ESV: Daily Office Lectionary

ESV: Daily Office Lectionary

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ESV: Daily Office Lectionary episodes

  • December 12: Psalm 26; Psalm 28; Psalm 36; Psalm 39; Amos 7:10–17; Revelation 1:9–16; Matthew 22:34–46

    2 Advent

    First Psalm:
    Psalm 26; Psalm 28
    Psalm 26 (Listen)
    I Will Bless the Lord
    Of David.

    26   Vindicate me, O LORD,
        for I have walked in my integrity,
        and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
    2   Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
        test my heart and my mind.Hebrew test my kidneys and my heart">1
    3   For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
        and I walk in your faithfulness.
    4   I do not sit with men of falsehood,
        nor do I consort with hypocrites.
    5   I hate the assembly of evildoers,
        and I will not sit with the wicked.
    6   I wash my hands in innocence
        and go around your altar, O LORD,
    7   proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
        and telling all your wondrous deeds.
    8   O LORD, I love the habitation of your house
        and the place where your glory dwells.
    9   Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
        nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
    10   in whose hands are evil devices,
        and whose right hands are full of bribes.
    11   But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
        redeem me, and be gracious to me.
    12   My foot stands on level ground;
        in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.

    Footnotes

    [1] 26:2 Hebrew test my kidneys and my heart

    (ESV)

    Psalm 28 (Listen)
    The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield
    Of David.

    28   To you, O LORD, I call;
        my rock, be not deaf to me,
      lest, if you be silent to me,
        I become like those who go down to the pit.
    2   Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
        when I cry to you for help,
      when I lift up my hands
        toward your most holy sanctuary.Hebrew your innermost sanctuary">1
    3   Do not drag me off with the wicked,
        with the workers of evil,
      who speak peace with their neighbors
        while evil is in their hearts.
    4   Give to them according to their work
        and according to the evil of their deeds;
      give to them according to the work of their hands;
        render them their due reward.
    5   Because they do not regard the works of the LORD
        or the work of his hands,
      he will tear them down and build them up no more.
    6   Blessed be the LORD!
        For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
    7   The LORD is my strength and my shield;
        in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
      my heart exults,
        and with my song I give thanks to him.
    8   The LORD is the strength of his people;Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts is their strength">2
        he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
    9   Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
        Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

    Footnotes

    [1] 28:2 Hebrew your innermost sanctuary


    [2] 28:8 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts is their strength

    (ESV)

    Second Psalm:
    Psalm 36; Psalm 39
    Psalm 36 (Listen)
    How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love
    To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD.

    36   Transgression speaks to the wicked
        deep in his heart;Some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Jerome (compare Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts in my heart">1
      there is no fear of God
        before his eyes.
    2   For he flatters himself in his own eyes
        that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
    3   The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
        he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
    4   He plots trouble while on his bed;
        he sets himself in a way that is not good;
        he does not reject evil.
    5   Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
        your faithfulness to the clouds.
    6   Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
        your judgments are like the great deep;
        man and beast you save, O LORD.
    7   How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
        The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
    8   They feast on the abundance of your house,
        and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
    9   For with you is the fountain of life;
        in your light do we see light.
    10   Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
        and your righteousness to the upright of heart!
    11   Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
        nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
    12   There the evildoers lie fallen;
        they are thrust down, unable to rise.

    Footnotes

    [1] 36:1 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Jerome (compare Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts in my heart

    (ESV)

    Psalm 39 (Listen)
    What Is the Measure of My Days?
    To the choirmaster: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

    39   I said, “I will guard my ways,
        that I may not sin with my tongue;
      I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,
        so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
    2   I was mute and silent;
        I held my peace to no avail,
      and my distress grew worse.
    3     My heart became hot within me.
      As I mused, the fire burned;
        then I spoke with my tongue:
    4   “O LORD, make me know my end
        and what is the measure of my days;
        let me know how fleeting I am!
    5   Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
        and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
      Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
    6     Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
      Surely for nothingHebrew Surely as a breath">1 they are in turmoil;
        man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
    7   “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
        My hope is in you.
    8   Deliver me from all my transgressions.
        Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
    9   I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
        for it is you who have done it.
    10   Remove your stroke from me;
        I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
    11   When you discipline a man
        with rebukes for sin,
      you consume like a moth what is dear to him;
        surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah
    12   “Hear my prayer, O LORD,
        and give ear to my cry;
        hold not your peace at my tears!
      For I am a sojourner with you,
        a guest, like all my fathers.
    13   Look away from me, that I may smile again,
        before I depart and am no more!”

    Footnotes

    [1] 39:6 Hebrew Surely as a breath

    (ESV)

    Old Testament:
    Amos 7:10–17
    Amos 7:10–17 (Listen)
    Amos Accused

    10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said,

      “‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
        and Israel must go into exile
        away from his land.’”

    12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

    14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I wasOr am; twice in this verse">1 no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. 15 But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now therefore hear the word of the LORD.

      “You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
        and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’

    17 Therefore thus says the LORD:

      “‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city,
        and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
        and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line;
      you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
        and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”

    Footnotes

    [1] 7:14 Or am; twice in this verse

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Revelation 1:9–16
    Revelation 1:9–16 (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.

    (ESV)

    Gospel:
    Matthew 22:34–46
    Matthew 22:34–46 (Listen)
    The Great Commandment

    34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

    Whose Son Is the Christ?

    41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

    44   “‘The Lord said to my Lord,
      “Sit at my right hand,
        until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

    45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

    (ESV)

    10 min
  • December 11: Psalm 25; Psalm 9; Psalm 15; Amos 7:1–9; Revelation 1:1–8; Matthew 22:23–33

    2 Advent

    First Psalm:
    Psalm 25
    Psalm 25 (Listen)
    Teach Me Your Paths
    This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet">1 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 friendshipOr The secret counsel">2 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] 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet


    [2] 25:14 Or The secret counsel

    (ESV)

    Second Psalm:
    Psalm 9; Psalm 15
    Psalm 9 (Listen)
    I Will Recount Your Wonderful Deeds
    Psalms 9 and 10 together follow an acrostic pattern, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they form one psalm">1 To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben.Probably a musical or liturgical term">2 A Psalm of David.

