Bible Readings for April 14, 2016

Today our passages are Joshua 9:3–10:43; Luke 16:19–17:10; Psalm 83:1-18; and Proverbs 13:4. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal.

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Joshua 9:3-10:43 (The Message)

^3-6 The people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai and cooked up a ruse. They posed as travelers: their donkeys loaded with patched sacks and mended wineskins, threadbare sandals on their feet, tattered clothes on their bodies, nothing but dry crusts and crumbs for food. They came to Joshua at Gilgal and spoke to the men of Israel, "We've come from a far-off country; make a covenant with us."
⁷ The men of Israel said to these Hivites, "How do we know you aren't local people? How could we then make a covenant with you?"
⁸ They said to Joshua, "We'll be your servants."
Joshua said, "Who are you now? Where did you come from?"
^9-11 They said, "From a far-off country, very far away. Your servants came because we'd heard such great things about God, your God—all those things he did in Egypt! And the two Amorite kings across the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth! Our leaders and everybody else in our country told us, 'Pack up some food for the road and go meet them. Tell them, We're your servants; make a covenant with us.'
^12-13 "This bread was warm from the oven when we packed it and left to come and see you. Now look at it—crusts and crumbs. And our cracked and mended wineskins, good as new when we filled them. And our clothes and sandals, in tatters from the long, hard traveling."
¹⁴ The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence. But they didn't ask God about it.
¹⁵ So Joshua made peace with them and formalized it with a covenant to guarantee their lives. The leaders of the congregation swore to it.
^16-18 And then, three days after making this covenant, they learned that they were next-door neighbors who had been living there all along! The People of Israel broke camp and set out; three days later they reached their towns—Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. But the People of Israel didn't attack them; the leaders of the congregation had given their word before the God of Israel. But the congregation was up in arms over their leaders.
^19-21 The leaders were united in their response to the congregation: "We promised them in the presence of the God of Israel. We can't lay a hand on them now. But we can do this: We will let them live so we don't get blamed for breaking our promise." Then the leaders continued, "We'll let them live, but they will be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire congregation."
And that's what happened; the leaders' promise was kept.
^22-23 But Joshua called the Gibeonites together and said, "Why did you lie to us, telling us, 'We live far, far away from you,' when you're our next-door neighbors? For that you are cursed. From now on it's menial labor for you—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."
^24-25 They answered Joshua, "We got the message loud and clear that God, your God, commanded through his servant Moses: to give you the whole country and destroy everyone living in it. We were terrified because of you; that's why we did this. That's it. We're at your mercy. Whatever you decide is right for us, do it."
^26-27 And that's what they did. Joshua delivered them from the power of the People of Israel so they didn't kill them. But he made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the Altar of God at the place God chooses. They still are.

Joshua 10

The Five Kings

^1-2 It wasn't long before My-Master-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and destroyed it and its king under a holy curse, just as he had done to Jericho and its king. He also learned that the people of Gibeon had come to terms with Israel and were living as neighbors. He and his people were alarmed: Gibeon was a big city—as big as any with a king and bigger than Ai—and all its men were seasoned fighters. ^3-4 Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon: "Come and help me. Let's attack Gibeon; they've joined up with Joshua and the People of Israel."
⁵ So the five Amorite (Western) kings—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon—combined their armies and set out to attack Gibeon.
⁶ The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua camped at Gilgal, "Don't let us down now! Come up here quickly! Save us! Help us! All the Amorite kings who live up in the hills have ganged up on us."
^7-8 So Joshua set out from Gilgal, his whole army with him—all those tough soldiers! God told him, "Don't give them a second thought. I've put them under your thumb—not one of them will stand up to you."
^9-11 Joshua marched all night from Gilgal and took them by total surprise. God threw them into total confusion before Israel, a major victory at Gibeon. Israel chased them along the ridge to Beth Horon and fought them all the way down to Azekah and Makkedah. As they ran from the People of Israel, down from the Beth Horon ridge and all the way to Azekah, God pitched huge stones on them out of the sky and many died. More died from the hailstones than the People of Israel killed with the sword.
^12-13 The day God gave the Amorites up to Israel, Joshua spoke to God, with all Israel listening:
"Stop, Sun, over Gibeon;
Halt, Moon, over Aijalon Valley."
And Sun stopped,
Moon stood stock still
Until he defeated his enemies.
^13-14 (You can find this written in the Book of Jashar.) The sun stopped in its tracks in mid sky; just sat there all day. There's never been a day like that before or since—God took orders from a human voice! Truly, God fought for Israel.
¹⁵ Then Joshua returned, all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
^16-17 Meanwhile the five kings had hidden in the cave at Makkedah. Joshua was told, "The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah."
^18-19 Joshua said, "Roll big stones against the mouth of the cave and post guards to keep watch. But don't you hang around—go after your enemies. Cut off their retreat. Don't let them back into their cities. God has given them to you."
^20-21 Joshua and the People of Israel then finished them off, total devastation. Only a few got away to the fortified towns. The whole army then returned intact to the camp and to Joshua at Makkedah. There was no criticism that day from the People of Israel!
²² Then Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring me those five kings."
²³ They did it. They brought him the five kings from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
²⁴ When they had them all there in front of Joshua, he called up the army and told the field commanders who had been with him, "Come here. Put your feet on the necks of these kings."
They stepped up and put their feet on their necks.
²⁵ Joshua told them, "Don't hold back. Don't be timid. Be strong! Be confident! This is what God will do to all your enemies when you fight them."
^26-27 Then Joshua struck and killed the kings. He hung them on five trees where they remained until evening. At sunset Joshua gave the command. They took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden. They put large stones at the mouth of the cave. The kings are still in there.

