March 7

MARCH 7

PSALMS: 7, 37, 67, 97, 127

PROVERBS: 7

OLD TESTAMENT: 2 SAMUEL 12:1 – 31

NEW TESTAMENT: JOHN 16:1 – 33

PSALMS: 7

A shiggaion ^A of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

¹O LORD my God, I take refuge in you;

save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

²or they will tear me like a lion

and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

³O LORD my God, if I have done this

and there is guilt on my hands–

⁴if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me

or without cause have robbed my foe–

⁵then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;

let him trample my life to the ground

and make me sleep in the dust.

Selah

⁶Arise, O LORD, in your anger;

rise up against the rage of my enemies.

Awake, my God; decree justice.

⁷Let the assembled peoples gather around you.

Rule over them from on high;

⁸let the LORD judge the peoples.

Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness,

according to my integrity, O Most High.

⁹O righteous God,

who searches minds and hearts,

bring to an end the violence of the wicked

and make the righteous secure. ^{^[1]}

¹⁰My shield ^B is God Most High,

who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹God is a righteous judge,

a God who expresses his wrath every day.

¹²If he does not relent,

he ^C will sharpen his sword;

he will bend and string his bow.

¹³He has prepared his deadly weapons;

he makes ready his flaming arrows.

¹⁴He who is pregnant with evil

and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.

¹⁵He who digs a hole and scoops it out

falls into the pit he has made.

¹⁶The trouble he causes recoils on himself;

his violence comes down on his own head.

¹⁷I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness

and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. ^{^[2]}

PSALMS: 37

Of David.

¹Do ^A not fret because of evil men

or be envious of those who do wrong;

²for like the grass they will soon wither,

like green plants they will soon die away.

³Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

⁴Delight yourself in the LORD

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him and he will do this:

⁶He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

⁷Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret–it leads only to evil.

⁹For evil men will be cut off,

but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

¹⁰A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

¹¹But the meek will inherit the land

and enjoy great peace. ^{^[3]}

¹²The wicked plot against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them;

¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he knows their day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword

and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.

¹⁵But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶Better the little that the righteous have

than the wealth of many wicked;

¹⁷for the power of the wicked will be broken,

but the LORD upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,

and their inheritance will endure forever.

¹⁹In times of disaster they will not wither;

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

²⁰But the wicked will perish:

The LORD’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,

they will vanish–vanish like smoke.

²¹The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous give generously;

²²those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,

but those he curses will be cut off.^{^[4]}

²³If the LORD delights in a man’s way,

he makes his steps firm;

²⁴though he stumble, he will not fall,

for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

²⁵I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

²⁶They are always generous and lend freely;

their children will be blessed.

²⁷Turn from evil and do good;

then you will dwell in the land forever.

²⁸For the LORD loves the just

and will not forsake his faithful ones.

They will be protected forever,

but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

²⁹the righteous will inherit the land

and dwell in it forever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,

and his tongue speaks what is just.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart;

his feet do not slip.

³²The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

seeking their very lives;

³³but the LORD will not leave them in their power

or let them be condemned when brought to trial. ^{^[5]}

³⁴Wait for the LORD

and keep his way.

He will exalt you to inherit the land;

when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

³⁵I have seen a wicked and ruthless man

flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

³⁶but he soon passed away and was no more;

though I looked for him, he could not be found.

³⁷Consider the blameless, observe the upright;

there is a future ^B for the man of peace.

³⁸But all sinners will be destroyed;

the future ^C of the wicked will be cut off.

³⁹The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

⁴⁰The LORD helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him. ^{^[6]}

PSALMS: 67

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

¹May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face shine upon us,

Selah

²that your ways may be known on earth,

your salvation among all nations.

³May the peoples praise you, O God;

may all the peoples praise you.

⁴May the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you rule the peoples justly

and guide the nations of the earth.

Selah

⁵May the peoples praise you, O God;

may all the peoples praise you.

⁶Then the land will yield its harvest,

and God, our God, will bless us.

⁷God will bless us,

and all the ends of the earth will fear him. ^{^[7]}

PSALMS: 97

¹The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;

let the distant shores rejoice.

²Clouds and thick darkness surround him;

righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

³Fire goes before him

and consumes his foes on every side.

⁴His lightning lights up the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

⁵The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,

before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶The heavens proclaim his righteousness,

and all the peoples see his glory.

⁷All who worship images are put to shame,

those who boast in idols–

worship him, all you gods!

