
have settled next to me. 6
Now
come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful
for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out
of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and
those you curse are cursed."
7
The
elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for
divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had
said.
8
"Spend
the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring you
back the answer the LORD gives me." So the Moabite princes
stayed with him.
9God
came to Balaam and asked, "Who
are these men with you?"
10
Balaam
said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this
message:
11
`A
people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now
come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to
fight them and drive them away.' "
12
But
God said to Balaam, "Do
not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because
they are blessed."
13
The
next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back
to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you."
14
So
the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused
to come with us."
15
Then
Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than
the first. 16
They
came to Balaam and said:
"This
is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from
coming to me, 17
because
I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a
curse on these people for me."
18
But
Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled
with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go
beyond the command of the LORD my God. 19
Now
stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else
the LORD will tell me."
20
That
night God came to Balaam and said, "Since
these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I
tell you."
15
NEW
TESTAMENT:
LUKE 1:26 - 56
26
In
the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in
Galilee, 27
to
a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of
David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28
The
angel went to her and said, "Greetings,
you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29
Mary
was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting
this might be. 30
But
the angel said to her, "Do
not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
31
You
will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him
the name Jesus.
32
He
will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
The
Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33
and
he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never
end."
34
"How
will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
35
The
angel answered, "The
Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you.
So
the holy one to be born will be called
C
the
Son of God.
36
Even
Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and
she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.
37
For
nothing is impossible with God."
38
"I
am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as
you have said." Then the angel left her.
39
At
that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of
Judea,
40
where
she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41
When
Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42
In
a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the child you will bear! 43
But
why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44
As
soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my
womb leaped for joy. 45
Blessed
is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be
accomplished!"
46And
Mary said:
"My
soul glorifies the Lord
47
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48
for
he has been mindful
of
the humble state of his servant. 16
From
now on all generations will call me blessed,
holy
is his name.
50
His
mercy extends to those who fear him,
from
generation to generation.
51
He
has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he
has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52
He
has brought down rulers from their thrones
but
has lifted up the humble.
53
He
has filled the hungry with good things
but
has sent the rich away empty.
54
He
has helped his servant Israel,
remembering
to be merciful
55
to
Abraham and his descendants forever,
even
as he said to our fathers."
56
Mary
stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
17
1
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3
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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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