The Daily Practice

John 16:1-15   New International Version     16 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?' 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” Read full chapter

Zechariah 1:7-17 New International Version (NIV) The Man Among the Myrtle Trees 7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo. 8 During the night I had a vision, and there before me was a man mounted on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses. 9 I asked, “What are these, my lord?” The angel who was talking with me answered, “I will show you what they are.” 10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the Lord has sent to go throughout the earth.” 11 And they reported to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.” 12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” 13 So the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14 Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, 15 and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they went too far with the punishment.' 16 “Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,' declares the Lord Almighty. 17 “Proclaim further: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.'”

Matthew 23:23-26 New International Version (NIV) 23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Revelation 3:1-6 New International Version (NIV) To the Church in Sardis 3 “To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b] of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Psalm 14 For the director of music. Of David. 1 The fool[a] says in his heart,     “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;     there is no one who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven     on all mankind to see if there are any who understand,     any who seek God. 3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;     there is no one who does good,     not even one. 4 Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread;     they never call on the Lord. 5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,     for God is present in the company of the righteous. 6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,     but the Lord is their refuge. 7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!     When the Lord restores his people,     let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Genesis 3:14-19 New International Version (NIV) 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock     and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly     and you will eat dust     all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity     between you and the woman,     and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head,     and you will strike his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;     with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband,     and he will rule over you.” 17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,' “Cursed is the ground because of you;     through painful toil you will eat food from it     all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,     and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow     you will eat your food until you return to the ground,     since from it you were taken; for dust you are     and to dust you will return.”

Matthew 23:1-12 New International Version (NIV) A Warning Against Hypocrisy 23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi' by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,' for you have one Father, and he is 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 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Psalm 13[a] For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?     How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts     and day after day have sorrow in my heart?     How long will my enemy triumph over me? 3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.     Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, 4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”     and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love;     my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the Lord's praise,     for he has been good to me.

Revelation 2:18-29 New International Version (NIV) To the Church in Thyatira 18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.' 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery'[a]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Amos 7:10-17 New International Version (NIV) Amos and Amaziah 10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos is saying: “‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,     and Israel will surely go into exile,     away from their native land.'” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. 13 Don't prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king's sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” 14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' 16 Now then, hear the word of the Lord. You say, “‘Do not prophesy against Israel,     and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.' 17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says: “‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city,     and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up,     and you yourself will die in a pagan[a] country. And Israel will surely go into exile,     away from their native land.'”

Matthew 22:34-46 New International Version (NIV) The Greatest Commandment 34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Whose Son Is the Messiah? 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord'? For he says, 44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord:     “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies     under your feet.”'[c] 45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,' how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Revelation 2:8-17 New International Version (NIV) To the Church in Smyrna 8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown. 11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. To the Church in Pergamum 12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

Psalm 12[a] For the director of music. According to sheminith.[b] A psalm of David. 1 Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;     those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. 2 Everyone lies to their neighbor;     they flatter with their lips     but harbor deception in their hearts. 3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips     and every boastful tongue— 4 those who say,     “By our tongues we will prevail;     our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?” 5 “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,     I will now arise,” says the Lord.     “I will protect them from those who malign them.” 6 And the words of the Lord are flawless,     like silver purified in a crucible,     like gold[c] refined seven times. 7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe     and will protect us forever from the wicked, 8 who freely strut about     when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Amos 7:1-9 New International Version (NIV) Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line 7 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king's share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2 When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” 3 So the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said. 4 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” 6 So the Lord relented. “This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said. 7 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb,[a] with a plumb line[b] in his hand. 8 And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” “A plumb line,” I replied. Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. 9 “The high places of Isaac will be destroyed     and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined;     with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”

Matthew 22:23-33 New International Version (NIV) Marriage at the Resurrection 23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?” 29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'[a]? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” 33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

Revelation 1:17-2:7 New International Version (NIV) 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. 19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels[a] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. To the Church in Ephesus 2 “To the angel[b] of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Psalm 11 For the director of music. Of David. 1 In the Lord I take refuge.     How then can you say to me:     “Flee like a bird to your mountain. 2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;     they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows     at the upright in heart. 3 When the foundations are being destroyed,     what can the righteous do?” 4 The Lord is in his holy temple;     the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth;     his eyes examine them. 5 The Lord examines the righteous,     but the wicked, those who love violence,     he hates with a passion. 6 On the wicked he will rain     fiery coals and burning sulfur;     a scorching wind will be their lot. 7 For the Lord is righteous,     he loves justice;     the upright will see his face.

