Psalm 98

[1]   O sing to the LORD a new song,   
         for he has done marvelous things.   
    His right hand and his holy arm   
         have gained him victory.   
[2]   The LORD has made known his victory;   
         he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.   
[3]   He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness   
         to the house of Israel.   
    All the ends of the earth have seen   
         the victory of our God.

[4]   Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;   
         break forth into joyous song and sing praises.   
[5]   Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,   
         with the lyre and the sound of melody.   
[6]   With trumpets and the sound of the horn   
         make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.

[7]   Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;   
         the world and those who live in it.   
[8]   Let the floods clap their hands;   
         let the hills sing together for joy   
[9]   at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming   
         to judge the earth.   
    He will judge the world with righteousness,   
         and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 93

[1]   The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty;   
         the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength.   
    He has established the world; it shall never be moved;   
[2]        your throne is established from of old;   
         you are from everlasting.

[3]   The floods have lifted up, O LORD,   
         the floods have lifted up their voice;   
         the floods lift up their roaring.   
[4]   More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,   
         more majestic than the waves of the sea,   
         majestic on high is the LORD!

[5]   Your decrees are very sure;   
         holiness befits your house,   
         O LORD, forevermore.

Psalm 119:1-24

[1]   Happy are those whose way is blameless,  
          who walk in the law of the LORD.  
[2]   Happy are those who keep his decrees,  
          who seek him with their whole heart,  
[3]   who also do no wrong,  
          but walk in his ways.  
[4]   You have commanded your precepts  
          to be kept diligently.  
[5]   O that my ways may be steadfast  
          in keeping your statutes!  
[6]   Then I shall not be put to shame,  
          having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.  
[7]   I will praise you with an upright heart,  
          when I learn your righteous ordinances.  
[8]   I will observe your statutes;  
          do not utterly forsake me.

[9]   How can young people keep their way pure?  
          By guarding it according to your word.  
[10]  With my whole heart I seek you;  
          do not let me stray from your commandments.  
[11]  I treasure your word in my heart,  
          so that I may not sin against you.  
[12]  Blessed are you, O LORD;  
          teach me your statutes.  
[13]  With my lips I declare  
          all the ordinances of your mouth.  
[14]  I delight in the way of your decrees  
          as much as in all riches.  
[15]  I will meditate on your precepts,  
          and fix my eyes on your ways.  
[16]  I will delight in your statutes;  
          I will not forget your word.

[17]  Deal bountifully with your servant,  
          so that I may live and observe your word.  
[18]  Open my eyes, so that I may behold  
          wondrous things out of your law.  
[19]  I live as an alien in the land;  
          do not hide your commandments from me.  
[20]  My soul is consumed with longing  
          for your ordinances at all times.  
[21]  You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,  
          who wander from your commandments;  
[22]  take away from me their scorn and contempt,  
          for I have kept your decrees.  
[23]  Even though princes sit plotting against me,  
          your servant will meditate on your statutes.  
[24]  Your decrees are my delight,  
          they are my counselors.

Matthew 1:18-25

[18]Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. [19]Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. [20]But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21]She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." [22]All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

[23]"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,"

which means, "God is with us." [24]When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,[25]but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Matthew 1:1-17

[1]An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

[2]Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, [3]and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, [4]and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, [5]and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, [6]and Jesse the father of King David.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, [7]and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, [8]and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, [9]and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, [10]and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, [11]and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

[12]And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, [13]and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, [14]and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, [15]and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,[16]and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

[17]So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

Luke 1:26-38

[26]In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, [27]to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. [28]And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." [29]But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. [30]The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. [31]And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. [32]He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. [33]He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." [34]Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" [35]The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. [36]And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. [37]For nothing will be impossible with God." [38]Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. 

Luke 1:1-25

[1]Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, [2]just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, [3]I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, [4]so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.

[5]In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. [6]Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.
[7]But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

[8]Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, [9]he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. [10]Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.

[11]Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. [12]When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. [13]But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. [14]You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, [15]for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.

He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. [16]He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. [17]With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

[18]Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years." [19]The angel replied, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. [20]But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur."

[21]Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. [22]When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. [23]When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

[24]After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, [25]"This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people."

