Podcast appearances and mentions of king rejoices

The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 1O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! 2You have given him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 3For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 4He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. 5His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. 6For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. 7For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you. 9You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. 10You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man. 11Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. 12For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

❖ Today's Bible reading is Psalm 21: www.ESV.org/Psalm21 ❖ To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional: www.crossway.org/books/in-the-lord-i-take-refuge-hcj/ ❖ Browse other resources from Dane Ortlund: www.crossway.org/authors/dane-c-ortlund/

Christmas First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 23; Psalm 27 Psalm 23 (Listen) The Lord Is My Shepherd A Psalm of David. 23   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.13     He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness2    for his name's sake. 4   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,3    I will fear no evil,  for you are with me;    your rod and your staff,    they comfort me. 5   You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies;  you anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.6   Surely4 goodness and mercy5 shall follow me    all the days of my life,  and I shall dwell6 in the house of the LORD    forever.7 Footnotes [1] 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest [2] 23:3 Or in right paths [3] 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness [4] 23:6 Or Only [5] 23:6 Or steadfast love [6] 23:6 Or shall return to dwell [7] 23:6 Hebrew for length of days (ESV) Psalm 27 (Listen) The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation Of David. 27   The LORD is my light and my salvation;    whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold1 of my life;    of whom shall I be afraid? 2   When evildoers assail me    to eat up my flesh,  my adversaries and foes,    it is they who stumble and fall. 3   Though an army encamp against me,    my heart shall not fear;  though war arise against me,    yet2 I will be confident. 4   One thing have I asked of the LORD,    that will I seek after:  that I may dwell in the house of the LORD    all the days of my life,  to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD    and to inquire3 in his temple. 5   For he will hide me in his shelter    in the day of trouble;  he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;    he will lift me high upon a rock. 6   And now my head shall be lifted up    above my enemies all around me,  and I will offer in his tent    sacrifices with shouts of joy;  I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 7   Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;    be gracious to me and answer me!8   You have said, “Seek4 my face.”  My heart says to you,    “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”59     Hide not your face from me.  Turn not your servant away in anger,    O you who have been my help.  Cast me not off; forsake me not,    O God of my salvation!10   For my father and my mother have forsaken me,    but the LORD will take me in. 11   Teach me your way, O LORD,    and lead me on a level path    because of my enemies.12   Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;    for false witnesses have risen against me,    and they breathe out violence. 13   I believe that I shall look6 upon the goodness of the LORD    in the land of the living!14   Wait for the LORD;    be strong, and let your heart take courage;    wait for the LORD! Footnotes [1] 27:1 Or refuge [2] 27:3 Or in this [3] 27:4 Or meditate [4] 27:8 The command (seek) is addressed to more than one person [5] 27:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain [6] 27:13 Other Hebrew manuscripts Oh! Had I not believed that I would look (ESV) Old Testament: 1 Kings 17:17–24 1 Kings 17:17–24 (Listen) Elijah Raises the Widow's Son 17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. 20 And he cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child's life1 come into him again.” 22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” 24 And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.” Footnotes [1] 17:21 Or soul; also verse 22 (ESV) New Testament: 3 John 3 John (Listen) Greeting 1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers1 came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Support and Opposition 5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. 9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. 11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. Final Greetings 13 I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. 15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name. Footnotes [1] 1:3 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 10 (ESV) Gospel: John 4:46–54 John 4:46–54 (Listen) Jesus Heals an Official's Son 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you1 see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants2 met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour3 the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. Footnotes [1] 4:48 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse [2] 4:51 Or bondservants [3] 4:52 That is, at 1 p.m. (ESV)

1 Advent First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: Amos 5:18–27 Amos 5:18–27 (Listen) Let Justice Roll Down 18   Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!    Why would you have the day of the LORD?  It is darkness, and not light,19     as if a man fled from a lion,    and a bear met him,  or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,    and a serpent bit him.20   Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,    and gloom with no brightness in it? 21   “I hate, I despise your feasts,    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.22   Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,    I will not accept them;  and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,    I will not look upon them.23   Take away from me the noise of your songs;    to the melody of your harps I will not listen.24   But let justice roll down like waters,    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. 25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts. (ESV) New Testament: Jude 17–25 Jude 17–25 (Listen) A Call to Persevere 17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They1 said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment2 stained by the flesh. Doxology 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time3 and now and forever. Amen. Footnotes [1] 1:18 Or Christ, because they [2] 1:23 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin [3] 1:25 Or before any age (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 22:15–22 Matthew 22:15–22 (Listen) Paying Taxes to Caesar 15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.1 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.2 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. Footnotes [1] 22:16 Greek for you do not look at people's faces [2] 22:19 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer (ESV)

Proper 23 First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: 2 Kings 25:8–12; 2 Kings 25:22–26 2 Kings 25:8–12 (Listen) 8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And he burned the house of the LORD and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen. (ESV) 2 Kings 25:22–26 (Listen) Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah 22 And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. 23 Now when all the captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite. 24 And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” 25 But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans. (ESV) New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15:12–29 1 Corinthians 15:12–29 (Listen) The Resurrection of the Dead 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope1 in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God2 has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. 29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? Footnotes [1] 15:19 Or we have hoped [2] 15:27 Greek he (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 11:7–15 Matthew 11:7–15 (Listen) 7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man1 dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet?2 Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,   “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,    who will prepare your way before you.' 11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,3 and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear,4 let him hear. Footnotes [1] 11:8 Or Why then did you go out? To see a man . . . [2] 11:9 Some manuscripts Why then did you go out? To see a prophet? [3] 11:12 Or has been coming violently [4] 11:15 Some manuscripts omit to hear (ESV)

Psalms 21–25 Psalms 21–25 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Why Have You Forsaken Me? To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. 22   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?2   O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,    and by night, but I find no rest. 3   Yet you are holy,    enthroned on the praises2 of Israel.4   In you our fathers trusted;    they trusted, and you delivered them.5   To you they cried and were rescued;    in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6   But I am a worm and not a man,    scorned by mankind and despised by the people.7   All who see me mock me;    they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;8   “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9   Yet you are he who took me from the womb;    you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.10   On you was I cast from my birth,    and from my mother's womb you have been my God.11   Be not far from me,    for trouble is near,    and there is none to help. 12   Many bulls encompass me;    strong bulls of Bashan surround me;13   they open wide their mouths at me,    like a ravening and roaring lion. 14   I am poured out like water,    and all my bones are out of joint;  my heart is like wax;    it is melted within my breast;15   my strength is dried up like a potsherd,    and my tongue sticks to my jaws;    you lay me in the dust of death. 16   For dogs encompass me;    a company of evildoers encircles me;  they have pierced my hands and feet3—17   I can count all my bones—  they stare and gloat over me;18   they divide my garments among them,    and for my clothing they cast lots. 19   But you, O LORD, do not be far off!    O you my help, come quickly to my aid!20   Deliver my soul from the sword,    my precious life from the power of the dog!21     Save me from the mouth of the lion!  You have rescued4 me from the horns of the wild oxen! 22   I will tell of your name to my brothers;    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:23   You who fear the LORD, praise him!    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,    and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!24   For he has not despised or abhorred    the affliction of the afflicted,  and he has not hidden his face from him,    but has heard, when he cried to him. 25   From you comes my praise in the great congregation;    my vows I will perform before those who fear him.26   The afflicted5 shall eat and be satisfied;    those who seek him shall praise the LORD!    May your hearts live forever! 27   All the ends of the earth shall remember    and turn to the LORD,  and all the families of the nations    shall worship before you.28   For kingship belongs to the LORD,    and he rules over the nations. 29   All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,    even the one who could not keep himself alive.30   Posterity shall serve him;    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;31   they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,    that he has done it. The Lord Is My Shepherd A Psalm of David. 23   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.63     He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness7    for his name's sake. 4   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,8    I will fear no evil,  for you are with me;    your rod and your staff,    they comfort me. 5   You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies;  you anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.6   Surely9 goodness and mercy10 shall follow me    all the days of my life,  and I shall dwell11 in the house of the LORD    forever.12 The King of Glory A Psalm of David. 24   The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,13    the world and those who dwell therein,2   for he has founded it upon the seas    and established it upon the rivers. 3   Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?    And who shall stand in his holy place?4   He who has clean hands and a pure heart,    who does not lift up his soul to what is false    and does not swear deceitfully.5   He will receive blessing from the LORD    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.6   Such is the generation of those who seek him,    who seek the face of the God of Jacob.14 Selah 7   Lift up your heads, O gates!    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.8   Who is this King of glory?    The LORD, strong and mighty,    the LORD, mighty in battle!9   Lift up your heads, O gates!    And lift them up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.10   Who is this King of glory?    The LORD of hosts,    he is the King of glory! Selah Teach Me Your Paths 15 Of David. 25   To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.2   O my God, in you I trust;    let me not be put to shame;    let not my enemies exult over me.3   Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4   Make me to know your ways, O LORD;    teach me your paths.5   Lead me in your truth and teach me,    for you are the God of my salvation;    for you I wait all the day long. 6   Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,    for they have been from of old.7   Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;    according to your steadfast love remember me,    for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! 8   Good and upright is the LORD;    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9   He leads the humble in what is right,    and teaches the humble his way.10   All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11   For your name's sake, O LORD,    pardon my guilt, for it is great.12   Who is the man who fears the LORD?    Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.13   His soul shall abide in well-being,    and his offspring shall inherit the land.14   The friendship16 of the LORD is for those who fear him,    and he makes known to them his covenant.15   My eyes are ever toward the LORD,    for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16   Turn to me and be gracious to me,    for I am lonely and afflicted.17   The troubles of my heart are enlarged;    bring me out of my distresses.18   Consider my affliction and my trouble,    and forgive all my sins. 19   Consider how many are my foes,    and with what violent hatred they hate me.20   Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.21   May integrity and uprightness preserve me,    for I wait for you. 22   Redeem Israel, O God,    out of all his troubles. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever [2] 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises [3] 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet [4] 22:21 Hebrew answered [5] 22:26 Or The meek [6] 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest [7] 23:3 Or in right paths [8] 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness [9] 23:6 Or Only [10] 23:6 Or steadfast love [11] 23:6 Or shall return to dwell [12] 23:6 Hebrew for length of days [13] 24:1 Or and all that fills it [14] 24:6 Septuagint, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; Masoretic Text who seek your face, Jacob [15] 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [16] 25:14 Or The secret counsel (ESV)

