Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
MARCH
22
PSALMS:
22, 52, 82, 112, 142
PROVERBS:
22
OLD
TESTAMENT:
1 KINGS 8:1 - 66
NEW
TESTAMENT:
ACTS 7:51 - 8:13
PSALMS:
22
For
the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning."
A psalm of David.
1
My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why
are you so far from saving me,
so
far from the words of my groaning?
2
O
my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by
night, and am not silent.
3
Yet
you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you
are the praise of Israel. A
4
In
you our fathers put their trust;
they
trusted and you delivered them.
5
They
cried to you and were saved;
in
you they trusted and were not disappointed.
6
But
I am a worm and not a man,
scorned
by men and despised by the people.
7
All
who see me mock me;
they
hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8
"He
trusts in the LORD;
let
the LORD rescue him.
Let
him deliver him,
since
he delights in him."
9
Yet
you brought me out of the womb;
you
made me trust in you
even
at my mother's breast.
10
From
birth I was cast upon you;
from
my mother's womb you have been my God. 1
11
Do
not be far from me,
for
trouble is near
and
there is no one to help.
12
Many
bulls surround me;
strong
bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13
Roaring
lions tearing their prey
open
their mouths wide against me.
14
I
am poured out like water,
and
all my bones are out of joint.
My
heart has turned to wax;
it
has melted away within me.
15
My
strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you
lay me B
in the dust of death.
16
Dogs
have surrounded me;
a
band of evil men has encircled me,
they
have pierced C
my hands and my feet.
17
I
can count all my bones;
people
stare and gloat over me.
18
They
divide my garments among them
and
cast lots for my clothing.
19
But
you, O LORD, be not far off;
O
my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20
Deliver
my life from the sword,
my
precious life from the power of the dogs.
21
Rescue
me from the mouth of the lions;
save
D
me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22
I
will declare your name to my brothers;
in
the congregation I will praise you.
23
You
who fear the LORD, praise him!
All
you descendants of Jacob, honor him! 2
Revere
him, all you descendants of Israel!
24
For
he has not despised or disdained
the
suffering of the afflicted one;
he
has not hidden his face from him
but
has listened to his cry for help.
25
From
you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before
those who fear you E
will I fulfill my vows.
26
The
poor will eat and be satisfied;
they
who seek the LORD will praise him--
may
your hearts live forever!
27
All
the ends of the earth
will
remember and turn to the LORD,
and
all the families of the nations
will
bow down before him,
28
for
dominion belongs to the LORD
and
he rules over the nations.
29
All
the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all
who go down to the dust will kneel before him--
those
who cannot keep themselves alive.
30
Posterity
will serve him;
future
generations will be told about the Lord.
31
They
will proclaim his righteousness
to
a people yet unborn--
for
he has done it. 3
PSALMS:
52
For
the director of music. A maskil
A
of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: "David
has gone to the house of Ahimelech."
1
Why
do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
Why
do you boast all day long,
you
who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2
Your
tongue plots destruction;
it
is like a sharpened razor,
you
who practice deceit.
3
You
love evil rather than good,
falsehood
rather than speaking the truth.
Selah
4
You
love every harmful word,
O
you deceitful tongue!
5
Surely
God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He
will snatch you up and tear you from your tent;
he
will uproot you from the land of the living.
Selah
6
The
righteous will see and fear;
they
will laugh at him, saying,
7
"Here
now is the man
who
did not make God his stronghold
but
trusted in his great wealth
and
grew strong by destroying others!"
8
But
I am like an olive tree
flourishing
in the house of God;
I
trust in God's unfailing love
for
ever and ever.
in
your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I
will praise you in the presence of your saints. 5
PSALMS:
82
A
psalm of Asaph.
1
God
presides in the great assembly;
he
gives judgment among the "gods":
2
"How
long will you A
defend the unjust
and
show partiality to the wicked?
Selah
3
Defend
the cause of the weak and fatherless;
maintain
the rights of the poor and oppressed.
4
Rescue
the weak and needy;
deliver
them from the hand of the wicked.
5
"They
know nothing, they understand nothing.
They
walk about in darkness;
all
the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6
"I
said,
`You
are "gods";
you
are all sons of the Most High.'
7
But
you will die like mere men;
you
will fall like every other ruler."
8
Rise
up, O God, judge the earth,
PSALMS:
112
1
Praise
A
the LORD. B
Blessed
is the man who fears the LORD,
who
finds great delight in his commands.
