Bible Readings for March 12, 2014

Today our passages are Numbers 16:41–18:32; Mark 16:1-20; Psalm 55:1-23; and Proverbs 11:7. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Numbers 16:41-18:32 (The Message)

⁴¹ Grumbling broke out the next day in the community of Israel, grumbling against Moses and Aaron: "You have killed God's people!"

⁴² But it so happened that when the community got together against Moses and Aaron, they looked over at the Tent of Meeting and there was the Cloud—the Glory of God for all to see.

^43-45 Moses and Aaron stood at the front of the Tent of Meeting. God spoke to Moses: "Back away from this congregation so that I can do away with them this very minute."

They threw themselves facedown on the ground.

⁴⁶ Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and fill it with incense, along with fire from the Altar. Get to the congregation as fast as you can: make atonement for them. Anger is pouring out from God—the plague has started!"

^47-48 Aaron grabbed the censer, as directed by Moses, and ran into the midst of the congregation. The plague had already begun. He put burning incense into the censer and atoned for the people. He stood there between the living and the dead and stopped the plague.

^49-50 Fourteen thousand seven hundred people died from the plague, not counting those who died in the affair of Korah. Aaron then went back to join Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The plague was stopped.

Numbers 17

Aaron's Staff

^1-5 God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the People of Israel. Get staffs from them—twelve staffs in all, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write each man's name on his staff. Start with Aaron; write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi and then proceed with the rest, a staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe. Now lay them out in the Tent of Meeting in front of The Testimony where I keep appointments with you. What will happen next is this: The staff of the man I choose will sprout. I'm going to put a stop to this endless grumbling by the People of Israel against you."

^6-7 Moses spoke to the People of Israel. Their leaders handed over twelve staffs, one for the leader of each tribe. And Aaron's staff was one of them. Moses laid out the staffs before God in the Tent of Testimony.

^8-9 Moses walked into the Tent of Testimony the next day and saw that Aaron's staff, the staff of the tribe of Levi, had in fact sprouted—buds, blossoms, and even ripe almonds! Moses brought out all the staffs from God's presence and presented them to the People of Israel. They took a good look. Each leader took the staff with his name on it.

¹⁰ God said to Moses, "Return Aaron's staff to the front of The Testimony. Keep it there as a sign to rebels. This will put a stop to the grumbling against me and save their lives."

¹¹ Moses did just as God commanded him.

^12-13 The People of Israel said to Moses, "We're as good as dead. This is our death sentence. Anyone who even gets close to The Dwelling of God is as good as dead. Are we all doomed?"

Numbers 18

Duties in the Tent of Testimony

^1-4 God said to Aaron, "You and your sons, along with your father's family, are responsible for taking care of sins having to do with the Sanctuary; you and your sons are also responsible for sins involving the priesthood. So enlist your brothers of the tribe of Levi to join you and assist you and your sons in your duties in the Tent of Testimony. They will report to you as they go about their duties related to the Tent, but they must not have anything to do with the holy things of the Altar under penalty of death—both they and you will die! They are to work with you in taking care of the Tent of Meeting, whatever work is involved in the Tent. Outsiders are not allowed to help you.

^5-7 "Your job is to take care of the Sanctuary and the Altar so that there will be no more outbreaks of anger on the People of Israel. I personally have picked your brothers, the Levites, from Israel as a whole. I'm giving them to you as a gift, a gift of God, to help with the work of the Tent of Meeting. But only you and your sons may serve as priests, working around the Altar and inside the curtain. The work of the priesthood is my exclusive gift to you; it cannot be delegated—anyone else who invades the Sanctuary will be executed."

^8-10 God spoke to Aaron, "I am personally putting you in charge of my contributions, all the holy gifts I get from the People of Israel. I am turning them over to you and your children for your personal use. This is the standing rule. You and your sons get what's left from the offerings, whatever hasn't been totally burned up on the Altar—the leftovers from Grain-Offerings, Absolution-Offerings, and Compensation-Offerings. Eat it reverently; it is most holy; every male may eat it. Treat it as holy.