    9   I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
        I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
    2   I will be glad and exult in you;
        I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
    3   When my enemies turn back,
        they stumble and perish beforeOr because of">3 your presence.
    4   For you have maintained my just cause;
        you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
    5   You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
        you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
    6   The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
        their cities you rooted out;
        the very memory of them has perished.
    7   But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
        he has established his throne for justice,
    8   and he judges the world with righteousness;
        he judges the peoples with uprightness.
    9   The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
        a stronghold in times of trouble.
    10   And those who know your name put their trust in you,
        for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
    11   Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
        Tell among the peoples his deeds!
    12   For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
        he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
    13   Be gracious to me, O LORD!
        See my affliction from those who hate me,
        O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
    14   that I may recount all your praises,
        that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
        I may rejoice in your salvation.
    15   The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
        in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
    16   The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
        the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion.Probably a musical or liturgical term">4 Selah
    17   The wicked shall return to Sheol,
        all the nations that forget God.
    18   For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
        and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
    19   Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;
        let the nations be judged before you!
    20   Put them in fear, O LORD!
        Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah

    Footnotes

    [1] 9:1 Psalms 9 and 10 together follow an acrostic pattern, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they form one psalm


    [2] 9:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term

    [3] 9:3 Or because of

    [4] 9:16 Probably a musical or liturgical term

    (ESV)

    Psalm 15 (Listen)
    Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill?
    A Psalm of David.

    15   O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
        Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
    2   He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
        and speaks truth in his heart;
    3   who does not slander with his tongue
        and does no evil to his neighbor,
        nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
    4   in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
        but who honors those who fear the LORD;
      who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
    5   who does not put out his money at interest
        and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
      He who does these things shall never be moved.

    (ESV)

    Old Testament:
    Amos 7:1–9
    Amos 7:1–9 (Listen)
    Warning Visions

    7 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. 2 When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,

      “O Lord GOD, please forgive!
        How can Jacob stand?
        He is so small!”
    3   The LORD relented concerning this:
        “It shall not be,” said the LORD.

    4 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, the Lord GOD was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. 5 Then I said,

      “O Lord GOD, please cease!
        How can Jacob stand?
        He is so small!”
    6   The LORD relented concerning this:
        “This also shall not be,” said the Lord GOD.

    7 This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

      “Behold, I am setting a plumb line
        in the midst of my people Israel;
        I will never again pass by them;
    9   the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
        and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
        and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Revelation 1:1–8
    Revelation 1:1–8 (Listen)
    Prologue

    1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servantsfor the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for servant later in this verse">1 the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

    Greeting to the Seven Churches

    4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

    Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

    To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wailOr mourn">2 on account of him. Even so. Amen.

    8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:1 for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for servant later in this verse


    [2] 1:7 Or mourn

    (ESV)

    Gospel:
    Matthew 22:23–33
    Matthew 22:23–33 (Listen)
    Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

    23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

    29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

    (ESV)

    10 min
  • December 10: Psalms 148–150; Psalms 114–115; Amos 6; 2 Thessalonians 1:5–12; Luke 1:57–68

    2 Advent

    First Psalm:
    Psalms 148–150
    Psalms 148–150 (Listen)
    Praise the Name of the Lord

    148   Praise the LORD!
      Praise the LORD from the heavens;
        praise him in the heights!
    2   Praise him, all his angels;
        praise him, all his hosts!
    3   Praise him, sun and moon,
        praise him, all you shining stars!
    4   Praise him, you highest heavens,
        and you waters above the heavens!
    5   Let them praise the name of the LORD!
        For he commanded and they were created.
    6   And he established them forever and ever;
        he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.Or it shall not be transgressed">1
    7   Praise the LORD from the earth,
        you great sea creatures and all deeps,
    8   fire and hail, snow and mist,
        stormy wind fulfilling his word!
    9   Mountains and all hills,
        fruit trees and all cedars!
    10   Beasts and all livestock,
        creeping things and flying birds!
    11   Kings of the earth and all peoples,
        princes and all rulers of the earth!
    12   Young men and maidens together,
        old men and children!
    13   Let them praise the name of the LORD,
        for his name alone is exalted;
        his majesty is above earth and heaven.
    14   He has raised up a horn for his people,
        praise for all his saints,
        for the people of Israel who are near to him.
      Praise the LORD!

    Sing to the Lord a New Song

    149   Praise the LORD!
      Sing to the LORD a new song,
        his praise in the assembly of the godly!
    2   Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
        let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
    3   Let them praise his name with dancing,
        making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
    4   For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
        he adorns the humble with salvation.
    5   Let the godly exult in glory;
        let them sing for joy on their beds.
    6   Let the high praises of God be in their throats
        and two-edged swords in their hands,
    7   to execute vengeance on the nations
        and punishments on the peoples,
    8   to bind their kings with chains
        and their nobles with fetters of iron,
    9   to execute on them the judgment written!
        This is honor for all his godly ones.
      Praise the LORD!

    Let Everything Praise the Lord

    150   Praise the LORD!
      Praise God in his sanctuary;
        praise him in his mighty heavens!Hebrew expanse (compare Genesis 1:6–8)">2
    2   Praise him for his mighty deeds;
        praise him according to his excellent greatness!
    3   Praise him with trumpet sound;
        praise him with lute and harp!
    4   Praise him with tambourine and dance;
        praise him with strings and pipe!
    5   Praise him with sounding cymbals;
        praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
    6   Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
      Praise the LORD!

    Footnotes

    [1] 148:6 Or it shall not be transgressed


    [2] 150:1 Hebrew expanse (compare Genesis 1:6–8)

    (ESV)

    Second Psalm:
    Psalms 114–115
    Psalms 114–115 (Listen)
    Tremble at the Presence of the Lord

    114   When Israel went out from Egypt,
        the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
    2   Judah became his sanctuary,
        Israel his dominion.
    3   The sea looked and fled;
        Jordan turned back.
    4   The mountains skipped like rams,
        the hills like lambs.
    5   What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
        O Jordan, that you turn back?
    6   O mountains, that you skip like rams?
        O hills, like lambs?
    7   Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
        at the presence of the God of Jacob,
    8   who turns the rock into a pool of water,
        the flint into a spring of water.

    To Your Name Give Glory

    115   Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
        for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
    2   Why should the nations say,
        “Where is their God?”
    3   Our God is in the heavens;
        he does all that he pleases.
    4   Their idols are silver and gold,
        the work of human hands.
    5   They have mouths, but do not speak;
        eyes, but do not see.
    6   They have ears, but do not hear;
        noses, but do not smell.
    7   They have hands, but do not feel;
        feet, but do not walk;
        and they do not make a sound in their throat.
    8   Those who make them become like them;
        so do all who trust in them.
    9   O Israel,Masoretic Text; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac O house of Israel">1 trust in the LORD!
        He is their help and their shield.
    10   O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!
        He is their help and their shield.
    11   You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
        He is their help and their shield.
    12   The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us;
        he will bless the house of Israel;
        he will bless the house of Aaron;
    13   he will bless those who fear the LORD,
        both the small and the great.
    14   May the LORD give you increase,
        you and your children!
    15   May you be blessed by the LORD,
        who made heaven and earth!
    16   The heavens are the LORD’s heavens,
        but the earth he has given to the children of man.
    17   The dead do not praise the LORD,
        nor do any who go down into silence.
    18   But we will bless the LORD
        from this time forth and forevermore.
      Praise the LORD!