2
His
children will be mighty in the land;
the
generation of the upright will be blessed.
3
Wealth
and riches are in his house,
and
his righteousness endures forever.
4
Even
in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for
the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. C
5Good
will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who
conducts his affairs with justice.
6
Surely
he will never be shaken;
a
righteous man will be remembered forever.
7
He
will have no fear of bad news;
his
heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8
His
heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in
the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
9
He
has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his
righteousness endures forever;
his
horn D
will be lifted high in honor.
10
The
wicked man will see and be vexed,
he
will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the
longings of the wicked will come to nothing. 7
PSALMS:
142
A
maskil
A
of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.
1
I
cry aloud to the LORD;
I
lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.
2
I
pour out my complaint before him;
before
him I tell my trouble.
3
When
my spirit grows faint within me,
it
is you who know my way.
In
the path where I walk
men
have hidden a snare for me.
4
Look
to my right and see;
no
one is concerned for me.
I
have no refuge;
no
one cares for my life.
5
I
cry to you, O LORD;
I
say, "You are my refuge,
my
portion in the land of the living."
6
Listen
to my cry,
for
I am in desperate need;
rescue
me from those who pursue me,
for
they are too strong for me.
7
Set
me free from my prison,
that
I may praise your name.
Then
the righteous will gather about me
because
of your goodness to me. 8
PROVERBS:
22
22
1
A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to
be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
2
Rich
and poor have this in common:
The
LORD is the Maker of them all.
3
A
prudent man sees danger and takes refuge,
but
the simple keep going and suffer for it.
4
Humility
and the fear of the LORD
bring
wealth and honor and life.
5
In
the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares,
but
he who guards his soul stays far from them.
6
Train
A
a child in the way he should go,
and
when he is old he will not turn from it.
7
The
rich rule over the poor,
and
the borrower is servant to the lender.
8
He
who sows wickedness reaps trouble,
and
the rod of his fury will be destroyed.
9
A
generous man will himself be blessed,
for
he shares his food with the poor.
10
Drive
out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels
and insults are ended.
11
He
who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious
will
have the king for his friend. 9
12
The
eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge,
but
he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.
13
The
sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!"
or,
"I will be murdered in the streets!"
14
The
mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;
he
who is under the LORD's wrath will fall into it.
15
Folly
is bound up in the heart of a child,
but
the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.
16
He
who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and
he who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty.
17
Pay
attention and listen to the sayings of the wise;
apply
your heart to what I teach,
18
for
it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and
have all of them ready on your lips.
19
So
that your trust may be in the LORD,
I
teach you today, even you.
20
Have
I not written thirty B
sayings for you,
sayings
of counsel and knowledge,
21
teaching
you true and reliable words,
so
that you can give sound answers
to
him who sent you?
22
Do
not exploit the poor because they are poor
and
do not crush the needy in court,
23
for
the LORD will take up their case
and
will plunder those who plunder them. 10
24
Do
not make friends with a hot-tempered man,
do
not associate with one easily angered,
25
or
you may learn his ways
and
get yourself ensnared.
26
Do
not be a man who strikes hands in pledge
or
puts up security for debts;
27
if
you lack the means to pay,
your
very bed will be snatched from under you.
28
Do
not move an ancient boundary stone
set
up by your forefathers.
29
Do
you see a man skilled in his work?
He
will serve before kings;
he
will not serve before obscure men. 11
OLD
TESTAMENT:
1 KINGS 8:1 - 66
8
1
Then
King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of
Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite
families, to bring up the ark of the LORD's covenant from Zion, the
City of David. 2
All
the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the time of the
festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.
3
When
all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, 4
and
they brought up the ark of the LORD and the Tent of Meeting and all
the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them
up, 5
and
King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered
about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle
that they could not be recorded or counted.
6
The
priests then brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its place in
the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it
beneath the wings of the cherubim. 7
The
cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and
overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. 8
These
poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place
in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place;
and they are still there today. 9
There
was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had
placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the
Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
10
When
the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple
of the LORD. 11
And
the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for
the glory of the LORD filled 12
his temple.
12
Then
Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark
cloud;
13
I
have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to
dwell forever."
14
While
the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned
around and blessed them. 15
Then
he said:
"Praise
be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has
fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For
he said, 16
`Since
the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a
city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built for my Name to be
there, but I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.'
