Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
MAY
31
PSALMS:
31, 61, 91, 121
PROVERBS:
31
OLD
TESTAMENT:
ESTHER 8:1 - 10:3
NEW
TESTAMENT:
1 CORINTHIANS 12:27 - 13:13
PSALMS:
31
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
In
you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let
me never be put to shame;
deliver
me in your righteousness.
2
Turn
your ear to me,
come
quickly to my rescue;
be
my rock of refuge,
a
strong fortress to save me.
3
Since
you are my rock and my fortress,
for
the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4
Free
me from the trap that is set for me,
for
you are my refuge.
5
Into
your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem
me, O LORD, the God of truth.
6
I
hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I
trust in the LORD.
7
I
will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for
you saw my affliction
and
knew the anguish of my soul.
8
You
have not handed me over to the enemy
but
have set my feet in a spacious place.
9
Be
merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my
eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my
soul and my body with grief.
10
My
life is consumed by anguish
and
my years by groaning;
my
strength fails because of my affliction, A
and
my bones grow weak. 1
11
Because
of all my enemies,
I
am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I
am a dread to my friends--
those
who see me on the street flee from me.
12
I
am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I
have become like broken pottery.
13
For
I hear the slander of many;
there
is terror on every side;
they
conspire against me
and
plot to take my life.
14
But
I trust in you, O LORD;
I
say, "You are my God."
15
My
times are in your hands;
deliver
me from my enemies
and
from those who pursue me.
16
Let
your face shine on your servant;
save
me in your unfailing love.
17
Let
me not be put to shame, O LORD,
for
I have cried out to you;
but
let the wicked be put to shame
and
lie silent in the grave. B
18
Let
their lying lips be silenced,
for
with pride and contempt
they
speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19
How
great is your goodness,
which
you have stored up for those who fear you,
which
you bestow in the sight of men
on
those who take refuge in you.
20
In
the shelter of your presence you hide them
from
the intrigues of men;
in
your dwelling you keep them safe 2
from
accusing tongues.
21
Praise
be to the LORD,
for
he showed his wonderful love to me
when
I was in a besieged city.
22
In
my alarm I said,
"I
am cut off from your sight!"
Yet
you heard my cry for mercy
when
I called to you for help.
23
Love
the LORD, all his saints!
The
LORD preserves the faithful,
but
the proud he pays back in full.
24
Be
strong and take heart,
all
you who hope in the LORD. 3
PSALMS:
61
For
the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.
1
Hear
my cry, O God;
listen
to my prayer.
2
From
the ends of the earth I call to you,
I
call as my heart grows faint;
lead
me to the rock that is higher than I.
3
For
you have been my refuge,
a
strong tower against the foe.
4
I
long to dwell in your tent forever
and
take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
Selah
5
For
you have heard my vows, O God;
you
have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6
Increase
the days of the king's life,
his
years for many generations.
7
May
he be enthroned in God's presence forever;
appoint
your love and faithfulness to protect him.
8
Then
will I ever sing praise to your name
and
fulfill my vows day after day. 4
PSALMS:
91
1
He
who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will
rest in the shadow of the Almighty. A
2
I
will say B
of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my
God, in whom I trust."
3
Surely
he will save you from the fowler's snare
and
from the deadly pestilence.
4
He
will cover you with his feathers,
and
under his wings you will find refuge;
his
faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5
You
will not fear the terror of night,
nor
the arrow that flies by day,
6
nor
the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor
the plague that destroys at midday.
7
A
thousand may fall at your side,
ten
thousand at your right hand,
but
it will not come near you.
8
You
will only observe with your eyes
and
see the punishment of the wicked.
9
If
you make the Most High your dwelling--
even
the LORD, who is my refuge--
10then
no harm will befall you,
no
disaster will come near your tent.
11
For
he will command his angels concerning you
to
guard you in all your ways;
12
they
will lift you up in their hands,
so
that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13
You
will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you
will trample the great lion and the serpent. 5
14
"Because
he loves me,"
says the LORD, "I
will rescue him;
I
will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15
He
will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I
will be with him in trouble,
I
will deliver him and honor him.
16
With
long life will I satisfy him
PSALMS:
121
A
song of ascents.
1
I
lift up my eyes to the hills--
where
does my help come from?
2
My
help comes from the LORD,
the
Maker of heaven and earth.
3
He
will not let your foot slip--
he
who watches over you will not slumber;
4
indeed,
he who watches over Israel
will
neither slumber nor sleep.
5
The
LORD watches over you--
the
LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6
the
sun will not harm you by day,
nor
the moon by night.
7
The
LORD will keep you from all harm--
he
will watch over your life;
8
the
LORD will watch over your coming and going
both
now and forevermore. 7
PROVERBS:
31
31
1
The
sayings of King Lemuel--an oracle A
his mother taught him:
2
"O
my son, O son of my womb,
O
son of my vows, B
3
do
not spend your strength on women,
your
vigor on those who ruin kings.
4
"It
is not for kings, O Lemuel--
not
for kings to drink wine,
not
for rulers to crave beer,
5
lest
they drink and forget what the law decrees,
and
deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6
Give
beer to those who are perishing,
wine
to those who are in anguish;
7
let
them drink and forget their poverty
and
remember their misery no more.
8
"Speak
up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for
the rights of all who are destitute.
9
Speak
up and judge fairly;
10
C
A wife of noble character who can find?
She
is worth far more than rubies.
11
Her
husband has full confidence in her
and
lacks nothing of value.
12
She
brings him good, not harm,
all
the days of her life.