    Footnotes

    [1] 115:9 Masoretic Text; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac O house of Israel

    (ESV)

    Old Testament:
    Amos 6
    Amos 6 (Listen)
    Woe to Those at Ease in Zion

    6   “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
        and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
      the notable men of the first of the nations,
        to whom the house of Israel comes!
    2   Pass over to Calneh, and see,
        and from there go to Hamath the great;
        then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
      Are you better than these kingdoms?
        Or is their territory greater than your territory,
    3   O you who put far away the day of disaster
        and bring near the seat of violence?
    4   “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
        and stretch themselves out on their couches,
      and eat lambs from the flock
        and calves from the midst of the stall,
    5   who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
        and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
    6   who drink wine in bowls
        and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
        but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
    7   Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
        and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”

    8 The Lord GOD has sworn by himself, declares the LORD, the God of hosts:

      “I abhor the pride of Jacob
        and hate his strongholds,
        and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”

    9 And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when one’s relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, “Is there still anyone with you?” he shall say, “No”; and he shall say, “Silence! We must not mention the name of the LORD.”

    11   For behold, the LORD commands,
        and the great house shall be struck down into fragments,
        and the little house into bits.
    12   Do horses run on rocks?
        Does one plow thereOr the sea">1 with oxen?
      But you have turned justice into poison
        and the fruit of righteousness into wormwoodOr into bitter fruit">2—
    13   you who rejoice in Lo-debar,Lo-debar means nothing">3
        who say, “Have we not by our own strength
        captured KarnaimKarnaim means horns (a symbol of strength)">4 for ourselves?”
    14   “For behold, I will raise up against you a nation,
        O house of Israel,” declares the LORD, the God of hosts;
      “and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath
        to the Brook of the Arabah.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 6:12 Or the sea


    [2] 6:12 Or into bitter fruit

    [3] 6:13 Lo-debar means nothing

    [4] 6:13 Karnaim means horns (a symbol of strength)

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    2 Thessalonians 1:5–12
    2 Thessalonians 1:5–12 (Listen)
    The Judgment at Christ’s Coming

    5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away fromOr destruction that comes from">1 the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:9 Or destruction that comes from

    (ESV)

    Gospel:
    Luke 1:57–68
    Luke 1:57–68 (Listen)
    The Birth of John the Baptist

    57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

    Zechariah’s Prophecy

    67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

    68   “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
        for he has visited and redeemed his people

    (ESV)

    10 min
  • December 9: Psalms 20–21; Psalm 110; Psalms 116–117; Amos 5:18–27; Jude 17–25; Matthew 22:15–22

    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. Selah
    3   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;Or make him a source of blessing 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,Or on the day you lead your forces">1
        in holy garments;Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains">2
      from the womb of the morning,
        the dew of your youth will be yours.The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain">3
    4   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 chiefsOr the head">4
        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 whenOr believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore">1 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 TheyOr Christ, because they">1 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 garmentGreek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin">2 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 timeOr before any age">3 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.Greek for you do not look at people’s faces">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.A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer">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)

    9 min
  • December 8: Psalms 16–17; Psalm 22; Amos 5:1–17; Jude 1–16; Matthew 22:1–14

    1 Advent

    First Psalm:
    Psalms 16–17
    Psalms 16–17 (Listen)
    You Will Not Abandon My Soul
    A MiktamProbably a musical or liturgical term">1 of David.

    16   Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
    2   I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
        I have no good apart from you.”
    3   As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
        in whom is all my delight.Or To the saints in the land, the excellent in whom is all my delight, I say:">2
    4   The sorrows of those who run afterOr who acquire">3 another god shall multiply;
        their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
        or take their names on my lips.
    5   The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
        you hold my lot.
    6   The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
        indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
    7   I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
        in the night also my heart instructs me.Hebrew my kidneys instruct me">4
    8   I have set the LORD always before me;
        because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
    9   Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole beingHebrew my glory">5 rejoices;
        my flesh also dwells secure.
    10   For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
        or let your holy one see corruption.Or see the pit">6
    11   You make known to me the path of life;
        in your presence there is fullness of joy;
        at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

    In the Shadow of Your Wings
    A Prayer of David.

    17   Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!
        Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
    2   From your presence let my vindication come!
        Let your eyes behold the right!
    3   You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
        you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
        I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
    4   With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
        I have avoided the ways of the violent.
    5   My steps have held fast to your paths;
        my feet have not slipped.
    6   I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
        incline your ear to me; hear my words.
    7   Wondrously showOr Distinguish me by">7 your steadfast love,
        O Savior of those who seek refuge
        from their adversaries at your right hand.
    8   Keep me as the apple of your eye;
        hide me in the shadow of your wings,
    9   from the wicked who do me violence,
        my deadly enemies who surround me.
    10   They close their hearts to pity;
        with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
    11   They have now surrounded our steps;
        they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
    12   He is like a lion eager to tear,
        as a young lion lurking in ambush.
    13   Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!
        Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
    14   from men by your hand, O LORD,
        from men of the world whose portion is in this life.Or from men whose portion in life is of the world">8
      You fill their womb with treasure;Or As for your treasured ones, you fill their womb">9
        they are satisfied with children,
        and they leave their abundance to their infants.
    15   As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
        when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

    Footnotes

    [1] 16:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term


    [2] 16:3 Or To the saints in the land, the excellent in whom is all my delight, I say:

    [3] 16:4 Or who acquire

    [4] 16:7 Hebrew my kidneys instruct me

    [5] 16:9 Hebrew my glory

    [6] 16:10 Or see the pit

    [7] 17:7 Or Distinguish me by

    [8] 17:14 Or from men whose portion in life is of the world

    [9] 17:14 Or As for your treasured ones, you fill their womb

    (ESV)

    Second Psalm:
    Psalm 22
    Psalm 22 (Listen)
    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 praisesOr dwelling in the praises">1 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 feetSome Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet">2—
    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 rescuedHebrew answered">3 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 afflictedOr The meek">4 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.

    Footnotes

    [1] 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises


    [2] 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet

    [3] 22:21 Hebrew answered

    [4] 22:26 Or The meek

    (ESV)

    Old Testament:
    Amos 5:1–17
    Amos 5:1–17 (Listen)
    Seek the Lord and Live

    5 Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:

    2   “Fallen, no more to rise,
        is the virgin Israel;
      forsaken on her land,
        with none to raise her up.”

    3 For thus says the Lord GOD:

      “The city that went out a thousand
        shall have a hundred left,
      and that which went out a hundred
        shall have ten left
        to the house of Israel.”