^11-13 "You also get the Wave-Offerings from the People of Israel. I present them to you and your sons and daughters as a gift. This is the standing rule. Anyone in your household who is ritually clean may eat it. I also give you all the best olive oil, the best new wine, and the grain that is offered to God as the firstfruits of their harvest—all the firstfruits they offer to God are yours. Anyone in your household who is ritually clean may eat it.

^14-16 "You get every Totally-Devoted gift. Every firstborn that is offered to God, whether animal or person, is yours. Except you don't get the firstborn itself, but its redemption price; firstborn humans and ritually clean animals are bought back and you get the redemption price. When the firstborn is a month old it must be redeemed at the redemption price of five shekels of silver, using the standard of the Sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.

^17-19 "On the other hand, you don't redeem a firstborn ox, sheep, or goat—they are holy. Instead splash their blood on the Altar and burn their fat as a Fire-Gift, a pleasing fragrance to God. But you get the meat, just as you get the breast from the Wave-Offering and the right thigh. All the holy offerings that the People of Israel set aside for God, I'm turning over to you and your children. That's the standard rule and includes both you and your children—a Covenant-of-Salt, eternal and unchangeable before God."

²⁰ God said to Aaron, "You won't get any inheritance in land, not so much as a small plot of ground: I am your plot of ground, I am your inheritance among the People of Israel.

^21-24 "I'm giving the Levites all the tithes of Israel as their pay for the work they do in the Tent of Meeting. Starting now, the rest of the People of Israel cannot wander in and out of the Tent of Meeting; they'll be penalized for their sin and the penalty is death. It's the Levites and only the Levites who are to work in the Tent of Meeting and they are responsible for anything that goes wrong. This is the regular rule for all time. They get no inheritance among the People of Israel; instead I turn over to them the tithes that the People of Israel present as an offering to God. That's why I give the ruling: They are to receive no land-inheritance among the People of Israel."

^25-29 God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the Levites. Tell them, When you get the tithe from the People of Israel, the inheritance that I have assigned to you, you must tithe that tithe and present it as an offering to God. Your offerings will be treated the same as other people's gifts of grain from the threshing floor or wine from the wine vat. This is your procedure for making offerings to God from all the tithes you get from the People of Israel: give God's portion from these tithes to Aaron the priest. Make sure that God's portion is the best and holiest of everything you get.

^30-32 "Tell the Levites, When you offer the best part, the rest will be treated the same as grain from the threshing floor or wine from the wine vat that others give. You and your households are free to eat the rest of it anytime and anyplace—it's your wages for your work at the Tent of Meeting. By offering the best part, you'll avoid guilt, you won't desecrate the holy offerings of the People of Israel, and you won't die."

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Mark 16:1-20 (The Message)

Mark 16

The Resurrection

^1-3 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?" ^4-5Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.
^6-7He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said."
⁸They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.
^9-11[After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons. She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them. When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn't believe her.
^12-13Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of them out walking in the countryside. They went back and told the rest, but they weren't believed either.
^14-16Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. Then he said, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.
^17-18"These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well."
^19-20Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honor. And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.] ^[a]

Footnotes:

1. Mark 16:19 Mark 16:9-20 [the portion in brackets] is contained only in later manuscripts.

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Psalm 55:1-23 (The Message)

Psalm 55

A David Psalm

^1-3 Open your ears, God, to my prayer; don't pretend you don't hear me knocking.
Come close and whisper your answer.
I really need you.
I shudder at the mean voice,
quail before the evil eye,
As they pile on the guilt,
stockpile angry slander.

^4-8 My insides are turned inside out;
specters of death have me down.
I shake with fear,
I shudder from head to foot.
"Who will give me wings," I ask—
"wings like a dove?"
Get me out of here on dove wings;
I want some peace and quiet.
I want a walk in the country,
I want a cabin in the woods.
I'm desperate for a change
from rage and stormy weather.

^9-11 Come down hard, Lord—slit their tongues.
I'm appalled how they've split the city
Into rival gangs
prowling the alleys
Day and night spoiling for a fight,
trash piled in the streets,
Even shopkeepers gouging and cheating
in broad daylight.

^12-14 This isn't the neighborhood bully
mocking me—I could take that.
This isn't a foreign devil spitting
invective—I could tune that out.
It's you! We grew up together!
You! My best friend!
Those long hours of leisure as we walked
arm in arm, God a third party to our conversation.

