Podcasts about Ithiel

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

180 : KJV : Proverbs 30 1. The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, 2. Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. 3. I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. 4. Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? 5. Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. ; AB church Renens - Lausanne

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

”The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle. The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: Surely I am more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man. Neither have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son's name? Surely you know! Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God. Do not slander a slave to his master, Or he will curse you and you will be found guilty. There is a kind of man who curses his father And does not bless his mother. There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes, Yet is not washed from his filthiness.“—‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭30‬:‭1-12Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

Old Testament: Hosea 1 Hosea 1 (Listen) 1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. Hosea's Wife and Children 2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And the LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” 6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, “Call her name No Mercy,1 for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.” 8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the LORD said, “Call his name Not My People,2 for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”3 10 4 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children5 of the living God.” 11 And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. Footnotes [1] 1:6 Hebrew Lo-ruhama, which means she has not received mercy [2] 1:9 Hebrew Lo-ammi, which means not my people [3] 1:9 Hebrew I am not yours [4] 1:10 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew [5] 1:10 Or Sons (ESV) New Testament: John 10:1–18 John 10:1–18 (Listen) I Am the Good Shepherd 10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 135 Psalm 135 (Listen) Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever 135   Praise the LORD!  Praise the name of the LORD,    give praise, O servants of the LORD,2   who stand in the house of the LORD,    in the courts of the house of our God!3   Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;    sing to his name, for it is pleasant!14   For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,    Israel as his own possession. 5   For I know that the LORD is great,    and that our Lord is above all gods.6   Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,    in heaven and on earth,    in the seas and all deeps.7   He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,    who makes lightnings for the rain    and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 8   He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,    both of man and of beast;9   who in your midst, O Egypt,    sent signs and wonders    against Pharaoh and all his servants;10   who struck down many nations    and killed mighty kings,11   Sihon, king of the Amorites,    and Og, king of Bashan,    and all the kingdoms of Canaan,12   and gave their land as a heritage,    a heritage to his people Israel. 13   Your name, O LORD, endures forever,    your renown,2 O LORD, throughout all ages.14   For the LORD will vindicate his people    and have compassion on his servants. 15   The idols of the nations are silver and gold,    the work of human hands.16   They have mouths, but do not speak;    they have eyes, but do not see;17   they have ears, but do not hear,    nor is there any breath in their mouths.18   Those who make them become like them,    so do all who trust in them. 19   O house of Israel, bless the LORD!    O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!20   O house of Levi, bless the LORD!    You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!21   Blessed be the LORD from Zion,    he who dwells in Jerusalem!  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 135:3 Or for he is beautiful [2] 135:13 Or remembrance (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 30:1–4 Proverbs 30:1–4 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal (ESV)

Proverbs 30:1–3 Proverbs 30:1–3 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal (ESV)

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

Spoken Word, Black Poetry with Ithiel: Today with Talk with TikTok poet Ithiel on his life & career as a poet and the impact of the art of poetry from historical to even economic. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unitytruetome0/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unitytruetome0/support

MIDWEEK SERMONWatch/Listen here using the Embedded Subsplash Playerdiv.sap-embed-player{position:relative;width:100%;height:0;padding-top:56.25%;}div.sap-embed-player>iframe{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;}Central Baptist Church of Ponca City, OKDATE: Wednesday, October 18, 2023SERMON BY: Dr. John WaterlooSERMON TITLE: The Superiority of the Creator and His Preserved WordSERMON THEME: The Danger of Arrogance: The Inferiority of The CreatureSERMON SERIES: ProverbsSERMON TEXT: Prov. 30:1-6; Deut. 4:1-2; Rev. 22:18-19Prov. 30:1   The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, 2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. 3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. 4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? 5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.Deut. 4:1   Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.Rev. 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.— — —Watch/Listen here using our Subsplash WebShare Playerhttps://cbcponca.subspla.sh/rcsbvr4Listen on Archive.orghttps://archive.org/download/101823-wed-facebook-stream/101823WED-FacebookStream.mp3 

Old Testament: Proverbs 29–31 Proverbs 29–31 (Listen) 29   He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,    will suddenly be broken beyond healing.2   When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,    but when the wicked rule, the people groan.3   He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,    but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.4   By justice a king builds up the land,    but he who exacts gifts1 tears it down.5   A man who flatters his neighbor    spreads a net for his feet.6   An evil man is ensnared in his transgression,    but a righteous man sings and rejoices.7   A righteous man knows the rights of the poor;    a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.8   Scoffers set a city aflame,    but the wise turn away wrath.9   If a wise man has an argument with a fool,    the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.10   Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless    and seek the life of the upright.211   A fool gives full vent to his spirit,    but a wise man quietly holds it back.12   If a ruler listens to falsehood,    all his officials will be wicked.13   The poor man and the oppressor meet together;    the LORD gives light to the eyes of both.14   If a king faithfully judges the poor,    his throne will be established forever.15   The rod and reproof give wisdom,    but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.16   When the wicked increase, transgression increases,    but the righteous will look upon their downfall.17   Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;    he will give delight to your heart.18   Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,3    but blessed is he who keeps the law.19   By mere words a servant is not disciplined,    for though he understands, he will not respond.20   Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?    There is more hope for a fool than for him.21   Whoever pampers his servant from childhood    will in the end find him his heir.422   A man of wrath stirs up strife,    and one given to anger causes much transgression.23   One's pride will bring him low,    but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.24   The partner of a thief hates his own life;    he hears the curse, but discloses nothing.25   The fear of man lays a snare,    but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.26   Many seek the face of a ruler,    but it is from the LORD that a man gets justice.27   An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,    but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.5   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.62   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those7 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.8  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,9 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.10 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. The Words of King Lemuel 31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: 2   What are you doing, my son?11 What are you doing, son of my womb?    What are you doing, son of my vows?3   Do not give your strength to women,    your ways to those who destroy kings.4   It is not for kings, O Lemuel,    it is not for kings to drink wine,    or for rulers to take strong drink,5   lest they drink and forget what has been decreed    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.6   Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,    and wine to those in bitter distress;127   let them drink and forget their poverty    and remember their misery no more.8   Open your mouth for the mute,    for the rights of all who are destitute.139   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. The Woman Who Fears the Lord 10   14 An excellent wife who can find?    She is far more precious than jewels.11   The heart of her husband trusts in her,    and he will have no lack of gain.12   She does him good, and not harm,    all the days of her life.13   She seeks wool and flax,    and works with willing hands.14   She is like the ships of the merchant;    she brings her food from afar.15   She rises while it is yet night    and provides food for her household    and portions for her maidens.16   She considers a field and buys it;    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.17   She dresses herself15 with strength    and makes her arms strong.18   She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.    Her lamp does not go out at night.19   She puts her hands to the distaff,    and her hands hold the spindle.20   She opens her hand to the poor    and reaches out her hands to the needy.21   She is not afraid of snow for her household,    for all her household are clothed in scarlet.1622   She makes bed coverings for herself;    her clothing is fine linen and purple.23   Her husband is known in the gates    when he sits among the elders of the land.24   She makes linen garments and sells them;    she delivers sashes to the merchant.25   Strength and dignity are her clothing,    and she laughs at the time to come.26   She opens her mouth with wisdom,    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.27   She looks well to the ways of her household    and does not eat the bread of idleness.28   Her children rise up and call her blessed;    her husband also, and he praises her:29   “Many women have done excellently,    but you surpass them all.”30   Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,    but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31   Give her of the fruit of her hands,    and let her works praise her in the gates. Footnotes [1] 29:4 Or who taxes heavily [2] 29:10 Or but the upright seek his soul [3] 29:18 Or the people are discouraged [4] 29:21 The meaning of the Hebrew word rendered his heir is uncertain [5] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [6] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [7] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [8] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [9] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [10] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up [11] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [12] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [13] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away [14] 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [15] 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins [16] 31:21 Or in double thickness (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 75 Psalm 75 (Listen) God Will Judge with Equity To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. 75   We give thanks to you, O God;    we give thanks, for your name is near.  We1 recount your wondrous deeds. 2   “At the set time that I appoint    I will judge with equity.3   When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,    it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah4   I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,'    and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;5   do not lift up your horn on high,    or speak with haughty neck.'” 6   For not from the east or from the west

