Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
APRIL
4
PSALMS:
4, 34, 64, 94, 124
PROVERBS:
4
OLD
TESTAMENT:
2 KINGS 6:1 - 7:20
NEW
TESTAMENT:
ACTS 15:36 - 16:15
PSALMS:
4
For
the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1
Answer
me when I call to you,
O
my righteous God.
Give
me relief from my distress;
be
merciful to me and hear my prayer.
2
How
long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame A?
How
long will you love delusions and seek false gods B?
Selah
3
Know
that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the
LORD will hear when I call to him.
4
In
your anger do not sin;
when
you are on your beds,
search
your hearts and be silent.
Selah
5
Offer
right sacrifices
and
trust in the LORD.
6
Many
are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let
the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.
7
You
have filled my heart with greater joy
than
when their grain and new wine abound.
8
I
will lie down and sleep in peace,
for
you alone, O LORD,
make
me dwell in safety. 1
PSALMS:
34
Of
David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him
away, and he left.
1
I
A
will extol the LORD at all times;
his
praise will always be on my lips.
2
My
soul will boast in the LORD;
let
the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3
Glorify
the LORD with me;
let
us exalt his name together.
4
I
sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he
delivered me from all my fears.
5
Those
who look to him are radiant;
their
faces are never covered with shame.
6
This
poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he
saved him out of all his troubles.
7
The
angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and
he delivers them.
8
Taste
and see that the LORD is good;
blessed
is the man who takes refuge in him.
9
Fear
the LORD, you his saints,
for
those who fear him lack nothing.
10
The
lions may grow weak and hungry,
but
those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11
Come,
my children, listen to me;
I
will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12
Whoever
of you loves life
and
desires to see many good days, 2
13
keep
your tongue from evil
and
your lips from speaking lies.
14
Turn
from evil and do good;
seek
peace and pursue it.
15
The
eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and
his ears are attentive to their cry;
16
the
face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to
cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17
The
righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he
delivers them from all their troubles.
18
The
LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and
saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19
A
righteous man may have many troubles,
but
the LORD delivers him from them all;
20
he
protects all his bones,
not
one of them will be broken.
21
Evil
will slay the wicked;
the
foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22
The
LORD redeems his servants;
no
one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. 3
PSALMS:
64
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
Hear
me, O God, as I voice my complaint;
protect
my life from the threat of the enemy.
2
Hide
me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
from
that noisy crowd of evildoers.
3
They
sharpen their tongues like swords
and
aim their words like deadly arrows.
4
They
shoot from ambush at the innocent man;
they
shoot at him suddenly, without fear.
5
They
encourage each other in evil plans,
they
talk about hiding their snares;
they
say, "Who will see them A?"
6
They
plot injustice and say,
"We
have devised a perfect plan!"
Surely
the mind and heart of man are cunning.
7
But
God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly
they will be struck down.
8
He
will turn their own tongues against them
and
bring them to ruin;
all
who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9
All
mankind will fear;
they
will proclaim the works of God
and
ponder what he has done.
10
Let
the righteous rejoice in the LORD
and
take refuge in him;
let
all the upright in heart praise him!4
PSALMS:
94
1
O
LORD, the God who avenges,
O
God who avenges, shine forth.
2
Rise
up, O Judge of the earth;
pay
back to the proud what they deserve.
3
How
long will the wicked, O LORD,
how
long will the wicked be jubilant?
4
They
pour out arrogant words;
all
the evildoers are full of boasting.
5
They
crush your people, O LORD;
they
oppress your inheritance.
6
They
slay the widow and the alien;
they
murder the fatherless.
7
They
say, "The LORD does not see;
the
God of Jacob pays no heed."
8
Take
heed, you senseless ones among the people;
you
fools, when will you become wise?
9
Does
he who implanted the ear not hear?
Does
he who formed the eye not see?
10
Does
he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does
he who teaches man lack knowledge?
11
The
LORD knows the thoughts of man;
he
knows that they are futile.
12
Blessed
is the man you discipline, O LORD,
the
man you teach from your law;
13
you
grant him relief from days of trouble,
till
a pit is dug for the wicked.
14
For
the LORD will not reject his people;
he
will never forsake his inheritance.