17
"My
father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of
the LORD, the God of Israel. 18
But the LORD said to my father David,
`Because
it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to
have this in your heart.
19
Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son,
who is your own flesh and blood--he is the one who will build the
temple for my Name.'
20
"The
LORD has kept the promise he made:
I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of
Israel, just as the LORD promised, and I have built the temple for
the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
21
I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant
of the LORD that he made with our fathers when he brought them out of
Egypt."
13
22
Then
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole
assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23
and
said:
"O
LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on
earth below--you who keep your covenant of love with your servants
who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24
You
have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your
mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it--as
it is today.
25
"Now
LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the
promises you made to him when you said, `You
shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of
Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before
me as you have done.'
26
And
now, O God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant
David my father come true.
27
"But
will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven,
cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 28
Yet
give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O
LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying
in your presence this day. 29
May
your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of
which you said, `My
Name shall be there,'
so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this
place. 30
Hear
the supplication of your 14
servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place.
Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
31
"When
a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he
comes and swears the oath before your altar in this temple, 32
then
hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the
guilty and bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare
the innocent not guilty, and so establish his innocence.
33
"When
your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have
sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your
name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, 34
then
hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring
them back to the land you gave to their fathers.
35
"When
the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have
sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and confess
your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36
then
hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people
Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land
you gave your people for an inheritance.
37
"When
famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or
grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities,
whatever disaster or disease may come, 38
and
when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel--each 15one
aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his
hands toward this temple—39
then
hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with
each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you
alone know the hearts of all men), 40
so
that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave
our fathers.
41
"As
for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has
come from a distant land because of your name—42
for
men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your
outstretched arm--when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43
then
hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner
asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name
and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this
house I have built bears your Name.
44
"When
your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them,
and when they pray to the LORD toward the city you have chosen and
the temple I have built for your Name, 45
then
hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.
46
"When
they sin against you--for there is no one who does not sin--and you
become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes
them captive to his own land, far away or near; 47
and
if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held
captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their
conquerors and say, `We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have
acted wickedly'; 48
and
if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of
their enemies who took them captive, 16
and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the
city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; 49
then
from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea,
and uphold their cause. 50
And
forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the
offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors
to show them mercy; 51
for
they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of
Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.
52
"May
your eyes be open to your servant's plea and to the plea of your
people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to
you. 53
For
you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own
inheritance, just as yo declared through your servant Moses when you,
O Sovereign LORD, brought our fathers out of Egypt."
54
When
Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the LORD,
he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling
with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55
He
stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice,
saying:
56
"Praise
be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he
promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave
through his servant Moses.
57
May
the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never
leave us nor forsake us. 58
May
he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his 17
ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our
fathers. 59
And
may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near
to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of
his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each
day's need, 60
so
that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and
that there is no other. 61
But
your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by
his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time."
62
Then
the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD.
63
Solomon
offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings A
to the LORD: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty
thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites
dedicated the temple of the LORD.
64
On
that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard
in front of the temple of the LORD, and there he offered burnt
offerings, grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings,
because the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to hold the
burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship
offerings.
65
So
Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with
him--a vast assembly, people from Lebo B
Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the LORD our
God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. 66
On
the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and
then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the
LORD had 18
done for his servant David and his people Israel. 19
NEW
TESTAMENT:
ACTS 7:51 - 8:13
5
1 "You
stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears!
You are just like your fathers:
You always resist the Holy Spirit!
52
Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?
They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One.
And now you have betrayed and murdered him—53
you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels
but have not obeyed it."
54
When
they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.
55
But
Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the
glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56
"Look,"
he said, "I
see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of
God."
57
At
this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices,
they all rushed at him, 58
dragged
him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses
laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59
While
they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit."
60
Then
he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin
against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
8
1
And
Saul was there, giving approval to his death.
On
that day a great persecution broke out against the church at
Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout 20
Judea and Samaria. 2
Godly
men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3
But
Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he
dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
4
Those
who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5
Philip
went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ A
there. 6
When
the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all
paid close attention to what he said. 7
With
shrieks, evil B
spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were
healed. 8
So
there was great joy in that city.
9
Now
for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and
amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone
great, 10
and
all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and
exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great
Power." 11
They
followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his
magic. 12
But
when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom
of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and
women. 13
Simon
himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere,
astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. 21
1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
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13
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14
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15
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16
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17
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18
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19
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20
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21
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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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