Old Testament: Proverbs 29–31 Proverbs 29–31 (Listen) 29   He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,    will suddenly be broken beyond healing.2   When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,    but when the wicked rule, the people groan.3   He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,    but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.4   By justice a king builds up the land,    but he who exacts gifts1 tears it down.5   A man who flatters his neighbor    spreads a net for his feet.6   An evil man is ensnared in his transgression,    but a righteous man sings and rejoices.7   A righteous man knows the rights of the poor;    a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.8   Scoffers set a city aflame,    but the wise turn away wrath.9   If a wise man has an argument with a fool,    the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.10   Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless    and seek the life of the upright.211   A fool gives full vent to his spirit,    but a wise man quietly holds it back.12   If a ruler listens to falsehood,    all his officials will be wicked.13   The poor man and the oppressor meet together;    the LORD gives light to the eyes of both.14   If a king faithfully judges the poor,    his throne will be established forever.15   The rod and reproof give wisdom,    but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.16   When the wicked increase, transgression increases,    but the righteous will look upon their downfall.17   Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;    he will give delight to your heart.18   Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,3    but blessed is he who keeps the law.19   By mere words a servant is not disciplined,    for though he understands, he will not respond.20   Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?    There is more hope for a fool than for him.21   Whoever pampers his servant from childhood    will in the end find him his heir.422   A man of wrath stirs up strife,    and one given to anger causes much transgression.23   One's pride will bring him low,    but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.24   The partner of a thief hates his own life;    he hears the curse, but discloses nothing.25   The fear of man lays a snare,    but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.26   Many seek the face of a ruler,    but it is from the LORD that a man gets justice.27   An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,    but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.5   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.62   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those7 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.8  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,9 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.10 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. The Words of King Lemuel 31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: 2   What are you doing, my son?11 What are you doing, son of my womb?    What are you doing, son of my vows?3   Do not give your strength to women,    your ways to those who destroy kings.4   It is not for kings, O Lemuel,    it is not for kings to drink wine,    or for rulers to take strong drink,5   lest they drink and forget what has been decreed    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.6   Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,    and wine to those in bitter distress;127   let them drink and forget their poverty    and remember their misery no more.8   Open your mouth for the mute,    for the rights of all who are destitute.139   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. The Woman Who Fears the Lord 10   14 An excellent wife who can find?    She is far more precious than jewels.11   The heart of her husband trusts in her,    and he will have no lack of gain.12   She does him good, and not harm,    all the days of her life.13   She seeks wool and flax,    and works with willing hands.14   She is like the ships of the merchant;    she brings her food from afar.15   She rises while it is yet night    and provides food for her household    and portions for her maidens.16   She considers a field and buys it;    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.17   She dresses herself15 with strength    and makes her arms strong.18   She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.    Her lamp does not go out at night.19   She puts her hands to the distaff,    and her hands hold the spindle.20   She opens her hand to the poor    and reaches out her hands to the needy.21   She is not afraid of snow for her household,    for all her household are clothed in scarlet.1622   She makes bed coverings for herself;    her clothing is fine linen and purple.23   Her husband is known in the gates    when he sits among the elders of the land.24   She makes linen garments and sells them;    she delivers sashes to the merchant.25   Strength and dignity are her clothing,    and she laughs at the time to come.26   She opens her mouth with wisdom,    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.27   She looks well to the ways of her household    and does not eat the bread of idleness.28   Her children rise up and call her blessed;    her husband also, and he praises her:29   “Many women have done excellently,    but you surpass them all.”30   Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,    but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31   Give her of the fruit of her hands,    and let her works praise her in the gates. Footnotes [1] 29:4 Or who taxes heavily [2] 29:10 Or but the upright seek his soul [3] 29:18 Or the people are discouraged [4] 29:21 The meaning of the Hebrew word rendered his heir is uncertain [5] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [6] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [7] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [8] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [9] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [10] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up [11] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [12] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [13] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away [14] 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [15] 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins [16] 31:21 Or in double thickness (ESV) New Testament: Titus 3:12–15 Titus 3:12–15 (Listen) Final Instructions and Greetings 12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. 15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 75 Psalm 75 (Listen) God Will Judge with Equity To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. 75   We give thanks to you, O God;    we give thanks, for your name is near.  We1 recount your wondrous deeds. 2   “At the set time that I appoint    I will judge with equity.&l

Morning: Proverbs 30–31 Proverbs 30–31 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those3 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.4  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,5 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.6 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. The Words of King Lemuel 31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: 2   What are you doing, my son?7 What are you doing, son of my womb?    What are you doing, son of my vows?3   Do not give your strength to women,    your ways to those who destroy kings.4   It is not for kings, O Lemuel,    it is not for kings to drink wine,    or for rulers to take strong drink,5   lest they drink and forget what has been decreed    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.6   Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,    and wine to those in bitter distress;87   let them drink and forget their poverty    and remember their misery no more.8   Open your mouth for the mute,    for the rights of all who are destitute.99   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. The Woman Who Fears the Lord 10   10 An excellent wife who can find?    She is far more precious than jewels.11   The heart of her husband trusts in her,    and he will have no lack of gain.12   She does him good, and not harm,    all the days of her life.13   She seeks wool and flax,    and works with willing hands.14   She is like the ships of the merchant;    she brings her food from afar.15   She rises while it is yet night    and provides food for her household    and portions for her maidens.16   She considers a field and buys it;    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.17   She dresses herself11 with strength    and makes her arms strong.18   She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.    Her lamp does not go out at night.19   She puts her hands to the distaff,    and her hands hold the spindle.20   She opens her hand to the poor    and reaches out her hands to the needy.21   She is not afraid of snow for her household,    for all her household are clothed in scarlet.1222   She makes bed coverings for herself;    her clothing is fine linen and purple.23   Her husband is known in the gates    when he sits among the elders of the land.24   She makes linen garments and sells them;    she delivers sashes to the merchant.25   Strength and dignity are her clothing,    and she laughs at the time to come.26   She opens her mouth with wisdom,    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.27   She looks well to the ways of her household    and does not eat the bread of idleness.28   Her children rise up and call her blessed;    her husband also, and he praises her:29   “Many women have done excellently,    but you surpass them all.”30   Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,    but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31   Give her of the fruit of her hands,    and let her works praise her in the gates. Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [3] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [4] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [5] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [6] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up [7] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [8] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [9] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away [10] 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [11] 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins [12] 31:21 Or in double thickness (ESV) Evening: 2 Corinthians 8 2 Corinthians 8 (Listen) Encouragement to Give Generously 8 We want you to know, brothers,1 about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor2 of taking part in the relief of the saints—5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you3—see that you excel in this act of grace also. 8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” Commendation of Titus 16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going4 to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending5 the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers6 of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men. Footnotes [1] 8:1 Or brothers and sisters [2] 8:4 The Greek word charis can mean favor or grace or thanks, depending on the context [3] 8:7 Some manuscripts in your love for us [4] 8:17 Or he went [5] 8:18 Or we sent; also verse 22 [6] 8:23 Greek apostles (ESV)

Nehemiah 10–11 Nehemiah 10–11 (Listen) The People Who Sealed the Covenant 10 “On the seals are the names of1 Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these are the priests. 9 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; 10 and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. 14 The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah. The Obligations of the Covenant 28 “The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 29 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and his rules and his statutes. 30 We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. 32 “We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel2 for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the showbread, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. 34 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law. 35 We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 36 also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; 37 and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. 38 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. 39 For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.” The Leaders in Jerusalem 11 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten3 remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. 3 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants. 4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men. 7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.4 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. 10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, 12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim. 15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,5 who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284. 19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172. 20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 21 But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants. 22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. 23 For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side6 in all matters concerning the people. Villages Outside Jerusalem 25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet, 27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, 28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, 29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, 32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin. Footnotes [1] 10:1 Hebrew lacks the names of [2] 10:32 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [3] 11:1 Hebrew nine hands [4] 11:8 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928 [5] 11:17 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning [6] 11:24 Hebrew hand (ESV)

Old Testament: Nehemiah 11 Nehemiah 11 (Listen) The Leaders in Jerusalem 11 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten1 remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. 3 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants. 4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men. 7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.2 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. 10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, 12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim. 15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,3 who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284. 19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172. 20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 21 But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants. 22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. 23 For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side4 in all matters concerning the people. Villages Outside Jerusalem 25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet, 27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, 28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, 29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, 32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin. Footnotes [1] 11:1 Hebrew nine hands [2] 11:8 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928 [3] 11:17 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning [4] 11:24 Hebrew hand (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 38 Psalm 38 (Listen) Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering. 38   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,    nor discipline me in your wrath!2   For your arrows have sunk into me,    and your hand has come down on me. 3   There is no soundness in my flesh    because of your indignation;  there is no health in my bones    because of my sin.4   For my iniquities have gone over my head;    like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5   My wounds stink and fester    because of my foolishness,6   I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;    all the day I go about mourning.7   For my sides are filled with burning,    and there is no soundness in my flesh.8   I am feeble and crushed;    I groan because of the tumult of my heart. 9   O Lord, all my longing is before you;    my sighing is not hidden from you.10   My heart throbs; my strength fails me,    and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.11   My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,    and my nearest kin stand far off. 12   Those who seek my life lay their snares;    those who seek my hurt speak of ruin    and meditate treachery all day long. 13   But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,    like a mute man who does not open his mouth.14   I have become like a man who does not hear,    and in whose mouth are no rebukes. 15   But for you, O LORD, do I wait;    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.16   For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me,    who boast against me when my foot slips!” 17   For I am ready to fall,    and my pain is ever before me.18   I confess my iniquity;    I am sorry for my sin.19   But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,    and many are those who hate me wrongfully.20   Those who render me evil for good    accuse me because I follow after good. 21   Do not forsake me, O LORD!    O my God, be not far from me!22   Make haste to help me,    O Lord, my salvation! (ESV) New Testament: Luke 2 Luke 2 (Listen) The Birth of Jesus Christ 2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when1 Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,2 who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.3 The Shepherds and the Angels 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14   “Glory to God in the highest,    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”4 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Jesus Presented at the Temple 22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29   “Lord, now you are letting your servant5 depart in peace,    according to your word;30   for my eyes have seen your salvation31     that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,32   a light for revelation to the Gentiles,    and for glory to your people Israel.” 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.6 She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. The Return to Nazareth 39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. The Boy Jesus in the Temple 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents7 saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”8 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature9 and in favor with God and man. Footnotes [1] 2:2 Or This was the registration before [2] 2:5 That is, one legally pledged to be married [3] 2:7 Or guest room [4] 2:14 Some manuscripts peace, good will among men [5] 2:29 Or bondservant [6] 2:37 Or as a widow for eighty-four years [7] 2:48 Greek they [8] 2:49 Or about my Father's business [9] 2:52 Or years (ESV)