Psalm 147:1-11

[1]   Praise the Lord!
          How good it is to sing praises to our God;
          for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
[2]   The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
          he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
[3]   He heals the brokenhearted,
          and binds up their wounds.
[4]   He determines the number of the stars;
          he gives to all of them their names.
[5]   Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
          his understanding is beyond measure.
[6]   The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
          he casts the wicked to the ground.

[7]   Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
          make melody to our God on the lyre.
[8]   He covers the heavens with clouds,
          prepares rain for the earth,
          makes grass grow on the hills.
[9]   He gives to the animals their food,
          and to the young ravens when they cry.
[10]  His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
          nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
[11]  but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
          in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Psalm 94

[1]O LORD, you God of vengeance,
you God of vengeance, shine forth!
[2]Rise up, O judge of the earth;
give to the proud what they deserve!
[3]O LORD, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked exult?
[4]They pour out their arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.
[5]They crush your people, O LORD,
and afflict your heritage.
[6]They kill the widow and the stranger,
they murder the orphan,
[7]and they say, "The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive."
[8]Understand, O dullest of the people;
fools, when will you be wise?
[9]He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
[10]He who disciplines the nations,
he who teaches knowledge to humankind,
does he not chastise?
[11]The LORD knows our thoughts,
that they are but an empty breath.
[12]Happy are those whom you discipline, O LORD,
and whom you teach out of your law,
[13]giving them respite from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
[14]For the LORD will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
[15]for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
[16]Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
[17]If the LORD had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
[18]When I thought, "My foot is slipping,"
your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
[19]When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
[20]Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who contrive mischief by statute?
[21]They band together against the life of the righteous,
and condemn the innocent to death.
[22]But the LORD has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
[23]He will repay them for their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the LORD our God will wipe them out.

Psalm 122

[1]   I was glad when they said to me,  
          "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"  
[2]   Our feet are standing  
          within your gates, O Jerusalem.

[3]   Jerusalem -- built as a city  
          that is bound firmly together.  
[4]   To it the tribes go up,  
          the tribes of the LORD,  
     as was decreed for Israel,  
          to give thanks to the name of the LORD.  
[5]   For there the thrones for judgment were set up,  
          the thrones of the house of David.

[6]   Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:  
          "May they prosper who love you.  
[7]   Peace be within your walls,  
          and security within your towers."  
[8]   For the sake of my relatives and friends  
          I will say, "Peace be within you."  
[9]   For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,  
          I will seek your good.

Haggai 1:1-15

[1]In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: [2]Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house. [3]Then the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying: [4]Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? [5]Now therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider how you have fared. [6]You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes. 

[7]Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider how you have fared. [8]Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD. [9]You have looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the LORD of hosts. Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses. [10]Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. [11]And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the soil produces, on human beings and animals, and on all their labors. 

[12]Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of the prophet Haggai, as the LORD their God had sent him; and the people feared the LORD. [13]Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the Lord's message, saying, I am with you, says the LORD. [14]And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, [15]on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month.

Psalm 18:1-20

[1]I love you, O LORD, my strength.
[2]The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
[3]I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
[4]The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
[5]the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
[6]In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
[7]Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
[8]Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
[9]He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
[10]He rode on a cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
[11]He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
[12]Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
[13]The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
[14]And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
[15]Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
[16]He reached down from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
[17]He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
[18]They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the LORD was my support.
[19]He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
[20]The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

Matthew 23:1-12

[1]Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, [2]"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; [3]therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. [4]They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of
others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. [5]They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. [6]They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, [7]and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. [8]But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. [9]And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father the one in heaven. [10]Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. [11]The greatest among you will be your servant. [12]All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." 

Psalm 33

[1]   Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous.  
          Praise befits the upright.  
[2]   Praise the LORD with the lyre;  
          make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.  
[3]   Sing to him a new song;  
          play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

[4]   For the word of the LORD is upright,  
          and all his work is done in faithfulness.  
[5]   He loves righteousness and justice;  
          the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

[6]   By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,  
          and all their host by the breath of his mouth.  
[7]   He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;  
          he put the deeps in storehouses.

[8]   Let all the earth fear the LORD;  
          let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.  
[9]   For he spoke, and it came to be;  
          he commanded, and it stood firm.