No Survivors

²⁸ That same day Joshua captured Makkedah, a massacre that included the king. He carried out the holy curse. No survivors. Makkedah's king got the same treatment as Jericho's king. ^29-30 Joshua, all Israel with him, moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. God gave Libnah to Israel. They captured city and king and massacred the lot. No survivors. Libnah's king got the same treatment as Jericho's king.
^31-32 Joshua, all Israel with him, moved on from Libnah to Lachish. He set up camp nearby and attacked. God gave Lachish to Israel. Israel took it in two days and killed everyone. He carried out the holy curse, the same as with Libnah.
³³ Horam, king of Gezer, arrived to help Lachish. Joshua attacked him and his army until there was nothing left of them. No survivors.
^34-35 Joshua, all Israel with him, moved on from Lachish to Eglon. They set up camp and attacked. They captured it and killed everyone, carrying out the holy curse, the same as they had done with Lachish.
^36-37 Joshua, all Israel with him, went up from Eglon to Hebron. He attacked and captured it. They killed everyone, including its king, its villages, and their people. No survivors, the same as with Eglon. They carried out the holy curse on city and people.
^38-39 Then Joshua, all Israel with him, turned toward Debir and attacked it. He captured it, its king, and its villages. They killed everyone. They put everyone and everything under the holy curse. No survivors. Debir and its king got the same treatment as Hebron and its king, and Libnah and its king.

^40-42 Joshua took the whole country: hills, desert, foothills, and mountain slopes, including all kings. He left no survivors. He carried out the holy curse on everything that breathed, just as God, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua's conquest stretched from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the entire region of Goshen to Gibeon. Joshua took all these kings and their lands in a single campaign because God, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
⁴³ Then Joshua, all Israel with him, went back to the camp at Gilgal.

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Luke 16:19-17:10 (The Message)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

^19-21"There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man's table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.

^22-24"Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, 'Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I'm in agony in this fire.'

^25-26"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It's not like that here. Here he's consoled and you're tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.'

^27-28"The rich man said, 'Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won't end up here in this place of torment.'

²⁹"Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.'

³⁰"'I know, Father Abraham,' he said, 'but they're not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.'

³¹"Abraham replied, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they're not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.'"

Luke 17

A Kernel of Faith

^1-2He said to his disciples, "Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on! Better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time!

^3-4"Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it's personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, 'I'm sorry, I won't do it again,' forgive him."

⁵The apostles came up and said to the Master, "Give us more faith."

⁶But the Master said, "You don't need more faith. There is no 'more' or 'less' in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, 'Go jump in the lake,' and it would do it.

^7-10"Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, 'Sit down and eat'? Wouldn't you be more likely to say, 'Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I've finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper'? Does the servant get special thanks for doing what's expected of him? It's the same with you. When you've done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, 'The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.'"