Old Testament: Nehemiah 11 Nehemiah 11 (Listen) The Leaders in Jerusalem 11 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten1 remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. 3 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants. 4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men. 7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.2 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. 10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, 12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim. 15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,3 who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284. 19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172. 20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 21 But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants. 22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. 23 For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side4 in all matters concerning the people. Villages Outside Jerusalem 25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet, 27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, 28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, 29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, 32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin. Footnotes [1] 11:1 Hebrew nine hands [2] 11:8 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928 [3] 11:17 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning [4] 11:24 Hebrew hand (ESV) New Testament: Ephesians 6:10–24 Ephesians 6:10–24 (Listen) The Whole Armor of God 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Final Greetings 21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. 23 Peace be to the brothers,1 and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. Footnotes [1] 6:23 Or brothers and sisters (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 38 Psalm 38 (Listen) Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering. 38   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,    nor discipline me in your wrath!2   For your arrows have sunk into me,    and your hand has come down on me. 3   There is no soundness in my flesh    because of your indignation;  there is no health in my bones    because of my sin.4   For my iniquities have gone over my head;    like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5   My wounds stink and fester    because of my foolishness,6   I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;    all the day I go about mourning.7   For my sides are filled with burning,    and there is no soundness in my flesh.8   I am feeble and crushed;    I groan because of the tumult of my heart. 9   O Lord, all my longing is before you;    my sighing is not hidden from you.10   My heart throbs; my strength fails me,    and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.11   My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,    and my nearest kin stand far off. 12   Those who seek my life lay their snares;    those who seek my hurt speak of ruin    and meditate treachery all day long. 13   But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,    like a mute man who does not open his mouth.14   I have become like a man who does not hear,    and in whose mouth are no rebukes. 15   But for you, O LORD, do I wait;    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.16   For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me,    who boast against me when my foot slips!” 17   For I am ready to fall,    and my pain is ever before me.18   I confess my iniquity;    I am sorry for my sin.19   But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,    and many are those who hate me wrongfully.20   Those who render me evil for good    accuse me because I follow after good. 21   Do not forsake me, O LORD!    O my God, be not far from me!22   Make haste to help me,    O Lord, my salvation! (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 21:13 Proverbs 21:13 (Listen) 13   Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor    will himself call out and not be answered. (ESV)

Proverbs 30–31 Proverbs 30–31 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those3 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.4  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,5 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.6 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. The Words of King Lemuel 31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: 2   What are you doing, my son?7 What are you doing, son of my womb?    What are you doing, son of my vows?3   Do not give your strength to women,    your ways to those who destroy kings.4   It is not for kings, O Lemuel,    it is not for kings to drink wine,    or for rulers to take strong drink,5   lest they drink and forget what has been decreed    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.6   Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,    and wine to those in bitter distress;87   let them drink and forget their poverty    and remember their misery no more.8   Open your mouth for the mute,    for the rights of all who are destitute.99   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. The Woman Who Fears the Lord 10   10 An excellent wife who can find?    She is far more precious than jewels.11   The heart of her husband trusts in her,    and he will have no lack of gain.12   She does him good, and not harm,    all the days of her life.13   She seeks wool and flax,    and works with willing hands.14   She is like the ships of the merchant;    she brings her food from afar.15   She rises while it is yet night    and provides food for her household    and portions for her maidens.16   She considers a field and buys it;    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.17   She dresses herself11 with strength    and makes her arms strong.18   She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.    Her lamp does not go out at night.19   She puts her hands to the distaff,    and her hands hold the spindle.20   She opens her hand to the poor    and reaches out her hands to the needy.21   She is not afraid of snow for her household,    for all her household are clothed in scarlet.1222   She makes bed coverings for herself;    her clothing is fine linen and purple.23   Her husband is known in the gates    when he sits among the elders of the land.24   She makes linen garments and sells them;    she delivers sashes to the merchant.25   Strength and dignity are her clothing,    and she laughs at the time to come.26   She opens her mouth with wisdom,    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.27   She looks well to the ways of her household    and does not eat the bread of idleness.28   Her children rise up and call her blessed;    her husband also, and he praises her:29   “Many women have done excellently,    but you surpass them all.”30   Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,    but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31   Give her of the fruit of her hands,    and let her works praise her in the gates. Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [3] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [4] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [5] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [6] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up [7] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [8] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [9] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away [10] 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [11] 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins [12] 31:21 Or in double thickness (ESV)

Rodney Terry and the Texas Longhorns added two players to the bench for the 2023-24 college basketball season, first a transfer from UCF in Ithiel Horton, and then a reclassification from 2024 wing Devon Pryor, who will now head to Austin for the upcoming campaign. With a full bench and key additions to the starting lineup in Kadin Shedrick and Max Abmas, are the Longhorns prepared to win the Big 12 in their final season before moving to the SEC? West Virginia has been in the news mostly for players departing the program, following the ongoing saga of Bob Huggins' employment in Morgantown, but interim head coach Josh Eilert struck a deal with Florida State transfer guard Jeremiah Bumbry to bring him to campus. Bembry medically redshirted last year and is a bit of a mystery, but could be a huge addition for the Mountaineers with four years of eligibility remaining. Finally, Xavier is without Jerome Hunter for the foreseeable future, leaving Sean Miller with a gaping hole on the wing. They are connected to WVU transfer Jose Perez, could they land him as a replacement? Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 

Rodney Terry and the Texas Longhorns added two players to the bench for the 2023-24 college basketball season, first a transfer from UCF in Ithiel Horton, and then a reclassification from 2024 wing Devon Pryor, who will now head to Austin for the upcoming campaign. With a full bench and key additions to the starting lineup in Kadin Shedrick and Max Abmas, are the Longhorns prepared to win the Big 12 in their final season before moving to the SEC?West Virginia has been in the news mostly for players departing the program, following the ongoing saga of Bob Huggins' employment in Morgantown, but interim head coach Josh Eilert struck a deal with Florida State transfer guard Jeremiah Bumbry to bring him to campus. Bembry medically redshirted last year and is a bit of a mystery, but could be a huge addition for the Mountaineers with four years of eligibility remaining.Finally, Xavier is without Jerome Hunter for the foreseeable future, leaving Sean Miller with a gaping hole on the wing. They are connected to WVU transfer Jose Perez, could they land him as a replacement?Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 

Dakyus Brinkley, a 4-star edge/defensive end from Katy, Texas, committed to the Kansas Jayhawks Football team for the class of 2024. Dak Brinkley becomes the highest graded recruit in the 247 Composite era (2010) to commit to Kansas from the high school level, and second highest since then. Lance Leipold, Jordan Peterson and the KU staff are cooking. What it means for the team, the class, what Brinkley brings scouting report wise, and how impressive a Brinkley and Deshawn Warner duo can be on the defensive line. Plus, Kansas Jayhawks basketball transfer target Ithiel Horton has opted not to visit Lawrence and instead commit to Big 12 foe Texas Longhorns, leaving Bill Self once again with a question of adding a 12th scholarship player. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Don't miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dakyus Brinkley, a 4-star edge/defensive end from Katy, Texas, committed to the Kansas Jayhawks Football team for the class of 2024. Dak Brinkley becomes the highest graded recruit in the 247 Composite era (2010) to commit to Kansas from the high school level, and second highest since then. Lance Leipold, Jordan Peterson and the KU staff are cooking. What it means for the team, the class, what Brinkley brings scouting report wise, and how impressive a Brinkley and Deshawn Warner duo can be on the defensive line. Plus, Kansas Jayhawks basketball transfer target Ithiel Horton has opted not to visit Lawrence and instead commit to Big 12 foe Texas Longhorns, leaving Bill Self once again with a question of adding a 12th scholarship player.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don't miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 "Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don't have a man's understanding. 3 I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know? 5 "Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don't you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. 7 "Two things I have asked of you. Don't deny me before I die. 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 10 "Don't slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11 There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 "The leech has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don't say, 'Enough!': 16 Sheol,* the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough!' 17 "The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it. 18 "There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I don't understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 "So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.' 21 "For three things the earth trembles, and under four, it can't bear up: 22 For a servant when he is king, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress. 24 "There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. 26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. 27 The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. 28 You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. 29 "There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going: 30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any; 31 the greyhound; the male goat; and the king against whom there is no rising up. 32 "If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife." Listen Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

Psalms and Wisdom: Proverbs 30–31:9 Proverbs 30–31:9 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those3 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.4  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,5 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.6 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. The Words of King Lemuel 31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: 2   What are you doing, my son?7 What are you doing, son of my womb?    What are you doing, son of my vows?3   Do not give your strength to women,    your ways to those who destroy kings.4   It is not for kings, O Lemuel,    it is not for kings to drink wine,    or for rulers to take strong drink,5   lest they drink and forget what has been decreed    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.6   Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,    and wine to those in bitter distress;87   let them drink and forget their poverty    and remember their misery no more.8   Open your mouth for the mute,    for the rights of all who are destitute.99   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [3] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [4] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [5] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [6] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up [7] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [8] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [9] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Deuteronomy 28:15–68 Deuteronomy 28:15–68 (Listen) Curses for Disobedience 15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. 16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. 20 “The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. 21 The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 22 The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought1 and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. 23 And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. 24 The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed. 25 “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away. 27 The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. 28 The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, 29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways.2 And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you. 30 You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall ravish her. You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit. 31 Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat any of it. Your donkey shall be seized before your face, but shall not be restored to you. Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, but there shall be no one to help you. 32 Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and fail with longing for them all day long, but you shall be helpless. 33 A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually, 34 so that you are driven mad by the sights that your eyes see. 35 The LORD will strike you on the knees and on the legs with grievous boils of which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head. 36 “The LORD will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone. 37 And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the LORD will lead you away. 38 You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it. 39 You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall eat them. 40 You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives shall drop off. 41 You shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours, for they shall go into captivity. 42 The cricket3 shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground. 43 The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. 45 “All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. 46 They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. 47 Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. 49 The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand, 50 a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young. 51 It shall eat the offspring of your cattle and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; it also shall not leave you grain, wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish. 52 “They shall besiege you in all your towns, until your high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout all your land. And they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land, which the LORD your God has given you. 53 And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you. 54 The man who is the most tender and refined among you will begrudge food to his brother, to the wife he embraces,4 and to the last of the children whom he has left, 55 so that he will not give to any of them any of the flesh of his children whom he is eating, because he has nothing else left, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in all your towns. 56 The most tender and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because she is so delicate and tender, will begrudge to the husband she embraces,5 to her son and to her daughter, 57 her afterbirth that comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears, because lacking everything she will eat them secretly, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in your towns. 58 “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God, 59 then the LORD will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. 60 And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. 61 Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the LORD will bring upon you, until you are destroyed. 62 Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God. 63 And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 64 “And the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. 65 And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the LORD will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. 66 Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. 67 In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!' and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!' because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see. 68 And the LORD will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.” Footnotes [1] 28:22 Or sword [2] 28:29 Or shall not succeed in finding your ways [3] 28:42 Identity uncertain [4] 28:54 Hebrew the wife of his bosom [5] 28:56 Hebrew the husband of her bosom (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Micah 5 Micah 5 (Listen) The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem 5   1 Now muster your troops, O daughter2 of troops;    siege is laid against us;  with a rod they strike the judge of Israel    on the cheek.2   3 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,  from you shall come forth for me    one who is to be ruler in Israel,  whose coming forth is from of old,    from ancient days.3   Therefore he shall give them up until the time    when she who is in labor has given birth;  then the rest of his brothers shall return    to the people of Israel.4   And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,    in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.  And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great    to the ends of the earth.5   And he shall be their peace.   When the Assyrian comes into our land    and treads in our palaces,  then we will raise against him seven shepherds    and eight princes of men;6   they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,    and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;  and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian    when he comes into our land    and treads within our border. A Remnant Shall Be Delivered 7   Then the remnant of Jacob shall be    in the midst of many peoples  like dew from the LORD,    like showers on the grass,  which delay not for a man    nor wait for the children of man.8   And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,    in the midst of many peoples,  like a lion among the beasts of the forest,    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,  which, when it goes through, treads down    and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.9   Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,    and all your enemies shall be cut off. 10   And in that day, declares the LORD,    I will cut off your horses from among you    and will destroy your chariots;11   and I will cut off the cities of your land    and throw down all your strongholds;12   and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,    and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;13   and I will cut off your carved images    and your pillars from among you,  and you shall bow down no more