Proper 16 First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: 1 Kings 7:51–8:21 1 Kings 7:51–8:21 (Listen) 51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the LORD was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD. The Ark Brought into the Temple 8 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. Solomon Blesses the Lord 12 Then Solomon said, “The LORD1 has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. 13 I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.” 14 Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. 15 And he said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying, 16 ‘Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there. But I chose David to be over my people Israel.' 17 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.' 20 Now the LORD has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and I have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 21 And there I have provided a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.” Footnotes [1] 8:12 Septuagint The Lord has set the sun in the heavens, but (ESV) New Testament: Acts 28:17–31 Acts 28:17–31 (Listen) Paul in Rome 17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26   “‘Go to this people, and say,  “You will indeed hear but never understand,    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”27   For this people's heart has grown dull,    and with their ears they can barely hear,    and their eyes they have closed;  lest they should see with their eyes    and hear with their ears  and understand with their heart    and turn, and I would heal them.' 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”1 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense,2 and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. Footnotes [1] 28:28 Some manuscripts add verse 29: And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, having much dispute among themselves [2] 28:30 Or in his own hired dwelling (ESV) Gospel: Mark 14:43–52 Mark 14:43–52 (Listen) Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus 43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 45 And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 46 And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant1 of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” 50 And they all left him and fled. A Young Man Flees 51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. Footnotes [1] 14:47 Or bondservant (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Samuel 9–10:16 1 Samuel 9–10:16 (Listen) Saul Chosen to Be King 9 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. 3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” 4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them. 5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant1 who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 6 But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” 7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” 8 The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel2 of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today's “prophet” was formerly called a seer.) 10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.” 14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place. 15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince3 over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen4 my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.” 18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 19 Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. 20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?” 21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?” 22 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.'” 24 So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.”5 So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep.6 26 Then at the break of dawn7 Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. 27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.” Saul Anointed King 10 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince8 over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince9 over his heritage. 2 When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”' 3 Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. 5 After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim,10 where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 8 Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.” 9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 10 When they came to Gibeah,11 behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place. 14 Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 And Saul's uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything. Footnotes [1] 9:5 Hebrew young man; also verses 7, 8, 10, 27 [2] 9:8 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [3] 9:16 Or leader [4] 9:16 Septuagint adds the affliction of [5] 9:24 Hebrew appointed, saying, ‘I have invited the people' [6] 9:25 Septuagint; Hebrew city, he spoke with Saul on the roof [7] 9:26 Septuagint; Hebrew And they arose early, and at the break of dawn [8] 10:1 Or leader [9] 10:1 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks over his people Israel? And you shall. . . . to be prince [10] 10:5 Gibeath-elohim means the hill of God [11] 10:10 Gibeah means the hill (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Lamentations 1 Lamentations 1 (Listen) How Lonely Sits the City 1   How lonely sits the city    that was full of people!  How like a widow has she become,    she who was great among the nations!  She who was a princess among the provinces    has become a slave. 2   She weeps bitterly in the night,    with tears on her cheeks;  among all her lovers    she has none to comfort her;  all her friends have dealt treacherously with her;    they have become her enemies. 3   Judah has gone into exile because of affliction1    and hard servitude;  she dwells now among the nations,    but finds no resting place;  her pursuers have all overtaken her    in the midst of her distress.2 4   The roads to Zion mourn,    for none come to the festival;  all her gates are desolate;    her priests groan;  her virgins have been afflicted,3    and she herself suffers bitterly. 5   Her foes have become the head;    her enemies prosper,  because the LORD has afflicted her    for the multitude of her transgressions;  her children have gone away,    captives before the foe. 6   From the daughter of Zion    all her majesty has departed.  Her princes have become like deer    that find no pasture;  they fled without strength    before the pursuer. 7   Jerusalem remembers    in the days of her affliction and wandering  all the precious things    that were hers from days of old.  When her people fell into the hand of the foe,    and there was none to help her,  her foes gloated over her;    they mocked at her downfall. 8   Jerusalem sinned grievously;    therefore she became filthy;  all who honored her despise her,    for they have seen her nakedness;  she herself groans    and turns her face away. 9   Her uncleanness was in her skirts;    she took no thought of her future;4  therefore her fall is terrible;    she has no comforter.  “O LORD, behold my affliction,    for the enemy has triumphed!” 10   The enemy has stretched out his hands    over all her precious things;  for she has seen the nations    enter her sanctuary,  those whom you forbade    to enter your congregation. 11   All her people groan    as they search for bread;  they trade their treasures for food    to revive their strength.  “Look, O LORD, and see,    for I am despised.” 12   “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?    Look and see  if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,    which was brought upon me,  which the LORD inflicted    on the day of his fierce anger. 13   “From on high he sent fire;    into my bones5 he made it descend;  he spread a net for my feet;    he turned me back;  he has left me stunned,    faint all the day long. 14   “My transgressions were bound6 into a yoke;    by his hand they were fastened together;  they were set upon my neck;    he caused my strength to fail;  the Lord gave me into the hands    of those whom I cannot withstand. 15   “The Lord rejected    all my mighty men in my midst;  he summoned an assembly against me    to crush my young men;  the Lord has trodden as in a winepress    the virgin daughter of Judah. 16   “For these things I weep;    my eyes flow with tears;  for a comforter is far from me,    one to revive my spirit;  my children are desolate,    for the enemy has prevailed.” 17   Zion stretches out her hands,    but there is none to comfort her;  the LORD has commanded against Jacob    that his neighbors should be his foes;  Jerusalem has become    a filthy thing among them. 18   “The LORD is in the right,    for I have rebelled against his word;  but hear, all you peoples,    and see my suffering;  my young women and my young men    have gone into captivity. 19   “I called to my lovers,    but they deceived me;  my priests and elders    perished in the city,  while they sought food    to revive their strength. 20   “Look, O LORD, for I am in distress;    my stomach churns;  my heart is wrung within me,    because I have been very rebellious.  In the street the sword bereaves;    in the house it is like death. 21   “They heard7 my groaning,    yet there is no one to comfort me.  All my enemies have heard of my trouble;    they are glad that you have done it.  You have brought8 the day you announced;    now let them be as I am. 22   “Let all their evildoing come before you,    and deal with them  as you have dealt with me    because of all my transgressions;  for my groans are many,    and my heart is faint.” Footnotes [1] 1:3 Or under affliction [2] 1:3 Or in the narrow passes [3] 1:4 Septuagint, Old Latin dragged away [4] 1:9 Or end [5] 1:13 Septuagint; Hebrew bones and [6] 1:14 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [7] 1:21 Septuagint, Syriac Hear [8] 1:21 Syriac Bring (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 (Listen) 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Submission to Authority 13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,

With family: 1 Samuel 7–8; Romans 6 1 Samuel 7–8 (Listen) 7 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. Samuel Judges Israel 3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. 5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the LORD and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen1 and called its name Ebenezer;2 for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. 15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the LORD. Israel Demands a King 8 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” Samuel's Warning Against Kings 10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men3 and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” The Lord Grants Israel's Request 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.” Footnotes [1] 7:12 Hebrew; Septuagint, Syriac Jeshanah [2] 7:12 Ebenezer means stone of help [3] 8:16 Septuagint cattle (ESV) Romans 6 (Listen) Dead to Sin, Alive to God 6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self1 was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free2 from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Slaves to Righteousness 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,3 you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Footnotes [1] 6:6 Greek man [2] 6:7 Greek has been justified [3] 6:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; twice in this verse; also verses 17, 19 (twice), 20 (ESV) In private: Psalms 20–21; Jeremiah 44 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Jeremiah 44 (Listen) Judgment for Idolatry 44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah. Behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of the evil that they committed, provoking me to anger, in that they went to make offerings and serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. 4 Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!' 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods. 6 Therefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became a waste and a desolation, as at this day. 7 And now thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant? 8 Why do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, making offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live, so that you may be cut off and become a curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the evil of your fathers, the evil of the kings of Judah, the evil of their1 wives, your own evil, and the evil of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not humbled themselves even to this day, nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers. 11 “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for harm, to cut off all Judah. 12 I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to come to the land of Egypt to live, and they shall all be consumed. In the land of Egypt they shall fall; by the sword and by famine they shall be consumed. From the least to the greatest, they shall die by the sword and by famine, and they shall become an oath, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. 13 I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return to dwell there. For they shall not return, except some fugitives.” 15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you. 17 But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18 But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” 19 And the women said,2 “When we made offerings to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands' approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?” 20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, men and women, all the people who had given him this answer: 21 “As for the offerings that you offered in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your officials, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them? Did it not come into his mind? 22 The LORD could no longer bear your evil deeds and the abominations that you committed. Therefore your land has become a desolation and a waste and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day. 23 It is because you made offerings and because you sinned against the LORD and did not obey the voice of the LORD or walk in his law and in his statutes and in his testimonies that this disaster has happened to you, as at this day.” 24 Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have declared with your mouths, and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made, to make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.' Then confirm your vows and perform your vows! 26 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord GOD lives.' 27 Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them. 28 And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs. 29 This shall be the sign to you, declares the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, in order that you may know that my words will surely stand against you for harm: 30 Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and sought his life.” Footnotes [1] 44:9 Hebrew his [2] 44:19 Compare Syriac; Hebrew lacks And the women said (ESV)

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 16–18 2 Chronicles 16–18 (Listen) Asa's Last Years 16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “There is a covenant1 between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah. 7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless2 toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time. 11 The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. 13 And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art, and they made a very great fire in his honor. Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah 17 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. 3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. 7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the LORD with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. 10 And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. 12 And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, 13 and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. 14 This was the muster of them by fathers' houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 mighty men of valor; 15 and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000; 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the LORD, with 200,000 mighty men of valor. 17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield; 18 and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war. 19 These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah. Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab 18 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. 2 After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.” 4 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.” 5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?” 7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 8 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.'” 11 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” 12 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” 14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” 15 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” 16 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'” 17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 18 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another. 20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.' And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?' 21 And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.' 22 Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The LORD has declared disaster concerning you.” 23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?” 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 25 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, 26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.'” 27 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!” The Defeat and Death of Ahab 28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; God drew them away from him. 32 For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 But a certain man drew his bow at random3 and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 34 And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died. Footnotes [1] 16:3 Or treaty; twice in this verse [2] 16:9 Or whole [3] 18:33 Hebrew in his innocence (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) New Testament: Matthew 26 Matthew 26 (Listen) The Plot to Kill Jesus 26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” Jesus Anointed at Bethany 6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,1 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” Judas to Betray Jesus 14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. The Passover with the Disciples 17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.2 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” Institution of the Lord's Supper 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the3 covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. Jesus Prays in Gethsemane 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch4 with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.5 See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus 47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.”6 Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant7 of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council 57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council8 were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”9 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” Peter Denies Jesus 69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. Footnotes [1] 26:6 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 [2] 26:20 Some manuscripts add disciples [3] 26:28 Some manuscripts insert new [4] 26:38 Or keep awake; also verses 40, 41 [5] 26:45 Or Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? [6] 26:50 Or Friend, why are you here? [7] 26:51 Or bondservant [8] 26:59 Greek Sanhedrin [9] 26:62 Or Have you no answer to what these men testify against you? (ESV)

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 16–18 2 Chronicles 16–18 (Listen) Asa's Last Years 16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “There is a covenant1 between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah. 7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless2 toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time. 11 The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. 13 And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art, and they made a very great fire in his honor. Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah 17 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. 3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. 7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the LORD with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. 10 And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. 12 And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, 13 and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. 14 This was the muster of them by fathers' houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 mighty men of valor; 15 and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000; 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the LORD, with 200,000 mighty men of valor. 17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield; 18 and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war. 19 These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah. Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab 18 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. 2 After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.” 4 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.” 5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?” 7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 8 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.'” 11 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” 12 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” 14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” 15 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” 16 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'” 17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 18 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another. 20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.' And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?' 21 And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.' 22 Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The LORD has declared disaster concerning you.” 23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?” 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 25 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, 26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.'” 27 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!” The Defeat and Death of Ahab 28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; God drew them away from him. 32 For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 But a certain man drew his bow at random3 and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 34 And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died. Footnotes [1] 16:3 Or treaty; twice in this verse [2] 16:9 Or whole [3] 18:33 Hebrew in his innocence (ESV) New Testament: 2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13 2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13 (Listen) 13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. 17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. Paul and the False Apostles 11 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle 16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would1 but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,2 in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. Paul's Visions and His Thorn 12 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,3 a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Concern for the Corinthian Church 11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13 For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong! Footnotes [1] 11:17 Greek not according to the Lord [2] 11:27 Or often in fasting [3] 12:7 Or hears from me, even because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 20:4–6 Proverbs 20:4–6 (Listen) 4   The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;    he will seek at harvest and have nothing.5   The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water,    but a man of understanding will draw it out.6   Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,    but a faithful man who can find? (ESV)

Morning: Psalms 19–21 Psalms 19–21 (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. Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;5    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. 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 [5] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Evening: Acts 19:21–41 Acts 19:21–41 (Listen) A Riot at Ephesus 21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. 23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” 28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs,1 who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?2 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you seek anything further,3 it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. Footnotes [1] 19:31 That is, high-ranking officers of the province of Asia [2] 19:35 The meaning of the Greek is uncertain [3] 19:39 Some manuscripts seek about other matters (ESV)

Proper 9 First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: 1 Samuel 17:31–49 1 Samuel 17:31–49 (Listen) 31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” 38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand.” 48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. (ESV) New Testament: Acts 11:1–18 Acts 11:1–18 (Listen) Peter Reports to the Church 11 Now the apostles and the brothers1 who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party2 criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.' 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.' 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Footnotes [1] 11:1 Or brothers and sisters [2] 11:2 Or Jerusalem, those of the circumcision (ESV) Gospel: Mark 1:14–28 Mark 1:14–28 (Listen) Jesus Begins His Ministry 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;1 repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus Calls the First Disciples 16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”2 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit 21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee. Footnotes [1] 1:15 Or the kingdom of God has come near [2] 1:17 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women (ESV)

Our Senior Pastor Marc Rader does a deep dive into the Royal Psalms this week taking a look at Psalm 21. This is from our series called The Anointed One: Royal Psalms.Welcome to the GBC Sermon podcast from Gymea Baptist Church in Sydney, Australia.  This message from our Sunday church service is part of the resources we provide as we seek to see lives changed by Jesus. You can also listen to our Big 3 Podcast, a conversation that unpacks three big questions raised from sermons like this one.We hope this message has challenged and strengthened you, encouraged you to pray and rely on God, and blessed you today. If you'd like to get to know some of our church community, you can listen to the We Are The Church Podcast - an open conversation with real people who call GBC home as they share stories of God at work in their lives and how their lives are being changed by Jesus. We'd love for you to join us for one of our services this weekend. For more information on upcoming services please visit www.gymeabaptist.org.auAlso, be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram to keep up with all we are doing. 