15
Judgment
will again be founded on righteousness,
and
all the upright in heart will follow it. 5
16
Who
will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who
will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17
Unless
the LORD had given me help,
I
would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18
When
I said, "My foot is slipping,"
your
love, O LORD, supported me.
19
When
anxiety was great within me,
your
consolation brought joy to my soul.
20
Can
a corrupt throne be allied with you--
one
that brings on misery by its decrees?
21
They
band together against the righteous
and
condemn the innocent to death.
22
But
the LORD has become my fortress,
and
my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23
He
will repay them for their sins
and
destroy them for their wickedness;
the
LORD our God will destroy them. 6
PSALMS:
124
A
song of ascents. Of David.
1
If
the LORD had not been on our side--
let
Israel say--
2
if
the LORD had not been on our side
when
men attacked us,
3
when
their anger flared against us,
they
would have swallowed us alive;
4
the
flood would have engulfed us,
the
torrent would have swept over us,
5
the
raging waters
would
have swept us away.
6
Praise
be to the LORD,
who
has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7
We
have escaped like a bird
out
of the fowler's snare;
the
snare has been broken,
and
we have escaped.
8
Our
help is in the name of the LORD,
the
Maker of heaven and earth. 7
PROVERBS:
4
4
1
Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction;
pay
attention and gain understanding.
2
I
give you sound learning,
so
do not forsake my teaching.
3
When
I was a boy in my father's house,
still
tender, and an only child of my mother,
4
he
taught me and said,
"Lay
hold of my words with all your heart;
keep
my commands and you will live.
5
Get
wisdom, get understanding;
do
not forget my words or swerve from them.
6
Do
not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love
her, and she will watch over you.
7
Wisdom
is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though
it cost all you have, A
get understanding.
8
Esteem
her, and she will exalt you;
embrace
her, and she will honor you.
9
She
will set a garland of grace on your head
and
present you with a crown of splendor."
10
Listen,
my son, accept what I say,
and
the years of your life will be many.
11
I
guide you in the way of wisdom
and
lead you along straight paths.
12
When
you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when
you run, you will not stumble.
13
Hold
on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard
it well, for it is your life.
14
Do
not set foot on the path of the wicked
or
walk in the way of evil men.
15
Avoid
it, do not travel on it;
turn
from it and go on your way.
they
are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.
17
They
eat the bread of wickedness
and
drink the wine of violence.
18
The
path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining
ever brighter till the full light of day.
19
But
the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they
do not know what makes them stumble.
20
My
son, pay attention to what I say;
listen
closely to my words.
21
Do
not let them out of your sight,
keep
them within your heart;
22
for
they are life to those who find them
and
health to a man's whole body.
23
Above
all else, guard your heart,
for
it is the wellspring of life.
24
Put
away perversity from your mouth;
keep
corrupt talk far from your lips.
25
Let
your eyes look straight ahead,
fix
your gaze directly before you.
26
Make
level B
paths for your feet
and
take only ways that are firm.
27
Do
not swerve to the right or the left;
OLD
TESTAMENT:
2 KINGS 6:1 - 7:20
6
1
The
company of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where
we meet with you is too small for us. 2
Let
us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us
build a place there for us to live."
And
he said, "Go."
3
Then
one of them said, "Won't you please come with your servants?"
"I
will," Elisha replied. 4
And
he went with them.
They
went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. 5
As
one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the
water. "Oh, my lord," he cried out, "it was borrowed!"
6
The
man of God asked, "Where
did it fall?"
When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there,
and made the iron float. 7
"Lift
it out,"
he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.
8
Now
the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his
officers, he said, "I will set up my camp in such and such a
place."
9
The
man of God sent word to the king of Israel: "Beware
of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there."
10
So
the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God.
Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in
such places.
11
This
enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of
them, "Will you not tell me which of
us
is on the side of the king of Israel?"
12
"None
of us, my lord the king," said one of his officers, "but 10
Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the
very words you speak in your bedroom."
13
"Go,
find out where he is," the king ordered, "so I can send men
and capture him." The report came back: "He is in Dothan."
14
Then
he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by
night and surrounded the city.
15
When
the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next
morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.
"Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.
