May 16 - Morning
"After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said:
'May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, "A boy is conceived!" ...Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? For sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water. What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.' ”
- Job 3:1-3; 23-26
'May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, "A boy is conceived!" ...Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? For sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water. What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.' ”
- Job 3:1-3; 23-26
Job Curses the Day He Was Born
Job’s grief is extensive. He is afflicted with painful sores that cover his body from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. These sores resulted in scabs and worms (7:3-5) that created the need/desire to scrape his skin with a broken piece of pottery (2:8) and eventually his skin turned black and peeled (30:30).
This painful disease occurred after Job had already lost his cattle to raiders, his servants to the sword, his sheep and more servants to fire, his caravan of camels to raiding parties and more servants were slaughtered with the sword. Then, his ten children died in a desert storm.
Of course, when Job recovered from the shock and could finally speak through the pain, he “cursed the day of his birth!”
In exquisite poetic figures of speech job desires that even the day of his beginning perish. Job desires that the entire historical occurrence of that date be removed from the calendar…May 13…May 14 …May 15…May 17…May 18…when Job says:
“May it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months.” (Job 3:6)
Like everyone Job had feared losing his prosperity, losing his health, losing his source of income, or worse, losing the people he loved. The very things he had been cautious and attentive to prevent have happened. The very things he had asked the Lord to protect have been taken.
Yatsar (Hb) – Form (Eng) – the Hebrew word yatsar is a technical term from the art of pottery. So, yatsar is used in the OT to refer to the work of a potter in Isaiah 29:16 and Jeremiah 18:4, 6. Yatar is used in Isaiah 44:9-10 to identify craftsmanship done by molding or carving. God himself yatsar man (Gen. 2:7-8), animals (Gen. 2:19), the nation of Israel (Isaiah 27:11; 45:9), the man Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5), and Leviathan (Ps. 104:26).
Do I know how to express my grief to the Lord?
Or, do I just get angry at God and curse him?
I will express my grief and my loss to the Lord for in him there is hope.
Ultimately, in the Lord there will be resolution and answers.
Without God the grief only turns to a hopeless darkness where nothing can ever be resolved.
Or, do I just get angry at God and curse him?
I will express my grief and my loss to the Lord for in him there is hope.
Ultimately, in the Lord there will be resolution and answers.
Without God the grief only turns to a hopeless darkness where nothing can ever be resolved.
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
Enough income to meet your needs
Church
Recognition of error
Nation
Water
World
Eritrea
Someone to Quote
"If you can't feed 100 people then just feed one."
- Mother Theresa
- Mother Theresa
Something to Ponder
Paul quotes an insult from a Greek seer/philosopher/poet from Crete named Epimenides (600 BC) in his letter to Titus (Titus 1:12), and then says,
“This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply!”
In Acts 17:28, while speaking in Athens, Paul again quotes Epimenides, along with the fifth line of Phaenomena ("Appearances"), a poem about the constellations, by Aratus (315-240 BC), a Cilician poet and Stoic philosopher.
The Greek playwright Menander (342-291 BC) gets a quote from his comedy Thais (here and here) placed in the text of Scripture when Paul quotes him in 1 Corinthians 15:33. Paul quoting Menander would be like us quoting a line from a movie! And, remember, Thais was a comedy!
In Acts 17:28, while speaking in Athens, Paul again quotes Epimenides, along with the fifth line of Phaenomena ("Appearances"), a poem about the constellations, by Aratus (315-240 BC), a Cilician poet and Stoic philosopher.
The Greek playwright Menander (342-291 BC) gets a quote from his comedy Thais (here and here) placed in the text of Scripture when Paul quotes him in 1 Corinthians 15:33. Paul quoting Menander would be like us quoting a line from a movie! And, remember, Thais was a comedy!
Here’s a Fact
The cedars of Lebanon (details), or "cedar" that are mentioned seventy-six times in the Old Testament
(1 Kings 5:9; 2 Chron. 2:15-16)
reached the height of 120 feet and grew to 30-40 feet in circumference. This wood was fragrant and resisted decay and insects. Some of these timbers have been found still in and around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Some have been dated back to the days of David and Solomon.
(Details 1, 2, 3, 4)
Proverb
"In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps."
- Proverbs 16:9
but the Lord establishes their steps."
- Proverbs 16:9
Coach’s Corner
Talk with someone you admire. Spend time with people you wish to be like. Go to the places successful people are and do the things they do.
Judges 19
New International Version (NIV)
A Levite and His Concubine
19 In those days Israel had no king.
Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months, 3 her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her parents’ home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. 4 His father-in-law, the woman’s father, prevailed on him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there.
5 On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh yourself with something to eat; then you can go.” 6 So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Afterward the woman’s father said, “Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself.” 7 And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night. 8 On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the woman’s father said, “Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!” So the two of them ate together.
9 Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman’s father, said, “Now look, it’s almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home.” 10 But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.
11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Come, let’s stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night.”
12 His master replied, “No. We won’t go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” 13 He added, “Come, let’s try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places.” 14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.
16 That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields. 17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”
18 He answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the Lord. No one has taken me in for the night. 19 We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants—me, the woman and the young man with us. We don’t need anything.”