Psalms 21–25 Psalms 21–25 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Why Have You Forsaken Me? To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. 22   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?2   O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,    and by night, but I find no rest. 3   Yet you are holy,    enthroned on the praises2 of Israel.4   In you our fathers trusted;    they trusted, and you delivered them.5   To you they cried and were rescued;    in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6   But I am a worm and not a man,    scorned by mankind and despised by the people.7   All who see me mock me;    they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;8   “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9   Yet you are he who took me from the womb;    you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.10   On you was I cast from my birth,    and from my mother's womb you have been my God.11   Be not far from me,    for trouble is near,    and there is none to help. 12   Many bulls encompass me;    strong bulls of Bashan surround me;13   they open wide their mouths at me,    like a ravening and roaring lion. 14   I am poured out like water,    and all my bones are out of joint;  my heart is like wax;    it is melted within my breast;15   my strength is dried up like a potsherd,    and my tongue sticks to my jaws;    you lay me in the dust of death. 16   For dogs encompass me;    a company of evildoers encircles me;  they have pierced my hands and feet3—17   I can count all my bones—  they stare and gloat over me;18   they divide my garments among them,    and for my clothing they cast lots. 19   But you, O LORD, do not be far off!    O you my help, come quickly to my aid!20   Deliver my soul from the sword,    my precious life from the power of the dog!21     Save me from the mouth of the lion!  You have rescued4 me from the horns of the wild oxen! 22   I will tell of your name to my brothers;    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:23   You who fear the LORD, praise him!    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,    and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!24   For he has not despised or abhorred    the affliction of the afflicted,  and he has not hidden his face from him,    but has heard, when he cried to him. 25   From you comes my praise in the great congregation;    my vows I will perform before those who fear him.26   The afflicted5 shall eat and be satisfied;    those who seek him shall praise the LORD!    May your hearts live forever! 27   All the ends of the earth shall remember    and turn to the LORD,  and all the families of the nations    shall worship before you.28   For kingship belongs to the LORD,    and he rules over the nations. 29   All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,    even the one who could not keep himself alive.30   Posterity shall serve him;    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;31   they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,    that he has done it. The Lord Is My Shepherd A Psalm of David. 23   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.63     He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness7    for his name's sake. 4   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,8    I will fear no evil,  for you are with me;    your rod and your staff,    they comfort me. 5   You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies;  you anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.6   Surely9 goodness and mercy10 shall follow me    all the days of my life,  and I shall dwell11 in the house of the LORD    forever.12 The King of Glory A Psalm of David. 24   The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,13    the world and those who dwell therein,2   for he has founded it upon the seas    and established it upon the rivers. 3   Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?    And who shall stand in his holy place?4   He who has clean hands and a pure heart,    who does not lift up his soul to what is false    and does not swear deceitfully.5   He will receive blessing from the LORD    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.6   Such is the generation of those who seek him,    who seek the face of the God of Jacob.14 Selah 7   Lift up your heads, O gates!    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.8   Who is this King of glory?    The LORD, strong and mighty,    the LORD, mighty in battle!9   Lift up your heads, O gates!    And lift them up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.10   Who is this King of glory?    The LORD of hosts,    he is the King of glory! Selah Teach Me Your Paths 15 Of David. 25   To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.2   O my God, in you I trust;    let me not be put to shame;    let not my enemies exult over me.3   Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4   Make me to know your ways, O LORD;    teach me your paths.5   Lead me in your truth and teach me,    for you are the God of my salvation;    for you I wait all the day long. 6   Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,    for they have been from of old.7   Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;    according to your steadfast love remember me,    for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! 8   Good and upright is the LORD;    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9   He leads the humble in what is right,    and teaches the humble his way.10   All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11   For your name's sake, O LORD,    pardon my guilt, for it is great.12   Who is the man who fears the LORD?    Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.13   His soul shall abide in well-being,    and his offspring shall inherit the land.14   The friendship16 of the LORD is for those who fear him,    and he makes known to them his covenant.15   My eyes are ever toward the LORD,    for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16   Turn to me and be gracious to me,    for I am lonely and afflicted.17   The troubles of my heart are enlarged;    bring me out of my distresses.18   Consider my affliction and my trouble,    and forgive all my sins. 19   Consider how many are my foes,    and with what violent hatred they hate me.20   Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.21   May integrity and uprightness preserve me,    for I wait for you. 22   Redeem Israel, O God,    out of all his troubles. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever [2] 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises [3] 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet [4] 22:21 Hebrew answered [5] 22:26 Or The meek [6] 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest [7] 23:3 Or in right paths [8] 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness [9] 23:6 Or Only [10] 23:6 Or steadfast love [11] 23:6 Or shall return to dwell [12] 23:6 Hebrew for length of days [13] 24:1 Or and all that fills it [14] 24:6 Septuagint, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; Masoretic Text who seek your face, Jacob [15] 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [16] 25:14 Or The secret counsel (ESV)

Brandon discusses Psalm 21 - The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength. To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

2 Samuel 5-6

2 Easter First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: Daniel 3:19–30 Daniel 3:19–30 (Listen) 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics,1 their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside2 the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Footnotes [1] 3:21 The meaning of the Aramaic words rendered cloaks and tunics is uncertain; also verse 27 [2] 3:28 Aramaic and changed (ESV) New Testament: 1 John 3:11–18 1 John 3:11–18 (Listen) Love One Another 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,1 that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. Footnotes [1] 3:13 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 14, 16 (ESV) Gospel: Luke 4:1–13 Luke 4:1–13 (Listen) The Temptation of Jesus 4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.'” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,   “‘You shall worship the Lord your God,    and him only shall you serve.'” 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,   “‘He will command his angels concerning you,    to guard you,' 11 and   “‘On their hands they will bear you up,    lest you strike your foot against a stone.'” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. (ESV)

With family: Leviticus 17; Psalms 20–21 Leviticus 17 (Listen) The Place of Sacrifice 17 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the LORD has commanded. 3 If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people. 5 This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the LORD, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the LORD. 6 And the priest shall throw the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 7 So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations. 8 “And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man shall be cut off from his people. Laws Against Eating Blood 10 “If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. 12 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. 13 “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. 14 For the life of every creature1 is its blood: its blood is its life.2 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. 15 And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.” Footnotes [1] 17:14 Hebrew all flesh [2] 17:14 Hebrew it is in its life (ESV) Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) In private: Proverbs 31; 1 Timothy 2 Proverbs 31 (Listen) 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?1 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;27   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.39   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. The Woman Who Fears the Lord 10   4 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 herself5 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.622   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] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [2] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [3] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away [4] 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [5] 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins [6] 31:21 Or in double thickness (ESV) 1 Timothy 2 (Listen) Pray for All People 2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man1 Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. Footnotes [1] 2:5 men and man render the same Greek word that is translated people in verses 1 and 4 (ESV)

Old Testament: Genesis 41–42 Genesis 41–42 (Listen) Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams 41 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, 2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. 6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh. 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 11 we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.” 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”1 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. 18 Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. 19 Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, 21 but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. 22 I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, 24 and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.” 25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land2 of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.” Joseph Rises to Power 37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”3 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.4 Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!”5 Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, 48 and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. 49 And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured. 50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.”6 52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”7 53 The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” 56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses8 and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth. Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt 42 When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. 5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.” 12 He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” 13 And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” 14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 And he put them all together in custody for three days. 18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them. 26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” 29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.' 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'” 35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.” Footnotes [1] 41:16 Or (compare Samaritan, Septuagint) Without God it is not possible to give Pharaoh an answer about his welfare [2] 41:34 Or over the land and organize the land [3] 41:38 Or of the gods [4] 41:40 Hebrew and according to your command all my people shall kiss the ground [5] 41:43 Abrek, probably an Egyptian word, similar in sound to the Hebrew word meaning to kneel [6] 41:51 Manasseh sounds like the Hebrew for making to forget [7] 41:52 Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for making fruitful [8] 41:56 Hebrew all that was in them (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) New Testament: Matthew 26 Matthew 26 (Listen) The Plot to Kill Jesus 26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” Jesus Anointed at Bethany 6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,1 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” Judas to Betray Jesus 14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. The Passover with the Disciples 17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.2 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” Institution of the Lord's Supper 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the3 covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. Jesus Prays in Gethsemane 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch4 with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.5 See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus 47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.”6 Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant7 of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council 57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council8 were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”9 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” Peter Denies Jesus 69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. Footnotes [1] 26:6 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 [2] 26:20 Some manuscripts add disciples [3] 26:28 Some manuscripts insert new [4]

Old Testament: Genesis 41–42 Genesis 41–42 (Listen) Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams 41 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, 2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. 6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh. 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 11 we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.” 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”1 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. 18 Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. 19 Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, 21 but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. 22 I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, 24 and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.” 25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land2 of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.” Joseph Rises to Power 37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”3 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.4 Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!”5 Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, 48 and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. 49 And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured. 50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.”6 52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”7 53 The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” 56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses8 and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth. Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt 42 When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. 5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.” 12 He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” 13 And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” 14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 And he put them all together in custody for three days. 18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them. 26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” 29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.' 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'” 35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.” Footnotes [1] 41:16 Or (compare Samaritan, Septuagint) Without God it is not possible to give Pharaoh an answer about his welfare [2] 41:34 Or over the land and organize the land [3] 41:38 Or of the gods [4] 41:40 Hebrew and according to your command all my people shall kiss the ground [5] 41:43 Abrek, probably an Egyptian word, similar in sound to the Hebrew word meaning to kneel [6] 41:51 Manasseh sounds like the Hebrew for making to forget [7] 41:52 Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for making fruitful [8] 41:56 Hebrew all that was in them (ESV) New Testament: Matthew 14:13–36 Matthew 14:13–36 (Listen) Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand 13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Jesus Walks on the Water 22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way1 from the land,2 beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night3 he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind,4 he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret 34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. Footnotes [1] 14:24 Greek many stadia, a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters [2] 14:24 Some manuscripts was out on the sea [3] 14:25 That is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. [4] 14:30 Some manuscripts strong wind (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 7:21–23 Proverbs 7:21–23 (Listen) 21   With much seductive speech she persuades him;    with her smooth talk she compels him.22   All at once he follows her,    as an ox goes to the slaughter,  or as a stag is caught fast123     till an arrow pierces its liver;  as a bird rushes into a snare;    he does not know that it will cost him his life. Footnotes [1] 7:22 Probable reading (compare Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew as a chain to discipline a fool (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Genesis 21:1–21 Genesis 21:1–21 (Listen) The Birth of Isaac 21 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.1 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” God Protects Hagar and Ishmael 8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.2 10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” 11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. Footnotes [1] 21:3 Isaac means he laughs [2] 21:9 Possibly laughing in mockery (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: 1 Chronicles 25 1 Chronicles 25 (Listen) David Organizes the Musicians 25 David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their duties was: 2 Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah, sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king. 3 Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei,1 Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the LORD. 4 Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. 5 All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer, according to the promise of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6 They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the order of the king. 7 The number of them along with their brothers, who were trained in singing to the LORD, all who were skillful, was 288. 8 And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike. 9 The first lot fell for Asaph to Joseph; the second to Gedaliah, to him and his brothers and his sons, twelve; 10 the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 11 the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 14 the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 18 the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 20 to the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 21 to the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 22 to the fifteenth, to Jeremoth, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 23 to the sixteenth, to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 24 to the seventeenth, to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 25 to the eighteenth, to Hanani, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 26 to the nineteenth, to Mallothi, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 27 to the twentieth, to Eliathah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 28 to the twenty-first, to Hothir, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 29 to the twenty-second, to Giddalti, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 30 to the twenty-third, to Mahazioth, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 31 to the twenty-fourth, to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his brothers, twelve. Footnotes [1] 25:3 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts lack Shimei (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Luke 13:10–35 Luke 13:10–35 (Listen) A Woman with a Disabling Spirit 10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. The Mustard Seed and the Leaven 18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” 20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” The Narrow Door 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.' 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Lament over Jerusalem 31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.' 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'” (ESV)