    4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:

      “Seek me and live;
    5     but do not seek Bethel,
      and do not enter into Gilgal
        or cross over to Beersheba;
      for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
        and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
    6   Seek the LORD and live,
        lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
        and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
    7   O you who turn justice to wormwoodOr to bitter fruit">1
        and cast down righteousness to the earth!
    8   He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
        and turns deep darkness into the morning
        and darkens the day into night,
      who calls for the waters of the sea
        and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
      the LORD is his name;
    9   who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
        so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
    10   They hate him who reproves in the gate,
        and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
    11   Therefore because you trample onOr you tax">2 the poor
        and you exact taxes of grain from him,
      you have built houses of hewn stone,
        but you shall not dwell in them;
      you have planted pleasant vineyards,
        but you shall not drink their wine.
    12   For I know how many are your transgressions
        and how great are your sins—
      you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
        and turn aside the needy in the gate.
    13   Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
        for it is an evil time.
    14   Seek good, and not evil,
        that you may live;
      and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you,
        as you have said.
    15   Hate evil, and love good,
        and establish justice in the gate;
      it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
        will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

    16 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord:

      “In all the squares there shall be wailing,
        and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
      They shall call the farmers to mourning
        and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
    17   and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
        for I will pass through your midst,”
          says the LORD.

    Footnotes

    [1] 5:7 Or to bitter fruit


    [2] 5:11 Or you tax

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Jude 1–16
    Jude 1–16 (Listen)
    Greeting

    1 Jude, a servantFor the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface">1 of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

    To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept forOr by">2 Jesus Christ:

    2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

    Judgment on False Teachers

    3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

    5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who savedSome manuscripts although you fully knew it, that the Lord who once saved">3 a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire,Greek different flesh">4 serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

    8 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” 10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. 11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These are hidden reefsOr are blemishes">5 at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.

    14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface


    [2] 1:1 Or by

    [3] 1:5 Some manuscripts although you fully knew it, that the Lord who once saved

    [4] 1:7 Greek different flesh

    [5] 1:12 Or are blemishes

    (ESV)

    Gospel:
    Matthew 22:1–14
    Matthew 22:1–14 (Listen)
    The Parable of the Wedding Feast

    22 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servantsOr bondservants; also verses 4, 6, 8, 10">1 to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

    11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 22:3 Or bondservants; also verses 4, 6, 8, 10

    (ESV)

    14 min
  • December 7: Psalm 18:1–20; Psalm 18:21–50; Amos 4:6–13; 2 Peter 3:11–18; Matthew 21:33–46

    1 Advent

    First Psalm:
    Psalm 18:1–20
    Psalm 18:1–20 (Listen)
    The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress
    To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

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

    Footnotes

    [1] 18:4 Or terrified me


    [2] 18:8 Or in his wrath

    (ESV)

    Second Psalm:
    Psalm 18:21–50
    Psalm 18:21–50 (Listen)

    21   For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
        and have not wickedly departed from my God.
    22   For all his rulesOr just decrees">1 were before me,
        and his statutes I did not put away from me.
    23   I was blameless before him,
        and I kept myself from my guilt.
    24   So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
        according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
    25   With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
        with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
    26   with the purified you show yourself pure;
        and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
    27   For you save a humble people,
        but the haughty eyes you bring down.
    28   For it is you who light my lamp;
        the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
    29   For by you I can run against a troop,
        and by my God I can leap over a wall.
    30   This God—his way is perfect;Or blameless">2
        the word of the LORD proves true;
        he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
    31   For who is God, but the LORD?
        And who is a rock, except our God?—
    32   the God who equipped me with strength
        and made my way blameless.
    33   He made my feet like the feet of a deer
        and set me secure on the heights.
    34   He trains my hands for war,
        so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
    35   You have given me the shield of your salvation,
        and your right hand supported me,
        and your gentleness made me great.
    36   You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
        and my feet did not slip.
    37   I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
        and did not turn back till they were consumed.
    38   I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
        they fell under my feet.
    39   For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
        you made those who rise against me sink under me.
    40   You made my enemies turn their backs to me,Or You gave me my enemies’ necks">3
        and those who hated me I destroyed.
    41   They cried for help, but there was none to save;
        they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
    42   I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
        I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
    43   You delivered me from strife with the people;
        you made me the head of the nations;
        people whom I had not known served me.
    44   As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
        foreigners came cringing to me.
    45   Foreigners lost heart
        and came trembling out of their fortresses.
    46   The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,
        and exalted be the God of my salvation—
    47   the God who gave me vengeance
        and subdued peoples under me,
    48   who rescued me from my enemies;
        yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
        you delivered me from the man of violence.
    49   For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,
        and sing to your name.
    50   Great salvation he brings to his king,
        and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
        to David and his offspring forever.

    Footnotes

    [1] 18:22 Or just decrees


    [2] 18:30 Or blameless

    [3] 18:40 Or You gave me my enemies’ necks

    (ESV)

    Old Testament:
    Amos 4:6–13
    Amos 4:6–13 (Listen)
    Israel Has Not Returned to the Lord

    6   “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
        and lack of bread in all your places,
      yet you did not return to me,”
          declares the LORD.
    7   “I also withheld the rain from you
        when there were yet three months to the harvest;
      I would send rain on one city,
        and send no rain on another city;
      one field would have rain,
        and the field on which it did not rain would wither;
    8   so two or three cities would wander to another city
        to drink water, and would not be satisfied;
      yet you did not return to me,”
          declares the LORD.
    9   “I struck you with blight and mildew;
        your many gardens and your vineyards,
        your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured;
      yet you did not return to me,”
          declares the LORD.
    10   “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;
        I killed your young men with the sword,
      and carried away your horses,Hebrew along with the captivity of your horses">1
        and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;
      yet you did not return to me,”
          declares the LORD.
    11   “I overthrew some of you,
        as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
        and you were as a brandThat is, a burning stick">2 plucked out of the burning;
      yet you did not return to me,”
          declares the LORD.
    12   “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
        because I will do this to you,
        prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
    13   For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind,
        and declares to man what is his thought,
      who makes the morning darkness,
        and treads on the heights of the earth—
        the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!