Morning: Nehemiah 9–11 Nehemiah 9–11 (Listen) The People of Israel Confess Their Sin 9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites1 separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 2 6 “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; and you preserve all of them; 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 You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous. 9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 11 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them. 16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck 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 neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.3 But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden4 calf 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 to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. 22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. 26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back 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 hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And 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 hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand 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 delivered 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 rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of 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, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress. 5 38 “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of6 our princes, our Levites, and our priests. 7 The People Who Sealed the Covenant 10 “On the seals are the names of8 Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these are the priests. 9 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; 10 and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. 14 The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah. The Obligations of the Covenant 28 “The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 29 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and his rules and his statutes. 30 We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. 32 “We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel9 for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the showbread, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. 34 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law. 35 We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 36 also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; 37 and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. 38 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. 39 For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.” The Leaders in Jerusalem 11 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten10 remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. 3 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants. 4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men. 7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.11 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. 10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, 12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim. 15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,12 who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284. 19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172. 20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 21 But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants. 22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. 23 For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side13 in all matters concerning the people. Villages Outside Jerusalem 25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet, 27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, 28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, 29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, 32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin. Footnotes [1] 9:2 Hebrew the offspring of Israel [2] 9:5 Septuagint adds And Ezra said [3] 9:17 Some Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts and in their rebellion appointed a leader to return to their slavery [4] 9:18 Hebrew metal [5] 9:37 Ch 10:1 in Hebrew [6] 9:38 Hebrew lacks the names of [7] 9:38 Ch 10:2 in Hebrew [8] 10:1 Hebrew lacks the names of [9] 10:32 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [10] 11:1 Hebrew nine hands [11] 11:8 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928 [12] 11:17 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning [13] 11:24 Hebrew hand (ESV) Evening: Acts 4:1–22 Acts 4:1–22 (Listen) Peter and John Before the Council 4 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. 5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus1 is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.2 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men3 by which we must be saved.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. Footnotes [1] 4:11 Greek This one [2] 4:11 Greek the head of the corner [3] 4:12 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women (ESV)

Nehemiah 10–11 Nehemiah 10–11 (Listen) The People Who Sealed the Covenant 10 “On the seals are the names of1 Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these are the priests. 9 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; 10 and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. 14 The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah. The Obligations of the Covenant 28 “The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 29 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and his rules and his statutes. 30 We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. 32 “We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel2 for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the showbread, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. 34 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law. 35 We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 36 also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; 37 and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. 38 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. 39 For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.” The Leaders in Jerusalem 11 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten3 remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. 3 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants. 4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men. 7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.4 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. 10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, 12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim. 15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,5 who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284. 19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172. 20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 21 But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants. 22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. 23 For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side6 in all matters concerning the people. Villages Outside Jerusalem 25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet, 27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, 28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, 29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, 32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin. Footnotes [1] 10:1 Hebrew lacks the names of [2] 10:32 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [3] 11:1 Hebrew nine hands [4] 11:8 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928 [5] 11:17 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning [6] 11:24 Hebrew hand (ESV)

Proverbs 30–31 Proverbs 30–31 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those3 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.4  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,5 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.6 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. The Words of King Lemuel 31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: 2   What are you doing, my son?7 What are you doing, son of my womb?    What are you doing, son of my vows?3   Do not give your strength to women,    your ways to those who destroy kings.4   It is not for kings, O Lemuel,    it is not for kings to drink wine,    or for rulers to take strong drink,5   lest they drink and forget what has been decreed    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.6   Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,    and wine to those in bitter distress;87   let them drink and forget their poverty    and remember their misery no more.8   Open your mouth for the mute,    for the rights of all who are destitute.99   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. The Woman Who Fears the Lord 10   10 An excellent wife who can find?    She is far more precious than jewels.11   The heart of her husband trusts in her,    and he will have no lack of gain.12   She does him good, and not harm,    all the days of her life.13   She seeks wool and flax,    and works with willing hands.14   She is like the ships of the merchant;    she brings her food from afar.15   She rises while it is yet night    and provides food for her household    and portions for her maidens.16   She considers a field and buys it;    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.17   She dresses herself11 with strength    and makes her arms strong.18   She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.    Her lamp does not go out at night.19   She puts her hands to the distaff,    and her hands hold the spindle.20   She opens her hand to the poor    and reaches out her hands to the needy.21   She is not afraid of snow for her household,    for all her household are clothed in scarlet.1222   She makes bed coverings for herself;    her clothing is fine linen and purple.23   Her husband is known in the gates    when he sits among the elders of the land.24   She makes linen garments and sells them;    she delivers sashes to the merchant.25   Strength and dignity are her clothing,    and she laughs at the time to come.26   She opens her mouth with wisdom,    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.27   She looks well to the ways of her household    and does not eat the bread of idleness.28   Her children rise up and call her blessed;    her husband also, and he praises her:29   “Many women have done excellently,    but you surpass them all.”30   Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,    but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31   Give her of the fruit of her hands,    and let her works praise her in the gates. Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [3] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [4] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [5] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [6] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up [7] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [8] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [9] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away [10] 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [11] 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins [12] 31:21 Or in double thickness (ESV)

With family: Leviticus 16; Psalm 19 Leviticus 16 (Listen) The Day of Atonement 16 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, 2 and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.1 9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. 11 “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. 12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. 14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. 15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel. 20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. 23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. 24 And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26 And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. 28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves2 and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. 32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 33 He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron3 did as the LORD commanded Moses. Footnotes [1] 16:8 The meaning of Azazel is uncertain; possibly the name of a place or a demon, traditionally a scapegoat; also verses 10, 26 [2] 16:29 Or shall fast; also verse 31 [3] 16:34 Hebrew he (ESV) Psalm 19 (Listen) The Law of the Lord Is Perfect To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 19   The heavens declare the glory of God,    and the sky above1 proclaims his handiwork.2   Day to day pours out speech,    and night to night reveals knowledge.3   There is no speech, nor are there words,    whose voice is not heard.4   Their voice2 goes out through all the earth,    and their words to the end of the world.  In them he has set a tent for the sun,5     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.6   Its rising is from the end of the heavens,    and its circuit to the end of them,    and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 7   The law of the LORD is perfect,3    reviving the soul;  the testimony of the LORD is sure,    making wise the simple;8   the precepts of the LORD are right,    rejoicing the heart;  the commandment of the LORD is pure,    enlightening the eyes;9   the fear of the LORD is clean,    enduring forever;  the rules4 of the LORD are true,    and righteous altogether.10   More to be desired are they than gold,    even much fine gold;  sweeter also than honey    and drippings of the honeycomb.11   Moreover, by them is your servant warned;    in keeping them there is great reward. 12   Who can discern his errors?    Declare me innocent from hidden faults.13   Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;    let them not have dominion over me!  Then I shall be blameless,    and innocent of great transgression. 14   Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart    be acceptable in your sight,    O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Footnotes [1] 19:1 Hebrew the expanse; compare Genesis 1:6–8 [2] 19:4 Or Their measuring line [3] 19:7 Or blameless [4] 19:9 Or just decrees (ESV) In private: Proverbs 30; 1 Timothy 1 Proverbs 30 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those3 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.4  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,5 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.6 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [3] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [4] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [5] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [6] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up (ESV) 1 Timothy 1 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Warning Against False Teachers 3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship1 from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers,2 liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound3 doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners 12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.4 Amen. 18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. Footnotes [1] 1:4 Or good order [2] 1:10 That is, those who take someone captive in order to sell him into slavery [3] 1:10 Or healthy [4] 1:17 Greek to the ages of ages (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 85 Psalm 85 (Listen) Revive Us Again To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. 85   LORD, you were favorable to your land;    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.2   You forgave the iniquity of your people;    you covered all their sin. Selah3   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,    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 saints;    but let them not turn back to folly.9   Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,    that glory may dwell in our land. 10   Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;    righteousness and peace kiss each other.11   Faithfulness springs up from the ground,    and righteousness looks down from the sky.12   Yes, the LORD will give what is good,    and our land will yield its increase.13   Righteousness will go before him    and make his footsteps a way. (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Exodus 30–31 Exodus 30–31 (Listen) The Altar of Incense 30 “You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 A cubit1 shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. 4 And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.” The Census Tax 11 The LORD said to Moses, 12 “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. 13 Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel2 according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs),3 half a shekel as an offering to the LORD. 14 Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the LORD's offering. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the LORD's offering to make atonement for your lives. 16 You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the LORD, so as to make atonement for your lives.” The Bronze Basin 17 The LORD said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, 19 with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering4 to the LORD, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.” The Anointing Oil and Incense 22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, 24 and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin5 of olive oil. 25 And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 31 And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.'” 34 The LORD said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), 35 and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you. 37 And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the LORD. 38 Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.” Oholiab and Bezalel 31 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. 6 And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, 8 the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, 9 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, 10 and the finely worked garments,6 the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.” The Sabbath 12 And the LORD said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'” 18 And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. Footnotes [1] 30:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [2] 30:13 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [3] 30:13 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram [4] 30:20 Or an offering by fire [5] 30:24 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters [6] 31:10 Or garments for worship (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Nehemiah 11–12:26 Nehemiah 11–12:26 (Listen) The Leaders in Jerusalem 11 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten1 remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. 3 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants. 4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men. 7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.2 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. 10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, 12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim. 15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,3 who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284. 19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172. 20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 21 But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants. 22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. 23 For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side4 in all matters concerning the people. Villages Outside Jerusalem 25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet, 27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, 28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, 29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, 32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin. Priests and Levites 12 These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua. 8 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his brothers was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 9 And Bakbukiah and Unni and their brothers stood opposite them in the service. 10 And Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada, 11 Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua. 12 And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers' houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel. 22 In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites were recorded as heads of fathers' houses; so too were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 As for the sons of Levi, their heads of fathers' houses were written in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. 24 And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers who stood opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch by watch. 25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storehouses of the gates. 26 These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra, the priest and scribe. Footnotes [1] 11:1 Hebrew nine hands [2] 11:8 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928 [3] 11:17 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning [4] 11:24 Hebrew hand (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 1 Corinthians 3 1 Corinthians 3 (Listen) Divisions in the Church 3 But I, brothers,1 could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled2 master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you3 are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. 18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. Footnotes [1] 3:1 Or brothers and sisters [2] 3:10 Or wise [3] 3:16 The Greek for you is plural in verses 16 and 17 (ESV)