[10]  The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;  
          he frustrates the plans of the peoples.  
[11]  The counsel of the LORD stands forever,  
          the thoughts of his heart to all generations.  
[12]   Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD,  
          the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

[13]  The LORD looks down from heaven;  
          he sees all humankind.  
[14]  From where he sits enthroned he watches  
          all the inhabitants of the earth --  
[15]  he who fashions the hearts of them all,  
          and observes all their deeds.  
[16]  A king is not saved by his great army;  
          a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.  
[17]  The war horse is a vain hope for victory,  
          and by its great might it cannot save.

[18]  Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,  
          on those who hope in his steadfast love,  
[19]  to deliver their soul from death,  
          and to keep them alive in famine.

[20]  Our soul waits for the LORD;  
          he is our help and shield.  
[21]  Our heart is glad in him,  
          because we trust in his holy name.  
[22]  Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,  
          even as we hope in you.

Psalm 67

[1]   May God be gracious to us and bless us
         and make his face to shine upon us,
                   Selah

[2]   that your way may be known upon earth,
         your saving power among all nations.
[3]   Let the peoples praise you, O God;
         let all the peoples praise you.
[4]   Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
         for you judge the peoples with equity
         and guide the nations upon earth.
                   Selah

[5]   Let the peoples praise you, O God;
         let all the peoples praise you.
[6]   The earth has yielded its increase;
         God, our God, has blessed us.
[7]   May God continue to bless us;
         let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Psalm 102

[1]   Hear my prayer, O LORD;   
         let my cry come to you.   
[2]   Do not hide your face from me   
         in the day of my distress.   
    Incline your ear to me;   
         answer me speedily in the day when I call.

[3]   For my days pass away like smoke,   
         and my bones burn like a furnace.   
[4]   My heart is stricken and withered like grass;   
         I am too wasted to eat my bread.   
[5]   Because of my loud groaning   
         my bones cling to my skin.   
[6]   I am like an owl of the wilderness,   
         like a little owl of the waste places.   
[7]   I lie awake;   
         I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.   
[8]   All day long my enemies taunt me;   
         those who deride me use my name for a curse.   
[9]   For I eat ashes like bread,   
         and mingle tears with my drink,   
[10]  because of your indignation and anger;   
         for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.   
[11]  My days are like an evening shadow;   
         I wither away like grass.

[12]  But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;   
         your name endures to all generations.   
[13]  You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,   
         for it is time to favor it;   
         the appointed time has come.   
[14]  For your servants hold its stones dear,   
         and have pity on its dust.   
[15]  The nations will fear the name of the LORD,   
         and all the kings of the earth your glory.   
[16]  For the LORD will build up Zion;   
         he will appear in his glory.   
[17]  He will regard the prayer of the destitute,   
         and will not despise their prayer.   
[18]  Let this be recorded for a generation to come,   
         so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:   
[19]  that he looked down from his holy height,   
         from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,   
[20]  to hear the groans of the prisoners,   
         to set free those who were doomed to die;   
[21]  so that the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,   
         and his praise in Jerusalem,   
[22]  when peoples gather together,   
         and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.

[23]  He has broken my strength in midcourse;   
         he has shortened my days.   
[24]  "O my God," I say, "do not take me away   
         at the mid-point of my life,   
    you whose years endure   
         throughout all generations."

[25]  Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,   
         and the heavens are the work of your hands.   
[26]  They will perish, but you endure;   
         they will all wear out like a garment.   
    You change them like clothing, and they pass away;   
[27]       but you are the same, and your years have no end.   
[28]  The children of your servants shall live secure;   
         their offspring shall be established in your presence.

Psalm 18:1-20

[1]I love you, O LORD, my strength.
[2]The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
[3]I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
[4]The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
[5]the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
[6]In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
[7]Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
[8]Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
[9]He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
[10]He rode on a cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
[11]He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
[12]Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
[13]The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
[14]And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
[15]Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
[16]He reached down from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
[17]He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
[18]They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the LORD was my support.
[19]He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
[20]The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

Matthew 21:23-32

[23]When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" [24]Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. [25]Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'
[26]But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." [27]So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

[28]"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' [29]He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. [30]The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. [31]Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. [32]For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him."