    Footnotes

    [1] 4:10 Hebrew along with the captivity of your horses


    [2] 4:11 That is, a burning stick

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    2 Peter 3:11–18
    2 Peter 3:11–18 (Listen)

    11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

    Final Words

    14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

    (ESV)

    Gospel:
    Matthew 21:33–46
    Matthew 21:33–46 (Listen)
    The Parable of the Tenants

    33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servantsOr bondservants; also verses 35, 36">1 to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

    42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

      “‘The stone that the builders rejected
        has become the cornerstone;Greek the head of the corner">2
      this was the Lord’s doing,
        and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

    43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”Some manuscripts omit verse 44">3

    45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

    Footnotes

    [1] 21:34 Or bondservants; also verses 35, 36


    [2] 21:42 Greek the head of the corner

    [3] 21:44 Some manuscripts omit verse 44

    (ESV)

    11 min
  • December 6: Psalm 119:1–24; Psalms 12–14; Amos 3:12–4:5; 2 Peter 3:1–10; Matthew 21:23–32

    1 Advent

    First Psalm:
    Psalm 119:1–24
    Psalm 119:1–24 (Listen)
    Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet
    Aleph

    119   This psalm is an acrostic poem of twenty-two stanzas, following the letters of the Hebrew alphabet; within a stanza, each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter">1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
        who walk in the law of the LORD!
    2   Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
        who seek him with their whole heart,
    3   who also do no wrong,
        but walk in his ways!
    4   You have commanded your precepts
        to be kept diligently.
    5   Oh that my ways may be steadfast
        in keeping your statutes!
    6   Then I shall not be put to shame,
        having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
    7   I will praise you with an upright heart,
        when I learn your righteous rules.Or your just and righteous decrees; also verses 62, 106, 160, 164">2
    8   I will keep your statutes;
        do not utterly forsake me!

    Beth

    9   How can a young man keep his way pure?
        By guarding it according to your word.
    10   With my whole heart I seek you;
        let me not wander from your commandments!
    11   I have stored up your word in my heart,
        that I might not sin against you.
    12   Blessed are you, O LORD;
        teach me your statutes!
    13   With my lips I declare
        all the rulesOr all the just decrees">3 of your mouth.
    14   In the way of your testimonies I delight
        as much as in all riches.
    15   I will meditate on your precepts
        and fix my eyes on your ways.
    16   I will delight in your statutes;
        I will not forget your word.

    Gimel

    17   Deal bountifully with your servant,
        that I may live and keep your word.
    18   Open my eyes, that I may behold
        wondrous things out of your law.
    19   I am a sojourner on the earth;
        hide not your commandments from me!
    20   My soul is consumed with longing
        for your rulesOr your just decrees; also verses 30, 39, 43, 52, 75, 102, 108, 137, 156, 175">4 at all times.
    21   You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
        who wander from your commandments.
    22   Take away from me scorn and contempt,
        for I have kept your testimonies.
    23   Even though princes sit plotting against me,
        your servant will meditate on your statutes.
    24   Your testimonies are my delight;
        they are my counselors.

    Footnotes

    [1] 119:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem of twenty-two stanzas, following the letters of the Hebrew alphabet; within a stanza, each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter


    [2] 119:7 Or your just and righteous decrees; also verses 62, 106, 160, 164

    [3] 119:13 Or all the just decrees

    [4] 119:20 Or your just decrees; also verses 30, 39, 43, 52, 75, 102, 108, 137, 156, 175

    (ESV)

    Second Psalm:
    Psalms 12–14
    Psalms 12–14 (Listen)
    The Faithful Have Vanished
    To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith.Probably a musical or liturgical term">1 A Psalm of David.

    12   Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;
        for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
    2   Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
        with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
    3   May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
        the tongue that makes great boasts,
    4   those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
        our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
    5   “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
        I will now arise,” says the LORD;
        “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
    6   The words of the LORD are pure words,
        like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
        purified seven times.
    7   You, O LORD, will keep them;
        you will guard usOr guard him">2 from this generation forever.
    8   On every side the wicked prowl,
        as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

    How Long, O Lord?
    To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

    13   How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
        How long will you hide your face from me?
    2   How long must I take counsel in my soul
        and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
      How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
    3   Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
        light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
    4   lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
        lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
    5   But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
        my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
    6   I will sing to the LORD,
        because he has dealt bountifully with me.

    The Fool Says, There Is No God
    To the choirmaster. Of David.

    14   The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
        They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
        there is none who does good.
    2   The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
        to see if there are any who understand,Or that act wisely">3
        who seek after God.
    3   They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
        there is none who does good,
        not even one.
    4   Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
        who eat up my people as they eat bread
        and do not call upon the LORD?
    5   There they are in great terror,
        for God is with the generation of the righteous.
    6   You would shame the plans of the poor,
        butOr for">4 the LORD is his refuge.
    7   Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
        When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
        let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

    Footnotes

    [1] 12:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term


    [2] 12:7 Or guard him

    [3] 14:2 Or that act wisely

    [4] 14:6 Or for

    (ESV)

    Old Testament:
    Amos 3:12–4:5
    Amos 3:12–4:5 (Listen)

    12 Thus says the LORD: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and partThe meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain">1 of a bed.

    13   “Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,”
        declares the Lord GOD, the God of hosts,
    14   “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
        I will punish the altars of Bethel,
      and the horns of the altar shall be cut off
        and fall to the ground.
    15   I will strike the winter house along with the summer house,
        and the houses of ivory shall perish,
      and the great housesOr and many houses">2 shall come to an end,”
          declares the LORD.
    4   “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,
        who are on the mountain of Samaria,
      who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
        who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’
    2   The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness
        that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
      when they shall take you away with hooks,
        even the last of you with fishhooks.
    3   And you shall go out through the breaches,
        each one straight ahead;
        and you shall be cast out into Harmon,”
          declares the LORD.
    4   “Come to Bethel, and transgress;
        to Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
      bring your sacrifices every morning,
        your tithes every three days;
    5   offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened,
        and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them;
        for so you love to do, O people of Israel!”
          declares the Lord GOD.

    Footnotes

    [1] 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain


    [2] 3:15 Or and many houses

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    2 Peter 3:1–10
    2 Peter 3:1–10 (Listen)
    The Day of the Lord Will Come

    3 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

    8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,Some manuscripts on your account">1 not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodiesOr elements; also verse 12">2 will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.Greek found; some manuscripts will be burned up">3

    Footnotes

    [1] 3:9 Some manuscripts on your account


    [2] 3:10 Or elements; also verse 12

    [3] 3:10 Greek found; some manuscripts will be burned up

    (ESV)

    Gospel:
    Matthew 21:23–32
    Matthew 21:23–32 (Listen)
    The Authority of Jesus Challenged

    23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

    The Parable of the Two Sons

    28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

    (ESV)

    10 min
  • December 5: Psalms 5–6; Psalms 10–11; Amos 3:1–11; 2 Peter 1:12–21; Matthew 21:12–22

    1 Advent

    First Psalm:
    Psalms 5–6
    Psalms 5–6 (Listen)
    Lead Me in Your Righteousness
    To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

    5   Give ear to my words, O LORD;
        consider my groaning.
    2   Give attention to the sound of my cry,
        my King and my God,
        for to you do I pray.
    3   O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
        in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for youOr I direct my prayer to you">1 and watch.
    4   For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
        evil may not dwell with you.
    5   The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
        you hate all evildoers.
    6   You destroy those who speak lies;
        the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
    7   But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
        will enter your house.
      I will bow down toward your holy temple
        in the fear of you.
    8   Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
        because of my enemies;
        make your way straight before me.
    9   For there is no truth in their mouth;
        their inmost self is destruction;
      their throat is an open grave;
        they flatter with their tongue.
    10   Make them bear their guilt, O God;
        let them fall by their own counsels;
      because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
        for they have rebelled against you.
    11   But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
        let them ever sing for joy,
      and spread your protection over them,
        that those who love your name may exult in you.
    12   For you bless the righteous, O LORD;
        you cover him with favor as with a shield.