With family: Genesis 22; Matthew 21 Genesis 22 (Listen) The Sacrifice of Isaac 22 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy1 will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”;2 as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”3 15 And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his4 enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba. 20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. 24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah. Footnotes [1] 22:5 Or young man; also verse 12 [2] 22:14 Or will see [3] 22:14 Or he will be seen [4] 22:17 Or their (ESV) Matthew 21 (Listen) The Triumphal Entry 21 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5   “Say to the daughter of Zion,  ‘Behold, your king is coming to you,    humble, and mounted on a donkey,    on a colt,1 the foal of a beast of burden.'” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Jesus Cleanses the Temple 12 And Jesus entered the temple2 and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers.” 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,   “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies    you have prepared praise'?” 17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” The Authority of Jesus Challenged 23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?' 26 But if we say, ‘From man,' we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was 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 do these things. The Parable of the Two Sons 28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,' but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before 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 when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. The Parable of the Tenants 33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants3 to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.' 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:   “‘The stone that the builders rejected    has become the cornerstone;4  this was the Lord's doing,    and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”5 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. Footnotes [1] 21:5 Or donkey, and on a colt [2] 21:12 Some manuscripts add of God [3] 21:34 Or bondservants; also verses 35, 36 [4] 21:42 Greek the head of the corner [5] 21:44 Some manuscripts omit verse 44 (ESV) In private: Nehemiah 11; Acts 21 Nehemiah 11 (Listen) The Leaders in Jerusalem 11 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten1 remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. 3 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants. 4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men. 7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.2 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. 10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, 12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim. 15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,3 who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284. 19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172. 20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 21 But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants. 22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. 23 For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side4 in all matters concerning the people. Villages Outside Jerusalem 25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet, 27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, 28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, 29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, 32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin. Footnotes [1] 11:1 Hebrew nine hands [2] 11:8 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928 [3] 11:17 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning [4] 11:24 Hebrew hand (ESV) Acts 21 (Listen) Paul Goes to Jerusalem 21 And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.1 2 And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed 6 and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home. 7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers2 and stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews3 at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” 15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge. Paul Visits James 17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, 21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. 22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. 25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled,4 and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them. Paul Arrested in the Temple 27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. 31 And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. 35 And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, 36 for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!” Paul Speaks to the People 37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language,5 saying: Footnotes [1] 21:1 Some manuscripts add and Myra [2] 21:7 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 17 [3] 21:11 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time [4] 21:25 Some manuscripts omit and from what has been strangled [5] 21:40 Or the Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic) (ESV)

Old Testament: Hosea 1 Hosea 1 (Listen) 1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. Hosea's Wife and Children 2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And the LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” 6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, “Call her name No Mercy,1 for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.” 8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the LORD said, “Call his name Not My People,2 for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”3 10 4 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children5 of the living God.” 11 And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. Footnotes [1] 1:6 Hebrew Lo-ruhama, which means she has not received mercy [2] 1:9 Hebrew Lo-ammi, which means not my people [3] 1:9 Hebrew I am not yours [4] 1:10 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew [5] 1:10 Or Sons (ESV) New Testament: John 10:1–18 John 10:1–18 (Listen) I Am the Good Shepherd 10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 135 Psalm 135 (Listen) Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever 135   Praise the LORD!  Praise the name of the LORD,    give praise, O servants of the LORD,2   who stand in the house of the LORD,    in the courts of the house of our God!3   Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;    sing to his name, for it is pleasant!14   For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,    Israel as his own possession. 5   For I know that the LORD is great,    and that our Lord is above all gods.6   Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,    in heaven and on earth,    in the seas and all deeps.7   He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,    who makes lightnings for the rain    and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 8   He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,    both of man and of beast;9   who in your midst, O Egypt,    sent signs and wonders    against Pharaoh and all his servants;10   who struck down many nations    and killed mighty kings,11   Sihon, king of the Amorites,    and Og, king of Bashan,    and all the kingdoms of Canaan,12   and gave their land as a heritage,    a heritage to his people Israel. 13   Your name, O LORD, endures forever,    your renown,2 O LORD, throughout all ages.14   For the LORD will vindicate his people    and have compassion on his servants. 15   The idols of the nations are silver and gold,    the work of human hands.16   They have mouths, but do not speak;    they have eyes, but do not see;17   they have ears, but do not hear,    nor is there any breath in their mouths.18   Those who make them become like them,    so do all who trust in them. 19   O house of Israel, bless the LORD!    O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!20   O house of Levi, bless the LORD!    You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!21   Blessed be the LORD from Zion,    he who dwells in Jerusalem!  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 135:3 Or for he is beautiful [2] 135:13 Or remembrance (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 30:1–4 Proverbs 30:1–4 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal (ESV)

Proverbs 30:1–3 Proverbs 30:1–3 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal (ESV)