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Psalm 83:1-18 (The Message)

Psalm 83

An Asaph Psalm

^1-5 God, don't shut me out;
don't give me the silent treatment, O God.
Your enemies are out there whooping it up,
the God-haters are living it up;
They're plotting to do your people in,
conspiring to rob you of your precious ones.
"Let's wipe this nation from the face of the earth,"
they say; "scratch Israel's name off the books."
And now they're putting their heads together,
making plans to get rid of you.

^6-8 Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia and the Tyrians,
And now Assyria has joined up,
Giving muscle to the gang of Lot.

^9-12 Do to them what you did to Midian,
to Sisera and Jabin at Kishon Brook;
They came to a bad end at Endor,
nothing but dung for the garden.
Cut down their leaders as you did Oreb and Zeeb,
their princes to nothings like Zebah and Zalmunna,
With their empty brags, "We're grabbing it all,
grabbing God's gardens for ourselves."

^13-18 My God! I've had it with them!
Blow them away!
Tumbleweeds in the desert waste,
charred sticks in the burned-over ground.
Knock the breath right out of them, so they're gasping
for breath, gasping, "God."
Bring them to the end of their rope,
and leave them there dangling, helpless.
Then they'll learn your name: "God,"
the one and only High God on earth.

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Proverbs 13:4 (The Message)

⁴ Indolence wants it all and gets nothing;
the energetic have something to show for their lives.

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Verse of the Day

“[Christ Was Raised to Life]My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is: Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say. He was buried, and three days later he was raised to life, as the Scriptures say.” - 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

English physicist and mathematician, Isaac Newton wrote, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”

Bible Readings for January 4, 2015

Today our passages are Genesis 8:1–10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; and Proverbs 1:20-23. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.   

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Genesis 8-10:32 (Contemporary English Version)

Genesis 8

The Water Goes Down

 ¹God did not forget about Noah and the animals with him in the boat. So God made a wind blow, and the water started going down. ²God stopped up the places where the water had been gushing out from under the earth. He also closed up the sky, and the rain stopped. ³For one hundred fifty days the water slowly went down. ⁴Then on the seventeenth day of the seventh month of the year, the boat came to rest somewhere in the Ararat mountains. ⁵The water kept going down, and the mountain tops could be seen on the first day of the tenth month.     ^6-7Forty days later Noah opened a window to send out a raven, but it kept flying around until the water had dried up. ⁸Noah wanted to find out if the water had gone down, and he sent out a dove. ⁹Deep water was still everywhere, and the dove could not find a place to land. So it flew back to the boat. Noah held out his hand and helped it back in.
    ¹⁰Seven days later Noah sent the dove out again. ¹¹It returned in the evening, holding in its beak a green leaf from an olive tree. Noah knew that the water was finally going down. ¹²He waited seven more days before sending the dove out again, and this time it did not return.
    ¹³Noah was now six hundred one years old. And by the first day of that year, almost all the water had gone away. Noah made an opening in the roof of the boat ^[a] and saw that the ground was getting dry. ¹⁴By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was completely dry. ¹⁵God said to Noah, ¹⁶"You, your wife, your sons, and your daughters-in-law may now leave the boat. ¹⁷Let out the birds, animals, and reptiles, so they can mate and live all over the earth." ¹⁸After Noah and his family had gone out of the boat, ¹⁹the living creatures left in groups of their own kind.
   

The LORD's Promise for the Earth

 ²⁰Noah built an altar where he could offer sacrifices to the LORD. Then he offered on the altar one of each kind of animal and bird that could be used for a sacrifice. ^{[b] 21}The smell of the burning offering pleased God, and he said: Never again will I punish the earth for the sinful things its people do. All of them have evil thoughts from the time they are young, but I will never destroy everything that breathes, as I did this time.     ²²As long as the earth remains,
   there will be planting
   and harvest,
   cold and heat;
   winter and summer,
   day and night.
   