    O Lord, Deliver My Life
    To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith.Probably a musical or liturgical term">2 A Psalm of David.

    6   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
        nor discipline me in your wrath.
    2   Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;
        heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
    3   My soul also is greatly troubled.
        But you, O LORD—how long?
    4   Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;
        save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
    5   For in death there is no remembrance of you;
        in Sheol who will give you praise?
    6   I am weary with my moaning;
        every night I flood my bed with tears;
        I drench my couch with my weeping.
    7   My eye wastes away because of grief;
        it grows weak because of all my foes.
    8   Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
        for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
    9   The LORD has heard my plea;
        the LORD accepts my prayer.
    10   All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
        they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

    Footnotes

    [1] 5:3 Or I direct my prayer to you


    [2] 6:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term

    (ESV)

    Second Psalm:
    Psalms 10–11
    Psalms 10–11 (Listen)
    Why Do You Hide Yourself?

    10   Why, O LORD, do you stand far away?
        Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
    2   In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
        let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
    3   For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
        and the one greedy for gain cursesOr and he blesses the one greedy for gain">1 and renounces the LORD.
    4   In the pride of his faceOr of his anger">2 the wicked does not seek him;Or the wicked says, “He will not call to account”">3
        all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
    5   His ways prosper at all times;
        your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
        as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
    6   He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
        throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
    7   His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
        under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
    8   He sits in ambush in the villages;
        in hiding places he murders the innocent.
      His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
    9     he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
      he lurks that he may seize the poor;
        he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
    10   The helpless are crushed, sink down,
        and fall by his might.
    11   He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
        he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
    12   Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand;
        forget not the afflicted.
    13   Why does the wicked renounce God
        and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
    14   But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
        that you may take it into your hands;
      to you the helpless commits himself;
        you have been the helper of the fatherless.
    15   Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
        call his wickedness to account till you find none.
    16   The LORD is king forever and ever;
        the nations perish from his land.
    17   O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
        you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
    18   to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
        so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

    The Lord Is in His Holy Temple
    To the choirmaster. Of David.

    11   In the LORD I take refuge;
      how can you say to my soul,
        “Flee like a bird to your mountain,
    2   for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
        they have fitted their arrow to the string
        to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
    3   if the foundations are destroyed,
        what can the righteous do?”Or for the foundations will be destroyed; what has the righteous done?">4
    4   The LORD is in his holy temple;
        the LORD’s throne is in heaven;
        his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
    5   The LORD tests the righteous,
        but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
    6   Let him rain coals on the wicked;
        fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
    7   For the LORD is righteous;
      he loves righteous deeds;
        the upright shall behold his face.

    Footnotes

    [1] 10:3 Or and he blesses the one greedy for gain


    [2] 10:4 Or of his anger

    [3] 10:4 Or the wicked says, “He will not call to account”

    [4] 11:3 Or for the foundations will be destroyed; what has the righteous done?

    (ESV)

    Old Testament:
    Amos 3:1–11
    Amos 3:1–11 (Listen)
    Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

    3 Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

    2   “You only have I known
        of all the families of the earth;
      therefore I will punish you
        for all your iniquities.
    3   “Do two walk together,
        unless they have agreed to meet?
    4   Does a lion roar in the forest,
        when he has no prey?
      Does a young lion cry out from his den,
        if he has taken nothing?
    5   Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
        when there is no trap for it?
      Does a snare spring up from the ground,
        when it has taken nothing?
    6   Is a trumpet blown in a city,
        and the people are not afraid?
      Does disaster come to a city,
        unless the LORD has done it?
    7   “For the Lord GOD does nothing
        without revealing his secret
        to his servants the prophets.
    8   The lion has roared;
        who will not fear?
      The Lord GOD has spoken;
        who can but prophesy?”
    9   Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod
        and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
      and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria,
        and see the great tumults within her,
        and the oppressed in her midst.”
    10   “They do not know how to do right,” declares the LORD,
        “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”

    11 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:

      “An adversary shall surround the land
        and bring downHebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the land—he shall bring down">1 your defenses from you,
        and your strongholds shall be plundered.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 3:11 Hebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the land—he shall bring down

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    2 Peter 1:12–21
    2 Peter 1:12–21 (Listen)

    12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body,Greek tent; also verse 14">1 to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

    Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word

    16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son,Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved">2 with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:13 Greek tent; also verse 14


    [2] 1:17 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved

    (ESV)

    Gospel:
    Matthew 21:12–22
    Matthew 21:12–22 (Listen)
    Jesus Cleanses the Temple

    12 And Jesus entered the templeSome manuscripts add of God">1 and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

    14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

      “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
        you have prepared praise’?”

    17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

    Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

    18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

    20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 21:12 Some manuscripts add of God

    (ESV)

    11 min
  • December 4: Psalms 1–3; Psalm 4; Psalm 7; Amos 2:6–16; 2 Peter 1:1–11; Matthew 21:1–11

    1 Advent

    First Psalm:
    Psalms 1–3
    Psalms 1–3 (Listen)
    Book One
    The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

    1   Blessed is the manThe singular Hebrew word for man (ish) is used here to portray a representative example of a godly person; see Preface">1
        who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
      nor stands in the way of sinners,
        nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
    2   but his delight is in the lawOr instruction">2 of the LORD,
        and on his law he meditates day and night.
    3   He is like a tree
        planted by streams of water
      that yields its fruit in its season,
        and its leaf does not wither.
      In all that he does, he prospers.
    4   The wicked are not so,
        but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
    5   Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
        nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
    6   for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
        but the way of the wicked will perish.