Dassler shoes was started by Adolf Dassler in 1924 in Germany, after he came home from World War I. His brother Rudolph joined him. They made athletic shoes and developed spikes to go on the bottom of the shoes. By 1936, they convinced Jesse Owens to wear their shoes on the way to his gold medals. Some of the American troops who liked the shoes during World War II helped spread the word. The brothers had a falling out soon after the war was over. Adolph founded Adidas while Rudolph created a rival shoe company called Puma. This was just in time for the advertising industry to convince people that if they bought athletic shoes that they would instantly be, er, athletic. The two companies became a part of an ad-driven identity that persists to this day. One most who buy the products advertised hardly understand themselves. A national identity involves concentric circles of understanding. The larger a nation, the more concentric circles and the harder it is to nail down exactly who has what identity. Part of this is that people spend less time thinking about who they are and more time being told who they should want to be like. Woven into the message of who a person should be is a bunch of products that a person has to buy to become the ideal. That's called advertising.  James White founded the first modern advertising agency called ‘R. F. White & Son' in Warwick Square, London in 1800. The industry evolved over the next hundred or so years as more plentiful supplies led to competition and so more of a need to advertise goods. Increasingly popular newspapers from better printing presses turned out a great place to advertise. The growth of industrialism meant there were plenty of goods and so competition between those who manufactured or trafficked those goods. The more efficient the machines of industry became, the more the advertising industry helped sell what the world might not yet know it needed. Many of those agencies settled into Madison Avenue in New York as balances of global power shifted and so by the end of World War II, Madison Avenue became a synonym for advertising. Many now-iconic brands were born in this era. Manufacturers and distributors weren't the only ones to use advertising. People put out ads to find loves in personals and by the 1950s advertising even began to find its way into politics. Iconic politicians could be created.  Dwight D Eisenhower served as the United States president from 1953 to 1961. He oversaw the liberation of Northern Africa in World War II, before he took command to plan the invasion of Normandy on D Day. He was almost universally held as a war hero in the United States. He had not held public office but the ad men of Madison Avenue were able to craft messages that put him into the White House. Messages like “I like Ike.” These were the early days of television and the early days of computers. A UNIVAC was able to predict that Eisenhower would defeat Adlai Stevenson in a landslide election in 1952. The country was not “Madly for Adlai” as his slogan went.  ENIAC had first been used in 1945. MIT Whirlwind was created in 1951, and the age of interactive computing was upon us. Not only could a computer predict who might win an election but new options in data processing allowed for more granular ways to analyze data. A young Senator named John F. Kennedy was heralded as a “new candidate for the 1960s.” Just a few years later Stephenson had lambasted Ike for using advertising, but this new generation was willing to let computers help build a platform - just as the advertisers were starting to use computers to help them figure out the best way to market a product. It turns out that words mattered. At the beginning of that 1960 election, many observed they couldn't tell much difference between the two candidates: Richard Nixon and John Kennedy. Kennedy's democrats were still largely factored between those who believed in philosophies dating back to the New Deal and segregationists. Ike presided over the early days of the post-World War II new world order. This new generation, like new generations before and since, was different. They seemed to embrace the new digital era. Someone like JFK wasn't punching cards and feeding them into a computer, writing algorithms, or out surveying people to collect that data. That was done by a company that was founded in 1959 called Simulmatics. Jill Lepore called them the What If men in her book called If/Then - a great read that goes further into the politics of the day. It's a fascinating read. The founder of the company was a Madison Avenue ad man named Ed Greenfield. He surrounded himself with a cast of characters that included people from John Hopkins University, MIT, Yale, and IBM.  Ithiel de Sola Pool had studied Nazi and Soviet propaganda during World War II. He picked up on work from Hungarian Frigyes Karinthy and with students ran Monte Carlo simulations on people's acquaintances to formulate what would later become The Small World Problem or the Six Degrees of Separation, a later inspiration for the social network of the same name and even later, for Facebook. The social sciences had become digital. Political science could then be used to get at the very issues that could separate Kennedy from Nixon. The People Machine as one called it was a computer simulation, thus the name of the company. It would analyze voting behaviors. The previous Democratic candidate Stevenson had long-winded, complex speeches. They analyzed the electorate and found that “I Like Ike” resonated with more people. It had, after all, been developed by the same ad man who came up with “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands” for M&Ms. They called the project Project Microscope. They recruited some of the best liberal minds in political science and computer science. They split the electorate into 480 groups. A big focus was how to win the African-American vote. Turns out Gallup polls didn't study that vote because Southern newspapers had blocked doing so. Civil rights, and race relations in general wasn't unlike a few other issues. There was anti-Catholic, anti-Jew, and anti-a lot. The Republicans were the party of Lincoln and had gotten a lot of votes over the last hundred years for that. But factions within the party had shifted. Loyalties were shifting. Kennedy was a Catholic but many had cautioned he should down-play that issue. The computer predicted civil rights and anti-Catholic bigotry would help him, which became Kennedy's platform. He stood for what was right but were they his positions or just what the nerds thought? He gained votes at the last minute. Turns out the other disenfranchised groups saw the bigotry against one group as akin to bigotry against their own; just like the computers thought they would. Kennedy became an anti-segregationist, as that would help win the Black vote in some large population centers. It was the most aggressive, or liberal, civil-rights plank the Democrats had ever taken up.  Civil rights are human rights. Catholic rights are as well. Kennedy offered the role of Vice President to Lyndon B Johnson, the Senate Majority Leader and was nominated to the Democratic candidate. Project Microscope from Simulmatics was hired in part to shore up Jewish and African-American votes. They said Kennedy should turn the fact that he was a Catholic into a strength. Use the fact he was Catholic to give up a few votes here and there in the South but pick up other votes. He also took the Simulmatics information as it came out of the IBM 704 mainframe to shore up his stance on other issues. That confidence helped him out-perform Nixon in televised debates. They used teletypes and even had the kids rooms converted into temporary data rooms. CBS predicted Nixon would win. Less than an hour later they predicted Kennedy would win. Kennedy won the popular vote by .1 percent of the country even after two recounts. The Black vote hat turned out big for Kennedy. News leaked about the work Simulmatics had done for Kennedy. Some knew that IBM had helped Hitler track Jews as has been written about in the book IBM and the Holocaust by Edwin Black. Others still had issues with advertising in campaigns and couldn't fathom computers. Despite Stalin's disgust for computers some compared the use of computers to Stalinistic propaganda. Yet it worked - even if in retrospect the findings were all things we could all take for granted. They weren't yet. The Kennedy campaign at first denied the “use of an electronic brain and yet their reports live on in the Kennedy Library. A movement against the use of the computer seemed to die after Kennedy was assassinated.  Books of fiction persisted, like The 480 from Eugene Burdick, which got its title from the number of groups Simulmatics used. The company went on to experiment with every potential market their computer simulation could be used in. The most obvious was the advertising industry. But many of those companies went on to buy their own computers. They already had what many now know is the most important aspect of any data analytics project: the data. Sometimes they had decades of buying data - and could start over on more modern computers. They worked with the Times to analyze election results in 1962, to try and catch newspapers up with television. The project was a failure and newspapers leaned into more commentary and longer-term analysis to remain a relevant supplier of news in a world of real-time television. They applied their brand of statistics to help simulate the economy of Venezuela in a project called Project Camelot, which LBJ later shot down.  Their most profitable venture became working with the defense department to do research in Vietnam. They collected data, analyzed data, punched data into cards, and fed it into computers. Pool was unabashedly pro-US and it's arguable that they saw what they wanted to see. So did the war planners in the pentagon, who followed Robert McNamara. McNamara had been one of the Quiz Kids who turned around the Ford Motor Company with a new brand of data-driven management to analyze trends in the car industry, shore up supply chains, and out-innovate the competition. He became the first president of the company who wasn't a Ford. His family had moved to the US from Ireland to flee the Great Irish Famine. Not many generations later he got an MBA from Harvard before he became a captain in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II primarily as an analyst. Henry Ford the second hired his whole group to help with the company.  As many in politics and the military learn, companies and nations are very different. They did well at first, reducing the emphasis on big nuclear first strike capabilities and developing other military capabilities. One of those was how to deal with guerrilla warfare and counterinsurgencies. That became critical in Vietnam, a war between the communist North Vietnamese and the South Vietnamese. The North was backed by North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union, the South backed by the United States, South Korea, Australia. Others got involved but those were the main parties. We can think of McNamara's use of computers to provide just in time provisioning of armed forces and move spending to where it could be most impactful, which slashed over $10 billion in military spending. As the Vietnam war intensified, statistically the number of troops killed by Americans vs American casualties made it look computationally like the was was being won. In hindsight we know it was not.  Under McNamara, ARPA hired Simulmatics to study the situation on the ground. They would merge computers, information warfare, psychological warfare, and social sciences. The Vietnamese that they interviewed didn't always tell them the truth. After all, maybe they were CIA agents. Many of the studies lacked true scholars as the war was unpopular back home. People who collected data weren't always skilled at the job. They spoke primarily with those they didn't get shot at as much while going to see. In general, the algorithms might have worked or might not have worked - but they had bad data. Yet Simulmatics sent reports that the operations were going well to McNamara. Many in the military would remember this as real capabilities at cyber warfare and information warfare were developed in the following decades. Back home, Simulmatics also became increasingly tied up in things Kennedy might have arguably fought against. There were riots, civil rights protests, and Simulatics took contracts to simulate racial riots. Some felt they could riot or go die in in the jungles of Vietnam. The era of predictive policing had begun as the hope of the early 1960s turned into the apathy of the late 1960s. Martin Luther King Jr spoke out again riot prediction, yet Simulmatics pushed on. Whether their insights were effective in many of the situations, just like in Vietnam - was dubious. They helped usher in the era of Surveillance capitalism, in a way. But the arrival of computers in ad agencies meant that if they hadn't of, someone else would have.  People didn't take kindly to being poked, prodded, and analyzed intellectually. Automation took jobs, which Kennedy had addressed in rhetoric if not in action. The war was deeply unpopular as American soldiers came home from a far off land in caskets. The link between Simulmatics and academia was known. Students protested against them and claimed they were war criminals. The psychological warfare abroad, being on the wrong side of history at home with the race riots, and the disintegrating military-industrial-university complex didn't help. There were technical issues. The technology had changed away from languages like FORTRAN. Further, the number of data points required and how they were processed required what we now call “Big Data” and “machine learning.” Those technologies showed promise early but more mathematics needed to be developed to fully weaponize the surveillance everything. More code and libraries needed to be developed to crunch the large amounts of statistics. More work needed to be done to get better data and process it. The computerization of the social sciences was just beginning and while people like Pool predicted the societal impacts we could expect, people at ARPA doubted the results and the company they created could not be saved as all these factors converged to put them into bankruptcy in 1970.  Their ideas and research lived on. Pool and others published some of their findings. Books opened the minds to the good and bad of what technology could do. The Southern politicians, or Dixiecrats, fell apart. Nixon embraced a new brand of conservatism as he lost the race to be the Governor of California to Pat Brown in 1962. There were charges of voter fraud from the 1960 election. The Mansfeld Amendment restricted military funding of basic research in 1969 and went into effect in 1970. Ike had warned of the growing links between universities as the creators of weapons of war like what Simulmatics signified and the amendment helped pull back funding for such exploits. As Lepore points out in her book, mid-century liberalism was dead. Nixon tapped into the silent majority who countered the counterculture of the 1960s. Crime rose and the conservatives became the party of law and order. He opened up relations with China, spun down the Vietnam war, negotiated with the Soviet leader Brezhnev to warm relations, and rolled back Johnson's attempts at what had been called The Great Society to get inflation back in check. Under him the incarceration rate in the United States exploded. His presidency ended with Watergate and under Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush, the personal computer became prolific and the internet, once an ARPA project began to take shape. They all used computers to find and weigh issues, thaw the Cold War, and build a new digitally-driven world order. The Clinton years saw an acceleration of the Internet and by the early 2000s companies like PayPal were on the rise. One of their founders was Peter Thiel. Peter Thiel founded Palantir in 2003 then invested in companies like Facebook with his PayPal money. Palantir received backing from In-Q-Tel “World-class, cutting-edge technologies for National Security”. In-Q-Tel was founded in 1999 as the global technological evolution began to explode. While the governments of the world had helped build the internet, it wasn't long before they realized it gave an asymmetrical advantage to newcomers. The more widely available the internet, the more far reaching attacks could go, the more subversive economic warfare could be. Governmental agencies like the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) needed more data and the long promised artificial intelligence technologies to comb through that data. Agencies then got together and launched their own venture capital fund, similar to those in the private sector - one called In-Q-Tel. Palantir has worked to develop software for the US Immigration and Customers Enforcement, or ICE, to investigate criminal activities and allegedly used data obtained from Cambridge Analytica along with Facebook data. The initial aim of the company was to take technology developed for PayPal's fraud detection and apply it to other areas like terrorism, with help from intelligence agencies. They help fight fraud for nations and have worked with the CIA, NSA, FBI, CDC, and various branches of the United States military on various software projects. Their Gotham project is the culmination of decades of predictive policing work.  There are dozens of other companies like Palantir. Just as Pool's work on Six Degrees of Separation, social networks made the amount of data that could be harvested all the greater. Companies use that data to sell products. Nations use that data for propaganda. Those who get elected to run nations use that data to find out what they need to say to be allowed to do so. The data is more accurate with every passing year. Few of the ideas are all that new, just better executed. The original sin mostly forgotten, we still have to struggle with the impact and ethical ramifications. Politics has always had a bit of a ruse in a rise to power. Now it's less about personal observation and more about the observations and analyses that can be gleaned from large troves of data. The issues brought up in books like The 480 are as poignant today as they were in the 1950s.

