MARCH 19
PSALMS: 19, 49, 79, 109, 139
PROVERBS: 19
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 KINGS 3:3 - 4:24
NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 6:1 - 15
PSALMS: 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God.
The expanse shows his handiwork.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech,
And night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language,
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice has gone out through all the eretz,
Their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
Like a strong man rejoicing to run his course.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heavens,
His circuit to the ends of it;
There is nothing hid from the heat of it.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul.
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.
The mitzvah of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is your servant warned.
In keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive me from hidden errors.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins.
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I will be upright,
I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in your sight, LORD, my rock, and my redeemer.
PSALMS: 49
1 Hear this, all you peoples.
Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,
2 Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom.
My heart shall utter understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb.
I will open my riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
6 Those who trust in their wealth,
And boast in the multitude of their riches --
7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor give God a ransom for him.
8 For the redemption of their life is costly,
No payment is ever enough,
9 That he should live on forever,
That he should not see corruption.
10 For he sees that wise men die;
Likewise the fool and the senseless perish,
And leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inward thought is, that their houses will endure forever,
And their dwelling places to all generations.
They name their lands after themselves.
12 But man, despite his riches, doesn't endure.
He is like the animals that perish.
13 This is the destiny of those who are foolish,
And of those who approve their sayings. Selah.
14 They are appointed as a flock for She'ol.
Death shall be their shepherd.
The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.
Their beauty shall decay in She'ol,
Far from their mansion.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of She'ol,
For he will receive me.
Selah.
16 Don't be afraid when a man is made rich,
When the glory of his house is increased.
17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away.
His glory shall not descend after him.
18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul --
And men praise you when you do well for yourself --
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers.
They shall never see the light.
20 A man who has riches without understanding,
Is like the animals that perish.
PSALMS: 79
1 God, the nations have come into your inheritance.
They have defiled your holy temple.
They have laid Yerushalayim in heaps.
2 They have given the dead bodies of your servants to be food for the birds of the sky, The flesh of your holy ones to the animals of the eretz.
3 Their blood they have shed like water around Yerushalayim.
There was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
A scoffing and derision to those who are around us.
5 How long, LORD? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that don't know you;
On the kingdoms that don't call on your names;
7 For they have devoured Ya`akov,
And destroyed his homeland.
8 Don't hold the iniquities of our forefathers against us.
Let your tender mercies speedily meet us,
For we are in desperate need.
9 Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name.
Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name's sake.
10 Why should the nations say,
"Where is their God?"
Let it be known among the nations, before our eyes,
That vengeance for your servants' blood is being poured out.
11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you.
According to the greatness of your power, preserve those who are sentenced to death;
12 Pay back to our neighbors seven times into their bosom
Their reproach with which they have reproached you, Lord.
13 So we, your people and sheep of your pasture,
Will give you thanks forever.
We will praise you forever, to all generations.
PSALMS: 109
1 God of my praise, don't remain silent,
2 For they have opened the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit against me. They have spoken to me with a lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.
4 In return for my love, they are my adversaries;
But I am in prayer.
5 They have rewarded me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.
6 Set a wicked man over him.
Let an adversary stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty.
Let his prayer be turned into sin.
8 Let his days be few. Let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless,
And his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be wandering beggars.
Let them be sought from their ruins.
11 Let the creditor seize all that he has.
Let strangers plunder the fruit of his labor.
12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off.
In the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the LORD.
Don't let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the LORD continually,
That he may cut off the memory of them from the eretz;
16 Because he didn't remember to show kindness,
But persecuted the poor and needy man,
The broken in heart, to kill them.
17 Yes, he loved cursing, and it came to him.
He didn't delight in blessing, and it was far from him.
18 He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment.
It came into his inward parts like water,
Like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be to him as the clothing with which he covers himself,
For the belt that is always around him.
20 This is the reward of my adversaries from the LORD,
Of those who speak evil against my soul.
21 But deal with me, the LORD the Lord, for your name's sake,
Because your loving kindness is good, deliver me;
22 For I am poor and needy.
My heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow.
I am shaken off as the arbeh.
24 My knees are weak through fasting.
My body is thin and lacks fat.
