The Daily Practice

12 But God is my King from long ago;     he brings salvation on the earth.

13 It was you who split open the sea by your power;     you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. 14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan     and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert. 15 It was you who opened up springs and streams;     you dried up the ever-flowing rivers. 16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;     you established the sun and moon. 17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;     you made both summer and winter.

18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,     how foolish people have reviled your name. 19 Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts;     do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever. 20 Have regard for your covenant,     because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. 21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;     may the poor and needy praise your name. 22 Rise up, O God, and defend your cause;     remember how fools mock you all day long. 23 Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries,     the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[b] Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

1 O God, why have you rejected us forever?     Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? 2 Remember the nation you purchased long ago,     the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed—     Mount Zion, where you dwelt. 3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,     all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

4 Your foes roared in the place where you met with us;     they set up their standards as signs. 5 They behaved like men wielding axes     to cut through a thicket of trees. 6 They smashed all the carved paneling     with their axes and hatchets. 7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;     they defiled the dwelling place of your Name. 8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!”     They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.

9 We are given no signs from God;     no prophets are left,     and none of us knows how long this will be. 10 How long will the enemy mock you, God?     Will the foe revile your name forever? 11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?     Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn,     for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek,     for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,     for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful,     for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart,     for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers,     for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

28 “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. 3 Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests.

30 Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

31 “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar[a] around this opening, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

36 “Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord. 37 Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the Lord.

12 This is what the wicked are like—     always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure     and have washed my hands in innocence. 14 All day long I have been afflicted,     and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that,     I would have betrayed your children. 16 When I tried to understand all this,     it troubled me deeply 17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;     then I understood their final destiny.

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;     you cast them down to ruin. 19 How suddenly are they destroyed,     completely swept away by terrors! 20 They are like a dream when one awakes;     when you arise, Lord,     you will despise them as fantasies.

21 When my heart was grieved     and my spirit embittered, 22 I was senseless and ignorant;     I was a brute beast before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;     you hold me by my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel,     and afterward you will take me into glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you?     And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail,     but God is the strength of my heart     and my portion forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;     you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.     I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;     I will tell of all your deeds.

1 Surely God is good to Israel,     to those who are pure in heart.

2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;     I had nearly lost my foothold. 3 For I envied the arrogant     when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 They have no struggles;     their bodies are healthy and strong.[a] 5 They are free from common human burdens;     they are not plagued by human ills. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace;     they clothe themselves with violence. 7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity[b];     their evil imaginations have no limits. 8 They scoff, and speak with malice;     with arrogance they threaten oppression. 9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,     and their tongues take possession of the earth. 10 Therefore their people turn to them     and drink up waters in abundance.[c] 11 They say, “How would God know?     Does the Most High know anything?”