20 “You are welcome at my house,” the old man said. “Let me supply whatever you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” 21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.
22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.”
23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, “No, my friends, don’t be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don’t do this outrageous thing. 24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don’t do such an outrageous thing.”
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.
27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, “Get up; let’s go.” But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!”
New International Version (NIV)
A Levite and His Concubine
19 In those days Israel had no king.
Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months, 3 her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her parents’ home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. 4 His father-in-law, the woman’s father, prevailed on him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there.
5 On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh yourself with something to eat; then you can go.” 6 So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Afterward the woman’s father said, “Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself.” 7 And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night. 8 On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the woman’s father said, “Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!” So the two of them ate together.
9 Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman’s father, said, “Now look, it’s almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home.” 10 But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.
11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Come, let’s stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night.”
12 His master replied, “No. We won’t go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” 13 He added, “Come, let’s try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places.” 14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.
16 That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields. 17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”
18 He answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the Lord. No one has taken me in for the night. 19 We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants—me, the woman and the young man with us. We don’t need anything.”
20 “You are welcome at my house,” the old man said. “Let me supply whatever you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” 21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.
22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.”
23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, “No, my friends, don’t be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don’t do this outrageous thing. 24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don’t do such an outrageous thing.”
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.
27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, “Get up; let’s go.” But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!”
2 Kings 9
New International Version (NIV)
Jehu Anointed King of Israel
9 The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of olive oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. 3 Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!”
4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said.
“For which of us?” asked Jehu.
“For you, commander,” he replied.
6 Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu’s head and declared, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. 7 You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel. 8 The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. 9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and ran.
11 When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac come to you?”
“You know the man and the sort of things he says,” Jehu replied.
12 “That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.”
Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”
13 They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!”
Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah
14 So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, 15 but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, “If you desire to make me king, don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 16 Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.
17 When the lookout standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, he called out, “I see some troops coming.”
“Get a horseman,” Joram ordered. “Send him to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?’”
18 The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”
“What do you have to do with peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”
The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”
19 So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”
Jehu replied, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”
20 The lookout reported, “He has reached them, but he isn’t coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a maniac.”
21 “Hitch up my chariot,” Joram ordered. And when it was hitched up, Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?”
“How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”
23 Joram turned about and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”
24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot. 25 Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, “Pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Ahab his father when the Lord spoke this prophecy against him: 26 ‘Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the Lord, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the Lord.’ Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”
27 When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him, shouting, “Kill him too!” They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam, but he escaped to Megiddo and died there. 28 His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his ancestors in his tomb in the City of David. 29 (In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah.)
Jezebel Killed
30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. 31 As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, you Zimri, you murderer of your master?”
32 He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 33 “Throw her down!” Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot.
34 Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of that cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” 35 But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands. 36 They went back and told Jehu, who said, “This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. 37 Jezebel’s body will be like dung on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”
New International Version (NIV)
Jehu Anointed King of Israel
9 The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of olive oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. 3 Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!”
4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said.
“For which of us?” asked Jehu.
“For you, commander,” he replied.
6 Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu’s head and declared, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. 7 You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel. 8 The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. 9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and ran.
11 When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac come to you?”
“You know the man and the sort of things he says,” Jehu replied.
12 “That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.”
Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”
13 They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!”
Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah
14 So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, 15 but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, “If you desire to make me king, don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 16 Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.
17 When the lookout standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, he called out, “I see some troops coming.”
“Get a horseman,” Joram ordered. “Send him to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?’”
18 The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”
“What do you have to do with peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”
The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”
19 So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”
Jehu replied, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”
20 The lookout reported, “He has reached them, but he isn’t coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a maniac.”
21 “Hitch up my chariot,” Joram ordered. And when it was hitched up, Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?”
“How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”
23 Joram turned about and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”
24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot. 25 Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, “Pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Ahab his father when the Lord spoke this prophecy against him: 26 ‘Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the Lord, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the Lord.’ Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”
27 When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him, shouting, “Kill him too!” They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam, but he escaped to Megiddo and died there. 28 His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his ancestors in his tomb in the City of David. 29 (In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah.)
Jezebel Killed
30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. 31 As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, you Zimri, you murderer of your master?”
32 He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 33 “Throw her down!” Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot.
34 Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of that cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” 35 But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands. 36 They went back and told Jehu, who said, “This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. 37 Jezebel’s body will be like dung on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”
Psalm 3
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 3
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1
Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!
2
Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”
3
But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4
I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6
I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.
7
Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
8
From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
____
Psalm 4
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 4
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1
Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2
How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
3
Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
4
Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.
5
Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the Lord.
6
Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us.
7
Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound.
8
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
___
Psalm 12
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 12
For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.
1
Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2
Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.
3
May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue—
4
those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”
5
“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
6
And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.
7
You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked,
8
who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 3
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1
Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!
2
Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”
3
But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4
I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6
I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.
7
Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
8
From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
____
Psalm 4
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 4
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1
Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2
How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
3
Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
4
Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.
5
Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the Lord.
6
Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us.
7
Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound.
8
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
___
Psalm 12
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 12
For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.
1
Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2
Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.
3
May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue—
4
those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”
5
“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
6
And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.
7
You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked,
8
who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.