    The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed

    2   Why do the nations rageOr nations noisily assemble">3
        and the peoples plot in vain?
    2   The kings of the earth set themselves,
        and the rulers take counsel together,
        against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
    3   “Let us burst their bonds apart
        and cast away their cords from us.”
    4   He who sits in the heavens laughs;
        the Lord holds them in derision.
    5   Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
        and terrify them in his fury, saying,
    6   “As for me, I have set my King
        on Zion, my holy hill.”
    7   I will tell of the decree:
      The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
        today I have begotten you.
    8   Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
        and the ends of the earth your possession.
    9   You shall breakRevocalization yields (compare Septuagint) You shall rule">4 them with a rod of iron
        and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
    10   Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
        be warned, O rulers of the earth.
    11   Serve the LORD with fear,
        and rejoice with trembling.
    12   Kiss the Son,
        lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
        for his wrath is quickly kindled.
      Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

    Save Me, O My God
    A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

    3   O LORD, how many are my foes!
        Many are rising against me;
    2   many are saying of my soul,
        “There is no salvation for him in God.” SelahThe meaning of the Hebrew word Selah, used frequently in the Psalms, is uncertain. It may be a musical or liturgical direction">5
    3   But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
        my glory, and the lifter of my head.
    4   I cried aloud to the LORD,
        and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
    5   I lay down and slept;
        I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
    6   I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
        who have set themselves against me all around.
    7   Arise, O LORD!
        Save me, O my God!
      For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
        you break the teeth of the wicked.
    8   Salvation belongs to the LORD;
        your blessing be on your people! Selah

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:1 The singular Hebrew word for man (ish) is used here to portray a representative example of a godly person; see Preface


    [2] 1:2 Or instruction

    [3] 2:1 Or nations noisily assemble

    [4] 2:9 Revocalization yields (compare Septuagint) You shall rule

    [5] 3:2 The meaning of the Hebrew word Selah, used frequently in the Psalms, is uncertain. It may be a musical or liturgical direction

    (ESV)

    Second Psalm:
    Psalm 4; Psalm 7
    Psalm 4 (Listen)
    Answer Me When I Call
    To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

    4   Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
        You have given me relief when I was in distress.
        Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
    2   O men,Or O men of rank">1 how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
        How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
    3   But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
        the LORD hears when I call to him.
    4   Be angry,Or Be agitated">2 and do not sin;
        ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
    5   Offer right sacrifices,
        and put your trust in the LORD.
    6   There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
        Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”
    7   You have put more joy in my heart
        than they have when their grain and wine abound.
    8   In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
        for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

    Footnotes

    [1] 4:2 Or O men of rank


    [2] 4:4 Or Be agitated

    (ESV)

    Psalm 7 (Listen)
    In You Do I Take Refuge
    A ShiggaionProbably a musical or liturgical term">1 of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.

    7   O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge;
        save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
    2   lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
        rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.
    3   O LORD my God, if I have done this,
        if there is wrong in my hands,
    4   if I have repaid my friendHebrew the one at peace with me">2 with evil
        or plundered my enemy without cause,
    5   let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
        and let him trample my life to the ground
        and lay my glory in the dust. Selah
    6   Arise, O LORD, in your anger;
        lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
        awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
    7   Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
        over it return on high.
    8   The LORD judges the peoples;
        judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness
        and according to the integrity that is in me.
    9   Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
        and may you establish the righteous—
      you who test the minds and hearts,Hebrew the hearts and kidneys">3
        O righteous God!
    10   My shield is with God,
        who saves the upright in heart.
    11   God is a righteous judge,
        and a God who feels indignation every day.
    12   If a manHebrew he">4 does not repent, GodHebrew he">5 will whet his sword;
        he has bent and readied his bow;
    13   he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
        making his arrows fiery shafts.
    14   Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
        and is pregnant with mischief
        and gives birth to lies.
    15   He makes a pit, digging it out,
        and falls into the hole that he has made.
    16   His mischief returns upon his own head,
        and on his own skull his violence descends.
    17   I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
        and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.

    Footnotes

    [1] 7:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term


    [2] 7:4 Hebrew the one at peace with me

    [3] 7:9 Hebrew the hearts and kidneys

    [4] 7:12 Hebrew he

    [5] 7:12 Hebrew he

    (ESV)

    Old Testament:
    Amos 2:6–16
    Amos 2:6–16 (Listen)
    Judgment on Israel

    6 Thus says the LORD:

      “For three transgressions of Israel,
        and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
      because they sell the righteous for silver,
        and the needy for a pair of sandals—
    7   those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
        and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
      a man and his father go in to the same girl,
        so that my holy name is profaned;
    8   they lay themselves down beside every altar
        on garments taken in pledge,
      and in the house of their God they drink
        the wine of those who have been fined.
    9   “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
        whose height was like the height of the cedars
        and who was as strong as the oaks;
      I destroyed his fruit above
        and his roots beneath.
    10   Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
        and led you forty years in the wilderness,
        to possess the land of the Amorite.
    11   And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
        and some of your young men for Nazirites.
        Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
          declares the LORD.
    12   “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
        and commanded the prophets,
        saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’
    13   “Behold, I will press you down in your place,
        as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
    14   Flight shall perish from the swift,
        and the strong shall not retain his strength,
        nor shall the mighty save his life;
    15   he who handles the bow shall not stand,
        and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself,
        nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
    16   and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
        shall flee away naked in that day,”
          declares the LORD.

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    2 Peter 1:1–11
    2 Peter 1:1–11 (Listen)
    Greeting

    1 SimeonSome manuscripts Simon">1 Peter, a servantFor the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface">2 and apostle of Jesus Christ,

    To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

    2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

    Confirm Your Calling and Election

    3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us toOr by">3 his own glory and excellence,Or virtue">4 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,Or excellence; twice in this verse">5 and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualitiesGreek these things; also verses 9, 10, 12">6 are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers,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">7 be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:1 Some manuscripts Simon


    [2] 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface

    [3] 1:3 Or by

    [4] 1:3 Or virtue

    [5] 1:5 Or excellence; twice in this verse

    [6] 1:8 Greek these things; also verses 9, 10, 12

    [7] 1:10 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

    (ESV)

    Gospel:
    Matthew 21:1–11
    Matthew 21:1–11 (Listen)
    The Triumphal Entry

    21 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

    5   “Say to the daughter of Zion,
      ‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
        humble, and mounted on a donkey,
        on a colt,Or donkey, and on a colt">1 the foal of a beast of burden.’”

    6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 21:5 Or donkey, and on a colt

    (ESV)

    11 min
  • December 3: Psalms 146–147; Psalms 111–113; Amos 1:1–5; Amos 1:13–2:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11; Luke 21:5–19

    1 Advent

    First Psalm:
    Psalms 146–147
    Psalms 146–147 (Listen)
    Put Not Your Trust in Princes

    146   Praise the LORD!
      Praise the LORD, O my soul!
    2   I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
        I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
    3   Put not your trust in princes,
        in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
    4   When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
        on that very day his plans perish.
    5   Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
        whose hope is in the LORD his God,
    6   who made heaven and earth,
        the sea, and all that is in them,
      who keeps faith forever;
    7     who executes justice for the oppressed,
        who gives food to the hungry.
      The LORD sets the prisoners free;
    8     the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
      The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
        the LORD loves the righteous.
    9   The LORD watches over the sojourners;
        he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
        but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
    10   The LORD will reign forever,
        your God, O Zion, to all generations.
      Praise the LORD!