⁸Zion hears and rejoices

and the villages of Judah are glad

because of your judgments, O LORD.

⁹For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth;

you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰Let those who love the LORD hate evil,

for he guards the lives of his faithful ones

and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

¹¹Light is shed upon the righteous

and joy on the upright in heart.

¹²Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,

and praise his holy name. ^{^[8]}

PSALMS: 127

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

¹Unless the LORD builds the house,

its builders labor in vain.

Unless the LORD watches over the city,

the watchmen stand guard in vain.

²In vain you rise early

and stay up late,

toiling for food to eat–

for he grants sleep to ^A those he loves.

³Sons are a heritage from the LORD,

children a reward from him.

⁴Like arrows in the hands of a warrior

are sons born in one’s youth.

⁵Blessed is the man

whose quiver is full of them.

They will not be put to shame

when they contend with their enemies in the gate. ^{^[9]}

PROVERBS: 7

7 ¹ My son, keep my words

and store up my commands within you.

²Keep my commands and you will live;

guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

³Bind them on your fingers;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”

and call understanding your kinsman;

⁵they will keep you from the adulteress,

from the wayward wife with her seductive words.

⁶At the window of my house

I looked out through the lattice.

⁷I saw among the simple,

I noticed among the young men,

a youth who lacked judgment.

⁸He was going down the street near her corner,

walking along in the direction of her house

⁹at twilight, as the day was fading,

as the dark of night set in.

¹⁰Then out came a woman to meet him,

dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.

¹¹(She is loud and defiant,

her feet never stay at home;

¹²now in the street, now in the squares,

at every corner she lurks.)

¹³She took hold of him and kissed him

and with a brazen face she said:

¹⁴“I have fellowship offerings ^A at home;

today I fulfilled my vows.

¹⁵So I came out to meet you; ^{^[10]}

I looked for you and have found you!

¹⁶I have covered my bed

with colored linens from Egypt.

¹⁷I have perfumed my bed

with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.

¹⁸Come, let’s drink deep of love till morning;

let’s enjoy ourselves with love!

¹⁹My husband is not at home;

he has gone on a long journey.

²⁰He took his purse filled with money

and will not be home till full moon.”

²¹With persuasive words she led him astray;

she seduced him with her smooth talk.

²²All at once he followed her

like an ox going to the slaughter,

like a deer ^B stepping into a noose ^C

²³ till an arrow pierces his liver,

like a bird darting into a snare,

little knowing it will cost him his life.

²⁴Now then, my sons, listen to me;

pay attention to what I say.

²⁵Do not let your heart turn to her ways

or stray into her paths.

²⁶Many are the victims she has brought down;

her slain are a mighty throng.

²⁷Her house is a highway to the grave, ^D

leading down to the chambers of death. ^{^[11]}

OLD TESTAMENT: 2 SAMUEL 12:1 – 31

12 ¹The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, ³ but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

⁴“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

⁵David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! ⁶He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

⁷Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: `I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹ Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ ^{^[12]} ¹¹“This is what the LORD says: `Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.

¹² You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ ”

¹³Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. ¹⁴But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, ^A the son born to you will die.”

¹⁵After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. ¹⁶David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground. ¹⁷The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.

¹⁸On the seventh day the child died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.”

¹⁹David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.” ^{^[13]} ²⁰Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

²¹His servants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”

²²He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, `Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ ²³But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

²⁴Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved him; ²⁵and because the LORD loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah. ^B

²⁶Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel. ²⁷Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply. ²⁸Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me.”

²⁹So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and attacked and captured it. ³⁰He took the crown from the head of their king ^C–its weight was a talent ^D of gold, and it was set with precious stones–and it was placed on David’s head. He took a great quantity of plunder from the city ³¹and brought out the people who were ^{^[14]} there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brickmaking. ^E He did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem. ^{^[15]}

NEW TESTAMENT: JOHN 16:1 – 33

16 ¹“All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. ² They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. ³ They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. ⁴ I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.

⁵“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?’ ⁶ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. ⁷ But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt ^A in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; ¹⁰ in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

¹²“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

¹⁶“In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

¹⁷Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he ^{^[16]} mean by saying, `In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and `Because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸They kept asking, “What does he mean by `a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

¹⁹Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, `In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? ²⁰ I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. ²¹ A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. ²² So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. ²³ In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. ²⁴ Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

²⁵“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸ I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” ^{^[17]}²⁹Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. ³⁰Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

³¹“You believe at last!” ^B Jesus answered. ³²“But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

³³“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” ^{^[18]}