SEPTEMBER 1
PSALMS: 1, 31, 61, 91, 121
PROVERBS: 1
OLD TESTAMENT: EZEKIEL 42:1 - 43:27
NEW TESTAMENT: JAMES 5:1 - 20
PSALMS: 1
1 How blessed are those who reject the advice of the wicked,
don't stand on the way of sinners or sit where scoffers sit!
2 Their delight is in ADONAI's Torah;
on his Torah they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees planted by streams -they bear their fruit in season,
their leaves never wither, everything they do succeeds.
4 Not so the wicked, who are like chaff driven by the wind.
5 For this reason the wicked won't stand up to the judgment,
nor will sinners at the gathering of the righteous.
6 For ADONAI watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked is doomed.
PSALMS: 31
1 For the leader.
A psalm of David:
In you, ADONAI, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
in your justice, save me!
2 Turn your ear toward me, come quickly to my rescue,
be for me a rock of strength, a fortress to keep me safe.
3 Since you are my rock and fortress, lead me and guide me for your name's sake.
4 Free me from the net they have hidden to catch me, because you are my strength.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you will redeem me, ADONAI, God of truth.
6 I hate those who serve worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in ADONAI.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your grace,
for you see my affliction,
you know how distressed I am.
8 You did not hand me over to the enemy;
you set my feet where I can move freely.
9 Show me favor, ADONAI, for I am in trouble.
My eyes grow dim with anger, my soul and body as well.
10 For my life is worn out with sorrow and my years with sighing;
my strength gives out under my guilt, and my bones are wasting away.
11 I am scorned by all my adversaries, and even more by my neighbors;
even to acquaintances I am an object of fear when they see me in the street,
they turn away from me.
12 Like a dead man, I have passed from their minds;
I have become like a broken pot.
13 All I hear is whispering, terror is all around me;
they plot together against me, scheming to take my life.
14 But I, I trust in you, ADONAI; I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hand;
rescue me from my enemies' power, from those who persecute me.
16 Make your face shine on your servant;
in your grace, save me.
17 ADONAI, don't let me be put to shame,
for I have called on you;
let the wicked be put to shame, l
et them be silenced in Sh'ol.
18 May lying lips be struck dumb,
that speak insolently against the righteous with such pride and contempt.
19 But oh, how great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you do for those who take refuge in you, before people's very eyes!
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots,
you conceal them in your shelter, safe from contentious tongues.
21 Blessed be ADONAI!
For he has shown me his amazing grace when I was in a city under siege.
22 As for me, in my alarm I said, "I have been cut off from your sight!
"Nevertheless, you heard my pleas when I cried out to you.
23 Love ADONAI, you faithful of his.
ADONAI preserves the loyal, but the proud he repays in full.
24 Be strong, and fill your hearts with courage,
all of you who hope in ADONAI.
PSALMS: 61
1 For the leader.
A psalm of David:
In you, ADONAI, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame; in your justice, save me!
2 Turn your ear toward me, come quickly to my rescue,
be for me a rock of strength, a fortress to keep me safe.
3 Since you are my rock and fortress,
lead me and guide me for your name's sake.
4 Free me from the net they have hidden to catch me,
because you are my strength.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you will redeem me, ADONAI, God of truth.
6 I hate those who serve worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in ADONAI.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your grace,
for you see my affliction,
you know how distressed I am.
8 You did not hand me over to the enemy;
you set my feet where I can move freely.
9 Show me favor, ADONAI, for I am in trouble.
My eyes grow dim with anger, my soul and body as well.
10 For my life is worn out with sorrow and my years with sighing;
my strength gives out under my guilt, and my bones are wasting away.
11 I am scorned by all my adversaries, and even more by my neighbors;
even to acquaintances I am an object of fear when they see me in the street,
they turn away from me.
12 Like a dead man, I have passed from their minds;
I have become like a broken pot.
13 All I hear is whispering, terror is all around me;
they plot together against me, scheming to take my life.
14 But I, I trust in you, ADONAI;
I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hand;
rescue me from my enemies' power, from those who persecute me.
16 Make your face shine on your servant;
in your grace, save me.
17 ADONAI, don't let me be put to shame,
for I have called on you;
let the wicked be put to shame,
let them be silenced in Sh'ol.
18 May lying lips be struck dumb,
that speak insolently against the righteous with such pride and contempt.
19 But oh, how great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you do for those who take refuge in you,
before people's very eyes!
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots,
you conceal them in your shelter, safe from contentious tongues.
21 Blessed be ADONAI!
For he has shown me his amazing grace when I was in a city under siege.
22 As for me, in my alarm I said, "I have been cut off from your sight!
"Nevertheless, you heard my pleas when I cried out to you.
23 Love ADONAI, you faithful of his.
ADONAI preserves the loyal,
but the proud he repays in full.
24 Be strong, and fill your hearts with courage,
all of you who hope in ADONAI.
PSALMS: 91
1 You who live in the shelter of 'Elyon,
who spend your nights in the shadow of Shaddai,
2 who say to ADONAI,
"My refuge!
My fortress!
My God, in whom I trust!"
3 he will rescue you from the trap of the hunter and from the plague of calamities;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his truth is a shield and protection.