Amos 6 New International Version (NIV) Woe to the Complacent 6 Woe to you who are complacent in Zion,     and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation,     to whom the people of Israel come! 2 Go to Kalneh and look at it;     go from there to great Hamath,     and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms?     Is their land larger than yours? 3 You put off the day of disaster     and bring near a reign of terror. 4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory     and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs     and fattened calves. 5 You strum away on your harps like David     and improvise on musical instruments. 6 You drink wine by the bowlful     and use the finest lotions,     but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. 7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;     your feasting and lounging will end. The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel 8 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself—the Lord God Almighty declares: “I abhor the pride of Jacob     and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city     and everything in it.” 9 If ten people are left in one house, they too will die. 10 And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them[a] asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord.” 11 For the Lord has given the command,     and he will smash the great house into pieces     and the small house into bits. 12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?     Does one plow the sea[b] with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison     and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness— 13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[c]     and say, “Did we not take Karnaim[d] by our own strength?” 14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,     “I will stir up a nation against you, Israel, that will oppress you all the way     from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah.”

Matthew 22:15-22 New International Version (NIV) Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar 15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax[a] to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” 21 “Caesar's,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Revelation 1:9-16 New International Version (NIV) John's Vision of Christ 9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” 12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,[a] dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

Psalm 10[a] 1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?     Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,     who are caught in the schemes he devises. 3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart;     he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. 4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;     in all his thoughts there is no room for God. 5 His ways are always prosperous;     your laws are rejected by[b] him;     he sneers at all his enemies. 6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”     He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.” 7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;     trouble and evil are under his tongue. 8 He lies in wait near the villages;     from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; 9     like a lion in cover he lies in wait. He lies in wait to catch the helpless;     he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. 10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;     they fall under his strength. 11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;     he covers his face and never sees.” 12 Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.     Do not forget the helpless. 13 Why does the wicked man revile God?     Why does he say to himself,     “He won't call me to account”? 14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;     you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you;     you are the helper of the fatherless. 15 Break the arm of the wicked man;     call the evildoer to account for his wickedness     that would not otherwise be found out. 16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;     the nations will perish from his land. 17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;     you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, 18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,     so that mere earthly mortals     will never again strike terror.

John 16:1-15 New International Version (NIV) 16 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?' 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Amos 5:18-27 New International Version (NIV) The Day of the Lord 18 Woe to you who long     for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord?     That day will be darkness, not light. 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion     only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house     and rested his hand on the wall     only to have a snake bite him. 20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light—     pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness? 21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;     your assemblies are a stench to me. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,     I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,     I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs!     I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice roll on like a river,     righteousness like a never-failing stream! 25 “Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings     forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? 26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,     the pedestal of your idols,     the star of your god[a]—     which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,”     says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.

Matthew 22:1-14 New International Version (NIV) The Parable of the Wedding Banquet 22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' 5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?' The man was speechless. 13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Revelation 1:1-8   New International Version     Prologue 1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. Greetings and Doxology 4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”[b]     and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”;     and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”[c] So shall it be! Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Psalm 9[a][b] For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David. 1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;     I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;     I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. 3 My enemies turn back;     they stumble and perish before you. 4 For you have upheld my right and my cause,     sitting enthroned as the righteous judge. 5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;     you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. 6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,     you have uprooted their cities;     even the memory of them has perished. 7 The Lord reigns forever;     he has established his throne for judgment. 8 He rules the world in righteousness     and judges the peoples with equity. 9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,     a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you,     for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. 11 Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;     proclaim among the nations what he has done. 12 For he who avenges blood remembers;     he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted. 13 Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!     Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, 14 that I may declare your praises     in the gates of Daughter Zion,     and there rejoice in your salvation. 15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;     their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. 16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;     the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.[c] 17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,     all the nations that forget God. 18 But God will never forget the needy;     the hope of the afflicted will never perish. 19 Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;     let the nations be judged in your presence. 20 Strike them with terror, Lord;     let the nations know they are only mortal.

Amos 5:6-17 New International Version (NIV) 6 Seek the Lord and live,     or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them,     and Bethel will have no one to quench it. 7 There are those who turn justice into bitterness     and cast righteousness to the ground. 8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,     who turns midnight into dawn     and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea     and pours them out over the face of the land—     the Lord is his name. 9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold     and brings the fortified city to ruin. 10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court     and detest the one who tells the truth. 11 You levy a straw tax on the poor     and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,     you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards,     you will not drink their wine. 12 For I know how many are your offenses     and how great your sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes     and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. 13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,     for the times are evil. 14 Seek good, not evil,     that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,     just as you say he is. 15 Hate evil, love good;     maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy     on the remnant of Joseph. 16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says: “There will be wailing in all the streets     and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep     and the mourners to wail. 17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards,     for I will pass through your midst,” says the Lord.