2 Peter 1:12-21

[12]Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. [13]I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, [14]since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. [15]And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

[16]For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. [17]For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." [18]We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

[19]So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. [20]First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, [21]because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Psalm 40

[1]   I waited patiently for the LORD;  
          he inclined to me and heard my cry.  
[2]   He drew me up from the desolate pit,  
          out of the miry bog,  
     and set my feet upon a rock,  
          making my steps secure.  
[3]   He put a new song in my mouth,  
          a song of praise to our God.  
     Many will see and fear,  
          and put their trust in the LORD.

[4]   Happy are those who make  
          the LORD their trust,  
     who do not turn to the proud,  
          to those who go astray after false gods.  
[5]   You have multiplied, O LORD my God,  
          your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;  
          none can compare with you.  
     Were I to proclaim and tell of them,  
          they would be more than can be counted.

[6]   Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,  
          but you have given me an open ear.  
     Burnt offering and sin offering  
          you have not required.  
[7]   Then I said, "Here I am;  
          in the scroll of the book it is written of me.  
[8]   I delight to do your will, O my God;  
          your law is within my heart."

[9]   I have told the glad news of deliverance  
          in the great congregation;  
     see, I have not restrained my lips,  
          as you know, O LORD.  
[10]  I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,  
          I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;  
     I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness  
          from the great congregation.

[11]  Do not, O LORD, withhold  
          your mercy from me;  
     let your steadfast love and your faithfulness  
          keep me safe forever.  
[12]  For evils have encompassed me  
          without number;  
     my iniquities have overtaken me,  
          until I cannot see;  
     they are more than the hairs of my head,  
          and my heart fails me.

[13]  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;  
          O LORD, make haste to help me.  
[14]  Let all those be put to shame and confusion  
          who seek to snatch away my life;  
     let those be turned back and brought to dishonor  
          who desire my hurt.  
[15]  Let those be appalled because of their shame  
          who say to me, "Aha, Aha!"

[16]  But may all who seek you  
          rejoice and be glad in you;  
     may those who love your salvation  
          say continually, "Great is the LORD!"  
[17]  As for me, I am poor and needy,  
          but the Lord takes thought for me.  
     You are my help and my deliverer;  
          do not delay, O my God.

Psalm 84

[1]   How lovely is your dwelling place,  
          O LORD of hosts!  
[2]   My soul longs, indeed it faints  
          for the courts of the LORD;  
     my heart and my flesh sing for joy  
          to the living God.

[3]   Even the sparrow finds a home,  
          and the swallow a nest for herself,  
          where she may lay her young,  
     at your altars, O LORD of hosts,  
          my King and my God.  
[4]   Happy are those who live in your house,  
          ever singing your praise.                        Selah

[5]   Happy are those whose strength is in you,  
          in whose heart are the highways to Zion.  
[6]   As they go through the valley of Baca  
          they make it a place of springs;  
          the early rain also covers it with pools.  
[7]   They go from strength to strength;  
          the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

[8]   O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;  
          give ear, O God of Jacob!                          Selah  
[9]   Behold our shield, O God;  
          look on the face of your anointed.

[10]  For a day in your courts is better  
          than a thousand elsewhere.  
     I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God  
          than live in the tents of wickedness.  
[11]  For the LORD God is a sun and shield;  
          he bestows favor and honor.  
     No good thing does the LORD withhold  
          from those who walk uprightly.  
[12]  O LORD of hosts,  
          happy is everyone who trusts in you.

Psalm 116

[1]   I love the LORD, because he has heard   
         my voice and my supplications.   
[2]   Because he inclined his ear to me,   
         therefore I will call on him as long as I live.   
[3]   The snares of death encompassed me;   
         the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;   
         I suffered distress and anguish.   
[4]   Then I called on the name of the LORD:   
         "O LORD, I pray, save my life!"

[5]   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;   
         our God is merciful.   
[6]   The LORD protects the simple;   
         when I was brought low, he saved me.   
[7]   Return, O my soul, to your rest,   
         for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

[8]   For you have delivered my soul from death,   
         my eyes from tears,   
         my feet from stumbling.   
[9]   I walk before the LORD   
         in the land of the living.   
[10]  I kept my faith, even when I said,   
         "I am greatly afflicted";   
[11]  I said in my consternation,   
         "Everyone is a liar."