25 I have also become a reproach to them.
When they see me, they shake their head.
26 Help me, LORD, my God.
Save me according to your loving kindness;
27 That they may know that this is your hand;
That you, LORD, have done it.
28 They may curse, but you bless.
When they arise, they will be put to shame,
But your servant shall rejoice.
29 Let my adversaries be clothed with dishonor.
Let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30 I will give great thanks to the LORD with my mouth.
Yes, I will praise him among the multitude.
31 For he will stand at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who judge his soul.
PSALMS: 139
1 LORD, you have searched me,
And you know me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up.
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But, behold, LORD, you know it altogether.
5 You tzitzit me in behind and before.
You laid your hand on me.
6 This knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty. I can't attain it.
7 Where could I go from your Spirit?
Or where could I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, you are there.
If I make my bed in She'ol, behold, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
And settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there your hand will lead me,
And your right hand will hold me.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me;
The light around me will be night;"
12 Even the darkness doesn't hide from you,
But the night shines as the day.
The darkness is like light to you.
13 For you formed my inmost being.
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I will give thanks to you,
For I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful.
My soul knows that very well.
15 My frame wasn't hidden from you,
When I was made in secret,
Woven together in the depths of the eretz.
16 Your eyes saw my body.
In your book they were all written,
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand.
When I wake up, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would kill the wicked.
Get away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 For they speak against you wickedly.
Your enemies take your name in vain.
21 LORD, don't I hate those who hate you?
Am I not grieved with those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred.
They have become my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart.
Try me, and know my thoughts.
24 See if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
PROVERBS: 19
1 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.
2 It isn't good to have zeal without knowledge;
Nor being hasty with one's feet and missing the way.
3 The foolishness of man subverts his way;
His heart rages against the LORD.
4 Wealth adds many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend.
5 A false witness shall not be unpunished.
He who pours out lies shall not go free.
6 Many will entreat the favor of a ruler,
And everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
7 All the relatives of the poor shun him:
How much more do his friends avoid him!
He pursues them with pleas, but they are gone.
8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul.
He who keeps understanding shall find good.
9 A false witness shall not be unpunished.
He who utters lies shall perish.
10 Delicate living is not appropriate for a fool,
Much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
11 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger.
It is his glory to overlook an offense.
12 The king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father.
A wife's quarrels are a continual dripping.
14 House and riches are an inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the LORD.
15 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep.
The idle soul shall suffer hunger.
16 He who keeps the mitzvah keeps his soul,
But he who is contemptuous in his ways shall die.
17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD;
He will reward him.
18 Discipline your son, for there is hope;
Don't be a willing party to his death.
19 A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty,
For if you rescue him, you must do it again.
20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction, ‘
That you may be wise in your latter end.
21 There are many plans in a man's heart,
But the LORD's counsel will prevail.
22 That which makes a man to be desired is his kindness.
A poor man is better than a liar.
23 The fear of the LORD leads to life, then contentment;
He rests and will not be touched by trouble.
24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
He will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
25 Flog a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who robs his father and drives away his mother,
Is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
27 Stop, my son, listening to instruction,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A corrupt witness mocks justice,
And the mouth of the wicked gulps down iniquity.
29 Penalties are prepared for scoffers,
And beatings for the backs of fools.
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 KINGS 3:3 - 4:34
3:3 Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court. 16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us. 19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.” 22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king. 23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” 26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!” 27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
4:1 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2 And these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok—the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder; 4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander in chief; Zadok and Abiathar—priests; 5 Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors; Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king; 6 Ahishar—palace administrator; Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of forced labor. 7 Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. 8 These are their names: Ben-Hur—in the hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan; 10 Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his); 11 Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon); 12 Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam; 13 Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars); 14 Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon); 16 Baana son of Hushai—in Asher and in Aloth; 17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;18 Shimei son of Ela—in Benjamin; 19 Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district. 20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life. 22 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors of the finest flour and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree. 26 Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses. 27 The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses. 29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.
NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 6:1 - 15
The Choosing of the Seven
6:1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.
9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen.
10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”
12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.
14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
No comments:
Post a Comment