Genesis 9

God's Promise to Noah

 ¹God said to Noah and his sons:    I am giving you my blessing. Have a lot of children and grandchildren, so people will live everywhere on this earth. ²All animals, birds, reptiles, and fish will be afraid of you. I have placed them under your control, ³and I have given them to you for food. From now on, you may eat them, as well as the green plants that you have always eaten. ⁴But life is in the blood, and you must not eat any meat that still has blood in it. ^5-6I created humans to be like me, and I will punish any animal or person that takes a human life. If an animal kills someone, that animal must die. And if a person takes the life of another, that person must be put to death.
    ⁷I want you and your descendants to have many children, so people will live everywhere on earth.
    ⁸Again, God said to Noah and his sons:
    ⁹I am going to make a solemn promise to you and to everyone who will live after you. ¹⁰This includes the birds and the animals that came out of the boat. ¹¹I promise every living creature that the earth and those living on it will never again be destroyed by a flood.
    ^12-13The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever. ¹⁴When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appears in the sky, ¹⁵I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life. ¹⁶When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature. ¹⁷The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise.
   

Noah and His Family

 ¹⁸Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, came out of the boat. Ham later had a son named Canaan. ¹⁹All people on earth are descendants of Noah's three sons.     ²⁰Noah farmed the land and was the first to plant a vineyard. ²¹One day he got drunk and was lying naked in his tent. ²²Ham entered the tent and saw him naked, then went back outside and told his brothers. ²³Shem and Japheth put a robe over their shoulders and walked backwards into the tent. Without looking at their father, they placed it over his body.
    ²⁴When Noah woke up and learned what his youngest son had done, ²⁵he said,
   "I now put a curse on Canaan!
   He will be the lowest slave
   of his brothers.
    ²⁶I ask the LORD my God
   to bless Shem
   and make Canaan his slave.
    ²⁷I pray that the LORD
   will give Japheth
   more and more ^[c] land and let him take over
   the territory of Shem.
   May Canaan be his slave."
    ²⁸Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood ²⁹and died at the age of nine hundred fifty.
   

Genesis 10

The Descendants of Noah

 ¹After the flood Shem, Ham, and Japheth had many descendants.    

The Descendants of Japheth

 ^2-5Japheth's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. They were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.    Gomer was the ancestor of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
   Javan was the ancestor of Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim, ^[d] who settled along the coast.

The Descendants of Ham

 ^6-20Ham's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. They were Ethiopia, ^[e] Egypt, Put, and Canaan. Cush ^[f] was the ancestor of Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. Raamah was the ancestor of Sheba and Dedan.    Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, a mighty warrior whose strength came from the LORD. Nimrod is the reason for the saying, "You hunt like Nimrod with the strength of the LORD!" Nimrod first ruled in Babylon, Erech, and Accad, all of ^[g] which were in Babylonia. ^[h] From there Nimrod went to Assyria and built the great city of Nineveh. He also built Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, as well as Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah. Egypt was the ancestor of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim, the ancestor of the Philistines. ^[i] Canaan's sons were Sidon and Heth. He was also the ancestor of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
   Later the Canaanites spread from the territory of Sidon and went as far as Gaza in the direction of Gerar. They also went as far as Lasha in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim.
   

The Descendants of Shem

 ^21-31Shem's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. He was the older brother of Japheth and the ancestor of the tribes of Eber.    Shem was the ancestor of Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
   Aram was the ancestor of Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
   Arpachshad was the father of Shelah and the grandfather of Eber, whose first son was named Peleg, ^[j] because it was during his time that tribes divided up the earth. Eber's second son was Joktan. Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. Their land reached from Mesha in the direction of Sephar, the hill country in the east.
    ³²This completes the list of Noah's descendants. After the flood their descendants became nations and spread all over the world.
   

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 8:13 made. . . boat: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Genesis 8:20 animal. . . sacrifice: See the note at 7.2.
3. Genesis 9:27 more and more: In Hebrew "Japheth" sounds like "more and more."
4. Genesis 10:2 Dodanim: Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and one ancient translation have "Rodanim."
5. Genesis 10:6 Ethiopia: See the note at 2.13.
6. Genesis 10:6 Cush: See the note at 2.13.
7. Genesis 10:6 and Accad, all of: Or "Accad, and Calneh."
8. Genesis 10:6 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has "Shinar," another name for Babylonia.
9. Genesis 10:6 Casluhim, and Caphtorim, the ancestor of the Philistines: Hebrew "Caphtorim, and Casluhim, the ancestor of the Philistines." The Philistines were from Caphtor (see Jeremiah 47.4; Amos 9.7), better known as Crete.
10. Genesis 10:21 Peleg: In Hebrew "Peleg" means "divided."