[12]  What shall I return to the LORD   
         for all his bounty to me?   
[13]   I will lift up the cup of salvation   
         and call on the name of the LORD,   
[14]  I will pay my vows to the LORD   
         in the presence of all his people.   
[15]  Precious in the sight of the LORD   
         is the death of his faithful ones.   
[16]  O LORD, I am your servant;   
         I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.   
         You have loosed my bonds.   
[17]  I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice   
         and call on the name of the LORD.   
[18]  I will pay my vows to the LORD   
         in the presence of all his people,   
[19]  in the courts of the house of the LORD,   
         in your midst, O Jerusalem.   
    Praise the LORD!

1 Peter 2:1-10

[1]Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. [2]Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation -- [3]if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

[4]Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and [5]like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. [6]For it stands in scripture:   
    "See, I am laying in Zion a stone,   
         a cornerstone chosen and precious;   
    and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."   
[7]To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, 
    "The stone that the builders rejected   
         has become the very head of the corner,"   
[8]and   
    "A stone that makes them stumble,   
         and a rock that makes them fall."   
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

[9]But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. [10]Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Matthew 19:13-22

[13]Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; [14]but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs." [15]And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.

[16]Then someone came to him and said, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" [17]And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." [18]He said to him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; [19]Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." [20]The young man said to him, "I have kept all these; what do I still lack?" [21]Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." [22]When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Psalm 62

[1]   For God alone my soul waits in silence;  
          from him comes my salvation.  
[2]   He alone is my rock and my salvation,  
          my fortress; I shall never be shaken.

[3]   How long will you assail a person,  
          will you batter your victim, all of you,  
          as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?  
[4]   Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence.  
          They take pleasure in falsehood;  
     they bless with their mouths,  
          but inwardly they curse.                                          
Selah

[5]   For God alone my soul waits in silence,  
          for my hope is from him.  
[6]   He alone is my rock and my salvation,  
          my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  
[7]   On God rests my deliverance and my honor;  
          my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.

[8]   Trust in him at all times, O people;  
          pour out your heart before him;  
          God is a refuge for us.                                            
      Selah

[9]   Those of low estate are but a breath,  
          those of high estate are a delusion;  
     in the balances they go up;  
          they are together lighter than a breath.  
[10]  Put no confidence in extortion,  
          and set no vain hopes on robbery;  
          if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

[11]  Once God has spoken;  
          twice have I heard this:  
     that power belongs to God,  
[12]       and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord.  
     For you repay to all  
          according to their work.

Matthew 18:10-14

[10]"Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.  [12]What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? [13]And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.  [14]So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

Revelation 21:22-22:5

[21:22]I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. [23]And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. [24]The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. [25]Its gates will never be shut by day -- and there will be no night there. [26]People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. [27]But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

[22:1]Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb [2]through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. [3]Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; [4]they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. [5]And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Psalm 65

[1]   Praise is due to you,
          O God, in Zion;
     and to you shall vows be performed,
[2]        O you who answer prayer!
     To you all flesh shall come.
[3]   When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
          you forgive our transgressions.
[4]   Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
          to live in your courts.
     We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
          your holy temple.

[5]   By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
          O God of our salvation;
     you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
          and of the farthest seas.
[6]   By your strength you established the mountains;
          you are girded with might.
[7]   You silence the roaring of the seas,
          the roaring of their waves,
          the tumult of the peoples.
[8]   Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
          you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

[9]   You visit the earth and water it,
          you greatly enrich it;
     the river of God is full of water;
          you provide the people with grain,
          for so you have prepared it.
[10]  You water its furrows abundantly,
          settling its ridges,
     softening it with showers,
          and blessing its growth.
[11]  You crown the year with your bounty;
          your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
[12]  The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
          the hills gird themselves with joy,
[13]  the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
          the valleys deck themselves with grain,
          they shout and sing together for joy.

Revelation 21:1-6

[1]Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2]And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3]And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

     "See, the home of God is among mortals.  
     He will dwell with them;  
     they will be his peoples,  
     and God himself will be with them;  
[4]   he will wipe every tear from their eyes.  
     Death will be no more;  
     mourning and crying and pain will be no more,  
     for the first things have passed away."

[5]And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true."
[6]Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

Psalm 85

[1]   LORD, you were favorable to your land;  
          you restored the fortunes of Jacob.  
[2]   You forgave the iniquity of your people;  
          you pardoned all their sin.                              Selah  
[3]   You withdrew all your wrath;  
          you turned from your hot anger.