Old Testament: Proverbs 29–31 Proverbs 29–31 (Listen) 29   He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,    will suddenly be broken beyond healing.2   When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,    but when the wicked rule, the people groan.3   He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,    but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.4   By justice a king builds up the land,    but he who exacts gifts1 tears it down.5   A man who flatters his neighbor    spreads a net for his feet.6   An evil man is ensnared in his transgression,    but a righteous man sings and rejoices.7   A righteous man knows the rights of the poor;    a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.8   Scoffers set a city aflame,    but the wise turn away wrath.9   If a wise man has an argument with a fool,    the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.10   Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless    and seek the life of the upright.211   A fool gives full vent to his spirit,    but a wise man quietly holds it back.12   If a ruler listens to falsehood,    all his officials will be wicked.13   The poor man and the oppressor meet together;    the LORD gives light to the eyes of both.14   If a king faithfully judges the poor,    his throne will be established forever.15   The rod and reproof give wisdom,    but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.16   When the wicked increase, transgression increases,    but the righteous will look upon their downfall.17   Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;    he will give delight to your heart.18   Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,3    but blessed is he who keeps the law.19   By mere words a servant is not disciplined,    for though he understands, he will not respond.20   Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?    There is more hope for a fool than for him.21   Whoever pampers his servant from childhood    will in the end find him his heir.422   A man of wrath stirs up strife,    and one given to anger causes much transgression.23   One's pride will bring him low,    but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.24   The partner of a thief hates his own life;    he hears the curse, but discloses nothing.25   The fear of man lays a snare,    but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.26   Many seek the face of a ruler,    but it is from the LORD that a man gets justice.27   An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,    but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.5   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.62   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those7 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.8  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,9 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.10 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. The Words of King Lemuel 31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: 2   What are you doing, my son?11 What are you doing, son of my womb?    What are you doing, son of my vows?3   Do not give your strength to women,    your ways to those who destroy kings.4   It is not for kings, O Lemuel,    it is not for kings to drink wine,    or for rulers to take strong drink,5   lest they drink and forget what has been decreed    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.6   Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,    and wine to those in bitter distress;127   let them drink and forget their poverty    and remember their misery no more.8   Open your mouth for the mute,    for the rights of all who are destitute.139   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. The Woman Who Fears the Lord 10   14 An excellent wife who can find?    She is far more precious than jewels.11   The heart of her husband trusts in her,    and he will have no lack of gain.12   She does him good, and not harm,    all the days of her life.13   She seeks wool and flax,    and works with willing hands.14   She is like the ships of the merchant;    she brings her food from afar.15   She rises while it is yet night    and provides food for her household    and portions for her maidens.16   She considers a field and buys it;    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.17   She dresses herself15 with strength    and makes her arms strong.18   She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.    Her lamp does not go out at night.19   She puts her hands to the distaff,    and her hands hold the spindle.20   She opens her hand to the poor    and reaches out her hands to the needy.21   She is not afraid of snow for her household,    for all her household are clothed in scarlet.1622   She makes bed coverings for herself;    her clothing is fine linen and purple.23   Her husband is known in the gates    when he sits among the elders of the land.24   She makes linen garments and sells them;    she delivers sashes to the merchant.25   Strength and dignity are her clothing,    and she laughs at the time to come.26   She opens her mouth with wisdom,    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.27   She looks well to the ways of her household    and does not eat the bread of idleness.28   Her children rise up and call her blessed;    her husband also, and he praises her:29   “Many women have done excellently,    but you surpass them all.”30   Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,    but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31   Give her of the fruit of her hands,    and let her works praise her in the gates. Footnotes [1] 29:4 Or who taxes heavily [2] 29:10 Or but the upright seek his soul [3] 29:18 Or the people are discouraged [4] 29:21 The meaning of the Hebrew word rendered his heir is uncertain [5] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [6] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [7] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [8] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [9] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [10] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up [11] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [12] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [13] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away [14] 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [15] 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins [16] 31:21 Or in double thickness (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 75 Psalm 75 (Listen) God Will Judge with Equity To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. 75   We give thanks to you, O God;    we give thanks, for your name is near.  We1 recount your wondrous deeds. 2   “At the set time that I appoint    I will judge with equity.3   When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,    it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah4   I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,'    and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;5   do not lift up your horn on high,    or speak with haughty neck.'” 6   For not from the east or from the west

Morning: Proverbs 30–31 Proverbs 30–31 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those3 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.4  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,5 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.6 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. The Words of King Lemuel 31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: 2   What are you doing, my son?7 What are you doing, son of my womb?    What are you doing, son of my vows?3   Do not give your strength to women,    your ways to those who destroy kings.4   It is not for kings, O Lemuel,    it is not for kings to drink wine,    or for rulers to take strong drink,5   lest they drink and forget what has been decreed    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.6   Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,    and wine to those in bitter distress;87   let them drink and forget their poverty    and remember their misery no more.8   Open your mouth for the mute,    for the rights of all who are destitute.99   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. The Woman Who Fears the Lord 10   10 An excellent wife who can find?    She is far more precious than jewels.11   The heart of her husband trusts in her,    and he will have no lack of gain.12   She does him good, and not harm,    all the days of her life.13   She seeks wool and flax,    and works with willing hands.14   She is like the ships of the merchant;    she brings her food from afar.15   She rises while it is yet night    and provides food for her household    and portions for her maidens.16   She considers a field and buys it;    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.17   She dresses herself11 with strength    and makes her arms strong.18   She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.    Her lamp does not go out at night.19   She puts her hands to the distaff,    and her hands hold the spindle.20   She opens her hand to the poor    and reaches out her hands to the needy.21   She is not afraid of snow for her household,    for all her household are clothed in scarlet.1222   She makes bed coverings for herself;    her clothing is fine linen and purple.23   Her husband is known in the gates    when he sits among the elders of the land.24   She makes linen garments and sells them;    she delivers sashes to the merchant.25   Strength and dignity are her clothing,    and she laughs at the time to come.26   She opens her mouth with wisdom,    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.27   She looks well to the ways of her household    and does not eat the bread of idleness.28   Her children rise up and call her blessed;    her husband also, and he praises her:29   “Many women have done excellently,    but you surpass them all.”30   Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,    but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31   Give her of the fruit of her hands,    and let her works praise her in the gates. Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [3] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [4] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [5] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [6] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up [7] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [8] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [9] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away [10] 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [11] 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins [12] 31:21 Or in double thickness (ESV) Evening: 2 Corinthians 8 2 Corinthians 8 (Listen) Encouragement to Give Generously 8 We want you to know, brothers,1 about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor2 of taking part in the relief of the saints—5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you3—see that you excel in this act of grace also. 8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” Commendation of Titus 16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going4 to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending5 the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers6 of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men. Footnotes [1] 8:1 Or brothers and sisters [2] 8:4 The Greek word charis can mean favor or grace or thanks, depending on the context [3] 8:7 Some manuscripts in your love for us [4] 8:17 Or he went [5] 8:18 Or we sent; also verse 22 [6] 8:23 Greek apostles (ESV)

Old Testament: Nehemiah 11 Nehemiah 11 (Listen) The Leaders in Jerusalem 11 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten1 remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. 3 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants. 4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men. 7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.2 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. 10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, 12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim. 15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,3 who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284. 19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172. 20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 21 But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants. 22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. 23 For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side4 in all matters concerning the people. Villages Outside Jerusalem 25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet, 27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, 28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, 29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, 32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin. Footnotes [1] 11:1 Hebrew nine hands [2] 11:8 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928 [3] 11:17 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning [4] 11:24 Hebrew hand (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 38 Psalm 38 (Listen) Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering. 38   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,    nor discipline me in your wrath!2   For your arrows have sunk into me,    and your hand has come down on me. 3   There is no soundness in my flesh    because of your indignation;  there is no health in my bones    because of my sin.4   For my iniquities have gone over my head;    like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5   My wounds stink and fester    because of my foolishness,6   I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;    all the day I go about mourning.7   For my sides are filled with burning,    and there is no soundness in my flesh.8   I am feeble and crushed;    I groan because of the tumult of my heart. 9   O Lord, all my longing is before you;    my sighing is not hidden from you.10   My heart throbs; my strength fails me,    and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.11   My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,    and my nearest kin stand far off. 12   Those who seek my life lay their snares;    those who seek my hurt speak of ruin    and meditate treachery all day long. 13   But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,    like a mute man who does not open his mouth.14   I have become like a man who does not hear,    and in whose mouth are no rebukes. 15   But for you, O LORD, do I wait;    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.16   For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me,    who boast against me when my foot slips!” 17   For I am ready to fall,    and my pain is ever before me.18   I confess my iniquity;    I am sorry for my sin.19   But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,    and many are those who hate me wrongfully.20   Those who render me evil for good    accuse me because I follow after good. 21   Do not forsake me, O LORD!    O my God, be not far from me!22   Make haste to help me,    O Lord, my salvation! (ESV) New Testament: Luke 2 Luke 2 (Listen) The Birth of Jesus Christ 2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when1 Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,2 who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.3 The Shepherds and the Angels 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14   “Glory to God in the highest,    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”4 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Jesus Presented at the Temple 22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29   “Lord, now you are letting your servant5 depart in peace,    according to your word;30   for my eyes have seen your salvation31     that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,32   a light for revelation to the Gentiles,    and for glory to your people Israel.” 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.6 She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. The Return to Nazareth 39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. The Boy Jesus in the Temple 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents7 saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”8 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature9 and in favor with God and man. Footnotes [1] 2:2 Or This was the registration before [2] 2:5 That is, one legally pledged to be married [3] 2:7 Or guest room [4] 2:14 Some manuscripts peace, good will among men [5] 2:29 Or bondservant [6] 2:37 Or as a widow for eighty-four years [7] 2:48 Greek they [8] 2:49 Or about my Father's business [9] 2:52 Or years (ESV)