¹⁵ Haul my betrayers off alive to hell—let them
experience the horror, let them
feel every desolate detail of a damned life.

^16-19 I call to God;
God will help me.
At dusk, dawn, and noon I sigh
deep sighs—he hears, he rescues.
My life is well and whole, secure
in the middle of danger
Even while thousands
are lined up against me.
God hears it all, and from his judge's bench
puts them in their place.
But, set in their ways, they won't change;
they pay him no mind.

^20-21 And this, my best friend, betrayed his best friends;
his life betrayed his word.
All my life I've been charmed by his speech,
never dreaming he'd turn on me.
His words, which were music to my ears,
turned to daggers in my heart.

^22-23 Pile your troubles on God's shoulders—
he'll carry your load, he'll help you out.
He'll never let good people
topple into ruin.
But you, God, will throw the others
into a muddy bog,
Cut the lifespan of assassins
and traitors in half. And I trust in you.

A David Psalm, When He Was Captured

by the Philistines in Gath

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Proverbs 11:7 (The Message)

⁷ When the wicked die, that's it—
the story's over, end of hope.

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Verse of the Day

“God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.” - 2 Peter 1:4

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American philanthropist and socialite, Rose Kennedy wrote, “Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments.”

Bible Readings for April 23, 2013

Today our passages are Judges 1:1–2:9; Luke 21:29–22:13; Psalm 90:1–91:1; and Proverbs 13:24-25. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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Judges 1-2:9 (Contemporary English Version)

Judges 1

The Tribes of Judah and Simeon Fight the Canaanites

 ¹After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, " Which of our tribes should attack the Canaanites first?"     ²" Judah!" the LORD answered. " I'll help them take the land."
    ³The people of Judah went to their relatives, the Simeon tribe, and said, " Canaanites live in the land God gave us. Help us fight them, and we will help you."
   Troops from Simeon came to help Judah.
    ^4-5Together they attacked an army of ten thousand Canaanites and Perizzites at Bezek, and the LORD helped Judah defeat them. During the battle, Judah's army found out where the king of Bezek ^[a] was, and they attacked there.
    ⁶Bezek tried to escape, but soldiers from Judah caught him. They cut off his thumbs and big toes,
    ⁷and he said, " I've cut off the thumbs and big toes of seventy kings and made those kings crawl around under my table for scraps of food. Now God is paying me back." The army of Judah took the king of Bezek along with them to Jerusalem, where he died.
    ⁸They attacked Jerusalem, ^[b] captured it, killed everyone who lived there, and then burned it to the ground.
    ⁹Judah's army fought the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, the Southern Desert, and the foothills to the west.
    ¹⁰After that, they attacked the Canaanites who lived at Hebron, defeating the three clans called ^[c] Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. At that time, Hebron was called Kiriath-Arba.
    ¹¹From Hebron, Judah's army went to attack Debir, which at that time was called Kiriath-Sepher.
    ¹²Caleb ^[d] told his troops, " The man who captures Kiriath-Sepher can marry my daughter Achsah."
    ¹³Caleb's nephew Othniel captured Kiriath-Sepher, so Caleb let him marry Achsah. Othniel was the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. ^{[e]
    14}Right after the wedding, Achsah started telling Othniel that he ^[f] ought to ask her father for a field. She went to see her father, and while she was getting down from ^[g] her donkey, Caleb asked, " What's bothering you?"
    ¹⁵She answered, " I need your help. The land you gave me is in the Southern Desert, so please give me some spring-fed ponds for a water supply."
   Caleb gave her a couple of small ponds named Higher Pond and Lower Pond. ^{[h]
    16}The people who belonged to the Kenite clan were the descendants of the father-in-law of Moses. They left Jericho ^[i] with the people of Judah and settled near Arad in the Southern Desert of Judah not far from the Amalekites. ^{[j]
    17}Judah's army helped Simeon's army attack the Canaanites who lived at Zephath. They completely destroyed ^[k] the town and renamed it Hormah. ^{[l]
    18-19}The LORD helped the army of Judah capture Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the land near those towns. They also took the hill country. But the people who lived in the valleys had iron chariots, so Judah was not able to make them leave or to take their land.
    ²⁰The tribe of Judah gave the town of Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had told them to do. Caleb defeated the three Anakim ^[m] clans ^[n] and took over the town.
   