[4]   Restore us again, O God of our salvation,  
          and put away your indignation toward us.  
[5]   Will you be angry with us forever?  
          Will you prolong your anger to all generations?  
[6]   Will you not revive us again,  
          so that your people may rejoice in you?  
[7]   Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,  
          and grant us your salvation.

[8]   Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,  
          for he will speak peace to his people,  
          to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.  
[9]   Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,  
          that his glory may dwell in our land.

[10]  Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;  
          righteousness and peace will kiss each other.  
[11]  Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,  
          and righteousness will look down from the sky.  
[12]  The LORD will give what is good,  
          and our land will yield its increase.  
[13]  Righteousness will go before him,  
          and will make a path for his steps.

Psalm 130

[1]   Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.   
[2]       Lord, hear my voice!   
    Let your ears be attentive   
         to the voice of my supplications!

[3]   If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,   
         Lord, who could stand?   
[4]   But there is forgiveness with you,   
         so that you may be revered.

[5]   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,   
         and in his word I hope;   
[6]   my soul waits for the Lord   
         more than those who watch for the morning,   
         more than those who watch for the morning.

[7]   O Israel, hope in the LORD!   
         For with the LORD there is steadfast love,   
         and with him is great power to redeem.   
[8]   It is he who will redeem Israel   
         from all its iniquities.

 

Nehemiah 6:1-16

[1]Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), [2]Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono." But they intended to do me harm.
[3]So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?"
[4]They sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. [5]In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. [6]In it was written, "It is reported among the nations -- and Geshem also says it -- that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall; and according to this report you wish to become their king. [7]You have also set up prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, 'There is a king in Judah!' And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. So come, therefore, and let us confer together." [8]Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say have been done; you are inventing them out of your own mind" [9]-- for they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done." But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

[10]One day when I went into the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house, he said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, tonight they are coming to kill you."
[11]But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!" [12]Then I perceived and saw that God had not sent him at all, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. [13]He was hired for this purpose, to intimidate me and make me sin by acting in this way, and so they could give me a bad name, in order to taunt me. [14]Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

[15]So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. [16]And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

Nehemiah 7:73b-8:3, 5-18

[7:73b]When the seventh month came -- the people of Israel being settled in their towns -- [8:1]all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had given to Israel. [2]Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. [3]He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the

law.

[5]And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. [6]Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. [7]Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places. [8]So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

[9]And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. [10]Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." [11]So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, "Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved." [12]And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

[13]On the second day the heads of ancestral houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to the scribe Ezra in order to study the words of the law. [14]And they found it written in the law, which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the people of Israel should live in booths during the festival of the seventh month, [15]and that they should publish and proclaim in all their towns and in Jerusalem as follows, "Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written." [16]So the people went out and brought them, and made booths for themselves, each on the roofs of their houses, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. [17]And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them; for from the days of Jeshua son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. [18]And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the book of the law of God. They kept the festival seven days; and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.
 

Nehemiah 9:26-38

[26]"Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their backs and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. [27]Therefore you gave them into the hands of their enemies, who made them suffer. Then in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hands of their enemies. [28]But after they had rest, they again did evil before you, and you abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you rescued them according to your mercies.
[29]And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances, by the observance of which a person shall live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. [30]Many years you were patient with them, and warned them by your spirit through your prophets; yet they would not listen. Therefore you handed them over to the peoples of the lands. [31]Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

[32]"Now therefore, our God -- the great and mighty and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love -- do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings, our officials, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until today. [33]You have been just in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly; [34]our kings, our officials, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law or heeded the commandments and the warnings that you gave them. [35]Even in their own kingdom, and in the great goodness you bestowed on them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you and did not turn from their wicked works. [36]Here we are, slaves to this day -- slaves in the land that you gave to our ancestors to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts. [37]Its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins; they have power also over our bodies and over our livestock at their pleasure, and we are in great distress."

[38]Because of all this we make a firm agreement in writing, and on that sealed document are inscribed the names of our officials, our Levites, and our priests.

Nehemiah 9:6-21

[6] And Ezra said: "You are the LORD, you alone; you have made heaven, the
heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. To all of them you give life, and the host of heaven worships you. [7] You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham; [8] and you found his heart faithful before you, and made with him a covenant to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite; and you have fulfilled your
promise, for you are righteous.