13
She
selects wool and flax
and
works with eager hands.
14
She
is like the merchant ships,
bringing
her food from afar.
15
She
gets up while it is still dark;
she
provides food for her family
and
portions for her servant girls.
16
She
considers a field and buys it;
out
of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17
She
sets about her work vigorously;
her
arms are strong for her tasks.
18
She
sees that her trading is profitable,
and
her lamp does not go out at night.
19
In
her hand she holds the distaff
and
grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20
She
opens her arms to the poor
and
extends her hands to the needy.
21
When
it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for
all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22
She
makes coverings for her bed;
she
is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23
Her
husband is respected at the city gate,
where
he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24
She
makes linen garments and sells them,
and
supplies the merchants with sashes.
25
She
is clothed with strength and dignity;
she
can laugh at the days to come.
and
faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27
She
watches over the affairs of her household
and
does not eat the bread of idleness.
28
Her
children arise and call her blessed;
her
husband also, and he praises her:
29
"Many
women do noble things,
but
you surpass them all."
30
Charm
is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but
a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31
Give
her the reward she has earned,
OLD
TESTAMENT:
ESTHER 8:1 - 10:3
8
1
That
same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy
of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for
Esther had told how he was related to her. 2
The
king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and
presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman's
estate.
3
Esther
again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She
begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which
he had devised against the Jews. 4
Then
the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood
before him.
5
"If
it pleases the king," she said, "and if he regards me with
favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with
me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son
of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in
all the king's provinces. 6
For
how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to
see the destruction of my family?"
7
King
Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Because
Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they
have hanged him on the gallows. 8
Now
write another decree in the king's name in behalf of the Jews as
seems best to you, and seal it with the king's signet ring--for no
document written in the king's name and sealed with his ring can be
revoked."
9
At
once the royal secretaries were summoned--on the twenty-third day of
the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai's
orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the
127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. A
These orders were written in the script of each province and the
language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and
language. 10
Mordecai
wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the
king's signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast
horses especially bred for the king.
11
The
king's edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and
protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force
of any nationality or province that might attack them and their women
and children; and to plunder the property of their enemies. 12
The
day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King
Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of
Adar. 13
A
copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every
province and made known to the people of every nationality so that
the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their
enemies.
14
The
couriers, riding the royal horses, raced out, spurred on by the
king's command. And the edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa.
15
Mordecai
left the king's presence wearing royal garments of blue and white, a
large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of
Susa held a joyous celebration. 16
For
the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor.
17
In
every province and in every city, wherever the edict of the king
went, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and
celebrating. And many people of other 11
nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.
9
1
On
the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict
commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies
of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were
turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. 2
The
Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to
attack those seeking their destruction. No one could stand against
them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid
of them. 3
And
all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the
king's administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had
seized them. 4
Mordecai
was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the
provinces, and he became more and more powerful.
5
The
Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and
destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated
them. 6
In
the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.
7
They
also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8
Poratha,
Adalia, Aridatha, 9
Parmashta,
Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha,
10
the
ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they
did not lay their hands on the plunder.
11
The
number of those slain in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king
that same day. 12
The
king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed
five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa.
What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is
your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will
also be granted."
13
"If
it pleases the king," Esther answered, "give the Jews in
Susa permission to carry out this day's edict tomorrow also, and let
Haman's ten sons be hanged on gallows."
14
So
the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa,
and they hanged the ten sons of Haman. 15
The
Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of
Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did
not lay their hands on the plunder.
16
Meanwhile,
the remainder of the Jews who were in the king's provinces also
assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies.
They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands
on the plunder. 17
This
happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the
fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.
18
The
Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and
fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day
of feasting and joy. 12
19
That
is why rural Jews--those living in villages--observe the fourteenth
of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving
presents to each other.
20
Mordecai
recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout
the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 21
to
have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the
month of Adar 22
as
the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the
month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a
day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of
feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts
to the poor.
23
So
the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing
what Mordecai had written to them. 24
For
Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had
plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur
(that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. 25
But
when the plot came to the king's attention, A
he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised
against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and
his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26
(Therefore
these days were called Purim, from the word pur.)
Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they
had seen and what had happened to them, 27
the
Jews took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and
their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe
these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time
appointed. 28
These
days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every
family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of
Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the
memory of them die out among their descendants.
29
So
Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote
with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.
30
And
Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the
kingdom of Xerxes--words of goodwill and assurance—31
to
establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai
the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had
established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their
times of fasting and lamentation.
32
Esther's
decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written
down in the records. 13
10
1
King
Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores.
2
And
all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the
greatness of Mordecai to which the king had raised him, are they not
written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia? 3
Mordecai
the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews,
and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked
for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the
Jews. 14
NEW
TESTAMENT:
1 CORINTHIANS 12:27 - 13:13
27
Now
you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28
And
in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second
prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having
gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of
administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29
Are
all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work
miracles? 30
Do
all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues D?
Do all interpret? 31
But
eagerly desire E
the greater gifts.
And
now I will show you the most excellent way.
13
1
If
I speak in the tongues A
of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong
or a clanging cymbal. 2
If
I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have
not love, I am nothing. 3
If
I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,
B
but have not love, I gain nothing.
4
Love
is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is
not proud. 5
It
is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it
keeps no record of wrongs.
6
Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7
It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8
Love
never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where
there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it
will pass away. 9
For
we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10
but
when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11
When
I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I
reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways
behind me. 12
Now
we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face
to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am
fully known.
1
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Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights
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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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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