1 Epiphany First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: Isaiah 43:1–13 Isaiah 43:1–13 (Listen) Israel's Only Savior 43   But now thus says the LORD,  he who created you, O Jacob,    he who formed you, O Israel:  “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;    I have called you by name, you are mine.2   When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;  when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,    and the flame shall not consume you.3   For I am the LORD your God,    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  I give Egypt as your ransom,    Cush and Seba in exchange for you.4   Because you are precious in my eyes,    and honored, and I love you,  I give men in return for you,    peoples in exchange for your life.5   Fear not, for I am with you;    I will bring your offspring from the east,    and from the west I will gather you.6   I will say to the north, Give up,    and to the south, Do not withhold;  bring my sons from afar    and my daughters from the end of the earth,7   everyone who is called by my name,    whom I created for my glory,    whom I formed and made.” 8   Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes,    who are deaf, yet have ears!9   All the nations gather together,    and the peoples assemble.  Who among them can declare this,    and show us the former things?  Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right,    and let them hear and say, It is true.10   “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD,    “and my servant whom I have chosen,  that you may know and believe me    and understand that I am he.  Before me no god was formed,    nor shall there be any after me.11   I, I am the LORD,    and besides me there is no savior.12   I declared and saved and proclaimed,    when there was no strange god among you;    and you are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and I am God.13   Also henceforth I am he;    there is none who can deliver from my hand;    I work, and who can turn it back?” (ESV) New Testament: Ephesians 3:14–21 Ephesians 3:14–21 (Listen) Prayer for Spiritual Strength 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family1 in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Footnotes [1] 3:15 Or from whom all fatherhood; the Greek word patria in verse 15 is closely related to the word for Father in verse 14 (ESV) Gospel: Mark 2:23–3:6 Mark 2:23–3:6 (Listen) Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath 23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of1 Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” A Man with a Withered Hand 3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus,2 to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. Footnotes [1] 2:26 Or in the passage about [2] 3:2 Greek him (ESV)

Christmas First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 23; Psalm 27 Psalm 23 (Listen) The Lord Is My Shepherd A Psalm of David. 23   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.13     He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness2    for his name's sake. 4   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,3    I will fear no evil,  for you are with me;    your rod and your staff,    they comfort me. 5   You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies;  you anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.6   Surely4 goodness and mercy5 shall follow me    all the days of my life,  and I shall dwell6 in the house of the LORD    forever.7 Footnotes [1] 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest [2] 23:3 Or in right paths [3] 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness [4] 23:6 Or Only [5] 23:6 Or steadfast love [6] 23:6 Or shall return to dwell [7] 23:6 Hebrew for length of days (ESV) Psalm 27 (Listen) The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation Of David. 27   The LORD is my light and my salvation;    whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold1 of my life;    of whom shall I be afraid? 2   When evildoers assail me    to eat up my flesh,  my adversaries and foes,    it is they who stumble and fall. 3   Though an army encamp against me,    my heart shall not fear;  though war arise against me,    yet2 I will be confident. 4   One thing have I asked of the LORD,    that will I seek after:  that I may dwell in the house of the LORD    all the days of my life,  to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD    and to inquire3 in his temple. 5   For he will hide me in his shelter    in the day of trouble;  he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;    he will lift me high upon a rock. 6   And now my head shall be lifted up    above my enemies all around me,  and I will offer in his tent    sacrifices with shouts of joy;  I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 7   Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;    be gracious to me and answer me!8   You have said, “Seek4 my face.”  My heart says to you,    “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”59     Hide not your face from me.  Turn not your servant away in anger,    O you who have been my help.  Cast me not off; forsake me not,    O God of my salvation!10   For my father and my mother have forsaken me,    but the LORD will take me in. 11   Teach me your way, O LORD,    and lead me on a level path    because of my enemies.12   Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;    for false witnesses have risen against me,    and they breathe out violence. 13   I believe that I shall look6 upon the goodness of the LORD    in the land of the living!14   Wait for the LORD;    be strong, and let your heart take courage;    wait for the LORD! Footnotes [1] 27:1 Or refuge [2] 27:3 Or in this [3] 27:4 Or meditate [4] 27:8 The command (seek) is addressed to more than one person [5] 27:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain [6] 27:13 Other Hebrew manuscripts Oh! Had I not believed that I would look (ESV) Old Testament: Isaiah 25:1–9 Isaiah 25:1–9 (Listen) God Will Swallow Up Death Forever 25   O LORD, you are my God;    I will exalt you; I will praise your name,  for you have done wonderful things,    plans formed of old, faithful and sure.2   For you have made the city a heap,    the fortified city a ruin;  the foreigners' palace is a city no more;    it will never be rebuilt.3   Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;    cities of ruthless nations will fear you.4   For you have been a stronghold to the poor,    a stronghold to the needy in his distress,    a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;  for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,5     like heat in a dry place.  You subdue the noise of the foreigners;    as heat by the shade of a cloud,    so the song of the ruthless is put down. 6   On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples    a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,    of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.7   And he will swallow up on this mountain    the covering that is cast over all peoples,    the veil that is spread over all nations.8     He will swallow up death forever;  and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,    and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,    for the LORD has spoken.9   It will be said on that day,    “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.    This is the LORD; we have waited for him;    let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (ESV) New Testament: Revelation 1:9–20 Revelation 1:9–20 (Listen) Vision of the Son of Man 9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (ESV) Gospel: John 7:53–8:11 John 7:53–8:11 (Listen) [The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.]1 The Woman Caught in Adultery 53 [[They went each to his own house, 8 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]] Footnotes [1] 7:53 Some manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11; others add the passage here or after 7:36 or after 21:25 or after Luke 21:38, with variations in the text (ESV)

Through Christ Jesus we who are born again are now apart of the family of God. We are a royal people and priesthood ordained by Christ.  We are a new creation although in appearance in the flesh we remain the same.  Understand our citizenship is not of this physical world that will soon pass away.  We have become citizens of a kingdom that will never, ever end.  Only the King of a Kingdom can grant citizenship to his kingdom.   This has come about through his personal sacrifice on the cross and his redemption of our soul.  It is time for us to come into greater knowledge of who we are and Whose we are in order for his kingdom to come on Earth and his perfect and divine will be done in our lives and in the lives, we are destined to touch. 

1 Advent First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: Isaiah 4:2–6 Isaiah 4:2–6 (Listen) The Branch of the Lord Glorified 2 In that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. 3 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.1 5 Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. 6 There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain. Footnotes [1] 4:4 Or purging (ESV) New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (Listen) The Coming of the Lord 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,1 that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. Footnotes [1] 4:15 Or by the word of the Lord (ESV) Gospel: Luke 21:5–19 Luke 21:5–19 (Listen) Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple 5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!' and, ‘The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers1 and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 You will be hated by all for my name's sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives. Footnotes [1] 21:16 Or parents and brothers and sisters (ESV)

Proper 23 First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: Ecclesiasticus 3:17-31 New Testament: Acts 28:17–31 Acts 28:17–31 (Listen) Paul in Rome 17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26   “‘Go to this people, and say,  “You will indeed hear but never understand,    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”27   For this people's heart has grown dull,    and with their ears they can barely hear,    and their eyes they have closed;  lest they should see with their eyes    and hear with their ears  and understand with their heart    and turn, and I would heal them.' 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”1 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense,2 and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. Footnotes [1] 28:28 Some manuscripts add verse 29: And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, having much dispute among themselves [2] 28:30 Or in his own hired dwelling (ESV) Gospel: Luke 9:37–50 Luke 9:37–50 (Listen) Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit 37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. Jesus Again Foretells His Death But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus1 said to his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying. Who Is the Greatest? 46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” Anyone Not Against Us Is For Us 49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.” Footnotes [1] 9:43 Greek he (ESV)

Psalms 21–25 Psalms 21–25 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Why Have You Forsaken Me? To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. 22   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?2   O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,    and by night, but I find no rest. 3   Yet you are holy,    enthroned on the praises2 of Israel.4   In you our fathers trusted;    they trusted, and you delivered them.5   To you they cried and were rescued;    in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6   But I am a worm and not a man,    scorned by mankind and despised by the people.7   All who see me mock me;    they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;8   “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9   Yet you are he who took me from the womb;    you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.10   On you was I cast from my birth,    and from my mother's womb you have been my God.11   Be not far from me,    for trouble is near,    and there is none to help. 12   Many bulls encompass me;    strong bulls of Bashan surround me;13   they open wide their mouths at me,    like a ravening and roaring lion. 14   I am poured out like water,    and all my bones are out of joint;  my heart is like wax;    it is melted within my breast;15   my strength is dried up like a potsherd,    and my tongue sticks to my jaws;    you lay me in the dust of death. 16   For dogs encompass me;    a company of evildoers encircles me;  they have pierced my hands and feet3—17   I can count all my bones—  they stare and gloat over me;18   they divide my garments among them,    and for my clothing they cast lots. 19   But you, O LORD, do not be far off!    O you my help, come quickly to my aid!20   Deliver my soul from the sword,    my precious life from the power of the dog!21     Save me from the mouth of the lion!  You have rescued4 me from the horns of the wild oxen! 22   I will tell of your name to my brothers;    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:23   You who fear the LORD, praise him!    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,    and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!24   For he has not despised or abhorred    the affliction of the afflicted,  and he has not hidden his face from him,    but has heard, when he cried to him. 25   From you comes my praise in the great congregation;    my vows I will perform before those who fear him.26   The afflicted5 shall eat and be satisfied;    those who seek him shall praise the LORD!    May your hearts live forever! 27   All the ends of the earth shall remember    and turn to the LORD,  and all the families of the nations    shall worship before you.28   For kingship belongs to the LORD,    and he rules over the nations. 29   All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,    even the one who could not keep himself alive.30   Posterity shall serve him;    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;31   they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,    that he has done it. The Lord Is My Shepherd A Psalm of David. 23   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.63     He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness7    for his name's sake. 4   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,8    I will fear no evil,  for you are with me;    your rod and your staff,    they comfort me. 5   You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies;  you anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.6   Surely9 goodness and mercy10 shall follow me    all the days of my life,  and I shall dwell11 in the house of the LORD    forever.12 The King of Glory A Psalm of David. 24   The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,13    the world and those who dwell therein,2   for he has founded it upon the seas    and established it upon the rivers. 3   Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?    And who shall stand in his holy place?4   He who has clean hands and a pure heart,    who does not lift up his soul to what is false    and does not swear deceitfully.5   He will receive blessing from the LORD    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.6   Such is the generation of those who seek him,    who seek the face of the God of Jacob.14 Selah 7   Lift up your heads, O gates!    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.8   Who is this King of glory?    The LORD, strong and mighty,    the LORD, mighty in battle!9   Lift up your heads, O gates!    And lift them up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.10   Who is this King of glory?    The LORD of hosts,    he is the King of glory! Selah Teach Me Your Paths 15 Of David. 25   To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.2   O my God, in you I trust;    let me not be put to shame;    let not my enemies exult over me.3   Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4   Make me to know your ways, O LORD;    teach me your paths.5   Lead me in your truth and teach me,    for you are the God of my salvation;    for you I wait all the day long. 6   Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,    for they have been from of old.7   Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;    according to your steadfast love remember me,    for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! 8   Good and upright is the LORD;    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9   He leads the humble in what is right,    and teaches the humble his way.10   All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11   For your name's sake, O LORD,    pardon my guilt, for it is great.12   Who is the man who fears the LORD?    Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.13   His soul shall abide in well-being,    and his offspring shall inherit the land.14   The friendship16 of the LORD is for those who fear him,    and he makes known to them his covenant.15   My eyes are ever toward the LORD,    for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16   Turn to me and be gracious to me,    for I am lonely and afflicted.17   The troubles of my heart are enlarged;    bring me out of my distresses.18   Consider my affliction and my trouble,    and forgive all my sins. 19   Consider how many are my foes,    and with what violent hatred they hate me.20   Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.21   May integrity and uprightness preserve me,    for I wait for you. 22   Redeem Israel, O God,    out of all his troubles. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever [2] 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises [3] 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet [4] 22:21 Hebrew answered [5] 22:26 Or The meek [6] 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest [7] 23:3 Or in right paths [8] 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness [9] 23:6 Or Only [10] 23:6 Or steadfast love [11] 23:6 Or shall return to dwell [12] 23:6 Hebrew for length of days [13] 24:1 Or and all that fills it [14] 24:6 Septuagint, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; Masoretic Text who seek your face, Jacob [15] 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [16] 25:14 Or The secret counsel (ESV)