Matthew 21:33-46 New International Version (NIV) The Parable of the Tenants 33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,' he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected     has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this,     and it is marvelous in our eyes'[a]? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”[b] 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

Jude 17-25 New International Version (NIV) A Call to Persevere 17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. 20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.[a] Doxology 24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Psalm 8[a] For the director of music. According to gittith.[b] A psalm of David. 1 Lord, our Lord,     how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory     in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants     you have established a stronghold against your enemies,     to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens,     the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,     which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,     human beings that you care for them?[c] 5 You have made them[d] a little lower than the angels[e]     and crowned them[f] with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;     you put everything under their[g] feet: 7 all flocks and herds,     and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky,     and the fish in the sea,     all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 Lord, our Lord,     how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Amos 4:6-13 New International Version (NIV) 6 “I gave you empty stomachs in every city     and lack of bread in every town,     yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. 7 “I also withheld rain from you     when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town,     but withheld it from another. One field had rain;     another had none and dried up. 8 People staggered from town to town for water     but did not get enough to drink,     yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. 9 “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,     destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees,     yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. 10 “I sent plagues among you     as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword,     along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps,     yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. 11 “I overthrew some of you     as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire,     yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. 12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,     and because I will do this to you, Israel,     prepare to meet your God.” 13 He who forms the mountains,     who creates the wind,     and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness,     and treads on the heights of the earth—     the Lord God Almighty is his name.

Matthew 21:23-32 New International Version (NIV) The Authority of Jesus Questioned 23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John's baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will ask, ‘Then why didn't you believe him?' 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin'—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don't know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. The Parable of the Two Sons 28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 29 “‘I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,' but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Jude New International Version (NIV) 1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for[a] Jesus Christ: 2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God's holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about[b] long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord[c] at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. 8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”[d] 10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them. 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion. 12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”[e] 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

Psalm 7[a] A shiggaion[b] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite. 1 Lord my God, I take refuge in you;     save and deliver me from all who pursue me, 2 or they will tear me apart like a lion     and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me. 3 Lord my God, if I have done this     and there is guilt on my hands— 4 if I have repaid my ally with evil     or without cause have robbed my foe— 5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;     let him trample my life to the ground     and make me sleep in the dust.[c] 6 Arise, Lord, in your anger;     rise up against the rage of my enemies.     Awake, my God; decree justice. 7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,     while you sit enthroned over them on high. 8     Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,     according to my integrity, O Most High. 9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked     and make the righteous secure— you, the righteous God     who probes minds and hearts. 10 My shield[d] is God Most High,     who saves the upright in heart. 11 God is a righteous judge,     a God who displays his wrath every day. 12 If he does not relent,     he[e] will sharpen his sword;     he will bend and string his bow. 13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;     he makes ready his flaming arrows. 14 Whoever is pregnant with evil     conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. 15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out     falls into the pit they have made. 16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;     their violence comes down on their own heads. 17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;     I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Amos 3:12-4:5 New International Version (NIV) 12 This is what the Lord says: “As a shepherd rescues from the lion's mouth     only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,     with only the head of a bed     and a piece of fabric[a] from a couch.[b]” 13 “Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty. 14 “On the day I punish Israel for her sins,     I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off     and fall to the ground. 15 I will tear down the winter house     along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed     and the mansions will be demolished,” declares the Lord. Israel Has Not Returned to God 4 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria,     you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy     and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!” 2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:     “The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks,     the last of you with fishhooks.[c] 3 You will each go straight out     through breaches in the wall,     and you will be cast out toward Harmon,[d]” declares the Lord. 4 “Go to Bethel and sin;     go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning,     your tithes every three years.[e] 5 Burn leavened bread as a thank offering     and brag about your freewill offerings— boast about them, you Israelites,     for this is what you love to do,” declares the Sovereign Lord.