5 You will not fear the terrors of night or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the plague that roams in the dark,
or the scourge that wreaks havoc at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand;
but it won't come near you.
8 Only keep your eyes open, and you will see how the wicked are punished.
9 For you have made ADONAI, the Most High,
who is my refuge, your dwelling-place.
10 No disaster will happen to you,
no calamity will come near your tent;
11 for he will order his angels to care for you and guard you wherever you go.
12 They will carry you in their hands,
so that you won't trip on a stone.
13 You will tread down lions and snakes,
young lions and serpents you will trample underfoot.
14 "Because he loves me, I will rescue him;
because he knows my name, I will protect him.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him.
I will be with him when he is in trouble.
I will extricate him and bring him honor.
16 I will satisfy him with long life and show him my salvation."
PSALMS: 121
1 A song of ascents:
If I raise my eyes to the hills,
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from ADONAI,
the maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip -your guardian is not asleep.
4 No, the guardian of Isra'el never slumbers or sleeps.
5 ADONAI is your guardian; at your right hand
ADONAI provides you with shade
6 the sun can't strike you during the day or even the moon at night.
7 ADONAI will guard you against all harm;
he will guard your life.
8 ADONAI will guard your coming and going from now on and forever.
PROVERBS: 1
1 The proverbs of Shlomo the son of David, king of Isra'el,
2 are for learning about wisdom and discipline; f
or understanding words expressing deep insight;
3 for gaining an intelligently disciplined life,
doing what is right, just and fair;
4 for endowing with caution those who don't think and the
young person with knowledge and discretion.
5 Someone who is already wise will hear and learn still more;
someone who already understands will gain the ability to counsel well;
6 he will understand proverbs, obscure expressions,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of ADONAI is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
8 My son, heed the discipline of your father,
and do not abandon the teaching of your mother;
9 they will be a garland to grace your head,
a medal of honor for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
don't go along with them.
11 Suppose they say, "Come with us:
we'll ambush somebody and kill him,
we'll waylay some harmless soul, just for fun;
12 we'll swallow him alive, like Sh'ol, whole,
like those who descend to the pit;
13 we'll find everything he has of value,
we'll fill our homes with loot!
14 Throw in your lot with us;
we'll share a common purse"-
15 my son, don't go along with them,
don't set foot on their path;
16 Their feet run to evil, they rush to shed blood.
17 For in vain is the net baited if any bird can see it;
18 rather, they are ambushing themselves
to shed their own blood, waylaying themselves.
19 So are the ways of all greedy for gain -it takes the lives of those who get it.
20 Wisdom calls aloud in the open air and raises her voice in the public places;
21 she calls out at streetcorners and speaks out at entrances to city gates:
22 "How long, you whose lives have no purpose,
will you love thoughtless living?
How long will scorners find pleasure in mocking?
How long will fools hate knowledge?
23 Repent when I reprove -I will pour out my spirit to you,
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because you refused when I called,
and no one paid attention when I put out my hand,
25 but instead you neglected my counsel and would not accept my reproof;
26 I, in turn, will laugh at your distress,
and mock when terror comes over you
27 yes, when terror overtakes you like a storm and your disaster approaches like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble assail you.
28 Then they will call me, but I won't answer;
they will seek me earnestly, but they won't find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of ADONAI,
30 they refused my counsel and despised my reproof.
31 So they will bear the consequences of their own way
and be overfilled with their own schemes.
32 For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them,
and the smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them;
OLD TESTAMENT: EZEKIEL 42:1 - 43:27
42:1 Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms opposite the temple courtyard and opposite the outer wall on the north side. 2 The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide. 3Both in the section twenty cubits from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery faced gallery at the three levels. 4 In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. Their doors were on the north. 5 Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building. 6 The rooms on the top floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors. 7 There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. 8 While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long. 9 The lower rooms had an entrance on the east side as one enters them from the outer court. 10 On the south side along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard and opposite the outer wall, were rooms 11 with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north 12 were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastward, by which one enters the rooms. 13 Then he said to me, “The north and south rooms facing the temple courtyard are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the LORD will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings—for the place is holy. 14 Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.” 15 When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate and measured the area all around: 16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits. 17 He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 18 He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 20 So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.
43:1 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4 The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. 5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7 He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings at their death. 8 When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever. 10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. 12 “This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy. Such is the law of the temple. 13 “These are the measurements of the altar in long cubits, that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: 14 From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide. From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide. 15 Above that, the altar hearth is four cubits high, and four horns project upward from the hearth. 16 The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide. 17 The upper ledge also is square, fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit. The steps of the altar face east.”18 Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings and splashing blood against the altar when it is built: 19 You are to give a young bull as a sin offering to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who come near to minister before me, declares the Sovereign LORD. 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all around the rim, and so purify the altar and make atonement for it. 21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary. 22 “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect. 24 You are to offer them before the LORD, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the LORD. 25 “For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect. 26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. 27 At the end of these days, from the eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign LORD.”
NEW TESTAMENT: JAMES 5:1 - 20
Warning to Rich Oppressors
1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.
2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.
3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back,
20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
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