Proper 16 First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: Job 9:1; Job 10:1–9; Job 10:16–22 Job 9:1 (Listen) Job Replies: There Is No Arbiter 9 Then Job answered and said: (ESV) Job 10:1–9 (Listen) Job Continues: A Plea to God 10   “I loathe my life;  I will give free utterance to my complaint;    I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.2   I will say to God, Do not condemn me;    let me know why you contend against me.3   Does it seem good to you to oppress,    to despise the work of your hands    and favor the designs of the wicked?4   Have you eyes of flesh?    Do you see as man sees?5   Are your days as the days of man,    or your years as a man's years,6   that you seek out my iniquity    and search for my sin,7   although you know that I am not guilty,    and there is none to deliver out of your hand?8   Your hands fashioned and made me,    and now you have destroyed me altogether.9   Remember that you have made me like clay;    and will you return me to the dust? (ESV) Job 10:16–22 (Listen) 16   And were my head lifted up,1 you would hunt me like a lion    and again work wonders against me.17   You renew your witnesses against me    and increase your vexation toward me;    you bring fresh troops against me. 18   “Why did you bring me out from the womb?    Would that I had died before any eye had seen me19   and were as though I had not been,    carried from the womb to the grave.20   Are not my days few?    Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer21   before I go—and I shall not return—    to the land of darkness and deep shadow,22   the land of gloom like thick darkness,    like deep shadow without any order,    where light is as thick darkness.” Footnotes [1] 10:16 Hebrew lacks my head (ESV) New Testament: Acts 11:1–18 Acts 11:1–18 (Listen) Peter Reports to the Church 11 Now the apostles and the brothers1 who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party2 criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.' 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.' 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Footnotes [1] 11:1 Or brothers and sisters [2] 11:2 Or Jerusalem, those of the circumcision (ESV) Gospel: John 8:12–20 John 8:12–20 (Listen) I Am the Light of the World 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father1 who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. Footnotes [1] 8:16 Some manuscripts he (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Samuel 9–10:16 1 Samuel 9–10:16 (Listen) Saul Chosen to Be King 9 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. 3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” 4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them. 5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant1 who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 6 But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” 7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” 8 The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel2 of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today's “prophet” was formerly called a seer.) 10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.” 14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place. 15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince3 over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen4 my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.” 18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 19 Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. 20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?” 21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?” 22 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.'” 24 So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.”5 So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep.6 26 Then at the break of dawn7 Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. 27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.” Saul Anointed King 10 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince8 over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince9 over his heritage. 2 When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”' 3 Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. 5 After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim,10 where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 8 Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.” 9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 10 When they came to Gibeah,11 behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place. 14 Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 And Saul's uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything. Footnotes [1] 9:5 Hebrew young man; also verses 7, 8, 10, 27 [2] 9:8 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [3] 9:16 Or leader [4] 9:16 Septuagint adds the affliction of [5] 9:24 Hebrew appointed, saying, ‘I have invited the people' [6] 9:25 Septuagint; Hebrew city, he spoke with Saul on the roof [7] 9:26 Septuagint; Hebrew And they arose early, and at the break of dawn [8] 10:1 Or leader [9] 10:1 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks over his people Israel? And you shall. . . . to be prince [10] 10:5 Gibeath-elohim means the hill of God [11] 10:10 Gibeah means the hill (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Lamentations 1 Lamentations 1 (Listen) How Lonely Sits the City 1   How lonely sits the city    that was full of people!  How like a widow has she become,    she who was great among the nations!  She who was a princess among the provinces    has become a slave. 2   She weeps bitterly in the night,    with tears on her cheeks;  among all her lovers    she has none to comfort her;  all her friends have dealt treacherously with her;    they have become her enemies. 3   Judah has gone into exile because of affliction1    and hard servitude;  she dwells now among the nations,    but finds no resting place;  her pursuers have all overtaken her    in the midst of her distress.2 4   The roads to Zion mourn,    for none come to the festival;  all her gates are desolate;    her priests groan;  her virgins have been afflicted,3    and she herself suffers bitterly. 5   Her foes have become the head;    her enemies prosper,  because the LORD has afflicted her    for the multitude of her transgressions;  her children have gone away,    captives before the foe. 6   From the daughter of Zion    all her majesty has departed.  Her princes have become like deer    that find no pasture;  they fled without strength    before the pursuer. 7   Jerusalem remembers    in the days of her affliction and wandering  all the precious things    that were hers from days of old.  When her people fell into the hand of the foe,    and there was none to help her,  her foes gloated over her;    they mocked at her downfall. 8   Jerusalem sinned grievously;    therefore she became filthy;  all who honored her despise her,    for they have seen her nakedness;  she herself groans    and turns her face away. 9   Her uncleanness was in her skirts;    she took no thought of her future;4  therefore her fall is terrible;    she has no comforter.  “O LORD, behold my affliction,    for the enemy has triumphed!” 10   The enemy has stretched out his hands    over all her precious things;  for she has seen the nations    enter her sanctuary,  those whom you forbade    to enter your congregation. 11   All her people groan    as they search for bread;  they trade their treasures for food    to revive their strength.  “Look, O LORD, and see,    for I am despised.” 12   “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?    Look and see  if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,    which was brought upon me,  which the LORD inflicted    on the day of his fierce anger. 13   “From on high he sent fire;    into my bones5 he made it descend;  he spread a net for my feet;    he turned me back;  he has left me stunned,    faint all the day long. 14   “My transgressions were bound6 into a yoke;    by his hand they were fastened together;  they were set upon my neck;    he caused my strength to fail;  the Lord gave me into the hands    of those whom I cannot withstand. 15   “The Lord rejected    all my mighty men in my midst;  he summoned an assembly against me    to crush my young men;  the Lord has trodden as in a winepress    the virgin daughter of Judah. 16   “For these things I weep;    my eyes flow with tears;  for a comforter is far from me,    one to revive my spirit;  my children are desolate,    for the enemy has prevailed.” 17   Zion stretches out her hands,    but there is none to comfort her;  the LORD has commanded against Jacob    that his neighbors should be his foes;  Jerusalem has become    a filthy thing among them. 18   “The LORD is in the right,    for I have rebelled against his word;  but hear, all you peoples,    and see my suffering;  my young women and my young men    have gone into captivity. 19   “I called to my lovers,    but they deceived me;  my priests and elders    perished in the city,  while they sought food    to revive their strength. 20   “Look, O LORD, for I am in distress;    my stomach churns;  my heart is wrung within me,    because I have been very rebellious.  In the street the sword bereaves;    in the house it is like death. 21   “They heard7 my groaning,    yet there is no one to comfort me.  All my enemies have heard of my trouble;    they are glad that you have done it.  You have brought8 the day you announced;    now let them be as I am. 22   “Let all their evildoing come before you,    and deal with them  as you have dealt with me    because of all my transgressions;  for my groans are many,    and my heart is faint.” Footnotes [1] 1:3 Or under affliction [2] 1:3 Or in the narrow passes [3] 1:4 Septuagint, Old Latin dragged away [4] 1:9 Or end [5] 1:13 Septuagint; Hebrew bones and [6] 1:14 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [7] 1:21 Septuagint, Syriac Hear [8] 1:21 Syriac Bring (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 (Listen) 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Submission to Authority 13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,

With family: 1 Samuel 7–8; Romans 6 1 Samuel 7–8 (Listen) 7 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. Samuel Judges Israel 3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. 5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the LORD and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen1 and called its name Ebenezer;2 for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. 15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the LORD. Israel Demands a King 8 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” Samuel's Warning Against Kings 10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men3 and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” The Lord Grants Israel's Request 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.” Footnotes [1] 7:12 Hebrew; Septuagint, Syriac Jeshanah [2] 7:12 Ebenezer means stone of help [3] 8:16 Septuagint cattle (ESV) Romans 6 (Listen) Dead to Sin, Alive to God 6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self1 was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free2 from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Slaves to Righteousness 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,3 you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Footnotes [1] 6:6 Greek man [2] 6:7 Greek has been justified [3] 6:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; twice in this verse; also verses 17, 19 (twice), 20 (ESV) In private: Psalms 20–21; Jeremiah 44 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Jeremiah 44 (Listen) Judgment for Idolatry 44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah. Behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of the evil that they committed, provoking me to anger, in that they went to make offerings and serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. 4 Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!' 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods. 6 Therefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became a waste and a desolation, as at this day. 7 And now thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant? 8 Why do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, making offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live, so that you may be cut off and become a curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the evil of your fathers, the evil of the kings of Judah, the evil of their1 wives, your own evil, and the evil of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not humbled themselves even to this day, nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers. 11 “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for harm, to cut off all Judah. 12 I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to come to the land of Egypt to live, and they shall all be consumed. In the land of Egypt they shall fall; by the sword and by famine they shall be consumed. From the least to the greatest, they shall die by the sword and by famine, and they shall become an oath, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. 13 I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return to dwell there. For they shall not return, except some fugitives.” 15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you. 17 But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18 But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” 19 And the women said,2 “When we made offerings to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands' approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?” 20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, men and women, all the people who had given him this answer: 21 “As for the offerings that you offered in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your officials, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them? Did it not come into his mind? 22 The LORD could no longer bear your evil deeds and the abominations that you committed. Therefore your land has become a desolation and a waste and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day. 23 It is because you made offerings and because you sinned against the LORD and did not obey the voice of the LORD or walk in his law and in his statutes and in his testimonies that this disaster has happened to you, as at this day.” 24 Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have declared with your mouths, and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made, to make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.' Then confirm your vows and perform your vows! 26 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord GOD lives.' 27 Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them. 28 And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs. 29 This shall be the sign to you, declares the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, in order that you may know that my words will surely stand against you for harm: 30 Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and sought his life.” Footnotes [1] 44:9 Hebrew his [2] 44:19 Compare Syriac; Hebrew lacks And the women said (ESV)

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 16–18 2 Chronicles 16–18 (Listen) Asa's Last Years 16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “There is a covenant1 between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah. 7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless2 toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time. 11 The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. 13 And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art, and they made a very great fire in his honor. Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah 17 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. 3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. 7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the LORD with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. 10 And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. 12 And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, 13 and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. 14 This was the muster of them by fathers' houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 mighty men of valor; 15 and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000; 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the LORD, with 200,000 mighty men of valor. 17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield; 18 and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war. 19 These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah. Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab 18 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. 2 After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.” 4 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.” 5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?” 7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 8 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.'” 11 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” 12 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” 14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” 15 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” 16 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'” 17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 18 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another. 20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.' And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?' 21 And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.' 22 Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The LORD has declared disaster concerning you.” 23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?” 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 25 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, 26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.'” 27 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!” The Defeat and Death of Ahab 28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; God drew them away from him. 32 For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 But a certain man drew his bow at random3 and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 34 And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died. Footnotes [1] 16:3 Or treaty; twice in this verse [2] 16:9 Or whole [3] 18:33 Hebrew in his innocence (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) New Testament: Matthew 26 Matthew 26 (Listen) The Plot to Kill Jesus 26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” Jesus Anointed at Bethany 6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,1 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” Judas to Betray Jesus 14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. The Passover with the Disciples 17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.2 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” Institution of the Lord's Supper 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the3 covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. Jesus Prays in Gethsemane 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch4 with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.5 See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus 47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.”6 Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant7 of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council 57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council8 were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”9 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” Peter Denies Jesus 69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. Footnotes [1] 26:6 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 [2] 26:20 Some manuscripts add disciples [3] 26:28 Some manuscripts insert new [4] 26:38 Or keep awake; also verses 40, 41 [5] 26:45 Or Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? [6] 26:50 Or Friend, why are you here? [7] 26:51 Or bondservant [8] 26:59 Greek Sanhedrin [9] 26:62 Or Have you no answer to what these men testify against you? (ESV)