[9] "And you saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea. [10] You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted insolently against our ancestors. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. [11] And you divided the sea before them, so that they passed through the sea on dry land, but you threw their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. [12] Moreover, you led them by day with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the way in which they should go. [13] You came down also upon Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments, [14] and you made known your holy sabbath to them and gave them commandments and statutes and a law through your servant Moses. [15] For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven, and for their thirst you brought water for them out of the rock, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you swore to give them.

[16] "But they and our ancestors acted presumptuously and stiffened their necks and did not obey your commandments; [17] they refused to obey, and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them; but they stiffened their necks and determined to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and you did not forsake them. [18] Even when they had cast an image of a calf for themselves and said, 'This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and had committed great blasphemies, [19] you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud that led them in the way did not leave them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night that gave them light on the way by which they should go. [20] You gave your good spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and gave them water for their thirst. [21] Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness so that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

Psalm 51

[1]   Have mercy on me, O God,   
         according to your steadfast love;   
    according to your abundant mercy   
         blot out my transgressions.   
[2]   Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,   
         and cleanse me from my sin.

[3]   For I know my transgressions,   
         and my sin is ever before me.   
[4]   Against you, you alone, have I sinned,   
         and done what is evil in your sight,   
    so that you are justified in your sentence   
         and blameless when you pass judgment.   


[5]   Indeed, I was born guilty,   
         a sinner when my mother conceived me.

[6]   You desire truth in the inward being;   
         therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.   
[7]   Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;   
         wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.   
[8]   Let me hear joy and gladness;   
         let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.   
[9]   Hide your face from my sins,   
         and blot out all my iniquities.

[10]  Create in me a clean heart, O God,   
         and put a new and right spirit within me.   
[11]  Do not cast me away from your presence,   
         and do not take your holy spirit from me.   
[12]  Restore to me the joy of your salvation,   
         and sustain in me a willing spirit.

[13]  Then I will teach transgressors your ways,   
         and sinners will return to you.   
[14]  Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,   
         O God of my salvation,   
         and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

[15]  O Lord, open my lips,   
         and my mouth will declare your praise.   
[16]  For you have no delight in sacrifice;   
         if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.   
[17]  The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;   
         a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

[18]  Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;   
         rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,   
[19]  then you will delight in right sacrifices,   
         in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;   
         then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Psalm 97

[1]   The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice;  
          let the many coastlands be glad!  
[2]   Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;  
          righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.  
[3]   Fire goes before him,  
          and consumes his adversaries on every side.  
[4]   His lightnings light up the world;  
          the earth sees and trembles.  
[5]   The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,  
          before the Lord of all the earth.

[6]   The heavens proclaim his righteousness;  
          and all the peoples behold his glory.  
[7]   All worshipers of images are put to shame,  
          those who make their boast in worthless idols;  
          all gods bow down before him.  
[8]   Zion hears and is glad,  
          and the towns of Judah rejoice,  
          because of your judgments, O God.  
[9]   For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;  
          you are exalted far above all gods.

[10]  The LORD loves those who hate evil;  
          he guards the lives of his faithful;  
          he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.  
[11]  Light dawns for the righteous,  
          and joy for the upright in heart.  
[12]  Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,  
          and give thanks to his holy name!

Matthew 13:44-52

[44]"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

[45]"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; [46]on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

[47]"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; [48]when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. [49]So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous [50]and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

[51]"Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." [52]And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

Psalm 29

[1]   Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,  

          ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.  

[2]   Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name;  

          worship the LORD in holy splendor.

[3]   The voice of the LORD is over the waters;  

          the God of glory thunders,  

          the LORD, over mighty waters.  

[4]   The voice of the LORD is powerful;  

          the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

[5]   The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;  

          the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.  

[6]   He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,  

          and Sirion like a young wild ox.

[7]   The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.  

[8]   The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;  

          the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

[9]   The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl,  

          and strips the forest bare;  

          and in his temple all say, "Glory!"

[10]  The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;  

          the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.  

[11]  May the LORD give strength to his people!  

          May the LORD bless his people with peace!