2 Peter 3:11-18 New International Version (NIV) 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[a] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Matthew 21:12-22 New International Version (NIV) Jesus at the Temple 12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,'[a] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.'[b]” 14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. 16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants     you, Lord, have called forth your praise'[c]?” 17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night. Jesus Curses a Fig Tree 18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Psalm 6[a] For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith.[b] A psalm of David. 1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger     or discipline me in your wrath. 2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;     heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. 3 My soul is in deep anguish.     How long, Lord, how long? 4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me;     save me because of your unfailing love. 5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.     Who praises you from the grave? 6 I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping     and drench my couch with tears. 7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;     they fail because of all my foes. 8 Away from me, all you who do evil,     for the Lord has heard my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;     the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;     they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Amos 2:6-16 New International Version (NIV) Judgment on Israel 6 This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Israel,     even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver,     and the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample on the heads of the poor     as on the dust of the ground     and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl     and so profane my holy name. 8 They lie down beside every altar     on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god     they drink wine taken as fines. 9 “Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them,     though they were tall as the cedars     and strong as the oaks. I destroyed their fruit above     and their roots below. 10 I brought you up out of Egypt     and led you forty years in the wilderness     to give you the land of the Amorites. 11 “I also raised up prophets from among your children     and Nazirites from among your youths. Is this not true, people of Israel?” declares the Lord. 12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine     and commanded the prophets not to prophesy. 13 “Now then, I will crush you     as a cart crushes when loaded with grain. 14 The swift will not escape,     the strong will not muster their strength,     and the warrior will not save his life. 15 The archer will not stand his ground,     the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,     and the horseman will not save his life. 16 Even the bravest warriors     will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.

Matthew 21:1-11 New International Version (NIV) Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King 21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion,     ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey,     and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'”[a] 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c] “Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Amos 1:1-5 New International Version (NIV) 1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash[a] was king of Israel. 2 He said: “The Lord roars from Zion     and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up,     and the top of Carmel withers.” Judgment on Israel's Neighbors 3 This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Damascus,     even for four, I will not relent. Because she threshed Gilead     with sledges having iron teeth, 4 I will send fire on the house of Hazael     that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad. 5 I will break down the gate of Damascus;     I will destroy the king who is in[b] the Valley of Aven[c] and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.     The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,” says the Lord. Amos 2:4-8 New International Version (NIV) 4 This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Judah,     even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord     and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods,[a]     the gods[b] their ancestors followed, 5 I will send fire on Judah     that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.” Judgment on Israel 6 This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Israel,     even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver,     and the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample on the heads of the poor     as on the dust of the ground     and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl     and so profane my holy name. 8 They lie down beside every altar     on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god     they drink wine taken as fines.

Titus 2:11-3:8 New International Version (NIV) 11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you. Saved in Order to Do Good 3 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. 3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Psalm 5[a] For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David. 1 Listen to my words, Lord,     consider my lament. 2 Hear my cry for help,     my King and my God,     for to you I pray. 3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;     in the morning I lay my requests before you     and wait expectantly. 4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;     with you, evil people are not welcome. 5 The arrogant cannot stand     in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; 6     you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful     you, Lord, detest. 7 But I, by your great love,     can come into your house; in reverence I bow down     toward your holy temple. 8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness     because of my enemies—     make your way straight before me. 9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;     their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave;     with their tongues they tell lies. 10 Declare them guilty, O God!     Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins,     for they have rebelled against you. 11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;     let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them,     that those who love your name may rejoice in you. 12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;     you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Titus 2:1-10 New International Version (NIV) Doing Good for the Sake of the Gospel 2 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. 9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10 and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

Galatians 3:23-4:7 New International Version (NIV) Children of God 23 Before the coming of this faith,[a] we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. 4 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces[b] of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.[c] 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,[d] Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Psalm 4[a] For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David. 1 Answer me when I call to you,     my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress;     have mercy on me and hear my prayer. 2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame?     How long will you love delusions and seek false gods[b]?[c] 3 Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;     the Lord hears when I call to him. 4 Tremble and[d] do not sin;     when you are on your beds,     search your hearts and be silent. 5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous     and trust in the Lord. 6 Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”     Let the light of your face shine on us. 7 Fill my heart with joy     when their grain and new wine abound. 8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,     for you alone, Lord,     make me dwell in safety.

Titus 1 New International Version (NIV) 1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, 4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good 5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint[a] elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God's household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good 10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete's own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”[c] 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 New International Version (NIV) The Man of Lawlessness 2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 New International Version (NIV) Stand Firm 13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits[a] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[b] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

Haggai 2:15-23 New International Version (NIV) 15 “‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on[a]—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord's temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,' declares the Lord. 18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. “‘From this day on I will bless you.'” Zerubbabel the Lord's Signet Ring 20 The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. 23 “‘On that day,' declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,' declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,' declares the Lord Almighty.”

Psalm 3[a] A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom. 1 Lord, how many are my foes!     How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me,     “God will not deliver him.”[b] 3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,     my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 4 I call out to the Lord,     and he answers me from his holy mountain. 5 I lie down and sleep;     I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not fear though tens of thousands     assail me on every side. 7 Arise, Lord!     Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw;     break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the Lord comes deliverance.     May your blessing be on your people.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 New International Version (NIV) 5 All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. 11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.