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 16–18 2 Chronicles 16–18 (Listen) Asa's Last Years 16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “There is a covenant1 between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah. 7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless2 toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time. 11 The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. 13 And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art, and they made a very great fire in his honor. Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah 17 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. 3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. 7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the LORD with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. 10 And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. 12 And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, 13 and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. 14 This was the muster of them by fathers' houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 mighty men of valor; 15 and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000; 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the LORD, with 200,000 mighty men of valor. 17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield; 18 and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war. 19 These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah. Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab 18 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. 2 After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.” 4 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.” 5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?” 7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 8 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.'” 11 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” 12 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” 14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” 15 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” 16 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'” 17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 18 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another. 20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.' And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?' 21 And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.' 22 Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The LORD has declared disaster concerning you.” 23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?” 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 25 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, 26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.'” 27 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!” The Defeat and Death of Ahab 28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; God drew them away from him. 32 For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 But a certain man drew his bow at random3 and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 34 And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died. Footnotes [1] 16:3 Or treaty; twice in this verse [2] 16:9 Or whole [3] 18:33 Hebrew in his innocence (ESV) New Testament: 2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13 2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13 (Listen) 13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. 17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. Paul and the False Apostles 11 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle 16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would1 but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,2 in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. Paul's Visions and His Thorn 12 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,3 a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Concern for the Corinthian Church 11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13 For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong! Footnotes [1] 11:17 Greek not according to the Lord [2] 11:27 Or often in fasting [3] 12:7 Or hears from me, even because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 20:4–6 Proverbs 20:4–6 (Listen) 4   The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;    he will seek at harvest and have nothing.5   The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water,    but a man of understanding will draw it out.6   Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,    but a faithful man who can find? (ESV)

Morning: Psalms 19–21 Psalms 19–21 (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. Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;5    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. 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 [5] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Evening: Acts 19:21–41 Acts 19:21–41 (Listen) A Riot at Ephesus 21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. 23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” 28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs,1 who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?2 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you seek anything further,3 it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. Footnotes [1] 19:31 That is, high-ranking officers of the province of Asia [2] 19:35 The meaning of the Greek is uncertain [3] 19:39 Some manuscripts seek about other matters (ESV)

Proper 9 First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: Deuteronomy 34 Deuteronomy 34 (Listen) The Death of Moses 34 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” 5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, 6 and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. 8 And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. 9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. 10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. (ESV) New Testament: Romans 10:14–21 Romans 10:14–21 (Listen) 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?1 And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for   “Their voice has gone out to all the earth,    and their words to the ends of the world.” 19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,   “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;    with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” 20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,   “I have been found by those who did not seek me;    I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” 21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” Footnotes [1] 10:14 Or him whom they have never heard (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 24:32–51 Matthew 24:32–51 (Listen) The Lesson of the Fig Tree 32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. No One Knows That Day and Hour 36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,1 but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,2 whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants3 and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Footnotes [1] 24:36 Some manuscripts omit nor the Son [2] 24:45 Or bondservant; also verses 46, 48, 50 [3] 24:49 Or bondservants (ESV)

Psalms 21–25 Psalms 21–25 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Why Have You Forsaken Me? To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. 22   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?2   O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,    and by night, but I find no rest. 3   Yet you are holy,    enthroned on the praises2 of Israel.4   In you our fathers trusted;    they trusted, and you delivered them.5   To you they cried and were rescued;    in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6   But I am a worm and not a man,    scorned by mankind and despised by the people.7   All who see me mock me;    they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;8   “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9   Yet you are he who took me from the womb;    you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.10   On you was I cast from my birth,    and from my mother's womb you have been my God.11   Be not far from me,    for trouble is near,    and there is none to help. 12   Many bulls encompass me;    strong bulls of Bashan surround me;13   they open wide their mouths at me,    like a ravening and roaring lion. 14   I am poured out like water,    and all my bones are out of joint;  my heart is like wax;    it is melted within my breast;15   my strength is dried up like a potsherd,    and my tongue sticks to my jaws;    you lay me in the dust of death. 16   For dogs encompass me;    a company of evildoers encircles me;  they have pierced my hands and feet3—17   I can count all my bones—  they stare and gloat over me;18   they divide my garments among them,    and for my clothing they cast lots. 19   But you, O LORD, do not be far off!    O you my help, come quickly to my aid!20   Deliver my soul from the sword,    my precious life from the power of the dog!21     Save me from the mouth of the lion!  You have rescued4 me from the horns of the wild oxen! 22   I will tell of your name to my brothers;    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:23   You who fear the LORD, praise him!    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,    and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!24   For he has not despised or abhorred    the affliction of the afflicted,  and he has not hidden his face from him,    but has heard, when he cried to him. 25   From you comes my praise in the great congregation;    my vows I will perform before those who fear him.26   The afflicted5 shall eat and be satisfied;    those who seek him shall praise the LORD!    May your hearts live forever! 27   All the ends of the earth shall remember    and turn to the LORD,  and all the families of the nations    shall worship before you.28   For kingship belongs to the LORD,    and he rules over the nations. 29   All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,    even the one who could not keep himself alive.30   Posterity shall serve him;    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;31   they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,    that he has done it. The Lord Is My Shepherd A Psalm of David. 23   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.63     He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness7    for his name's sake. 4   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,8    I will fear no evil,  for you are with me;    your rod and your staff,    they comfort me. 5   You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies;  you anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.6   Surely9 goodness and mercy10 shall follow me    all the days of my life,  and I shall dwell11 in the house of the LORD    forever.12 The King of Glory A Psalm of David. 24   The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,13    the world and those who dwell therein,2   for he has founded it upon the seas    and established it upon the rivers. 3   Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?    And who shall stand in his holy place?4   He who has clean hands and a pure heart,    who does not lift up his soul to what is false    and does not swear deceitfully.5   He will receive blessing from the LORD    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.6   Such is the generation of those who seek him,    who seek the face of the God of Jacob.14 Selah 7   Lift up your heads, O gates!    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.8   Who is this King of glory?    The LORD, strong and mighty,    the LORD, mighty in battle!9   Lift up your heads, O gates!    And lift them up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.10   Who is this King of glory?    The LORD of hosts,    he is the King of glory! Selah Teach Me Your Paths 15 Of David. 25   To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.2   O my God, in you I trust;    let me not be put to shame;    let not my enemies exult over me.3   Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4   Make me to know your ways, O LORD;    teach me your paths.5   Lead me in your truth and teach me,    for you are the God of my salvation;    for you I wait all the day long. 6   Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,    for they have been from of old.7   Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;    according to your steadfast love remember me,    for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! 8   Good and upright is the LORD;    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9   He leads the humble in what is right,    and teaches the humble his way.10   All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11   For your name's sake, O LORD,    pardon my guilt, for it is great.12   Who is the man who fears the LORD?    Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.13   His soul shall abide in well-being,    and his offspring shall inherit the land.14   The friendship16 of the LORD is for those who fear him,    and he makes known to them his covenant.15   My eyes are ever toward the LORD,    for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16   Turn to me and be gracious to me,    for I am lonely and afflicted.17   The troubles of my heart are enlarged;    bring me out of my distresses.18   Consider my affliction and my trouble,    and forgive all my sins. 19   Consider how many are my foes,    and with what violent hatred they hate me.20   Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.21   May integrity and uprightness preserve me,    for I wait for you. 22   Redeem Israel, O God,    out of all his troubles. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever [2] 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises [3] 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet [4] 22:21 Hebrew answered [5] 22:26 Or The meek [6] 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest [7] 23:3 Or in right paths [8] 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness [9] 23:6 Or Only [10] 23:6 Or steadfast love [11] 23:6 Or shall return to dwell [12] 23:6 Hebrew for length of days [13] 24:1 Or and all that fills it [14] 24:6 Septuagint, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; Masoretic Text who seek your face, Jacob [15] 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [16] 25:14 Or The secret counsel (ESV)

2 Easter First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: Exodus 17 Exodus 17 (Listen) Water from the Rock 17 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah1 and Meribah,2 because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” Israel Defeats Amalek 8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner, 16 saying, “A hand upon the throne3 of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Footnotes [1] 17:7 Massah means testing [2] 17:7 Meribah means quarreling [3] 17:16 A slight change would yield upon the banner (ESV) New Testament: 1 Peter 4:7–19 1 Peter 4:7–19 (Listen) 7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Suffering as a Christian 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory1 and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And   “If the righteous is scarcely saved,    what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”2 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. Footnotes [1] 4:14 Some manuscripts insert and of power [2] 4:18 Greek where will the ungodly and sinner appear? (ESV) Gospel: John 16:16–33 John 16:16–33 (Listen) Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy 16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me'; and, ‘because I am going to the Father'?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while'? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. I Have Overcome the World 25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.1 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” 29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Footnotes [1] 16:27 Some manuscripts from the Father (ESV)

With family: Leviticus 17; Psalms 20–21 Leviticus 17 (Listen) The Place of Sacrifice 17 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the LORD has commanded. 3 If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people. 5 This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the LORD, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the LORD. 6 And the priest shall throw the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 7 So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations. 8 “And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man shall be cut off from his people. Laws Against Eating Blood 10 “If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. 12 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. 13 “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. 14 For the life of every creature1 is its blood: its blood is its life.2 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. 15 And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.” Footnotes [1] 17:14 Hebrew all flesh [2] 17:14 Hebrew it is in its life (ESV) Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) In private: Proverbs 31; 1 Timothy 2 Proverbs 31 (Listen) 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?1 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;27   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.39   Open your mouth, judge righteously,    defend the rights of the poor and needy. The Woman Who Fears the Lord 10   4 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 herself5 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.622   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] 31:2 Hebrew What, my son? [2] 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul [3] 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away [4] 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [5] 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins [6] 31:21 Or in double thickness (ESV) 1 Timothy 2 (Listen) Pray for All People 2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man1 Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. Footnotes [1] 2:5 men and man render the same Greek word that is translated people in verses 1 and 4 (ESV)

Old Testament: Genesis 41–42 Genesis 41–42 (Listen) Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams 41 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, 2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. 6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh. 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 11 we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.” 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”1 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. 18 Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. 19 Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, 21 but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. 22 I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, 24 and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.” 25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land2 of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.” Joseph Rises to Power 37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”3 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.4 Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!”5 Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, 48 and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. 49 And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured. 50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.”6 52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”7 53 The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” 56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses8 and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth. Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt 42 When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. 5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.” 12 He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” 13 And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” 14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 And he put them all together in custody for three days. 18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them. 26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” 29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.' 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'” 35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.” Footnotes [1] 41:16 Or (compare Samaritan, Septuagint) Without God it is not possible to give Pharaoh an answer about his welfare [2] 41:34 Or over the land and organize the land [3] 41:38 Or of the gods [4] 41:40 Hebrew and according to your command all my people shall kiss the ground [5] 41:43 Abrek, probably an Egyptian word, similar in sound to the Hebrew word meaning to kneel [6] 41:51 Manasseh sounds like the Hebrew for making to forget [7] 41:52 Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for making fruitful [8] 41:56 Hebrew all that was in them (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) New Testament: Matthew 26 Matthew 26 (Listen) The Plot to Kill Jesus 26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” Jesus Anointed at Bethany 6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,1 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” Judas to Betray Jesus 14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. The Passover with the Disciples 17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.2 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” Institution of the Lord's Supper 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the3 covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. Jesus Prays in Gethsemane 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch4 with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.5 See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus 47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.”6 Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant7 of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council 57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council8 were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”9 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” Peter Denies Jesus 69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. Footnotes [1] 26:6 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 [2] 26:20 Some manuscripts add disciples [3] 26:28 Some manuscripts insert new [4]