The Benjamin Tribe Does Not Capture Jerusalem

 ²¹The Jebusites were living in Jerusalem, and the Benjamin tribe did not defeat them or capture the town. That's why Jebusites still live in Jerusalem along with the people of Benjamin.    

The Ephraim and Manasseh Tribes Capture Bethel

 ^22-23The Ephraim and Manasseh tribes ^[o] were getting ready to attack Bethel, which at that time was called Luz. And the LORD helped them when they sent spies to find out as much as they could about Bethel.     ²⁴While the spies were watching the town, a man came out, and they told him, " If you show us how our army can get into the town, ^[p] we will make sure that you aren't harmed."
    ²⁵The man showed them, and the two Israelite tribes attacked Bethel, killing everyone except the man and his family. The two tribes made the man and his family leave,
    ²⁶so they went to the land of the Hittites, ^[q] where he built a town. He named the town Luz, and that is still its name.
   

Israel Does Not Get Rid of All the Canaanites

 ^27-28Canaanites lived in the towns of Beth-Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and all the villages nearby. The Canaanites were determined to stay, and the Manasseh tribe never did get rid of them. But later on, when the Israelites grew more powerful, they made slaves of the Canaanites.     ²⁹The Ephraim tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived there with Israelites all around them.
    ³⁰The Zebulun tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Kitron and Nahalol, and the Canaanites stayed there with Israelites around them. But the people of Zebulun did force the Canaanites into slave labor.
    ^31-32The Asher tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob, and the Asher tribe lived with Canaanites all around them.
    ³³The Naphtali tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Beth-Shemesh and Beth-Anath, but they did force the Canaanites into slave labor. The Naphtali tribe lived with Canaanites around them.
    ³⁴The Amorites ^[r] were strong enough to keep the tribe of Dan from settling in the valleys, so Dan had to stay in the hill country.
    ³⁵The Amorites on Mount Heres and in Aijalon and Shaalbim were also determined to stay. Later on, as Ephraim and Manasseh grew more powerful, they forced those Amorites into slave labor.
   

The Amorite-Edomite Border

 ³⁶The old Amorite-Edomite border used to go from Sela through Scorpion Pass ^[s] into the hill country. ^[t]    

Judges 2

The LORD's Angel Speaks to Israel

 ¹The LORD's angel went from Gilgal to Bochim ^[u] and gave the Israelites this message from the LORD: I promised your ancestors that I would give this land to their families, and I brought your people here from Egypt. We made an agreement that I promised never to break,     ²and you promised not to make any peace treaties with the other nations that live in the land. Besides that, you agreed to tear down the altars where they sacrifice to their idols. But you didn't keep your promise.
    ³And so, I'll stop helping you defeat your enemies. Instead, they will be there to trap ^[v] you into worshiping their idols.
    ⁴The Israelites started crying loudly,
    ⁵and they offered sacrifices to the LORD. From then on, they called that place " Crying." ^[w]
   

Israel Stops Worshiping the LORD

 ^6-9Joshua had been faithful to the LORD. And after Joshua sent the Israelites to take the land they had been promised, they remained faithful to the LORD until Joshua died at the age of one hundred ten. He was buried on his land in Timnath-Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. Even though Joshua was gone, the Israelites were faithful to the LORD during the lifetime of those men who had been leaders with Joshua and who had seen the wonderful things the LORD had done for Israel.    

Footnotes:

1. Judges 1:4 king of Bezek: Or " Adoni-Bezek."
2. Judges 1:8 Jerusalem: This probably refers to towns and villages belonging to Jerusalem but lying in Judah's territory south of the city wall. Jerusalem itself was just inside Benjamin's territory, but was not captured by Israel at this time (see verse 21; Joshua 15.5-9; 18.15-18).
3. Judges 1:10 clans called: Or " warriors."
4. Judges 1:12 Caleb: One of the leaders of Judah; see Joshua 14.6-14 and Numbers 13.6,30; 14.6,10,20-24. For verses 12-15, see Joshua 15.13-19.
5. Judges 1:13 Othniel was the son of. . . Kenaz: Or "Othniel and Caleb both belonged to the Kenaz clan, but Othniel was younger than Caleb."
6. Judges 1:14 Achsah. . . Othniel. . . he: Hebrew; two ancient translations " Othniel. . . Achsah. . . she."
7. Judges 1:14 getting down from: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
8. Judges 1:15 spring-fed ponds. . . small ponds. . . Higher Pond and Lower Pond: Or " wells. . . wells. . . Higher Well and Lower Well."
9. Judges 1:16 Jericho: The Hebrew text has " Town of Palm Trees," another name for Jericho.
10. Judges 1:16 not far. . . Amalekites: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
11. Judges 1:17 completely destroyed: The Hebrew word means that the town was given completely to the LORD, and since it could not be used for normal purposes any more, it had to be destroyed.
12. Judges 1:17 Hormah: In Hebrew " Hormah" sounds like " completely destroyed."
13. Judges 1:20 Anakim: Perhaps a group of very large people that lived in Palestine before the Israelites (see Numbers 13.33 and Deuteronomy 2.10,11,20,21).
14. Judges 1:20 clans: See the note at 1.10.
15. Judges 1:22 The Ephraim and Manasseh tribes: The Hebrew text has " The Joseph family," which was divided into these two tribes named after Joseph's sons.
16. Judges 1:24 If you. . . town: Sometimes there were small doors in the town wall that could be opened from the inside even when the main town gates were shut and locked.
17. Judges 1:26 land of the Hittites: The Hittites had an empire centered in what is now Turkey. At one time their empire reached south into Syria, north of Israel.
18. Judges 1:34 Amorites: Used in the general sense of nations that lived in Canaan before the Israelites.
19. Judges 1:36 Scorpion Pass: Or " Akrabbim Pass."
20. Judges 1:36 country: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 36.
21. Judges 2:1 Bochim: In Hebrew " Bochim" means " crying" (see verse 5).
22. Judges 2:3 trap: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
23. Judges 2:5 Crying: Or " Bochim."

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Luke 21:29-22:13 (Contemporary English Version)

A Lesson from a Fig Tree

(Matthew 24.32-35; Mark 13.28-31)

 ²⁹Then Jesus told them a story:    When you see a fig tree or any other tree ³⁰putting out leaves, you know that summer will soon come. ³¹So, when you see these things happening, you know that God's kingdom will soon be here. ³²You can be sure that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all of this takes place. ³³The sky and the earth won't last forever, but my words will.
   

A Warning

 ³⁴Don't spend all of your time thinking about eating or drinking or worrying about life. If you do, the final day will suddenly catch you ³⁵like a trap. That day will surprise everyone on earth. ³⁶Watch out and keep praying that you can escape all that is going to happen and that the Son of Man will be pleased with you.     ³⁷Jesus taught in the temple each day, and he spent each night on the Mount of Olives. ³⁸Everyone got up early and came to the temple to hear him teach.
   

Luke 22

A Plot To Kill Jesus

(Matthew 26.1-5,14,16; Mark 14.1,2,10,11; John 11.45-53)

 ¹The Festival of Thin Bread, also called Passover, was near. ²The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were looking for a way to get rid of Jesus, because they were afraid of what the people might do. ³Then Satan entered the heart of Judas Iscariot, ^[a] who was one of the twelve apostles. ⁴Judas went to talk with the chief priests and the officers of the temple police about how he could help them arrest Jesus. ⁵They were very pleased and offered to pay Judas some money. ⁶He agreed and started looking for a good chance to betray Jesus when the crowds were not around.    

Jesus Eats with His Disciples

(Matthew 26.17-25; Mark 14.12-21; John 13.21-30)

 ⁷The day had come for the Festival of Thin Bread, and it was time to kill the Passover lambs. ⁸So Jesus said to Peter and John, "Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat."     ⁹But they asked, "Where do you want us to prepare it?"
    ¹⁰Jesus told them, "As you go into the city, you will meet a man carrying a jar of water. ^[b] Follow him into the house ¹¹and say to the owner, `Our teacher wants to know where he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples.' ¹²The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room ready for you to use. Prepare the meal there." ¹³Peter and John left. They found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
   

Footnotes:

1. Luke 22:3 Iscariot: See the note at 6.16.
2. Luke 22:10 a man carrying a jar of water: A male slave carrying water would probably mean that the family was rich.