Proverbs 30–31 Proverbs 30–31 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those3 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.4  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,5 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.6 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. The Words of King Lemuel 31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: 2   What are you doing, my son?7 What are you doing, son of my womb?    What are you doing, son of my vows?3   Do not give your strength to women,    your ways to those who destroy kings.4   It is not for kings, O Lemuel,    it is not for kings to drink wine,    or for rulers to take strong drink,5   lest they drink and forget what has been decreed    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.6   Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,    and wine to those in bitter distress;87   let them drink and forget their poverty    and remember their misery no more.8   Open your mouth for the mute,    for the rights of all who are destitute.99   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. The Woman Who Fears the Lord 10   10 An excellent wife who can find?    She is far more precious than jewels.11   The heart of her husband trusts in her,    and he will have no lack of gain.12   She does him good, and not harm,    all the days of her life.13   She seeks wool and flax,    and works with willing hands.14   She is like the ships of the merchant;    she brings her food from afar.15   She rises while it is yet night    and provides food for her household    and portions for her maidens.16   She considers a field and buys it;    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.17   She dresses herself11 with strength    and makes her arms strong.18   She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.    Her lamp does not go out at night.19   She puts her hands to the distaff,    and her hands hold the spindle.20   She opens her hand to the poor    and reaches out her hands to the needy.21   She is not afraid of snow for her household,    for all her household are clothed in scarlet.1222   She makes bed coverings for herself;    her clothing is fine linen and purple.23   Her husband is known in the gates    when he sits among the elders of the land.24   She makes linen garments and sells them;    she delivers sashes to the merchant.25   Strength and dignity are her clothing,    and she laughs at the time to come.26   She opens her mouth with wisdom,    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.27   She looks well to the ways of her household    and does not eat the bread of idleness.28   Her children rise up and call her blessed;    her husband also, and he praises her:29   “Many women have done excellently,    but you surpass them all.”30   Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,    but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31   Give her of the fruit of her hands,    and let her works praise her in the gates. Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [3] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [4] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [5] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [6] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up [7] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [8] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [9] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away [10] 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [11] 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins [12] 31:21 Or in double thickness (ESV)

Morning: Nehemiah 9–11 Nehemiah 9–11 (Listen) The People of Israel Confess Their Sin 9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites1 separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 2 6 “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; and you preserve all of them; 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 You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous. 9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 11 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them. 16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck 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 neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.3 But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden4 calf 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 to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. 22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. 26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back 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 hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And 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 hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand 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 delivered 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 rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of 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, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress. 5 38 “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of6 our princes, our Levites, and our priests. 7 The People Who Sealed the Covenant 10 “On the seals are the names of8 Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these are the priests. 9 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; 10 and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. 14 The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah. The Obligations of the Covenant 28 “The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 29 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and his rules and his statutes. 30 We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. 32 “We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel9 for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the showbread, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. 34 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law. 35 We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 36 also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; 37 and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. 38 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. 39 For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.” The Leaders in Jerusalem 11 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten10 remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. 3 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants. 4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men. 7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.11 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. 10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, 12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim. 15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,12 who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284. 19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172. 20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 21 But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants. 22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. 23 For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side13 in all matters concerning the people. Villages Outside Jerusalem 25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet, 27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, 28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, 29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, 32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin. Footnotes [1] 9:2 Hebrew the offspring of Israel [2] 9:5 Septuagint adds And Ezra said [3] 9:17 Some Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts and in their rebellion appointed a leader to return to their slavery [4] 9:18 Hebrew metal [5] 9:37 Ch 10:1 in Hebrew [6] 9:38 Hebrew lacks the names of [7] 9:38 Ch 10:2 in Hebrew [8] 10:1 Hebrew lacks the names of [9] 10:32 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [10] 11:1 Hebrew nine hands [11] 11:8 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928 [12] 11:17 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning [13] 11:24 Hebrew hand (ESV) Evening: Acts 4:1–22 Acts 4:1–22 (Listen) Peter and John Before the Council 4 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. 5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus1 is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.2 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men3 by which we must be saved.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. Footnotes [1] 4:11 Greek This one [2] 4:11 Greek the head of the corner [3] 4:12 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women (ESV)

With family: Leviticus 16; Psalm 19 Leviticus 16 (Listen) The Day of Atonement 16 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, 2 and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.1 9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. 11 “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. 12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. 14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. 15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel. 20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. 23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. 24 And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26 And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. 28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves2 and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. 32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 33 He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron3 did as the LORD commanded Moses. Footnotes [1] 16:8 The meaning of Azazel is uncertain; possibly the name of a place or a demon, traditionally a scapegoat; also verses 10, 26 [2] 16:29 Or shall fast; also verse 31 [3] 16:34 Hebrew he (ESV) Psalm 19 (Listen) The Law of the Lord Is Perfect To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 19   The heavens declare the glory of God,    and the sky above1 proclaims his handiwork.2   Day to day pours out speech,    and night to night reveals knowledge.3   There is no speech, nor are there words,    whose voice is not heard.4   Their voice2 goes out through all the earth,    and their words to the end of the world.  In them he has set a tent for the sun,5     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.6   Its rising is from the end of the heavens,    and its circuit to the end of them,    and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 7   The law of the LORD is perfect,3    reviving the soul;  the testimony of the LORD is sure,    making wise the simple;8   the precepts of the LORD are right,    rejoicing the heart;  the commandment of the LORD is pure,    enlightening the eyes;9   the fear of the LORD is clean,    enduring forever;  the rules4 of the LORD are true,    and righteous altogether.10   More to be desired are they than gold,    even much fine gold;  sweeter also than honey    and drippings of the honeycomb.11   Moreover, by them is your servant warned;    in keeping them there is great reward. 12   Who can discern his errors?    Declare me innocent from hidden faults.13   Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;    let them not have dominion over me!  Then I shall be blameless,    and innocent of great transgression. 14   Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart    be acceptable in your sight,    O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Footnotes [1] 19:1 Hebrew the expanse; compare Genesis 1:6–8 [2] 19:4 Or Their measuring line [3] 19:7 Or blameless [4] 19:9 Or just decrees (ESV) In private: Proverbs 30; 1 Timothy 1 Proverbs 30 (Listen) The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1   The man declares, I am weary, O God;    I am weary, O God, and worn out.22   Surely I am too stupid to be a man.    I have not the understanding of a man.3   I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.4   Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son's name?    Surely you know! 5   Every word of God proves true;    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6   Do not add to his words,    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7   Two things I ask of you;    deny them not to me before I die:8   Remove far from me falsehood and lying;    give me neither poverty nor riches;    feed me with the food that is needful for me,9   lest I be full and deny you    and say, “Who is the LORD?”  or lest I be poor and steal    and profane the name of my God. 10   Do not slander a servant to his master,    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11   There are those3 who curse their fathers    and do not bless their mothers.12   There are those who are clean in their own eyes    but are not washed of their filth.13   There are those—how lofty are their eyes,    how high their eyelids lift!14   There are those whose teeth are swords,    whose fangs are knives,  to devour the poor from off the earth,    the needy from among mankind. 15   The leech has two daughters:    Give and Give.4  Three things are never satisfied;    four never say, “Enough”:16   Sheol, the barren womb,    the land never satisfied with water,    and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17   The eye that mocks a father    and scorns to obey a mother  will be picked out by the ravens of the valley    and eaten by the vultures. 18   Three things are too wonderful for me;    four I do not understand:19   the way of an eagle in the sky,    the way of a serpent on a rock,  the way of a ship on the high seas,    and the way of a man with a virgin. 20   This is the way of an adulteress:    she eats and wipes her mouth    and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21   Under three things the earth trembles;    under four it cannot bear up:22   a slave when he becomes king,    and a fool when he is filled with food;23   an unloved woman when she gets a husband,    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24   Four things on earth are small,    but they are exceedingly wise:25   the ants are a people not strong,    yet they provide their food in the summer;26   the rock badgers are a people not mighty,    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;27   the locusts have no king,    yet all of them march in rank;28   the lizard you can take in your hands,    yet it is in kings' palaces. 29   Three things are stately in their tread;    four are stately in their stride:30   the lion, which is mightiest among beasts    and does not turn back before any;31   the strutting rooster,5 the he-goat,    and a king whose army is with him.6 32   If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,    or if you have been devising evil,    put your hand on your mouth.33   For pressing milk produces curds,    pressing the nose produces blood,    and pressing anger produces strife. Footnotes [1] 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa [2] 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [3] 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 [4] 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry [5] 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins [6] 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up (ESV) 1 Timothy 1 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Warning Against False Teachers 3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship1 from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers,2 liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound3 doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners 12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.4 Amen. 18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. Footnotes [1] 1:4 Or good order [2] 1:10 That is, those who take someone captive in order to sell him into slavery [3] 1:10 Or healthy [4] 1:17 Greek to the ages of ages (ESV)