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Matthew 4:12-25 (Contemporary English Version)

Jesus Begins His Work

(Mark 1.14,15; Luke 4.14,15)

 ¹²When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went to Galilee. ¹³But instead of staying in Nazareth, Jesus moved to Capernaum. This town was beside Lake Galilee in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. ^{[a] 14}So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said, ¹⁵"Listen, lands of Zebulun    and Naphtali,
   lands along the road
   to the sea
   and east
   of the Jordan!
   Listen Galilee,
   land of the Gentiles!
    ¹⁶Although your people
   live in darkness,
   they will see
   a bright light.
   Although they live
   in the shadow of death,
   a light will shine
   on them."
    ¹⁷Then Jesus started preaching, "Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here." ^[b]

Jesus Chooses Four Fishermen

(Mark 1.16-20; Luke 5.1-11)

 ¹⁸While Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers. One was Simon, also known as Peter, and the other was Andrew. They were fishermen, and they were casting their net into the lake. ¹⁹Jesus said to them, "Come with me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish." ²⁰Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him.     ²¹Jesus walked on until he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus asked them to come with him too. ²²Right away they left the boat and their father and went with Jesus.
   

Jesus Teaches, Preaches, and Heals

(Luke 6.17-19)

 ²³Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in the Jewish meeting places and preaching the good news about God's kingdom. He also healed every kind of disease and sickness. ²⁴News about him spread all over Syria, and people with every kind of sickness or disease were brought to him. Some of them had a lot of demons in them, others were thought to be crazy, ^[c] and still others could not walk. But Jesus healed them all. ²⁵Large crowds followed Jesus from Galilee and the region around the ten cities known as Decapolis. ^[d] They also came from Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan River.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 4:13 Zebulun and Naphtali: In Old Testament times these tribes were in northern Palestine, and in New Testament times many Gentiles lived where these tribes had once been.
2. Matthew 4:17 The kingdom of heaven will soon be here: See the two notes at 3.2.
3. Matthew 4:24 thought to be crazy: In ancient times people with epilepsy were thought to be crazy.
4. Matthew 4:25 the ten cities known as Decapolis: A group of ten cities east of Samaria and Galilee, where the people followed the Greek way of life.

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Psalm 4:1-8 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 4

(A psalm by David for the music leader. Use stringed instruments.)

An Evening Prayer

 ¹You are my God and protector.    Please answer my prayer.
   I was in terrible distress,
   but you set me free.
   Now have pity and listen
   as I pray.
    ²How long will you people
   refuse to respect me? ^[a] You love foolish things,
   and you run after
   what is worthless. ^{[b] 3}The LORD has chosen
   everyone who is faithful
   to be his very own, ^[c] and he answers my prayers.
    ⁴But each of you
   had better tremble
   and turn from your sins.
   Silently search your heart
   as you lie in bed.
    ⁵Offer the proper sacrifices
   and trust the LORD.
    ⁶There are some who ask,
   "Who will be good to us?"
   Let your kindness, LORD,
   shine brightly on us.
    ⁷You brought me more happiness
   than a rich harvest
   of grain and grapes.
    ⁸I can lie down
   and sleep soundly
   because you, LORD,
   will keep me safe.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 4:2 me: Or " my God."
2. Psalm 4:2 foolish. . . worthless: This may refer to idols and false gods.
3. Psalm 4:3 has chosen. . . very own: Some Hebrew manuscripts have " work miracles for his faithful people."

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Proverbs 1:20-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Wisdom Speaks

 ²⁰Wisdom ^[a] shouts in the streets wherever crowds gather.     ²¹She shouts in the marketplaces
   and near the city gates
   as she says to the people,
    ²²"How much longer
   will you enjoy
   being stupid fools?
   Won't you ever stop sneering
   and laughing at knowledge?
    ²³Listen as I correct you
   and tell you what I think.
   

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom: In the book of Proverbs the word " wisdom" is sometimes used as though wisdom were a supernatural being who was with God at the time of creation.

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Verse for the Day

 

“The LORD God has told us what is right and what he demands: 'See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God.'” - Micah 6:8

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

English physicist and mathematician, Isaac Newton wrote, “Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.”