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Psalm 90-91:16 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 90

BOOK IV

(Psalms 90-106)

(A prayer by Moses, the man of God.)

God Is Eternal

 ¹Our Lord, in all generations    you have been our home.
    ²You have always been God--
   long before the birth
   of the mountains,
   even before you created
   the earth and the world.
    ³At your command we die
   and turn back to dust,
    ⁴but a thousand years
   mean nothing to you!
   They are merely a day gone by
   or a few hours in the night.
    ⁵You bring our lives to an end
   just like a dream.
   We are merely tender grass
    ⁶that sprouts and grows
   in the morning,
   but dries up by evening.
    ⁷Your furious anger frightens
   and destroys us,
    ⁸and you know all of our sins,
   even those we do in secret.
    ⁹Your anger is a burden
   each day we live,
   then life ends like a sigh.
    ¹⁰We can expect seventy years,
   or maybe eighty,
   if we are healthy,
   but even our best years
   bring trouble and sorrow.
   Suddenly our time is up,
   and we disappear.
    ¹¹No one knows the full power
   of your furious anger,
   but it is as great as the fear
   that we owe to you.
    ¹²Teach us to use wisely
   all the time we have.
    ¹³Help us, LORD! Don't wait!
   Pity your servants.
    ¹⁴When morning comes,
   let your love satisfy
   all our needs.
   Then we can celebrate
   and be glad for what time
   we have left.
    ¹⁵Make us happy for as long
   as you caused us trouble
   and sorrow.
    ¹⁶Do wonderful things for us,
   your servants,
   and show your mighty power
   to our children.
    ¹⁷Our Lord and our God,
   treat us with kindness
   and let all go well for us.
   Please let all go well!
   

Psalm 91

The LORD Is My Fortress

 ¹Live under the protection    of God Most High
   and stay in the shadow
   of God All-Powerful.
    ²Then you will say to the LORD,
   "You are my fortress,
   my place of safety;
   you are my God,
   and I trust you."
    ³The Lord will keep you safe
   from secret traps
   and deadly diseases.
    ⁴He will spread his wings
   over you
   and keep you secure.
   His faithfulness is like
   a shield or a city wall. ^{[a] 5}You won't need to worry
   about dangers at night
   or arrows during the day.
    ⁶And you won't fear diseases
   that strike in the dark
   or sudden disaster at noon.
    ⁷You will not be harmed,
   though thousands fall
   all around you.
    ⁸And with your own eyes
   you will see
   the punishment
   of the wicked.
    ⁹The LORD Most High
   is your fortress.
   Run to him for safety,
    ¹⁰and no terrible disasters
   will strike you
   or your home.
    ¹¹God will command his angels
   to protect you
   wherever you go.
    ¹²They will carry you
   in their arms,
   and you won't hurt your feet
   on the stones.
    ¹³You will overpower
   the strongest lions
   and the most deadly snakes.
    ¹⁴The Lord says,
   "If you love me
   and truly know who I am,
   I will rescue you
   and keep you safe.
    ¹⁵When you are in trouble,
   call out to me.
   I will answer and be there
   to protect and honor you.
    ¹⁶You will live a long life
   and see my saving power."
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 91:4 city wall: One possible meaning for a difficult Hebrew word; it may possibly mean some kind of shield or weapon.

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Proverbs 13:24-25 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁴If you love your children,
   you will correct them;
   if you don't love them,
   you won't correct them.
    ²⁵If you live right,
   you will have plenty to eat;
   if you don't live right,
   you will go away empty.

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Verse of the Day

“In the Scriptures God says, "I swear by my very life that everyone will kneel down and praise my name!” - Romans 14:11

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American philanthropist, the wife of Joseph Patrick “Joe” Kennedy, Sr., and the mother of nine children, including Joseph Patrick “Joe” Kennedy, Jr. President John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy, Senator Robert Francis “Bobby” Kennedy, and Senator Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy Rose Kennedy wrote, “Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments.”