    He Heals the Brokenhearted

    147   Praise the LORD!
      For it is good to sing praises to our God;
        for it is pleasant,Or for he is beautiful">1 and a song of praise is fitting.
    2   The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
        he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
    3   He heals the brokenhearted
        and binds up their wounds.
    4   He determines the number of the stars;
        he gives to all of them their names.
    5   Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
        his understanding is beyond measure.
    6   The LORD lifts up the humble;Or afflicted">2
        he casts the wicked to the ground.
    7   Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
        make melody to our God on the lyre!
    8   He covers the heavens with clouds;
        he prepares rain for the earth;
        he makes grass grow on the hills.
    9   He gives to the beasts their food,
        and to the young ravens that cry.
    10   His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
        nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
    11   but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
        in those who hope in his steadfast love.
    12   Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
        Praise your God, O Zion!
    13   For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
        he blesses your children within you.
    14   He makes peace in your borders;
        he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
    15   He sends out his command to the earth;
        his word runs swiftly.
    16   He gives snow like wool;
        he scatters frost like ashes.
    17   He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
        who can stand before his cold?
    18   He sends out his word, and melts them;
        he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
    19   He declares his word to Jacob,
        his statutes and rulesOr and just decrees">3 to Israel.
    20   He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
        they do not know his rules.Or his just decrees">4
      Praise the LORD!

    Footnotes

    [1] 147:1 Or for he is beautiful


    [2] 147:6 Or afflicted

    [3] 147:19 Or and just decrees

    [4] 147:20 Or his just decrees

    (ESV)

    Second Psalm:
    Psalms 111–113
    Psalms 111–113 (Listen)
    Great Are the Lord’s Works

    111   This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet">1 Praise the LORD!
      I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
        in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
    2   Great are the works of the LORD,
        studied by all who delight in them.
    3   Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
        and his righteousness endures forever.
    4   He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
        the LORD is gracious and merciful.
    5   He provides food for those who fear him;
        he remembers his covenant forever.
    6   He has shown his people the power of his works,
        in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
    7   The works of his hands are faithful and just;
        all his precepts are trustworthy;
    8   they are established forever and ever,
        to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
    9   He sent redemption to his people;
        he has commanded his covenant forever.
        Holy and awesome is his name!
    10   The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
        all those who practice it have a good understanding.
        His praise endures forever!

    The Righteous Will Never Be Moved

    112   This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet">2 Praise the LORD!
      Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
        who greatly delights in his commandments!
    2   His offspring will be mighty in the land;
        the generation of the upright will be blessed.
    3   Wealth and riches are in his house,
        and his righteousness endures forever.
    4   Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
        he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
    5   It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
        who conducts his affairs with justice.
    6   For the righteous will never be moved;
        he will be remembered forever.
    7   He is not afraid of bad news;
        his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
    8   His heart is steady;Or established (compare 111:8)">3 he will not be afraid,
        until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
    9   He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
        his righteousness endures forever;
        his horn is exalted in honor.
    10   The wicked man sees it and is angry;
        he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
        the desire of the wicked will perish!

    Who Is like the Lord Our God?

    113   Praise the LORD!
      Praise, O servants of the LORD,
        praise the name of the LORD!
    2   Blessed be the name of the LORD
        from this time forth and forevermore!
    3   From the rising of the sun to its setting,
        the name of the LORD is to be praised!
    4   The LORD is high above all nations,
        and his glory above the heavens!
    5   Who is like the LORD our God,
        who is seated on high,
    6   who looks far down
        on the heavens and the earth?
    7   He raises the poor from the dust
        and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
    8   to make them sit with princes,
        with the princes of his people.
    9   He gives the barren woman a home,
        making her the joyous mother of children.
      Praise the LORD!

    Footnotes

    [1] 111:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet


    [2] 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet

    [3] 112:8 Or established (compare 111:8)

    (ESV)

    Old Testament:
    Amos 1:1–5; Amos 1:13–2:8
    Amos 1:1–5 (Listen)

    1 The words of Amos, who was among the shepherdsOr sheep breeders">1 of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two yearsOr during two years">2 before the earthquake.

    Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

    2 And he said:

      “The LORD roars from Zion
        and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
      the pastures of the shepherds mourn,
        and the top of Carmel withers.”

    3 Thus says the LORD:

      “For three transgressions of Damascus,
        and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 6, 9, 11, 13">3
      because they have threshed Gilead
        with threshing sledges of iron.
    4   So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael,
        and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.
    5   I will break the gate-bar of Damascus,
        and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven,Or On">4
      and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden;
        and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir,”
          says the LORD.

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:1 Or sheep breeders


    [2] 1:1 Or during two years

    [3] 1:3 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 6, 9, 11, 13

    [4] 1:5 Or On

    (ESV)

    Amos 1:13–2:8 (Listen)

    13 Thus says the LORD:

      “For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
        and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
      because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead,
        that they might enlarge their border.
    14   So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah,
        and it shall devour her strongholds,
      with shouting on the day of battle,
        with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;
    15   and their king shall go into exile,
        he and his princesOr officials">1 together,”
          says the LORD.

    2 Thus says the LORD:

      “For three transgressions of Moab,
        and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 4, 6">2
      because he burned to lime
        the bones of the king of Edom.
    2   So I will send a fire upon Moab,
        and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,
      and Moab shall die amid uproar,
        amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
    3   I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
        and will kill all its princesOr officials">3 with him,”
          says the LORD.

    Judgment on Judah

    4 Thus says the LORD:

      “For three transgressions of Judah,
        and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
      because they have rejected the law of the LORD,
        and have not kept his statutes,
      but their lies have led them astray,
        those after which their fathers walked.
    5   So I will send a fire upon Judah,
        and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

    Judgment on Israel

    6 Thus says the LORD:

      “For three transgressions of Israel,
        and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
      because they sell the righteous for silver,
        and the needy for a pair of sandals—
    7   those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
        and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
      a man and his father go in to the same girl,
        so that my holy name is profaned;
    8   they lay themselves down beside every altar
        on garments taken in pledge,
      and in the house of their God they drink
        the wine of those who have been fined.

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:15 Or officials


    [2] 2:1 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 4, 6

    [3] 2:3 Or officials

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    1 Thessalonians 5:1–11
    1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 (Listen)
    The Day of the Lord

    5 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers,Or brothers and sisters; also verses 4, 12, 14, 25, 26, 27">1 you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all childrenOr sons; twice in this verse">2 of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

    Footnotes

    [1] 5:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 4, 12, 14, 25, 26, 27


    [2] 5:5 Or sons; twice in this verse

    (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 brothersOr parents and brothers and sisters">1 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)

    12 min

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