16
"Don't
be afraid,"
the prophet answered. "Those
who are with us are more than those who are with them."
17
And
Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then
the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills
full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18
As
the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, "Strike
these people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness,
as Elisha had asked.
19
Elisha
told them, "This is not the road and this is not the city.
Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for."
And he led them to Samaria.
20
After
they entered the city, Elisha said, "LORD, open the eyes of
these men so they can see." Then the LORD opened their eyes and
they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.
21
When
the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Shall I 11
kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?"
22
"Do
not kill them," he answered. "Would you kill men you have
captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them
so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master."
23
So
he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished
eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their
master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory.
24
Some
time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and
marched up and laid siege to Samaria. 25
There
was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a
donkey's head sold for eighty shekels A
of silver, and a quarter of a cab B
of seed pods C
for five shekels. D
26
As
the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him,
"Help me, my lord the king!"
27
The
king replied, "If the LORD does not help you, where can I get
help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?" 28
Then
he asked her, "What's the matter?"
She
answered, "This woman said to me, `Give up your son so we may
eat him today, and tomorrow we'll eat my son.' 29
So
we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, `Give up
your son so we may eat him,' but she had hidden him."
30
When
the king heard the woman's words, he tore his robes. As he went along
the wall, the people looked, and
there,
underneath, he 12
had sackcloth on his body. 31
He
said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the
head
of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!"
32
Now
Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with
him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha
said to the elders, "Don't you see how this murderer is sending
someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the
door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's
footsteps behind him?"
33
While
he was still talking to them, the messenger came down to him. And the
king said, "This disaster is from the LORD. Why should I wait
for the LORD any longer?"
7
1
Elisha
said, "Hear
the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says: About this time
tomorrow, a seah A
of flour will sell for a shekel B
and two seahs C
of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria."
2
The
officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God,
"Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the
heavens, could this happen?"
"You
will see it with your own eyes," answered Elisha, "but you
will not eat any of it!"
3
Now
there were four men with leprosy D
at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, "Why
stay here until we die?
4
If
we say, `We'll go into the city'--the famine is there, and we will
die. 13
And if we stay here, we will die. So let's go over to the camp of the
Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us,
then we die."
5
At
dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they
reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there, 6
for
the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and
horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, "Look,
the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack
us!" 7
So
they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their
horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their
lives.
8
The
men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of
the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and
clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another
tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
9
Then
they said to each other, "We're not doing right. This is a day
of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until
daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let's go at once and report
this to the royal palace."
10
So
they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, "We
went into the Aramean camp and not a man was there--not a sound of
anyone--only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as
they were."
11
The
gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.
12
The
king got up in the night and said to his officers, "I will tell
14
you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so
they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, `They
will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into
the city.'"
13
One
of his officers answered, "Have some men take five of the horses
that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the
Israelites left here--yes, they will only be like all these
Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what
happened."
14
So
they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them
after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, "Go and find
out what has happened."
15
They
followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road
strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away
in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to
the king. 16
Then
the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah
of flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a
shekel, as the LORD had said.
17
Now
the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the
gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just
as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house.
18
It
happened as the man of God had said to the king: "About
this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two
seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria."
19
The
officer had said to the man of God, "Look, even if the LORD
should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?"
The man of God had replied, "You
will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!"
20
And
that is exactly what 15
happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he
died. 16
NEW
TESTAMENT:
ACTS 15:36 - 16:15
36
Some
time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the
brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and
see how they are doing."
37
Barnabas
wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38
but
Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them
in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39
They
had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took
Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40
but
Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of
the Lord. 41
He
went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
16
1
He
came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy
lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was
a Greek. 2
The
brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3
Paul
wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him
because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that
his father was a Greek. 4
As
they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached
by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
5
So
the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in
numbers.
6
Paul
and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and
Galatia, having been kept by the Holy
Spirit
from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7
When
they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but
the Spirit of Jesus 17
would not allow them to.
8
So
they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9
During
the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and
begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10
After
Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for
Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to
them.
11
From
Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the
next day on to Neapolis. 12
From
there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of
that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
13
On
the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we
expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to
the women who had gathered there. 14
One
of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth
from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord
opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15
When
she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to
her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she
said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.
Silas
and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. 18
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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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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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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