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Genesis 21:1–21 Genesis 21:1–21 (Listen) The Birth of Isaac 21 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.1 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” God Protects Hagar and Ishmael 8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.2 10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” 11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. Footnotes [1] 21:3 Isaac means he laughs [2] 21:9 Possibly laughing in mockery (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: 1 Chronicles 25 1 Chronicles 25 (Listen) David Organizes the Musicians 25 David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their duties was: 2 Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah, sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king. 3 Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei,1 Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the LORD. 4 Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. 5 All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer, according to the promise of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6 They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the order of the king. 7 The number of them along with their brothers, who were trained in singing to the LORD, all who were skillful, was 288. 8 And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike. 9 The first lot fell for Asaph to Joseph; the second to Gedaliah, to him and his brothers and his sons, twelve; 10 the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 11 the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 14 the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 18 the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 20 to the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 21 to the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 22 to the fifteenth, to Jeremoth, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 23 to the sixteenth, to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 24 to the seventeenth, to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 25 to the eighteenth, to Hanani, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 26 to the nineteenth, to Mallothi, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 27 to the twentieth, to Eliathah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 28 to the twenty-first, to Hothir, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 29 to the twenty-second, to Giddalti, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 30 to the twenty-third, to Mahazioth, his sons and his brothers, twelve; 31 to the twenty-fourth, to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his brothers, twelve. Footnotes [1] 25:3 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts lack Shimei (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Luke 13:10–35 Luke 13:10–35 (Listen) A Woman with a Disabling Spirit 10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. The Mustard Seed and the Leaven 18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” 20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” The Narrow Door 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.' 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Lament over Jerusalem 31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.' 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'” (ESV)

1 Epiphany First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: Genesis 6:9–22 Genesis 6:9–22 (Listen) Noah and the Flood 9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh,1 for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.2 Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits,3 its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof4 for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. Footnotes [1] 6:13 Hebrew The end of all flesh has come before me [2] 6:14 An unknown kind of tree; transliterated from Hebrew [3] 6:15 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [4] 6:16 Or skylight (ESV) New Testament: Hebrews 4:1–13 Hebrews 4:1–13 (Listen) 4 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.1 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,   “As I swore in my wrath,  ‘They shall not enter my rest,'” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” 5 And again in this passage he said,   “They shall not enter my rest.” 6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,   “Today, if you hear his voice,  do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God2 would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Footnotes [1] 4:2 Some manuscripts it did not meet with faith in the hearers [2] 4:8 Greek he (ESV) Gospel: John 2:13–22 John 2:13–22 (Listen) Jesus Cleanses the Temple 13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,1 and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. Footnotes [1] 2:20 Or This temple was built forty-six years ago (ESV)

Christmas First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 23; Psalm 27 Psalm 23 (Listen) The Lord Is My Shepherd A Psalm of David. 23   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.13     He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness2    for his name's sake. 4   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,3    I will fear no evil,  for you are with me;    your rod and your staff,    they comfort me. 5   You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies;  you anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.6   Surely4 goodness and mercy5 shall follow me    all the days of my life,  and I shall dwell6 in the house of the LORD    forever.7 Footnotes [1] 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest [2] 23:3 Or in right paths [3] 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness [4] 23:6 Or Only [5] 23:6 Or steadfast love [6] 23:6 Or shall return to dwell [7] 23:6 Hebrew for length of days (ESV) Psalm 27 (Listen) The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation Of David. 27   The LORD is my light and my salvation;    whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold1 of my life;    of whom shall I be afraid? 2   When evildoers assail me    to eat up my flesh,  my adversaries and foes,    it is they who stumble and fall. 3   Though an army encamp against me,    my heart shall not fear;  though war arise against me,    yet2 I will be confident. 4   One thing have I asked of the LORD,    that will I seek after:  that I may dwell in the house of the LORD    all the days of my life,  to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD    and to inquire3 in his temple. 5   For he will hide me in his shelter    in the day of trouble;  he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;    he will lift me high upon a rock. 6   And now my head shall be lifted up    above my enemies all around me,  and I will offer in his tent    sacrifices with shouts of joy;  I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 7   Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;    be gracious to me and answer me!8   You have said, “Seek4 my face.”  My heart says to you,    “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”59     Hide not your face from me.  Turn not your servant away in anger,    O you who have been my help.  Cast me not off; forsake me not,    O God of my salvation!10   For my father and my mother have forsaken me,    but the LORD will take me in. 11   Teach me your way, O LORD,    and lead me on a level path    because of my enemies.12   Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;    for false witnesses have risen against me,    and they breathe out violence. 13   I believe that I shall look6 upon the goodness of the LORD    in the land of the living!14   Wait for the LORD;    be strong, and let your heart take courage;    wait for the LORD! Footnotes [1] 27:1 Or refuge [2] 27:3 Or in this [3] 27:4 Or meditate [4] 27:8 The command (seek) is addressed to more than one person [5] 27:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain [6] 27:13 Other Hebrew manuscripts Oh! Had I not believed that I would look (ESV) Old Testament: 1 Kings 17:17–24 1 Kings 17:17–24 (Listen) Elijah Raises the Widow's Son 17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. 20 And he cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child's life1 come into him again.” 22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” 24 And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.” Footnotes [1] 17:21 Or soul; also verse 22 (ESV) New Testament: 3 John 3 John (Listen) Greeting 1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers1 came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Support and Opposition 5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. 9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. 11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. Final Greetings 13 I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. 15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name. Footnotes [1] 1:3 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 10 (ESV) Gospel: John 4:46–54 John 4:46–54 (Listen) Jesus Heals an Official's Son 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you1 see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants2 met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour3 the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. Footnotes [1] 4:48 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse [2] 4:51 Or bondservants [3] 4:52 That is, at 1 p.m. (ESV)

1 Advent First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: Amos 5:18–27 Amos 5:18–27 (Listen) Let Justice Roll Down 18   Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!    Why would you have the day of the LORD?  It is darkness, and not light,19     as if a man fled from a lion,    and a bear met him,  or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,    and a serpent bit him.20   Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,    and gloom with no brightness in it? 21   “I hate, I despise your feasts,    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.22   Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,    I will not accept them;  and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,    I will not look upon them.23   Take away from me the noise of your songs;    to the melody of your harps I will not listen.24   But let justice roll down like waters,    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. 25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts. (ESV) New Testament: Jude 17–25 Jude 17–25 (Listen) A Call to Persevere 17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They1 said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment2 stained by the flesh. Doxology 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time3 and now and forever. Amen. Footnotes [1] 1:18 Or Christ, because they [2] 1:23 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin [3] 1:25 Or before any age (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 22:15–22 Matthew 22:15–22 (Listen) Paying Taxes to Caesar 15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.1 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.2 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. Footnotes [1] 22:16 Greek for you do not look at people's faces [2] 22:19 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer (ESV)

Proper 23 First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: 2 Kings 25:8–12; 2 Kings 25:22–26 2 Kings 25:8–12 (Listen) 8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And he burned the house of the LORD and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen. (ESV) 2 Kings 25:22–26 (Listen) Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah 22 And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. 23 Now when all the captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite. 24 And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” 25 But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans. (ESV) New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15:12–29 1 Corinthians 15:12–29 (Listen) The Resurrection of the Dead 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope1 in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God2 has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. 29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? Footnotes [1] 15:19 Or we have hoped [2] 15:27 Greek he (ESV) Gospel: Matthew 11:7–15 Matthew 11:7–15 (Listen) 7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man1 dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet?2 Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,   “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,    who will prepare your way before you.' 11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,3 and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear,4 let him hear. Footnotes [1] 11:8 Or Why then did you go out? To see a man . . . [2] 11:9 Some manuscripts Why then did you go out? To see a prophet? [3] 11:12 Or has been coming violently [4] 11:15 Some manuscripts omit to hear (ESV)

Reading of...The Holy BiblePsalm 21The King Rejoices in the Lord's StrengthRead by Sir StoneSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sir-reads/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

David rejoices in God's goodness to him as the anointed king. But his own rule would quickly fade from history. A greater King, however, would one day come. Unlike David's temporary “crown of fine gold”, this King's reign would last forever.  Dane Ortlund is the author of In the Lord I Take Refuge: 150 Daily Devotions through the Psalms. Hardcover Audiobook Ebook

Psalms 21–25 Psalms 21–25 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Why Have You Forsaken Me? To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. 22   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?2   O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,    and by night, but I find no rest. 3   Yet you are holy,    enthroned on the praises2 of Israel.4   In you our fathers trusted;    they trusted, and you delivered them.5   To you they cried and were rescued;    in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6   But I am a worm and not a man,    scorned by mankind and despised by the people.7   All who see me mock me;    they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;8   “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9   Yet you are he who took me from the womb;    you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.10   On you was I cast from my birth,    and from my mother's womb you have been my God.11   Be not far from me,    for trouble is near,    and there is none to help. 12   Many bulls encompass me;    strong bulls of Bashan surround me;13   they open wide their mouths at me,    like a ravening and roaring lion. 14   I am poured out like water,    and all my bones are out of joint;  my heart is like wax;    it is melted within my breast;15   my strength is dried up like a potsherd,    and my tongue sticks to my jaws;    you lay me in the dust of death. 16   For dogs encompass me;    a company of evildoers encircles me;  they have pierced my hands and feet3—17   I can count all my bones—  they stare and gloat over me;18   they divide my garments among them,    and for my clothing they cast lots. 19   But you, O LORD, do not be far off!    O you my help, come quickly to my aid!20   Deliver my soul from the sword,    my precious life from the power of the dog!21     Save me from the mouth of the lion!  You have rescued4 me from the horns of the wild oxen! 22   I will tell of your name to my brothers;    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:23   You who fear the LORD, praise him!    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,    and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!24   For he has not despised or abhorred    the affliction of the afflicted,  and he has not hidden his face from him,    but has heard, when he cried to him. 25   From you comes my praise in the great congregation;    my vows I will perform before those who fear him.26   The afflicted5 shall eat and be satisfied;    those who seek him shall praise the LORD!    May your hearts live forever! 27   All the ends of the earth shall remember    and turn to the LORD,  and all the families of the nations    shall worship before you.28   For kingship belongs to the LORD,    and he rules over the nations. 29   All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,    even the one who could not keep himself alive.30   Posterity shall serve him;    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;31   they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,    that he has done it. The Lord Is My Shepherd A Psalm of David. 23   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.63     He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness7    for his name's sake. 4   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,8    I will fear no evil,  for you are with me;    your rod and your staff,    they comfort me. 5   You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies;  you anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.6   Surely9 goodness and mercy10 shall follow me    all the days of my life,  and I shall dwell11 in the house of the LORD    forever.12 The King of Glory A Psalm of David. 24   The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,13    the world and those who dwell therein,2   for he has founded it upon the seas    and established it upon the rivers. 3   Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?    And who shall stand in his holy place?4   He who has clean hands and a pure heart,    who does not lift up his soul to what is false    and does not swear deceitfully.5   He will receive blessing from the LORD    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.6   Such is the generation of those who seek him,    who seek the face of the God of Jacob.14 Selah 7   Lift up your heads, O gates!    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.8   Who is this King of glory?    The LORD, strong and mighty,    the LORD, mighty in battle!9   Lift up your heads, O gates!    And lift them up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.10   Who is this King of glory?    The LORD of hosts,    he is the King of glory! Selah Teach Me Your Paths 15 Of David. 25   To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.2   O my God, in you I trust;    let me not be put to shame;    let not my enemies exult over me.3   Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4   Make me to know your ways, O LORD;    teach me your paths.5   Lead me in your truth and teach me,    for you are the God of my salvation;    for you I wait all the day long. 6   Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,    for they have been from of old.7   Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;    according to your steadfast love remember me,    for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! 8   Good and upright is the LORD;    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9   He leads the humble in what is right,    and teaches the humble his way.10   All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11   For your name's sake, O LORD,    pardon my guilt, for it is great.12   Who is the man who fears the LORD?    Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.13   His soul shall abide in well-being,    and his offspring shall inherit the land.14   The friendship16 of the LORD is for those who fear him,    and he makes known to them his covenant.15   My eyes are ever toward the LORD,    for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16   Turn to me and be gracious to me,    for I am lonely and afflicted.17   The troubles of my heart are enlarged;    bring me out of my distresses.18   Consider my affliction and my trouble,    and forgive all my sins. 19   Consider how many are my foes,    and with what violent hatred they hate me.20   Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.21   May integrity and uprightness preserve me,    for I wait for you. 22   Redeem Israel, O God,    out of all his troubles. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever [2] 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises [3] 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet [4] 22:21 Hebrew answered [5] 22:26 Or The meek [6] 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest [7] 23:3 Or in right paths [8] 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness [9] 23:6 Or Only [10] 23:6 Or steadfast love [11] 23:6 Or shall return to dwell [12] 23:6 Hebrew for length of days [13] 24:1 Or and all that fills it [14] 24:6 Septuagint, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; Masoretic Text who seek your face, Jacob [15] 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [16] 25:14 Or The secret counsel (ESV)