Psalm 25

[1]   To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.   
[2]   O my God, in you I trust;   
         do not let me be put to shame;   
         do not let my enemies exult over me.   
[3]   Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;   
         let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

[4]   Make me to know your ways, O LORD;   
         teach me your paths.   
[5]   Lead me in your truth, and teach me,   
         for you are the God of my salvation;   
         for you I wait all day long.

[6]   Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,   
         for they have been from of old.   
[7]   Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;   
         according to your steadfast love remember me,   
         for your goodness' sake, O LORD!

[8]   Good and upright is the LORD;   
         therefore he instructs sinners in the way.   
[9]   He leads the humble in what is right,   
         and teaches the humble his way.   
[10]  All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,   
         for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

[11]  For your name's sake, O LORD,   
         pardon my guilt, for it is great.   


[12]  Who are they that fear the LORD?   
         He will teach them the way that they should choose.

[13]  They will abide in prosperity,   
         and their children shall possess the land.   
[14]  The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,   
         and he makes his covenant known to them.   
[15]  My eyes are ever toward the LORD,   
         for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

[16]  Turn to me and be gracious to me,   
         for I am lonely and afflicted.   
[17]  Relieve the troubles of my heart,   
         and bring me out of my distress.   
[18]  Consider my affliction and my trouble,   
         and forgive all my sins.

[19]  Consider how many are my foes,   
         and with what violent hatred they hate me.   
[20]  O guard my life, and deliver me;   
         do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.   
[21]  May integrity and uprightness preserve me,   
         for I wait for you.

[22]  Redeem Israel, O God,   
         out of all its troubles.

Psalm 130

[1]   Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.  
[2]       Lord, hear my voice!  
     Let your ears be attentive  
          to the voice of my supplications!

[3]   If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,  
          Lord, who could stand?  
[4]   But there is forgiveness with you,  
          so that you may be revered.

[5]   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,  
          and in his word I hope;  
[6]   my soul waits for the Lord  
          more than those who watch for the morning,  
          more than those who watch for the morning.

[7]   O Israel, hope in the LORD!  
          For with the LORD there is steadfast love,  
          and with him is great power to redeem.  
[8]   It is he who will redeem Israel  
          from all its iniquities.

Psalm 134

[1]   Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD,  
          who stand by night in the house of the LORD!  
[2]   Lift up your hands to the holy place,  
          and bless the LORD.

[3]   May the LORD, maker of heaven and earth,  
          bless you from Zion.

Revelation 4:1-11

[1]After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." [2]At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne!
[3]And the one seated there looks like jasper and cornelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. [4]Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. [5]Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; [6]and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.

Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: [7]the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. [8]And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all
around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,  
     "Holy, holy, holy,  
     the Lord God the Almighty,  
          who was and is and is to come."  
[9]And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, [10]the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne,
singing,  
[11]  "You are worthy, our Lord and God,  
          to receive glory and honor and power,  
     for you created all things,  
          and by your will they existed and were created."

Psalm 145

[1]   I will extol you, my God and King,  
          and bless your name forever and ever.  
[2]   Every day I will bless you,  
          and praise your name forever and ever.  
[3]   Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;  
          his greatness is unsearchable.

[4]   One generation shall laud your works to another,  
          and shall declare your mighty acts.  
[5]   On the glorious splendor of your majesty,  
          and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.  
[6]   The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,  
          and I will declare your greatness.  
[7]   They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,  
          and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

[8]   The Lord is gracious and merciful,  
          slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  
[9]   The Lord is good to all,  
          and his compassion is over all that he has made.

[10]  All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,  
          and all your faithful shall bless you.  
[11]  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,  
          and tell of your power,  
[12]  to make known to all people your mighty deeds,  
          and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.  
[13]  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,  
          and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

     The Lord is faithful in all his words,  
          and gracious in all his deeds.  
[14]  The Lord upholds all who are falling,  
          and raises up all who are bowed down.  
[15]  The eyes of all look to you,  
          and you give them their food in due season.  
[16]  You open your hand,  
          satisfying the desire of every living thing.  
[17]  The Lord is just in all his ways,  
          and kind in all his doings.  
[18]  The Lord is near to all who call on him,  
          to all who call on him in truth.  
[19]  He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;  
          he also hears their cry, and saves them.  
[20]  The Lord watches over all who love him,
          but all the wicked he will destroy.

[21]  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,  
          and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.