Proper 16 First Psalm: Psalms 20–21 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117 Psalm 110 (Listen) Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110   The LORD says to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand,  until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2   The LORD sends forth from Zion    your mighty scepter.    Rule in the midst of your enemies!3   Your people will offer themselves freely    on the day of your power,1    in holy garments;2  from the womb of the morning,    the dew of your youth will be yours.34   The LORD has sworn    and will not change his mind,  “You are a priest forever    after the order of Melchizedek.” 5   The Lord is at your right hand;    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6   He will execute judgment among the nations,    filling them with corpses;  he will shatter chiefs4    over the wide earth.7   He will drink from the brook by the way;    therefore he will lift up his head. Footnotes [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [4] 110:6 Or the head (ESV) Psalms 116–117 (Listen) I Love the Lord 116   I love the LORD, because he has heard    my voice and my pleas for mercy.2   Because he inclined his ear to me,    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.3   The snares of death encompassed me;    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;    I suffered distress and anguish.4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;    our God is merciful.6   The LORD preserves the simple;    when I was brought low, he saved me.7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8   For you have delivered my soul from death,    my eyes from tears,    my feet from stumbling;9   I will walk before the LORD    in the land of the living. 10   I believed, even when1 I spoke:    “I am greatly afflicted”;11   I said in my alarm,    “All mankind are liars.” 12   What shall I render to the LORD    for all his benefits to me?13   I will lift up the cup of salvation    and call on the name of the LORD,14   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people. 15   Precious in the sight of the LORD    is the death of his saints.16   O LORD, I am your servant;    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.    You have loosed my bonds.17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving    and call on the name of the LORD.18   I will pay my vows to the LORD    in the presence of all his people,19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,    in your midst, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD! The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore (ESV) Old Testament: 1 Kings 7:51–8:21 1 Kings 7:51–8:21 (Listen) 51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the LORD was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD. The Ark Brought into the Temple 8 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. Solomon Blesses the Lord 12 Then Solomon said, “The LORD1 has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. 13 I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.” 14 Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. 15 And he said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying, 16 ‘Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there. But I chose David to be over my people Israel.' 17 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.' 20 Now the LORD has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and I have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 21 And there I have provided a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.” Footnotes [1] 8:12 Septuagint The Lord has set the sun in the heavens, but (ESV) New Testament: Acts 28:17–31 Acts 28:17–31 (Listen) Paul in Rome 17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26   “‘Go to this people, and say,  “You will indeed hear but never understand,    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”27   For this people's heart has grown dull,    and with their ears they can barely hear,    and their eyes they have closed;  lest they should see with their eyes    and hear with their ears  and understand with their heart    and turn, and I would heal them.' 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”1 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense,2 and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. Footnotes [1] 28:28 Some manuscripts add verse 29: And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, having much dispute among themselves [2] 28:30 Or in his own hired dwelling (ESV) Gospel: Mark 14:43–52 Mark 14:43–52 (Listen) Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus 43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 45 And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 46 And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant1 of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” 50 And they all left him and fled. A Young Man Flees 51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. Footnotes [1] 14:47 Or bondservant (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 21 Psalm 21 (Listen) The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Samuel 9–10:16 1 Samuel 9–10:16 (Listen) Saul Chosen to Be King 9 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. 3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” 4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them. 5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant1 who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 6 But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” 7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” 8 The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel2 of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today's “prophet” was formerly called a seer.) 10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.” 14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place. 15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince3 over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen4 my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.” 18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 19 Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. 20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?” 21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?” 22 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.'” 24 So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.”5 So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep.6 26 Then at the break of dawn7 Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. 27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.” Saul Anointed King 10 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince8 over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince9 over his heritage. 2 When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”' 3 Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. 5 After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim,10 where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 8 Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.” 9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 10 When they came to Gibeah,11 behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place. 14 Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 And Saul's uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything. Footnotes [1] 9:5 Hebrew young man; also verses 7, 8, 10, 27 [2] 9:8 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [3] 9:16 Or leader [4] 9:16 Septuagint adds the affliction of [5] 9:24 Hebrew appointed, saying, ‘I have invited the people' [6] 9:25 Septuagint; Hebrew city, he spoke with Saul on the roof [7] 9:26 Septuagint; Hebrew And they arose early, and at the break of dawn [8] 10:1 Or leader [9] 10:1 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks over his people Israel? And you shall. . . . to be prince [10] 10:5 Gibeath-elohim means the hill of God [11] 10:10 Gibeah means the hill (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Lamentations 1 Lamentations 1 (Listen) How Lonely Sits the City 1   How lonely sits the city    that was full of people!  How like a widow has she become,    she who was great among the nations!  She who was a princess among the provinces    has become a slave. 2   She weeps bitterly in the night,    with tears on her cheeks;  among all her lovers    she has none to comfort her;  all her friends have dealt treacherously with her;    they have become her enemies. 3   Judah has gone into exile because of affliction1    and hard servitude;  she dwells now among the nations,    but finds no resting place;  her pursuers have all overtaken her    in the midst of her distress.2 4   The roads to Zion mourn,    for none come to the festival;  all her gates are desolate;    her priests groan;  her virgins have been afflicted,3    and she herself suffers bitterly. 5   Her foes have become the head;    her enemies prosper,  because the LORD has afflicted her    for the multitude of her transgressions;  her children have gone away,    captives before the foe. 6   From the daughter of Zion    all her majesty has departed.  Her princes have become like deer    that find no pasture;  they fled without strength    before the pursuer. 7   Jerusalem remembers    in the days of her affliction and wandering  all the precious things    that were hers from days of old.  When her people fell into the hand of the foe,    and there was none to help her,  her foes gloated over her;    they mocked at her downfall. 8   Jerusalem sinned grievously;    therefore she became filthy;  all who honored her despise her,    for they have seen her nakedness;  she herself groans    and turns her face away. 9   Her uncleanness was in her skirts;    she took no thought of her future;4  therefore her fall is terrible;    she has no comforter.  “O LORD, behold my affliction,    for the enemy has triumphed!” 10   The enemy has stretched out his hands    over all her precious things;  for she has seen the nations    enter her sanctuary,  those whom you forbade    to enter your congregation. 11   All her people groan    as they search for bread;  they trade their treasures for food    to revive their strength.  “Look, O LORD, and see,    for I am despised.” 12   “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?    Look and see  if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,    which was brought upon me,  which the LORD inflicted    on the day of his fierce anger. 13   “From on high he sent fire;    into my bones5 he made it descend;  he spread a net for my feet;    he turned me back;  he has left me stunned,    faint all the day long. 14   “My transgressions were bound6 into a yoke;    by his hand they were fastened together;  they were set upon my neck;    he caused my strength to fail;  the Lord gave me into the hands    of those whom I cannot withstand. 15   “The Lord rejected    all my mighty men in my midst;  he summoned an assembly against me    to crush my young men;  the Lord has trodden as in a winepress    the virgin daughter of Judah. 16   “For these things I weep;    my eyes flow with tears;  for a comforter is far from me,    one to revive my spirit;  my children are desolate,    for the enemy has prevailed.” 17   Zion stretches out her hands,    but there is none to comfort her;  the LORD has commanded against Jacob    that his neighbors should be his foes;  Jerusalem has become    a filthy thing among them. 18   “The LORD is in the right,    for I have rebelled against his word;  but hear, all you peoples,    and see my suffering;  my young women and my young men    have gone into captivity. 19   “I called to my lovers,    but they deceived me;  my priests and elders    perished in the city,  while they sought food    to revive their strength. 20   “Look, O LORD, for I am in distress;    my stomach churns;  my heart is wrung within me,    because I have been very rebellious.  In the street the sword bereaves;    in the house it is like death. 21   “They heard7 my groaning,    yet there is no one to comfort me.  All my enemies have heard of my trouble;    they are glad that you have done it.  You have brought8 the day you announced;    now let them be as I am. 22   “Let all their evildoing come before you,    and deal with them  as you have dealt with me    because of all my transgressions;  for my groans are many,    and my heart is faint.” Footnotes [1] 1:3 Or under affliction [2] 1:3 Or in the narrow passes [3] 1:4 Septuagint, Old Latin dragged away [4] 1:9 Or end [5] 1:13 Septuagint; Hebrew bones and [6] 1:14 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [7] 1:21 Septuagint, Syriac Hear [8] 1:21 Syriac Bring (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 (Listen) 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Submission to Authority 13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,

With family: 1 Samuel 7–8; Romans 6 1 Samuel 7–8 (Listen) 7 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. Samuel Judges Israel 3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. 5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the LORD and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen1 and called its name Ebenezer;2 for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. 15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the LORD. Israel Demands a King 8 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” Samuel's Warning Against Kings 10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men3 and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” The Lord Grants Israel's Request 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.” Footnotes [1] 7:12 Hebrew; Septuagint, Syriac Jeshanah [2] 7:12 Ebenezer means stone of help [3] 8:16 Septuagint cattle (ESV) Romans 6 (Listen) Dead to Sin, Alive to God 6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self1 was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free2 from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Slaves to Righteousness 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,3 you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Footnotes [1] 6:6 Greek man [2] 6:7 Greek has been justified [3] 6:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; twice in this verse; also verses 17, 19 (twice), 20 (ESV) In private: Psalms 20–21; Jeremiah 44 Psalms 20–21 (Listen) Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 20   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!2   May he send you help from the sanctuary    and give you support from Zion!3   May he remember all your offerings    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4   May he grant you your heart's desire    and fulfill all your plans!5   May we shout for joy over your salvation,    and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! 6   Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;    he will answer him from his holy heaven    with the saving might of his right hand.7   Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.8   They collapse and fall,    but we rise and stand upright. 9   O LORD, save the king!    May he answer us when we call. The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 21   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!2   You have given him his heart's desire    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah3   For you meet him with rich blessings;    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.4   He asked life of you; you gave it to him,    length of days forever and ever.5   His glory is great through your salvation;    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.6   For you make him most blessed forever;1    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.7   For the king trusts in the LORD,    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8   Your hand will find out all your enemies;    your right hand will find out those who hate you.9   You will make them as a blazing oven    when you appear.  The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,    and fire will consume them.10   You will destroy their descendants from the earth,    and their offspring from among the children of man.11   Though they plan evil against you,    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.12   For you will put them to flight;    you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!    We will sing and praise your power. Footnotes [1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever (ESV) Jeremiah 44 (Listen) Judgment for Idolatry 44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah. Behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of the evil that they committed, provoking me to anger, in that they went to make offerings and serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. 4 Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!' 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods. 6 Therefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became a waste and a desolation, as at this day. 7 And now thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant? 8 Why do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, making offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live, so that you may be cut off and become a curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the evil of your fathers, the evil of the kings of Judah, the evil of their1 wives, your own evil, and the evil of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not humbled themselves even to this day, nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers. 11 “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for harm, to cut off all Judah. 12 I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to come to the land of Egypt to live, and they shall all be consumed. In the land of Egypt they shall fall; by the sword and by famine they shall be consumed. From the least to the greatest, they shall die by the sword and by famine, and they shall become an oath, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. 13 I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return to dwell there. For they shall not return, except some fugitives.” 15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you. 17 But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18 But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” 19 And the women said,2 “When we made offerings to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands' approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?” 20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, men and women, all the people who had given him this answer: 21 “As for the offerings that you offered in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your officials, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them? Did it not come into his mind? 22 The LORD could no longer bear your evil deeds and the abominations that you committed. Therefore your land has become a desolation and a waste and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day. 23 It is because you made offerings and because you sinned against the LORD and did not obey the voice of the LORD or walk in his law and in his statutes and in his testimonies that this disaster has happened to you, as at this day.” 24 Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have declared with your mouths, and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made, to make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.' Then confirm your vows and perform your vows! 26 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord GOD lives.' 27 Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them. 28 And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs. 29 This shall be the sign to you, declares the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, in order that you may know that my words will surely stand against you for harm: 30 Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and sought his life.” Footnotes [1] 44:9 Hebrew his [2] 44:19 Compare Syriac; Hebrew lacks And the women said (ESV)